THE BOYS OF LATE SUMMER ARE BACK
Informal Maple Leafs skates are as much a part of the season as the Ex and back-to-school sales
Leafs forward Connor Brown controls the puck in a game of 3-on-3 with teammates at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke on Monday. Brown, who scored 20 goals as a rookie, should get a significant raise this season and a new number — free-agent acquisition Patrick Marleau will wear No. 12.
Connor Brown skated off the ice where he’s been working out all summer, all smiles and willing to talk about almost anything, especially concerning the anticipated excitement of the Maple Leafs’ upcoming season.
“We really feel like we’re itching to get going,” Brown said. “We feel like we’ve taken steps in the right direction.”
The one thing he doesn’t want to talk about is his contract.
Brown remains a restricted free agent, the team’s last name without a signature on a contract. Neither the team nor his agent will comment on the reasons for the holdup. Brown seems in line for a significant raise from his three-year, $2.775-million (U.S.) entry-level contract.
The Maple Leafs have a surplus of forwards — 16, when normally 13 will do. And it is almost $2.5 million over the salary cap, without a projected $3 million for Brown.
But manipulating the roster and the cap is a forte of the Maple Leafs’ front office and extra bodies, if none are traded beforehand, simply mean tougher competition for training camp, now less than a month away.
“We’ve got a lot of returning players,” Brown said. “That’s when teams are the most successful, when they’ve got internal competition.”
In addition to the elongated contract talks, Brown’s name has come up in trade talks. None of if seems to bother him. But one of the team’s off-season moves directly affected him. San Jose Sharks veteran Patrick Marleau signed a three-year deal as a free agent, and both he and Brown wear 12. Marleau’s done it a lot longer, so Brown has ceded the number. He has 28 on his helmet.
“It was an easy choice, an easy decision,” Brown said. “Marleau has so much respect in the league and is going to be a big part of the team. It’s just a sign of respect. It’s something you do.”
The Marleau signing, on top of lastseason’s impressive run, has expectations at sky-high levels. The team’s crop of highly heralded rookies, Brown included, are heading into their sophomore season.
“We know teams are going to be ready for us this year,” said Brown, who scored 20 goals in his rookie campaign. “We’re not going to take anybody by surprise. We just have to stick to what we’ve been doing. Grinding. Trying to get better. We’ll leave expectations to others.”
There have been a handful of changes in the past month. Defenceman Alexey Marchenko left for the KHL. And centre Frederik Gauthier returned to the ice, skating for the first time since a horrific leg injury suffered in the Calder Cup playoffs with the Marlies.
“He’s been in here all summer, working his a-- off,” Brown said. “It’s nice to see him get back on the ice. He’s been a real professional about it.”
Gauthier participated in about a half-hour’s worth of drills, but not the 3-on-3 game at the end of the informal workout. Brown, Zach Hyman and minorleague defencemen Travis Dermott and Andrew Nielsen have formed the core of players working out regularly all summer at the MasterCard Centre, but the number is growing as the season gets closer. There were about two dozen Leafs, Marlies and prospects working out Monday, each gearing up for what should be a competitive training camp.
“I feel the best I’ve felt going into camp in a long time,” Nielsen said. “I feel strong, I feel fresh, ready to go. And I’m going in with the mindset that I’m ready to make the Maple Leafs. That’s the frame of mind I’m in: Go in and make it real hard for them to make a difficult decision.”
“We’re down to the point where you’re done with the gym, and you just want to get going.”
The Ricoh Centre will be home to the Maple Leafs’ rookie tournament, Sept. 8-10, featuring first-year players from Ottawa and Montreal as well. Full training camp will open Sept. 15, with the team spending Sept. 16-18 at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls, Ont.