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The Weekly Leaf: Week 2

Posted by michaelrevell on October 24, 2016
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After a three day break to start the week off, it was a quick three games in four nights for the Toronto Maple Leafs, starting with a much anticipated visit to Winnipeg on Wednesday.

Winnipeg 5 – Toronto – 4 (OT)

jets-leafs

The trip to Winnipeg meant one thing for both fanbases, the first head-to-head matchup of the #1 and #2 picks of the 2016 draft, Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine. Matthews, of course, set the hockey world on fire with his four goal debut, but this time it was Patrik Laine’s time to shine.

The Leafs burst out of the gate with Connor Carrick’s first goal of the season, almost seven minutes into the game. Nazem Kadri made it 2-0 before the end of the first period, then William Nylander got the third goal of the game early in the second period (which saw Matthews record his first career assist), followed by Kadri’s second goal of the game just eight seconds later. The game was seemingly in the bag, or so we thought.

Leafs fans are no strangers to third period collapses, as we’ve seen countless times over the past decade, most notably a certain game seven collapse against the Bruins that we shall never mention again. This time, the meltdown started just over halfway through the second period.

Tyler Myers started the scoring for Winnipeg, before Laine scored his second career goal, making the score 4-2 going into the third period.

Mark Scheifele scored early in the frame and then Laine tied the game up on a power play goal.

The game was sent into overtime, where Matthews was denied by Michael Hutchinson on a great breakaway chance that ended up turning into Laine’s hat trick goal.

After Hutchinson’s save, Dustin Byfuglien corralled the rebound and sent a pass to Laine, who burst down the right side of the ice and fired a wrist shot past Frederik Andersen and just under the crossbar, completing his first career hat trick and ending the game, much to the delight of the Winnipeg faithful.

So, what went wrong with the Leafs? How did yet another third period collapse happen?

First, let me preface this by saying it is far from time to panic. Toronto has points in all three games they’ve played so far, and we’ve seen significant improvement compared to last season. Actually, significant is an understatement, this team isn’t even in the same realm as the majority of Leaf squads from the past 15 years or so.

This team is supposed to have its ups and downs, and so far, they’ve delivered as advertised. They’ve been an explosive team offensively, rush after rush, scoring chance after scoring chance. However, defensively they’ve left a lot to be desired. Honestly, if you expected otherwise this season, you’re kidding yourself.

Simply put, Winnipeg got their act together about halfway through the second period, and Toronto couldn’t keep up with their push. The Jets owned even-strength possession for most of the game and eventually, the Leafs inexperienced d-core cracked.

The youthful line of Matthews, Nylander and Zach Hyman underwhelmed for the second game in a row, providing good offensive moments, but looked lacklustre defensively even strength, getting caught in their own end for long periods of time on multiple occasions.

Overall, it was obviously a disappointing game for Toronto, no one wants to blow a 4-0 lead. But, there are supposed to be growing pains this year, and honestly, Toronto’s offence is looking as good as advertised, possibly better. Yeah, there’s a lot of work to do defensively, but that’s what rebuilding seasons are for.

Player Notes:

Nazem Kadri: Scored two goals, including one on the power play, and did good work digging the puck out of the Jets’ defense on a 5 on 3 PP, allowing Nikita Zaitsev and Matthews to set up a beautiful Nylander goal.

William Nylander: Solid PP goal on a beautiful finish, assisted on Kadri’s second goal of the game. Looked great on the PP, mediocre defensively even strength.

Auston Matthews: Similar to Nylander, looked great on PP, not great at even strength. Might be interesting to see a bit of a line juggle to avoid having three rookies on the same line. Notched his first career assist.

Jake Gardiner: Same old story with Jake. Jumping into the rush frequently, resulted in at least two goals; one for Toronto, one for Winnipeg. Bad pinch led to the Tyler Myers goal. Needs to contain and regulate his aggressiveness.

Martin Marincin: Led the Leafs in ice time, which should never happen. Overmatched once again, and playing on his wrong side, he needs to be replaced by Zaitsev as Morgan Rielly’s partner.

Nikita Zaitsev: Once again, may have been Toronto’s best d-man. Will have a bigger role moving forward.

Leo Komarov: Great on PP, did the dirty, physical work on Kadri’s PP goal, ended up with a secondary assist. Won battles all night long, creating chances offensively.

