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Maple Leafs: Six Story Lines to Keep An Eye on This Season

By Eduardo Razo

Jun 24, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA; Auston Matthews puts on a team jersey after being selected as the number one overall draft pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft at the First Niagra Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA; Auston Matthews puts on a team jersey after being selected as the number one overall draft pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft at the First Niagra Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 5, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock and center William Nylander (39) look on from the bench against the Ottawa Senators at Air Canada Centre. The Senators beat the Maple Leafs 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Training camp is just around the corner for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the story lines are starting to take shape as the team prepares for the 2016-2017 season.

After enduring pain last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to start a new chapter in their franchise with  new look sweater and fresh new faces looking to make their mark with the blue and white.

Now without further ado, here are the six story lines that Maple Leaf fans should keep an eye on:

Expectations for Auston Matthews

Matthews will begin the season on the third line, but will undoubtedly move up in the lineup as the season progresses. Now the expectations for any first overall selection are always high and this will be no different for Matthews, except he will be under the microscope in Toronto, so it’s a little bit different in a way.

So what should the expectations be for Matthews?

Similar to Jack Eichel, the expectation for Matthews should be for him to tally at least 50 points and anything more than that will be gravy for Maple Leaf fans.

Also, it’s not just about the points with Matthews, as a center he needs to display his defensive game as well because he will be out there in all situations towards the end of the season since he should be able to leapfrog Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri when it’s all said and done.

Overall, if Matthews can score 50 plus points and show improvements in his defensive game as the season goes along then that should be chalked up as a successful rookie season for the Arizona native.

Next: Rookies, Lots of Rookies

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