Jesse Blacker is one-of-eight defenceman competing for playing time this season with the Toronto Marlies
TORONTO- Head coach Dallas Eakins has trimmed his roster down to 27 players and has no intention of cutting anymore before his club’s season opener this Saturday against the Rochester Americans.
While his plan doesn’t include holding on to anymore players longer than he has too, especially for an extended amount of time, he has said on more than one occasion he is “comfortable starting the season with five lines.”
The players expected to make it to opening day are:
Forward
15 Spencer Abbott
14 Will Acton
18 Carter Ashton
11 Keith Aucoin
22 Joe Colborne
29 Jerry D’Amigo
9 Nicolas Deschamps
33 Jamie Devane
12 Ryan Hamilton
13 Nazem Kadri
87 Leo Komarov
39 Greg McKegg
37 Brad Ross
25 Kenny Ryan
8 Greg Scott
7 Mike Zigomanis
Defence
27 Jesse Blacker
2 Mark Fraser
19 Jake Gardiner
24 Simon Gysbers
5 Korbinian Holzer
21 Mike Kostka
17 Paul Ranger
4 Dylan Yeo
Goaltenders
30 Ben Scrivens
40 Jussi Rynnas
1 Mark Owuya
Eakins has mix and matched line combinations in practice and nothing is set in stone with regards to who will dress on Saturday, or who will be scratched from the line up. Plus the team will still practice Thursday and Friday. However, Wednesday’s practice had Ryan, Abbott and Ross skating as the “fifth line.” And Jamie Devane was sitting out with a hand injury suffered in an exhibition game against the Hamilton Bulldogs. There will also have to be two defenceman and a goaltender that sit out, but it’s likely that won’t be announced until game day.
KYLE CICERELLA
What did the top lines look like in the last practice? What about PP? Thanks
What did the top lines and pp lines look like?