Written By: Cameron Schoffro
Edited By: Jovan Popovic
With the 2021 NHL Season on the horizon, the Toronto Maple Leafs understand the opportunity at hand: a clear path to the final four through the North (All-Canadian) division. Kyle Dubas, and the roster he has constructed, have spent the offseason preparing for this incredibly unique season; therefore, the training camp has been filled with new headlines. One thing is for certain: Toronto is not debuting the same team that competed in the 2020 Playoff Bubble and eventually suffered the devastating loss to Columbus.
Each offseason Auston Matthews focuses on adding a specific skill to his repertoire; last year he added one of the most deadly one-timers in the NHL. This year, he shed 12 pounds and trained with Connor McDavid for weeks to become a faster, more agile skater. Moreover, he is intending to expand his defensive role within the team, since he is already one of the best defensive centres in the NHL, by playing on the penalty kill. Matthews is beginning his campaign for both the Hart, and Selke trophies by becoming a complete player.
When Kyle Dubas was pitching the city of Toronto to hockey great Joe Thornton, he promised Thornton he would be able to spend time on the first line with the two young stars of the franchise: Matthews and Marner. Thornton spent months playing for HC Davos of Switzerland to get in playing shape before coming to Toronto and quarantining with teammates Matthews, Nylander, and Sandin. Thornton says he feels better than he has in years, and Coach Keefe supported these comments, saying “we’ve done a ton of skating … and Joe is in the middle of the pack. He’s not at the bottom.” Joe thoroughly enjoyed his first few practices with his new skillful linemates, claiming they make him “feel young again” (Maron, 2021).
Jimmy Vesey will fill the role of the grinder on the 2nd line with William Nylander and John Tavares; William thinks he can add a new dynamic to their line, “he’s a big body with nice hands … he’ll bring strength to our line” (Toronto Maple Leafs, 2021). Nylander is looking to add strength on his own; he added 9 pounds of muscle over the offseason, now weighing in at 200 pounds, thus embracing his role as the net-front presence. Tavares and Nylander believe they can reignite their chemistry from last year and continue to dominate their opponents.
With Zach Hyman bumped down to the 3rd line, Keefe finally created the pesky shutdown line Toronto has desperately needed, as all these players are defensively responsible, and play with an edge. Kerfoot spent training camp dealing with a nagging injury, and should he fail to return to healthy form by the season opener, Pierre Engvall will likely take his spot. Lastly, the 4th line is filled with the veteran presence of Simmonds and Spezza, and the long offseason should help them turn back the clock on the ice, in addition to their priceless leadership off of it. Simmonds will replace the physical force of Kyle Clifford in their depth, yet he possesses the skill to move up in the lineup in the event of injury or COVID protocol. Alexander Barabanov is a 26-year-old import from the KHL, thus he is a complete wild card. Dubas certainly hoped he could contribute further up the lineup when he signed him, yet he will begin the season in the bottom-six. Surprisingly, Nick Robertson does not project to be in the starting lineup; the 19-year-old began working with the organization’s trainers in May and skipped the World Junior Championship in an attempt to make the team out of camp. As it stands, he will not make the cut; fortunately for him, Keefe will likely use load management with the veterans of Toronto’s forward group, so Robertson must ensure he is first in line to fill in their position.
Morgan Rielly had an extremely tumultuous 2019-20 season, as he missed 23 games due to injury and played through nagging injuries for several weeks of the season. Moreover, the addition of Tyson Barrie removed him from the first powerplay unit, thus stunting his production. Rielly aims to have a bounce back year with a new partner, hopefully reaching Norris contention once again. Rielly has never had a partner as talented as Brodie, who already proved he excels in a complementary role; he played alongside Mark Giordano, in Calgary. Brodie vocalized his excitement for the opportunity to play with Rielly, “I’ll do whatever I can to help him be the great player that he is… He’s one of those guys that can do it all” (Toronto Maple Leafs, 2021).
Toronto has historically lacked a shutdown pair on their blueline, and Keefe plans to use the pair of Muzzin and Holl for this purpose. Both play a physical game but possess the subtle skills required to break up plays and transition them into offence. Furthermore, the pairing of Lehtonen and Bogosian will be gritty and hard to play against. Lehtonen, from the KHL, has shown flashes of great puck skills as well; he is going to be quarterbacking the 2nd powerplay unit.
Both Sandin and Dermott would have wanted to be in the top-six, but Dubas’ addition of depth on defense weakened their chances. They are very young talented players, and will certainly get some playing time during the condensed season. Dermott is able to play on either side, and his versatility should result in him being the next man up on their blueline. They each have the raw talent to replace one of the top-4 defensemen, in case of injury.
Andersen has provided stability in Toronto’s crease for years; however, his contract expires this year and there is a lot of uncertainty whether he is the solution to the Maple Leafs’ playoff struggles. Jack Campbell will soften the workload upon Andersen’s shoulders, as Toronto has finally found a reliable backup option. With the compact schedule, there will be lots of opportunities for Campbell to play, keeping Andersen fresh for their playoff hopes.
This will be Sheldon Keefe’s first full training camp with his roster; when he joined Toronto last year, he felt it was necessary to increase the morale of the team. They began skill training and tried to keep a light mood around the practice rink with music playing throughout. Unfortunately, the team lacked structure as a result. This season, Keefe understands that he must change his approach to practice, he is emphasizing conditioning and put the team through various drills without pucks to begin practices (SDP, 2021). Hopefully, a rigid approach will yield more consistency on a game-to-game basis.
The Toronto Maple Leafs organization cannot enter this season with the same mentality as previous years and expect different results, this year will be filled with unique complications and setbacks, and if they want to solidify their position as one of the premier teams in the NHL, they must dominate the North division. Dubas has done a fantastic job to create balanced roster on paper, it is now up to the players to execute.
Cameron Schoffro
References
Maron, B. (2021, January 7). Keefe believes Thornton can keep up with Marner, Matthews. Retrieved January 10, 2021, from https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/2086609
SDP. (2021, January 06). The Steve Dangle Podcast. Retrieved January 10, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVNnRx4wNss&ab_channel=sdpn
Toronto Maple Leafs. (2021, January 04). Maple Leafs Practice - January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWy8lpVdnp0&ab_channel=TorontoMapleLeafs
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