One Maple Leafs PTO That Never Became a Comeback Story
Every September, NHL training camps bring out the hopeful stories. A veteran player signs a professional tryout contract, shows up at camp, and tries to convince a team there is still something left in the tank. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it does not. But behind every PTO is a player with a story that usually goes deeper than whether he scored a goal in a preseason game.
The Maple Leafs, like most NHL teams, often invite a veteran player to camp on a PTO.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have always been a team where those stories get attention. Every year, players come to camp looking for one more opportunity, one more chance to prove they belong. Back in 2015, that player was Devin Setoguchi.
Setoguchi was not some unknown trying to make his way into the NHL. He was a former eighth-overall pick by the San Jose Sharks in 2005 who looked like he might become a star. At his best, he was a skilled winger with a dangerous shot, and he scored 31 goals for San Jose during the 2008-09 season.
He ended up playing 516 NHL games with several teams, including the Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets, and Calgary Flames. But his career became one of those hockey "what if" stories.
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Setoguchi had talent, but he was also dealing with challenges away from the ice.
The talent was obvious. The opportunity was there. But sometimes careers are shaped by things that have nothing to do with what happens on the ice. When Setoguchi arrived at Maple Leafs training camp on a PTO in 2015, he was 28 years old and trying to find his way back into the NHL. The Maple Leafs gave him that opportunity, but by the end of September, the team released him.
On the surface, it looked like another veteran player who simply did not make the team. But the real story was much more complicated. Setoguchi has since spoken openly about the personal struggles he was dealing with at the time, including issues with alcohol and substance abuse. Looking back, he has said that being released by Toronto may have actually been the right thing for him because he needed to deal with his life away from hockey.
That is something fans often forget about professional athletes. We see the player. We see the statistics. We see the contract. We do not always see the person behind the jersey.
Jumbo Joe Thornton had a relationship with Setoguchi.
There is also an interesting Maple Leafs connection to the story. Jumbo Joe Thornton, who later joined Toronto for the 2020-21 season, had a relationship with Setoguchi from their time together in San Jose and helped him during his attempt to continue his career. While Thornton’s time in Toronto did not end the way many hoped, it was easy to see the quality of character he brought to hockey.
That small connection says something about hockey. The game is competitive, but it is also a community. Players remember teammates. They help each other. Sometimes those relationships matter long after the games are over.
Setoguchi would continue playing after Toronto, including time overseas, but his NHL comeback never happened. Eventually, he stepped away from professional hockey.
The human side of Devin Setoguchi’s story.
The easy story is that he was a talented player who never reached his full potential. The better story is that he was a talented player who faced challenges most fans never saw, found a way forward, and eventually rebuilt his life.
That is the human side of PTO season. Every player who walks into an NHL training camp is chasing a dream. Sometimes they earn a contract. Sometimes they do not. But every one of them has a story.