Which Maple Leafs regulars could Fraser Minten replace?

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If Fraser Minten is good enough to play, he should stay.

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That’s the view of Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube, whose respect for the 20-year-old forward continues to grow.

At some point after this weekend, several Leafs forwards who have been injured will start returning to the lineup, including Max Domi, Max Pacioretty, David Kampf and Bobby McMann. Of that group, Domi and Pacioretty are closest to suiting up again.

Provided there are no further injuries, the Leafs will have to make some roster decisions.

If you’re putting together a Leafs depth chart, you’re probably more comfortable with Minten in the lineup ahead of Nick Robertson and Pontus Holmberg, or perhaps Connor Dewar.

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Minten, like Nikita Grebenkin, doesn’t need waivers to be sent back to the Toronto Marlies, but through his overall performance, Minten has made it obvious that it won’t be an automatic decision for the Leafs to demote him.

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“If he can help us, I want him here,” Berube said on Thursday after the Leafs held an optional skate at the Ford Performance Centre. “That’s how I look at it. He’s the type of player that we like. A lot.”

Grebenkin would be Marlies-bound and the Leafs probably wouldn’t be worried about trying to pass Alex Nylander through waivers in order to return him to the American Hockey League.

These things, as we say, will sort themselves out. Minten’s intensity has been key through his six games.

“If you look at the minor leagues and guys that are NHL players, a lot of times it boils down to how competitive they are,” Berube said. “There are talented guys in the minors. A lot of times they don’t stick in the NHL because I don’t feel that they’re competitive enough.

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“(Minten) is a competitive guy and he wants to be up here playing. He does whatever he has to do.”

In the Leafs’ 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, that included a team-high seven hits and five shots on goal by Minten. Berube didn’t hesitate to move Minten from centre to the wing on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander.

It’s to be determined whether Berube sticks with that trio on Friday night when the Leafs play host to the Washington Capitals before travelling to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins on Saturday.

Minten has four points and has been credited with 19 hits. He has held his own in the faceoff circle, winning 21 of 43 draws.

“You want to do stuff that gets you in the lineup and keeps you around,” Minten said. “As a third-line centre, your role is to play well defensively, chip in physically and chip in offensively. I’m tying to do that as much as I can.”

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Of the Leafs who played against Nashville, Minten was the only one who was on the ice on Thursday, working with development coach Patrick O’Sullivan.

“We talked about how you only really get one or two chances to make an offensive play or score in an NHL game,” Minten said. “It’s making sure that when you’re in those situations you feel fully confident to make the play. (I was) getting lots of reps in the slot with some shots and some quick touches.

“I’m still 20 years old, so I’m a little fresher than some of the other guys, probably, and still feel like I have lots of things I can get better at. Any chance we get to work with someone like Sully, who’s really knowledgeable and has good drills, I’ll take it.”

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LOOSE LEAFS

Berube was non-committal when he was asked whether he would keep captain Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner together versus Washington after they were reunited against Nashville and led the way to victory. “Marner and JT (Tavares) have done some real good things together,” Berube said. “Willie and Auston, they had a nice goal in Tampa. There’s going to be times I’m going to switch wingers or whatever, just because nothing’s going on. Try to find something different.” … Jake McCabe won’t play against the Capitals, Berube said, as the defenceman continues to recover after taking a shot off his head against Tampa Bay last Saturday. McCabe, who will miss his third game in a row, skated for a bit on Thursday. So did McMann and Kampf, while Domi and Pacioretty were on the ice longer with Alex Nylander and Marshall Rifai … Berube said defenceman Jani Hakanpaa had a minor procedure done on his knee this week. “He’ll be back on the ice soon and then he’s good to go,” Berube said … Easton Cowan returned to the London Knights lineup on Wednesday after missing four games with a lower-body injury and had two assists in a 3-0 win against the Owen Sound Attack, extending his regular-season point streak to 55 games. That ties Cowan, the Leafs’ first-round pick in 2023, with former Leafs captain Doug Gilmour for the longest OHL point streak. Gilmour is considered to hold the official record as it happened during the 1982-83 season when he was with the Cornwall Royals, while Cowan’s streak began last season. “Obviously, you wish it was official,” Cowan told Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press. “But (Gilmour) probably deserves it more than me. He was a hell of a player and a Leafs legend, so to have my name in the same sentence as him is cool.” Cowan will try to stretch his streak to 56 games on Friday when the Knights play host to the Oshawa Generals.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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