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Toronto Maple Leafs: How long will Seth Griffith have to wait?
When the Toronto Maple Leafs claimed Seth Griffith off waivers from the Boston Bruins his first received call should have been from Frank Corrado.
Corrado, claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs last year in a similar fashion, knows what Griffith is going through better than anyone.
If the Leafs try to place Griffith with the Marlies, he’ll be a goner – and they aren’t about to do that.
Griffith faces the same problem that Josh Leivo will face when he returns from injury: a clogged forward group.
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The easiest choice would be to remove Milan Michalek and place Griffith in with Kadri, something I doubt Kadri would be upset with, but would Babcock entertain that kind of exposure for Griffith right away? Maybe, maybe not.
Griffith, whenever he gets a chance, needs to be above the fourth line. He’s an offensive player, plain and simple. Not unlike Connor Brown, who is terribly placed in the lineup, Griffith has a knack for gelling with quality players. That’s a trait that needs to be utilized.
But how long will it be until we see Griffith in action?
Frank Corrado was claimed on October 6th, 2015, and didn’t play his first Leafs game until December 15th. That’s over two months of eating popcorn and practicing, while fully healthy, without seeing game action. It’s a frustrating scenario for a player, especially a young one trying to prove his worth at the NHL level.
The way the Leafs are structured, and who Babcock tends to favor, are likely going to leave Griffith on the outside looking in for a while.
The quickest way for him to enter the game-day lineup will be via injury replacement, which isn’t something anyone wishes for. That’s the reality of Griffith’s situation. It isn’t ideal, but he – and anyone wanting to see him play – will have to be patient.
Once Corrado got into the lineup, he stayed there as a regular. Is a similar path in Griffith’s future? I’d like to think that the Leafs didn’t claim him to make him wait 2-3 months to play him, but he’s got a competitive battle in front of him.
Whenever he does enter the lineup, he’s going to have pressure on him to be a valuable 5v5 player so he can remain a staple in the roster. With what he did in the AHL last season, his transition to a regular NHLer shouldn’t be as painful as others.
For now, we may just have to wait and see who gets injured, or traded, before we get a glimpse of Seth Griffith as a Toronto Maple Leafs player.
This article originally appeared on 
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