Two former Toronto Maple Leafs players placed on waivers as the regular season approaches
Two former Toronto Maple Leafs players; Kieffer Bellows and Brett Seney were placed on waivers Sunday as teams narrow down their rosters before the regular season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs never really found a spot for either Bellows or Seney and both players ended up departing from Toronto for greener pastures. But it seems like those pastures dried up quicker than they anticipated, as both men were placed on waivers by their respective clubs on Sunday:
Kieffer Bellows, drafted 19th overall by the New York Islanders in 2016 never really found his footing in the NHL though he did have one season for the Islanders where he put up 6 goals and 13 assists in 45 games before playing 28 games combined the next two seasons with New York and the Philadelphia Flyers, who claimed Bellows off waivers from the Islanders. He scored three goals in 27 games for the Flyers before he ended up signing with Toronto in 2023-2024, being a big part of the Marlies offense scoring 27 goals and 22 assists. Bellows then signed with the Nashville Predators this offseason looking to translate that AHL season into an NHL job but it wasn't meant to be.
Seney, a 5'9, 156 pound winger drafted 157th overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2015 but chose to head back to Merrimack College where he played his entire collegiate career before signing a two-year deal with the Devils. He played in 51 games for New Jersey in 2018-2019, scoring 5 goals and 8 assists for the Devils before playing in Binghamton the rest of the next season. The Maple Leafs signed Seney in 2021 and he ended up skating in two games for Toronto but never registered a point; he was much more effective for the Marlies where he put up 17 goals and 42 assists while also adding 81 penalty minutes. The Chicago Blackhawks then signed Seney in 2022-2023 and he sporadically played for the team over two seasons, registering a goal in 11 games.
While the Maple Leafs seem to be pretty comfortable with who they have on their roster, losing out on a former Top-20 pick isn't necessarily the easiest pill to swallow. There is no telling the untapped potential for either of these players and all it takes it the right team in the right spot to have them flourish.
But for now, both players will have to look elsewhere in order to play professional hockey in the 2024-2025 season.
| POLL | ||
Will Brett Seney or Kieffer Bellows sign in the NHL this season? | ||
| Yes | 53 | 17.7 % |
| No | 143 | 47.8 % |
| Sign in Europe | 84 | 28.1 % |
| Sign in Russia | 19 | 6.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
