Toronto Maple Leafs: Nazem Kadri Among Last Cuts at Camp...Another Move Brewing?

The last cuts were made at Leafs camp, and not to surprise anyone, Nazem Kadri was among them. The Leafs needed to trim their roster down to the necessary 23 before the season begins on Thursday night against the Montreal Canadiens.

Kadri struggled mightily this preseason, mostly due to a lack of experience, and while he won't admit it, the pressure from fans and media alike probably weighed heavily on his mind.

However, many great players have played a year or two in the AHL before coming up to dominate the NHL. Players like Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry, and even Tyler Bozak have all spent time in the AHL. This is not the end for Kadri, rather it's the beginning, and I fully expect to see Kadri later this year.

Among the other cuts were forwards Luca Caputi and Christian Hanson along with goaltender Jussi Rynnas and defender Matt Lashoff. Three players were placed on waivers and they were Jay Rosehill, Mike Zigomanis, and defender Danny Richmond.

GM Brian Burke stated that if Rosehill and Richmond clear waivers, they will report to the AHL's Toronto Marlies, however, Zigomanis will not report, he will become an unrestricted free agent.

In related news..

Here's an interesting note to take from this, the Leafs roster needs to be 23 before the season starts, however, their roster as it stands only has 22 players. Have the Leafs made a claim for someone? That question will remain a rumor.

As their roster stands right now they have 12 forwards, eight defenceman, two goalies, and one injured defenceman possibly going on the IR.

Forward Lines

Versteeg—Bozak—Kessel

Kulemin—Grabovski—MacArthur

Sjostrom—Brent—Armstrong

Brown—Mitchell—Orr

Defense

Kaberle—Komisarek

Phaneuf—Beauchemin

Lebda—Schenn

Gunnarsson—Finger

Goalies

Giguere and Gustavsson

With the recent demotions of Caputi, Kadri, and Hanson, I truly believe that Burke has a move up his sleeve, as the current rotation of centers that made the club are terrible at best after the top line.

Who could that player be? Who do you think may be traded to make room? Please feel free to voice your opinion in the comments.

From Leafs camp, I'm Brad LeClair.

The original article can be found at Sportshaze.com.

Note: Minor correction, Matt Lashoff has been sent down to the AHL Marlies giving the Leafs 12 forwards, 8 defenceman and 2 goalies.