Frederik Andersen: Was probably Toronto’s best player early on, making key saves throughout before the entire team went off the rails in the third. Looked slow and laboured on the PP one-timer goal from Laine. Did make 29 saves and bailed the Leafs out numerous times early on.

Fourth line: Matt Martin, Peter Holland and Connor Brown had another good game, hard-working all throughout and even had a couple of scoring chances and were responsible for a few changes in momentum.

Minnesota 3 – Toronto 2

wildleafs

Once again, the end result was a loss for Toronto, this one being their first regulation loss of the season, but there was more to the loss than meets the eye.

Toronto played quite well for the majority of the game, especially considering the fact that they were playing their first back-to-back games of the season, and Minnesota was well rested. Let’s add in the fact that the man in net, Jhonas Enroth, was making his season debut and Martin Marincin, who as mentioned earlier led the Leafs in ice time last game, was out with an injury. All things considered, this was not a bad game for the 2016/2017 Maple Leafs, and they actually controlled even strength play for most of the game.

As per usual and as should be expected this season, there were untimely defensive errors and a lack of clutch goaltending, but once again, this is what this season is for; to iron out the kinks.

Toronto probably even should have had a couple more goals, Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk stood on his head throughout the game, and it was only Dubnyk and Eric Staal, who apparently thinks it’s 2008 again, that won the game for Minnesota.

Enroth did well enough throughout the game, coming up with key saves throughout the first two periods. However, his efforts were not enough, as a couple of defensive miscues, namely from Connor Carrick and Auston Matthews, led to a couple of scoring chances and goals. Regardless of the team’s defensive play, I’m sure Enroth would like to have at least one of the third period goals back, both were relatively stoppable pucks.

Player Notes:

Jhonas Enroth: Stood tall in the first couple of periods, but as previously stated, let in a soft goal or two. All in all, not a bad debut for the new Leafs backup.

Connor Carrick: Has had growing pains defensively so far this year, but again, to be expected. Contributed to two Wild goals, one where he left Morgan Rielly out to dry with an overaggressive move at the blueline, and a bad pinch that helped out Eric Staal on his breakaway goal. Doing good things possession-wise however, actually leading the team in CF% for the night.

Auston Matthews: Scored another goal, this one on the powerplay, capitalizing on his chances. Was smothered by Ryan Suter throughout the game, and his possession numbers and breakout chances suffered accordingly. Not a bad thing, 99% of the league would have suffered a similar fate. Had a turnover that contributed to Staal’s breakaway goal.

Fourth Line: Connor Brown, Peter Holland and Matt Martin continue to impress. Tenacious all around, they’ve gritted their way to a few offensive chances and continue to be momentum setters. Martin’s been effective in a penalty killing role thus far as well.

Roman Polak: Slotting in for the injured Marincin, Polak scored the opening goal of the game with a blast from the point. Blocked seven shots in 15 minutes of work.

Nikita Zaitsev: Needs to be paired with Rielly ASAP. Continues to impress mightily, looks poised and unafraid of any opposition. Successfully boxed out opponents, led the team in ice-time, and doesn’t miss many defensive assignments. Really feel like it’s only a matter of time before he ends up as Rielly’s full time partner.

William Nylander: Outstanding as a puck carrier and on the powerplay, his play in his own end is still scary at times. Will continue to improve in that aspect throughout the year. Assisted on the Matthews goal, giving him five points in four games thus far.

Chicago 5 – Toronto 4 (SO)

hawksleafs

Toronto recorded another point, albeit in yet another overtime/shootout loss, but still has points in four of five games. Started slow out of the gate, struggling to get the puck out of their own end and out of the hands of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Coughed up another third period lead, much to the ire of the Twittersphere, but defensive miscues are going to keep happening this year as this team grows, and fans need to quickly accept that.

This year is going to be full of growing pains, it’s time to expect as such.

Defensively, the Leafs were scrambling yet again, and Frederik Andersen has yet to hit his stride.

Player Notes:

Frederik Andersen: Loss was not his fault, but would like to have the tying goal back. Absolutely robbed Kane on a couple of chances in the slot. Not a particularly inspiring performance, but far from bad.

Roman Polak: Was a physical beast, wrecking Dennis Rasmussen on a hit that resulted in a penalty, but nonetheless set his physical tone for the game. Failed to clear the puck that lead to Richard Panik’s tying goal.

