Leafs place young forward on waivers and cut 21 players from training camp

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.