Leafs place young forward on waivers and cut 21 players from training camp
The Toronto Maple Leafs have placed young forward Nick Abruzzese on waivers and officially cut 21 players from their training camp roster.
The Toronto Maple Leafs made several roster cuts on Wednesday as they prepare for the 2024-2025 season. Among the players reassigned to the Toronto Marlies are Nick Abruzzese who faces a tougher situation as he was placed on waivers for reassignment.
If Abruzzese clears waivers he will rejoin the Marlies but other teams will have a chance to claim him. Losing him would hurt the Marlies, as he's been a key player, scoring 32 goals and 68 assists over the past two years. He also scored a game winning goal for the Leafs vs the Bruins during one of his call ups.
The Leafs signed Abruzzese to a two year, $1.5 million contract extension in 2023. While his NHL opportunities have been limited he had a solid preseason & remains a top candidate for a call up if injuries or performance issues arise.
Though it's a challenging moment for Abruzzese it's clearly not the end. If he clears waivers & continues to perform well with the Marlies he could still make his way back to the Leafs.
