At some point the Leafs are probably going to have to trade a forward.

Or something.

I’m not saying this like it’s a problem the Leafs have. Quite the opposite, actually.

We’re always hearing about how the Leafs supposedly have the best or at least one of the best prospect pools in the NHL. They’re definitely in the conversation. Beyond the Leafs’ rookie-filled roster with the likes of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner, Toronto’s farm system looks like it’s in great shape, especially up front.

Kasperi Kapanen recently won AHL Player of the Week honours. Brendan Leipsic was named AHL Player of the Month. Nikita Korostelev is one of the OHL’s leading goal-scorers. Jeremy Bracco is one of the OHL’s leaders in assists. I should also mention that Antoine Bibeau was named AHL Goalie of the Month, but he’s not a forward.

Then I saw the Leafs claim Seth Griffith off waivers, followed by Ben Smith not long after. Little moves like that always get me curious, so I decided to look at the Leafs’ depth chart. I’m talking about players under contract in the NHL, AHL, as well as guys in junior and European leagues that the Leafs don’t have signed, but still hold their rights.

Here’s my crack at illustrating the Leafs’ depth chart.

BLUE is for players the Leafs have signed beyond this current season.

is for players the Leafs have signed beyond this current season. GREEN is for pending restricted free agents.

is for pending restricted free agents. RED is for pending unrestricted free agents.

is for pending unrestricted free agents. BLACK ITALICS is for players the Leafs have “buried” in the AHL.

is for players the Leafs have “buried” in the AHL. GREY is for unsigned players the Leafs still own the rights to.

That’s a lot of players.

First and foremost, shoutout to Cap Friendly for holding it down now that General Fanager is gone. You’re the real MVP.

You’ll notice that many players have a letter next to them. That’s to indicate that they also play, or have played, another position. For example, Brooks Laich is a centre who has been used on the wing. The letter next to Andrew Campbell represents that he typically plays defence on the right side but is left-handed.

You might also notice that none of Joffrey Lupul, Nathan Horton, or Stephane Robidas are on this list. I’m doing that under the assumption their playing days are over. You never know though.

The Leafs obviously have more uncertainty on defence, particularly on the right side. The only player signed beyond this season is Connor Carrick. Something I’ve floated in recent months is perhaps trading one of the Leafs’ many forwards in the system for a defender.

I count 42 forwards that the Leafs have either on their team, in their system, or elsewhere. Thirty of those 42 forwards are wingers, and that’s without counting buried guys like Greening and Laich. Is that a lot? Your NHL and AHL teams need eight wingers each, assuming you aren’t using any AHL-only contracts in the minors. So that’s 16. Of course guys get injured and you always need spares, but 30 wingers seems like quite a lot.

It’s not just the amount of wingers, it’s the quality of them. Nikita Soshnikov had a fantastic audition against the Oilers. Leipsic, Kapanen, Rychel and Lindberg have all seen NHL action. Timashov and Johnsson are hyped AHL rookies, several players are doing very well in junior and in Europe, and we haven’t even mentioned the guys currently on the big club.

My point is this: Not all of those wingers can possibly make it with the

leafs. Some of them may literally not make it as in they won’t ever make it to the NHL as regular players. It looks like Nylander, Marner, Hyman, and Brown are sticking around for a while. JVR is always in trade rumours, but he’s still here. Matt Martin is just starting a four year deal. There’s six of the eight spots on the big club occupied for the foreseeable future.

You could definitely argue this is a good thing. Heck, I’d argue that it’s a good thing. The Leafs have a lot of good, young players. When was the last time we could say that with confidence? The 1980s?

You could also say that no, the Leafs should not take away from a strength – depth on the wing – to address a need. Oh, it’s hard for wingers to make the Leafs? Great! Competition is healthy!

Sometimes you’re forced into making decisions, though. For example, Matt Hunwick is on the IR right now and Josh Leivo has been loaned to the AHL on a conditioning stint. Leivo can only stay in the AHL for six days or three AHL games.

Once Leivo’s conditioning stint is up, what happens? If the team wants to send him to the Marlies, he’ll have to clear waivers. If the team wants to keep him, and Matt Hunwick returns from injury, who goes down?

Do they risk losing one of the guys they just claimed off waivers in Smith or Griffith? Do they send down a guy like Soshnikov, Brown, or Hyman because they don’t have to clear waivers? Does anyone remember that Peter Holland is still on this team? All these questions make Frank Corrado occupying a roster spot but not getting used a little bit more frustrating.

Let’s say nothing happens. The Leafs miraculously find a way to retain everybody and everything is fine. What happens if one of these young, promising players gets restless and thinks they deserve an NHL shot?

Players and agents are always looking for the avenue that will get them the most NHL games and the most playing time because ultimately that leads to the most money. Just look at what agent Allan Walsh did to the Islanders last week. Jaroslav Halak is on the trading block, but he has a contract. The ultimate goal there is to get Jean-Francois Berube some playing time because that’s how you make money in this business. Also, players like to play. I forgot about that one.

I’m not trying to start any rumours here. The Leafs have a farm system with an abundance of promising-looking prospects. Most NHL teams would kill for this kind of “problem.”

Typical panicky Leafs fan, right?

“The Leafs have too much of a good thing – so get rid of it!”

All I’m saying is when you’re doing things right, which the Shanaplan seems to be doing so far, these are the things you have to think about.