Toronto Maple Leafs: Reasons to be Excited About the Preseason

March 7, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center

(47) skates at center ice during the third period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Maple Leafs just wrapped up their “Fan Fest” event this past weekend, and to say it was a disappointment to some would be an understatement.

To make matters worse, the 2014-15 regular season is still just about a month away, with the opener slated for October 8 against the Montreal Canadiens.

Leafs fans could sure use something to cheer them up and get their mind off of having to wait for another month before seeing their team embark on their quest to return to the postseason.

Enter the preseason.

The Leafs open up that portion of their schedule September 22 in London, Ontario against the Philadelphia Flyers. Many consider it boring and meaningless, but this year, there are plenty of reasons to tune in and catch the Leafs as they warm up for the 2014-15 campaign.

New Faces

Perhaps the best reason for fans to watch the team’s preseason contests is to get acquainted with the club’s newly-acquired players.

Mike Santorelli, Petri Kontiola, David Booth, Daniel Winnik, Stephane Robidas (should he be cleared to play in time) and Roman Polak were all brought in during the offseason.

In addition to the new faces, Leo Komarov returns to the fold after taking a year in the KHL with a more attack-minded game. Matt Frattin is also back in the blue and white after a year in Los Angeles and Columbus.

Seeing what all these players can do and what they can bring to the team before the regular season gets underway is very important to the team’s success. It’s the preseason where the coaching staff will assess who’s playing well, as well as which players seem to have chemistry when playing together.

Competition for Roster Spots

Speaking of paying attention to which players are doing well and what players work well together, there will also be those who do no make the team.

One of the most intriguing storylines surrounding this Leafs squad is how they’ll compose their core of bottom-six forwards.

Training camp and the preseason are likely to be the primary factors in determining who stays and who will return to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

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Will Randy Carlyle stubbornly hold onto his fighter in Colton Orr?

Will Peter Holland get a shot? Or can Troy Bodie hang onto his spot?

Perhaps Matt Frattin or another winger can usurp David Clarkson, who should enter camp and the preaseason as the favorite to play alongside Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul on Toronto’s second line.

With the addition of so many forwards this offseason, comes an increase in questions surrounding the Buds’ attack.

Then there’s the possibility of a young gun like Matt Finn or Stuart Percy on the backend catching fire and forcing the organization into keeping them once the season begins.

Watching preseason matchups with these questions in mind should make them a whole lot more interesting to watch.

Can the Leafs Shore Up Their Weaknesses Ahead of the Regular Season

Another year, another Leafs late-season collapse.

With the exception of their one playoff run during a shortened regular season, it’s a refrain all-too-familiar to those who support the blue and white.

This offseason, however, the Leafs seemed more determined to address their weaknesses from seasons past.

Bringing Brendan Shanahan into the front office, hiring an Assistant General Manager who knows advanced stats and metrics in Kyle Dubas, hiring an entire analytics team, and bringing in new players were all steps in the right direction.

But the Leafs still have to prove that they can do the job on the ice.

Can the new signings help the club’s lackluster possession numbers? How about their leaky defense? Or their poor zone clearances?

Naturally, not everything will be solved by the end of the preseason, but it’s worth watching how the Leafs do with regards to those three facets of their game.

The progress the team makes in the preseason is especially important when you consider how they open the regular season.

A quick peek at the schedule shows that the Leafs open up 2014-15 with games against the Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche and a home-and-home set with the Detroit Red Wings.

One thing all those teams have in common? They made the playoffs last season.

With their potent attack, if they can organize themselves defensively and have a better possession rate as a team, the Leafs could be a legitimate contender in the East.

The work begins in the preseason. Make sure you don’t miss the action.