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Toronto Maple Leafs Release Their Preseason Schedule

By Mike Stephens

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 25: Leafs lockers prepare to be unloaded. The Toronto Maple Leafs had their final interviews and locker clean out day on Thursday following their loss to the Boston Bruins. Players came out to speak to the media as did the GM and Head coach. (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 25: Leafs lockers prepare to be unloaded. The Toronto Maple Leafs had their final interviews and locker clean out day on Thursday following their loss to the Boston Bruins. Players came out to speak to the media as did the GM and Head coach. (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /
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The summer has barely begun and the Toronto Maple Leafs are already preparing for next season.

Earlier this morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs released the official schedule for their 2019-20 preseason, consisting of its usual eight games. The Maple Leafs will begin the festivities on September 17th in St. Johns, Newfoundland versus the Ottawa Senators before transitioning back home to face the Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings, in order.

Are eight games far too many for any team to play in a single preseason? Absolutely. There is no conceivable reason as to why the NHL mandates all preseason periods to last roughly two weeks, with players risking injury and early fatigue by taking part in a slate of games that ultimately do not matter.

Sure, the argument exists that roster hopefuls need the extra time in order to earn themselves big league jobs. Which is great. But four games should be more than enough for any prospect or bubble player to prove their worth to the powers above. If you can’t demonstrate that your skillset is NHL calibre throughout four games of action, then you probably never will. It’s the harsh truth.

Given how much roster flux the Maple Leafs are expected to undergo this offseason, the preseason will be looked at under a far more intensified microscope than in years past. These eight games will offer the likes of Teemu Kivihalme and Ilya Mikheyev an opportunity to adapt to the smaller North American ice. Prospects poised to scratch the surface – Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren, Mason Marchment, Pierre Engvall, etc – will be able to show the strides they’ve made over the summer.

And then there are the depth players. Zach Hyman and Travis Dermott are expected to miss at least the first month of the season. There are some legitimate holes in the Maple Leafs’ forward corps and blueline, and the question now is who will step up to fill them. Thankfully, that question will be answered from the preseason, therein dictating which new or returning faces will begin the season with the big club in their absence.

Regardless, after a relatively lacklustre stretch of recent postseasons, this year’s is shaping up to be one to pay attention to.

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