Auston Matthews: Played head to head against Toews and came out with the shot attempt advantage. Assisted on Nylander’s power play goal and may have played his best defensive game of the season. Scored in the shootout as well.

William Nylander: Had two goals on the night, continuing to show brilliant chemistry with Matthews, nearly assisting on a backhand that Matthews missed as well. Has seven points in five games to start the year.

Tyler Bozak: Beautiful tip in the slot resulted in a goal, was strong defensively and in the face-off circle. Improving after a lacklustre first couple of games.

James van Riemsdyk: Continued to struggle a bit, and was replaced by Connor Brown at times. Woke up in the second period, had multiple scoring chances, his best resulting in a goal and a hit post.

Mitch Marner: Had plenty of offensive chances and was buzzing throughout the night. Is starting to gain Babcock’s trust on the defensive end, seeing ice time in the final minutes of play. Had a notable block on Patrick Kane.

Nazem Kadri: May have had his worst game of the young season. Took a bit of a step back after a good first few games, he looked slow at times defensively, especially on the Panarin goal. Had poor possession stars, mediocre face off numbers, and took a careless high-sticking penalty. Don’t expect his next game to be like this one.

Zach Hyman: Played nearly five minutes on the penalty kill and led the team in puck possession. Had a couple of notable scoring chances in the goalmouth and continues to show doggedness and tenacity.

Connor Brown: May be playing himself out of the fourth line, will undoubtedly be bumped up upon the first injury. Saw time with Bozak and Marner as well as Kadri and Komarov. Did not look out of place there at all, he may end up on the Kadri line full time sooner rather than later.

Jake Gardiner/Connor Carrick: This pairing has been scaring me so far, and had a poor night defensively. Both had off nights, frequently losing positioning and leading to Chicago scoring chances. Babcock’s experimented with his d-pairings constantly thus far, and it wouldn’t shock me to see Carrick scratched at some point to see what Frank Corrado can do. Not a knock on Carrick, again, this is to be expected this year.

Growing pains. It’s going to happen throughout this season, especially on the defensive end, so get used to it, Leaf fans.

The Week Ahead:

Josh Leivo and Martin Marincin remain out with lower-body injuries. Leivo has yet to play this season, and is not due for an imminent return. Marincin’s injury had led to playing time for Roman Polak, expect Polak to continue seeing action, and maybe we’ll see an appearance from Frank Corrado.

The Leafs come back home after a three game road trip and play host to Tampa Bay on Tuesday and Florida on Thursday before heading to Montreal for Hockey Night In Canada on Saturday.

The Weekly Leaf: Week 1

Posted by michaelrevell on October 17, 2016
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So, THAT happened.

auston-matthews

The Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off their centennial season in style this past week, honouring the legends of the past, while simultaneously showcasing their pool of young talent, led by a record breaking performance from Auston Matthews.

By now every hockey fan knows what happened in Ottawa on Wednesday night. In the season opener against the Senators, Auston Matthews netted four (yes, FOUR) goals, becoming the first player in modern NHL history to debut with a four goal game. Yes, the Leafs lost the game 5-4 in overtime, but thats really besides the point. It was an absolutely dominant performance from Matthews, the kind of night a player has that makes fans 30 years down the road ask their friends “Where were you when Matthews scored four?” The Leafs lost the game, but Matthews and company gave Leafs fans something to truly go nuts for, it really was a debut for the ages.

Matthews aside, the Leafs as a team actually outperformed Ottawa for the majority of the game, let down only by subpar goaltending from Frederik Andersen, and untimely defensive breakdowns. Mitch Marner was great in his debut, as was Nikita Zaitsev. The young guns come out firing, Marner in particular having an ample amount of opportunities to score, and William Nylander and Zach Hyman looked fantastic on a line with Matthews.

Defense was suspect, but that’s to be expected this season. It’s no secret that Andersen had an off night in goal, but the Leafs brass is confident that he will turn it around moving forward. All in all, it was a promising night for Toronto, win or not.

Three days later, the Leafs made their home debut against the Boston Bruins after a lengthy ceremony honouring Toronto’s centennial season and the great Leafs of the past. The organization did a wonderful job with the ceremony, which ended with the retirement of all the previously “honoured” numbers, plus the great Dave Keon, who had a falling out with the old Ballard led Leafs brass. It was great to see both the organization and Keon move on from what happened in the past, and seeing all those great Leafs stand around centre ice and have their jerseys retired brought chills down my spine.

