Maple Leafs: Six Story Lines to Keep An Eye on This Season
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
Rookies, lots and lots of rookies
Okay, not lots and lots of rookies, but the Maple Leafs will start the season with quite a few of them and there is no doubt that there will be even more as the season goes along, so it’s safe to say the team will be really young this season.
Now back to the start of the season, the outlook seems to show at least six rookies (Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Nikita Soshnikov, Zach Hyman, and Connor Brown) will start with the Maple Leafs when they drop the puck in October.
There was a point last season in which the centres were Nazem Kadri, Nick Spaling, Mark Arcabello, and Byron Froese. Yeah, glad those days are in the rear view mirror and having some these rookies start with the Maple Leafs gives the fans a sense of excitement which wasn’t there for the most part of last season.
Also, after enduring the pain last season and being patient with the team, the fans deserve to finally see some light as the rebuild continues.
Not to mention, it’s been a long time that the team has this many skilled rookies looking to make the leap, like it is still weird to see the elite talent that this team is starting to assemble and this fan base should be excited.
Next: The Curious Case Of Mitch Marner
The curious case of Mitch Marner
Last season, Marner scored 39 goals and racked up 116 points last season as he helped guide the London Knights to a J. Ross Robertson Cup and then to a Memorial Cup, but that would not be the only hardware for him. Marner was able to win Memorial Cup MVP, the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) most outstanding player, and the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) player of the year.
Even after all that he has accomplished it is still no guarantee that he makes the Maple Leafs and he’s too young for the American Hockey League, so the only other option would be to go back to London. Marner more than likely does not want to go back to junior, but it will be up to him to prove that he is worth at least a nine game trial with the Maple Leafs.
Marner has some support from Mike Babcock, who stated that Marner will be given an opportunity to make the Maple Leafs this season, so this shows that Marner might be on the team to start the season. Also, there’s no doubt that he will get the nine game trial with the Maple Leafs, but it will be up to him as to whether or not he stays in Toronto or goes back to London.
Needless to say Marner’s days in junior hockey should be done, at least to start the season and the Maple Leafs should look to spread out his nine games, unless he proves otherwise.
Then, there’s no doubt that Marner will be sent to the minors for some “conditioning” and just stall until they loan him to Hockey Canada for the World Juniors which will be in Toronto (and Montréal) and after that it will be interesting to see what management decides to do with him.
Next: Morgan Rielly's Growth
Morgan Rielly looks to continue growth
Last season Rielly took a step forward with his offensive game as he jumped from 29 points (8 goals and 21 assist) to 39 points ( 9 goals and 27 assist) and it seems like when it comes to offensive abilities, the sky’s the limit for Rielly since he’s a smooth skater and puck moving defenseman that is needed in today’s game.
After the trade of Dion Phaneuf, Rielly has now taken the role as the alpha male on the blueline and the responsibility of going up against every team’s top line. He has also gained the trust of Babcock which is why his time on ice was increased when the Maple Leafs traded the captain to see if Rielly could handle the load.
Nevertheless, for Rielly to become that elite number defenseman that many Maple Leaf fans are hoping he turns into, then his defensive game.
He will need to show his dedication to improving this side of his game which will ultimately determine if he can turn himself into a defenseman who can be out on the ice for all situations.
There are two roads for Rielly to go down this season, one will lead him to being that true number one defenseman while the other road will show that he’s just a top four defenseman.
This isn’t a make or break season for him, but it is a season to take that leap because he is the alpha dog and he needs to show signs of where he is headed.
Next: Zaitsev's Arrival
Nikita Zaitsev will look to prove he belongs in the NHL
The signing of Zaitsev was the worst kept secret in hockey after the Russian defenseman made it clear he would sign with the Maple Leafs once his contract with CSKA Moscow expired.
After his final season with the Red Army in which he put eight goals and 18 assists in 46 games, he would then sign a one-year entry level contract with the Maple Leafs.
Now, what can Maple Leafs fan expect from him?
He’s a smooth skater with puck moving ability and a right-handed shot that can be a compliment to someone like Rielly if Babcock chooses to pair the two together. Add that he has a shot from the point and fans can start salivating of the thought of him ripping one-timers from the point on the powerplay.
Furthermore, former NHLer Ryan Whitney gave a glowing scouting report for Zaitsev and what the fans in Toronto can expect. Whitney stated how Zaitsev can control the tempo of the game while on the ice and even though he’s not the biggest of defenseman he has a way of eluding those that are trying to hit him, overall he expects him to turn heads once he gets out on the ice.
Next: Andersen Takes Over
Frederik Andersen is now the man in Toronto
After being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks back in June, the Maple Leafs gave Andersen a five- year contract worth $25 million, which meant that he would be the undisputed guy in net going forward.
Last season Andersen posted a 22-9-7 record with a goals against of 2.30, however, the debate has been out there as to whether or not Andersen can be the guy because lets face it the Maple Leafs have a bad run of dealing for other team’s goaltenders.
From guys like Vesa Toskala, Jonathan Bernier, and Andrew Raycroft they have all been whiffs by the organization, but everything seems to workout for Brendan Shanahan and company, so this move might actually workout for them.
Also, Andersen has a track record of being able to step up in big moments. During the playoffs last season he was able to dig the Ducks out of a 3-1 series hole before they fell in game 7 to the Nashville Predators, so Andersen has some playoff pedigree that other goaltenders did not have before the arrived to Toronto.
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Plus the last time Lamoriello traded for a “backup” it was Cory Schneider and it’s safe to say the New Jersey Devils made out like bandits, so let’s hope luck strikes twice for Lamoriello and this move works out for the Maple Leafs much like the Schneider deal worked out for the Devils.