Could This Veteran Forward Be Worth a Maple Leafs PTO?

There isn't much left to do for hockey fans in August except look around at the remaining unrestricted free agents and wonder if somebody might be worth bringing into training camp on a PTO. Jonathan Drouin is one of those names.

I'm not suggesting the Toronto Maple Leafs should suddenly make Drouin an important part of their plans. But if he's willing to come to camp on a professional tryout, I don't see much harm in taking a look.

What might make Drouin worth a look for the Blue & White?

Drouin has always been an interesting player. When he's playing with good players and has some offensive talent around him, he can move the puck, make plays and create some offence. That's still something Toronto could use.

The Maple Leafs already have plenty of options among their top nine, with Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, William Nylander, John Tavares, Gavin McKenna, Jack Roslovic, Nick Paul and Easton Cowan giving the coaching staff plenty of combinations to work with.

So Drouin isn't coming in to replace anybody. But what he could provide is another experienced puck distributor who could step into a middle-six role if injuries hit or somebody simply isn't getting the job done. Every team thinks it has enough depth in August. Then October arrives, somebody gets hurt, and suddenly you're looking for another forward.

That's where a player like Drouin becomes interesting.

Of course, there are reasons he's still available. His injury history is a concern, and his game has always looked better when he's surrounded by talented players. He's not necessarily the guy you want carrying a line and creating everything himself. But Toronto doesn't need him to do that.

In some ways, Drouin would be another version of the kind of player the Maple Leafs have tried to get value from with Max Domi. Give him some good players to work with, put him in a role that suits him and see whether there's enough left to make him useful. And that's really all a PTO is supposed to be.

The Maple Leafs are making no promises, just giving him a look.

The organization isn't promising anything. They aren't handing the player a roster spot. They're giving him a chance to show you what he's got, and you're giving yourself a chance to find out whether there's something there.

Drouin certainly isn't the most exciting name left on the free-agent market. He may not even make sense for Toronto. But if he's willing to come to camp and compete for a contract, I'd give him a look.

The Maple Leafs could do worse than spending a few weeks finding out whether Jonathan Drouin still has a little hockey left in him.