Moving on to the game itself, Toronto came flying out of the gates, led by physical play from Matt Martin, Nazem Kadri winning a rematch fight against David Backes, and ended the first period with goals from Connor Brown, James van Riemsdyk, and Mitch Marner’s first career goal.

Frederik Andersen was much better than he was against Ottawa, and saved the Leafs a number of times in a second period that saw Boston take advantage of some weak defensive play and poor puck possession numbers.

Milan Michalek tipped in a Morgan Rielly shot to seal the game up at 4-1, and just like that Toronto had their first win of the young season, finishing off the week with a 1-0-1 record and 3 points.

Toronto’s next games are against Winnipeg, Minnesota and Chicago, starting in Winnipeg on Wednesday.

Here are some notes on some key Leafs players:

Auston Matthews – What else is there to say? It was a breathtaking performance, a truly special night, and a pleasure to watch. We may never see a debut like this again, so Leafs fans, cherish this moment. The first goal saw strong forechecking from Nylander and Hyman result in Matthews receiving a pass from behind the goal directly in the slot. The second was a thing of beauty. It was a solo effort that saw Matthews embarrass three key Ottawa players (Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman and two-time Norris winner Erik Karlsson) with dekes before sneaking the puck through Craig Anderson’s five hole. The hat trick goal, which occurred only a couple of minutes into the second period, was set up by Morgan Rielly, who threw a beautiful pass to Matthews that he finished off with relative ease. The fourth goal showcased some already great chemistry between Matthews and Nylander, with the two of them going off on a 2-on-1 before Nylander slid the puck across to Matthews, who quickly buried it and sent the visiting Leafs fans into a frenzy. It was a spectacular night, one that Leafs fans will never forget. He wasn’t quite as dominant against Boston, staying off the scoresheet, but we were still treated with occasional flashes of elite offensive action from him and his linemates.

William Nylander: Had two assists on Matthews goals and had great chemistry on a line with him and Zach Hyman. Nylander looked solid and speedy on the forecheck and showed his innate sense for playmaking throughout the night, specifically with the saucer pass that set up Matthews’ fourth. Like Matthews, was shut down by the Riley Nash, Dominic Moore, Noel Acciari line.

Zach Hyman: Did a lot of the dirty work for Matthews and Nylander, going into the corners and fighting for the puck. Was great on the forecheck and looked solid overall when pressured on the defensive side.

Mitch Marner: Had a fantastic debut, although he was held off the scoresheet. Had numerous scoring chances, including a breakaway and a hit crossbar, and carried his linemates, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk, throughout the entire game. Marner’s speed and sense for the net was shown throughout, but at times it looked like he was still playing a “Junior hockey” game. By that I mean that Marner occasionally took too long to make a play and Ottawa’s defense would catch up to him. It seemed like he thought he would have all the time in the world, like he’s accustom to in the OHL, but the pro game is faster and stronger, and Marner seemed to be caught off guard at times. No worries though, it’s only a matter of time before he learns and adapts. Had a great second game, receiving a pass from Nikita Zaitsev, and blowing a wrister past Anton Khudobin for his first NHL goal. That goal aside, Marner had a few absolutely dominant shifts, showing off his elite speed, handles, and offensive ability.

Frederik Andersen: Five goals on 30 shots, it wasn’t the best of debuts for Toronto’s latest hope in goal. I’m giving Andersen a pass on this game however, as it’s easy to forget that he had a shortened pre-season due to his injury he sustained while playing an Olympic qualifying game. His defense didn’t exactly help him, with Jake Gardiner not covering Bobby Ryan properly, resulting in a screen and a goal. Martin Marincin didn’t look great on the Derick Brassard goal either, but that was still a shot Andersen probably should have had. He looked much better against Boston, recording 24 saves and playing with poise throughout. That was the Frederik Andersen we saw in Anaheim, and the one that Toronto needs. Expect some off nights moving forward as he adjusts to a new system, but his play against Boston was promising.

Nikita Zaitsev: Heavily impressed me so far, looked great in both games defensively, and recorded his first point with an assist on Marner’s goal. Took a bigger role in the Ottawa game when Matt Hunwick was injured, and looked comfortable playing with Morgan Rielly. Will likely take Marincin’s spot playing with Rielly full time at some point soon. Was excellent in boxing players out, physically removing players off of the puck, and properly using poke and sweep checks. Moved the puck well, was solid defensively and physically, Zaitsev couldn’t have kicked off his NHL career any better.

