Harrington making noise at Leaf camp
Babcock likes what he sees in young defenceman as final roster cuts loom
If there are any surprises with the Maple Leafs’ season-opening roster — and there was some nervous buzz surrounding the roster for Saturday night’s final pre-season game — then defenceman Scott Harrington could be one of them.
The Kingston-born blueliner, who has maintained a solid, steady performance through camp, stands an excellent chance to crack the roster that will open the season Wednesday against Montreal.
There are no guarantees for Harrington, the 22-year-old former London Knight and OHL all-star, but he has certainly performed well enough in camp to make the team.
“He’s been good, but I want to look more,” said head coach Mike Babcock before the game against Detroit. “I’d be good again if I were him . . . he can be more combative, but we like what we see.”
There was an air of nervousness Saturday, as Babcock, general manager Lou Lamoriello and president Brendan Shanahan poured over the more than 40 players remaining in camp. The Leafs and Red Wings are the only NHL teams with that many players still competing for jobs, which suggests either the coaching staff wants one last look or there may be some relative surprises when the final cuts are made.
Those cuts could come as early as Sunday, giving the team two full days of workouts with the 23-man roster that will open the season.
Detroit won 2-1 Saturday night on goals by Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha. Brad Boyes got the Leafs’ lone goal, with Harrington drawing the assist.
Harrington has been included in a group of veterans that were considered “the NHL group” at camp. A second grouping featured high-end prospects and depth players for what could be a very good Marlies team in the AHL.
But prospects William Nylander and Connor Brown — who have been excellent in camp — did not play Saturday. Normally, the two rookies would be expected to suit up for one final, all-out audition for the NHL roster.
“I want to look at other guys,” Babcock said when asked why the two top prospects were not getting that final game. “We better know what we have before we get in a hurry to do something, then find out later it was wrong.”
For now, it’s expected the forward lines will be populated with several newcomers, including PA Parenteau, Michael Grabner, Nick Spaling, Daniel Winnick, Mark Arcobello, Brad Boyes and Shaun Mathias.
At the very least, Babcock added to the air of nervousness when he said he has a solid impression of Nylander and Brown, who were thought to be headed for the Marlies.
Meanwhile, Harrington has stuck around all camp within the NHL group.
“I’ve been happy with my camp so far, but I don’t think you can argue about the rosters each night. It’s very individual; each is auditioning each night and every game is important,” said Harrington, part of the Phil Kessel trade, along with Spaling and Kasperi Kapanen.
Harrington broke into the OHL in 2009 and earned all-rookie honours that year, part of a string of top-shelf accomplishments that led to the Penguins drafting him in the second round, 54th overall, in 2011. He earned all-star status at the Under-17 Ivan Hlinka tournament, a berth on a world junior team and a pair of OHL first-team all-star berths; the later putting him in the same company as Drew Doughty, Ryan Ellis and Al MacInnis.
Harrington remains cautious about his chances of cracking the roster. He’s in a dogfight with Stuart Percy and Martin Marincin for the final spots on the blueline, but they have more NHL experience.
Harrington played in 10 games for the Penguins last year (ticking off a year on his free-agent eligibility), and was summoned at the end of the season for the playoffs.