Maple Leafs Giving Top Prospect Ben Danford a Golden Opportunity

With Craig Berube's recent comments about Ben Danford taking center stage in Toronto, the outside thought of "can he actually make the Maple Leafs?" is creeping in.

Granted, the likelihood of Danford going back to the Oshawa Generals remains high, but another dominant performance tonight could extend his stay in Toronto a little longer, and perhaps even lead to a potential 9-game NHL trial to kick off the season.

Danford played in the Leafs' pre-season opener against Ottawa on Sunday, and don't look now, but the Leafs have Danford right back in the lineup on Tuesday as the Leafs prepare to take on the Senators tonight once again, albeit this time in the confines of their local Scotiabank Arena.

Danford was slotted in next to Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the Leafs' third pair, receiving an opportunity to test his mettle next to legitimate NHLers, with the Leafs icing a roster that more closely resembles the one we'll see on opening night than the one they iced against Ottawa on Sunday.

As TLN's Nick Richard mentioned on Tuesday morning, it's pretty telling just how high the Leafs organization is on Danford when he's drawing in over the likes of Philippe Myers, Marshall Rifai or Henry Thrun, all of whom have seen NHL action.

Okay, yes, Danford's presence on that 3rd pair is largely due to the injury that Simon Benoit sustained early in training camp, but that doesn't take anything away from the youngster, who has certainly earned another look after Sunday's performance.

Berube and the Leafs remain pleased with what they've seen from the hard-hitting, defensively responsible Danford in camp, and it wouldn't be shocking to see him survive another wave of roster cuts if he can impress again on Tuesday.