Report: Steven Lorentz to join Toronto Maple Leafs on PTO

A player with a championship pedigree is going to try and earn a spot in the hockey mecca of the world.

On Sportsnet 590 on Tuesday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the wheels are in motion for forward Steven Lorentz to join the Toronto Maple Leafs on a professional tryout agreement.

Lorentz is coming off a two-year contract that he signed with the San Jose Sharks in July 2022, which had a cap hit of $1.05 million per year.

Lorentz has bounced around the NHL over the past few seasons. After a handful of seasons grinding it out in the minor leagues, the Kitchener, Ontario native broke into the big league during the 2020-21 season with the Carolina Hurricanes, the team that took him in the seventh round, 186th overall, of the 2015 NHL Draft. After two years with the Hurricanes, he was sent to the Sharks in the trade that saw Brent Burns head to Carolina.

After one season in San Jose, Lorentz was traded to the Florida Panthers, along with a fifth-round pick, for Anthony Duclair. Though he played just 38 games during the 2023-24 regular season, the 28-year-old appeared in 16 playoff games, as the Panthers went on to win the franchise’s Stanley Cup, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.

Lorentz notched a goal and two assists during the regular, scoring twice and assisting on another in the postseason. In 230 career NHL appearances, he has scored 21 goals and 22 assists, including six points in 32 playoff games.

It will certainly be tough for Lorentz to crack the Leafs’ roster, especially as a center. Toronto already has Auston Matthews, John Tavares, David Kampf, Max Domi among the main options down the middle. There might be space for Lorentz with their American Hockey League, the Toronto Marlies, as the Leafs have 46 of a possible 50 contracts signed for next season.