Matt Martin: Stirred things up physically, went after Chris Neil and fought Mark Borowiecki and Zdeno Chara. Finished his checks, provided leadership and free space to roam for Toronto’s more skilled players. Every team needs a Matt Martin on it.

Nazem Kadri: Taking a bit of a side role offensively nowadays, he’s becoming more of a two-way centre now and played a defensively responsible game against both Ottawa and Boston. Was seen on the penalty kill, and did a fine job stifling the oppositions offensive presences. Still saw a lot of power play time, was dominant in the face off dot (69% in both games) and even fought, and beat, David Backes in a rematch from last year. A very impressive start to the season from Kadri overall.

Morgan Rielly: Played big minutes in both games and recorded his first point of the year with his assist on Matthews’ hat trick goal. Interesting to note that he was a 41.67CF% when playing with Martin Marincin, and a 63.63%CF when playing with someone else. Zaitsev looked good with him, would be interesting to see that pairing full time.

Martin Marincin: Overmatched on a top pairing, plain and simple. Was on the ice for three goals against in Ottawa and looked bad on a couple of them. Will not last on the top pairing with Rielly for much longer.

Jake Gardiner: Looked poor defensively on the Bobby Ryan goal, failing to tie him up or move him out, but otherwise looked alright while playing with Connor Carrick. Keep an eye on that pairing moving forward.

James van Riemsdyk: Had an underwhelming game against Ottawa, with only the odd good shift, but rebounded in game two, scoring his first goal of the season. JVR, Komarov and some of the other vets need to be better.

Tyler Bozak: Marner drove the line and JVR and Bozak struggled to keep up at times. Tried playing too fancy at first, but improved in game two when going back to what he’s best at; driving the lane and setting up the more skilled players.

2016/2017 Season Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs

Posted by michaelrevell on October 12, 2016
Posted in: hockey, Sports. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

leafers

Toronto is currently swept up in Blue Jays fever, with the Toronto baseball club sweeping the Texas Rangers en route to the American League Championship Series, so it’s rather excusable that the start of the NHL season doesn’t exactly seem like a priority right now. But here we are, it’s Opening Night Eve, with the Maple Leafs heading to Ottawa to partake in the first Battle of Ontario of the 2016/2017 season tomorrow night.

It’s no secret to anyone that watches hockey that the storied Maple Leaf franchise has fallen upon hard times in the last decade, following a relatively successful pre-2005 lockout period that saw two Leaf squads make the Eastern Conference Final under the tutelage of the late, great Pat Quinn.

Since then, we’ve seen exactly one Leafs team make the playoffs, during the lockout shortened 2013 season, which every Leafs fan knows ended in spectacular heartbreak. The team was dismantled, coaches fired, GM’s let go, star players, fan favourites and captains either bought out, forced into the minors, long-term injured reserve or retirement, traded, or let go in free agency. A new braintrust featuring Brendan Shanahan, Lou Lamoriello, Kyle Dubas, Mike Babcock and Co. was assembled, and a full-blown long term rebuild was set to commence.

Well, here we are. It’s officially Year Two of “The Rebuild” and we’ve seen the Leafs move on from virtually everyone from their past teams, with Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri, Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly being notable exceptions. That trend continued this off-season, with the following players who appeared in at least one game with the Leafs last year no longer in Toronto’s plans whatsoever:

Jonathan Bernier —> Anaheim Ducks

James Reimer —> San Jose Sharks —> Florida Panthers

Scott Harrington —> Columbus Blue Jackets

Stuart Percy —> Pittsburgh Penguins

Dion Phaneuf —> Ottawa Senators

T.J. Brennan —> Philadelphia Flyers

Shawn Matthias —> Colorado Avalanche —> Winnipeg Jets

Daniel Winnik —> Washington Capitals

Sam Carrick —> Chicago Blackhawks

Mark Arcobello —> Bern SC

Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau —> New York Islanders

Michael Grabner —> New York Rangers

Brad Boyes —> UFA

Ben Smith —> Colorado Avalanche

Players joining the Leafs organization this off season include (their means of acquisition in brackets):

Auston Matthews (Draft)

Matt Martin (FA – New York Islanders)

Roman Polak (FA – San Jose Sharks)

Seth Griffith (Waivers – Boston Bruins)

Jhonas Enroth (FA – Los Angeles Kings)

Frederik Andersen (Trade – Anaheim Ducks)

Kerby Rychel (Trade – Columbus Blue Jackets)

Nikita Zaitsev (FA – Europe)

Joffrey Lupul, Stephane Robidas and Nathan Horton are all expected to be placed on long-term injured reserve to start the season, and there is no reason to expect any of the three to see any action in a Leafs uniform. An interesting note is that with today’s waiver claim of Seth Griffith, Josh Leivo is currently day-to-day and is also expected to start the season on the IR, likely to strategically avoid potentially losing him to waivers, Griffith style.

