Huge blow to veteran forward Steven Lorentz on his PTO!
He joined the Maple Leafs, but what are his chances now?
Two weeks after accepting a professional tryout agreement with the Maple Leafs, forward Steven Lorentz is dealing with an unfortunate blow in Toronto. The Stanley Cup winner with the Florida Panthers, who joined the Leafs on a PTO for a crack at the roster for the 2024-25 season, missed practice on Friday due to an upper-body injury, per TSN’s Mark Masters.
The Maple Leafs later confirmed the report, adding that Lorentz was considered day-to-day.
Last season with the Stanley Cup champions in Florida, Lorentz posted one goal and two assists in 38 regular season games. He added three points in 16 playoff contests in route to the franchise’s first championship. The Panthers let him go in free agency and Lorentz agreed to a PTO in Toronto to get a shot at a spot on the main roster.
With Lorentz out, Roni Hirvonen skated with David Kampf and Ryan Reaves at practice, while William Nylander remained at centre alongside Max Domi and Calle Jarnkrok in head coach Craig Berube’s experiment to have him play more games down the middle.
In better news in Toronto on Friday, defenseman Simon Benoit returned is to practice after missing yesterday’s session for the birth of his first child. In first season with Toronto, Benoit put up five points in 64 games. He signed a three-year contract extension with the team earlier this year.
Benoit spent practice paired with Timothy Liljegren in Group 2 while Oliver Ekman-Larsson is with Jake McCabe for the second consecutive day.
