Undrafted Leafs defenceman Benoit confident he will earn NHL roster spot

With the Toronto Maple Leafs’ preseason less than halfway done, many prospects and depth players are still doing what they can to potentially earn a spot on the finalized 23-man roster.

Defenceman Simon Benoit is one of those guys — but he doesn’t seem too worried.

The 25-year-old, who signed a one-year, $800,000 deal with Toronto over the offseason, is quite confident in his chances of making the team. But up until this week, Benoit has been wearing a red non-contact jersey in practice due to back spasms.

“I’m just gonna make my spot,” the Laval, Quebec, native — who failed to receive a qualifying offer from his former team, the Anaheim Ducks — told Sportsnet this week. “I always work hard… I got hurt, but as soon as I’m back on, I’ll make sure I make myself as part of the team.”

Benoit is likely used to feeling like an underdog, going undrafted before making his NHL debut with Anaheim in 2021.

“For me, it’s nothing that changes. I’m not drafted. Who cares?” he said. “Like at this point, I’m as good as anybody out there. So I’m just going to make my spot, like I said.”

The six-foot-four blueliner may have physicality on his side, but he will have to compete for a bottom-pairing spot with the likes of Mark Giordano, William Lagesson, Conor Timmins, and Timothy Liljegren.

“I have a really physical game,” Benoit said. “For me, the most important part is just being physical, being reliable defensively. And if I can bring some offence, good. But I know it’s not my main focus. I just want to be hard to play against and not letting the guys come to the net.”

When asked about the play on Wednesday, head coach Sheldon Keefe agreed that Benoit is “playing a little catch-up” due to the time he’s missed but says there’s still “runway and opportunity” for him to do it with five preseason games remaining.

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