Late season veteran acquisitions Colin Greening and Brooks Laich were late cuts this training camp and are starting the season with the AHL Toronto Marlies, along with fellow vets Rich Clune and Marc-Andre Cliche, who are signed to AHL deals. Brandon Prust, the old school enforcer signed to a PTO, was also cut today.

So yes, the youth movement and rebuild is definitely in full effect, with the likes of William Nylander, Zach Hyman, Connor Brown, etc. getting their first taste of NHL action late last season, and prized rookies like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Nikita Zaitsev set to debut this season.

Not every young prospect is going to break into the lineup immediately, or necessarily this year at all, as seen with the recent roster cuts that saw Kasperi Kapanen, Brendan Leipsic, Nikita Soshnikov, among others, get sent to the Marlies. However, that’s to be expected, and it’s a great thing for Toronto that they have so many top notch young prospects now that there’s no room for all of them to crack the opening night roster.

For the first time in possibly decades, the Leafs actually have a bevy of good, young prospects, and the future is seemingly bright. This season will have its growing pains, this team is still not expected to immediately contend for a playoff spot, and is still a few years away from serious playoff contention. However, this current edition of the Maple Leafs should be an incredibly exciting and intriguing team to watch and follow, and it will be interesting to see which prospects and vets with something to prove (à la Milan Michalek) sink and which ones swim.

Here are the expected lines for the start of the season, via dailyfaceoff.com.

http://www2.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/lines/40/toronto-maple-leafs

Captain – none  Assistants – Matt Hunwick, Morgan Rielly, Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov

LW                                       C                                          RW

Milan Michalek             Nazem Kadri                   Leo Komarov

James van Riemsdyk   Tyler Bozak                    Mitch Marner

William Nylander         Auston Matthews            Zach Hyman

Matt Martin                   Peter Holland                Connor Brown

LD                                 RD                                    G

Morgan Rielly           Martin Marincin         Frederik Andersen

Jake Gardiner           Connor Carrick            Jhonas Enroth

Matt Hunwick            Nikita Zaitsev

Scratches: Frank Corrado, Seth Griffith, Roman Polak

IR: Nathan Horton, Stephane Robidas, Joffrey Lupul, Josh Leivo

Season Prediction – 

Best Case Scenario:

The rookies, led by Matthews and Marner, perform well beyond expectations, with Matthews ascending to Connor McDavid-level status and Marner becoming Toronto’s Johnny Gaudreau. Nylander, Rielly, and the second tier of prospects continue to develop nicely, the veterans provide steady leadership, timely goals and solid defensive play, and the Leafs squeak into the playoffs, or barely fall short.

Worst Case Scenario:

The rookies stumble out of the gate, the media and fans quickly turn on them and kill whatever confidence and potential for growth they had. The vets underperform and end up getting moved out for a less than idea return. Frederik Andersen ends up being Jonathan Bernier 2.0. Toronto ends up in the bottom five of the league and lose out on the top lottery picks, meaning no chance at drafting Nolan Patrick or Timothy Liljegren.

Likely Scenario:

Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Rielly and Co. continue to develop and spark real fan interest for the first time in years. Steady growth commences and certain vets are moved out for younger assets. Although the Leafs miss the playoffs, they move out of the league basement and the long-term rebuild continues on to year three, with a positive step forward into next season.

There’s still a lot of uncertainty surrounding Toronto as they head into their centennial season, but one thing is for sure. These are NOT the Leafs of previous regimes. Gone is the heavy emphasis on “truculence and tenacity” and in is a more modern take on the game, led by skill, speed, and advanced stats. These young Leafs give Toronto fans a reason to be excited, both for this season and for the future, and that’s more than these Stanley Cup starved fans are used to in recent years.