Preseason for the Toronto Maple Leafs is finally over and October 2nd is almost here.
Over the past couple of weeks, some interesting developments have taken place in the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp that give fans a lot to be excited about. Let’s look over some of them.
Ron Hainsey and Nikita Zaitsev played really hard for the Leafs. They were totally in over their heads, but it is important to recognize they did what they could despite playing too much and too high on Toronto’s defense corps– which wasn’t much.
Kyle Dubas knew this and addressed the glaring holes on the right side of our blue line during the summer, bringing in Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci. Tyson Barrie is an excellent puck moving defenseman who solidifies whichever player he’s paired with (Rielly or most likely Muzzin in this case) into a dangerous threat for opponents.
Cody Ceci, meanwhile, is a much maligned player that is at least a right shot. Expectations are low for him and he’s only here for this season at most, but there’s plenty of motivation for him to be at his best. Playing for a team much better than Ottawa should certainly help him with that at least a little. He’s likely playing with Morgan Rielly, at least for now, despite his reputation. In the least, Rielly is used to playing with boat anchors, and Ceci has looked better than many fans have thought so far.
Ultimately, the simply not having Hainsey or Zaitsev on the team any longer is a win for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bringing in Tyson Barrie is simply a huge bonus. With that in mind and the current emergence of another player, Toronto’s blueline looks better than it has in years. Whose emergence you ask?
Enter Sandman
Rasmus Sandin doesn’t exactly need an introduction anymore. The Leafs late first round pick from the 2018 NHL Draft has steadily improved over the past year. His play during the preseason however, has been a revelation.
Sandin has progressed faster than anyone thought or expected. At just 19, he has great poise and playmaking ability with the puck, is calm under pressure, can throw (or take) a hit and has excellent gap control. His speed is respectable, but because he’s so effective and thinks so fast it often looks like he doesn’t have to try so hard.
The last 19-year-old that looked so good so quickly on Toronto’s blueline was Morgan Rielly himself. We’re not saying he’s the next Rielly here, but a bottom pairing of Sandin and Travis Dermott is going to dominate other teams. These are surefire top four defensemen playing lower in the lineup. They’re only going to get better over the next several years. We can’t forget about Timothy Liljegren, either.
Suddenly, losing Jake Gardiner doesn’t sting so much.
Balanced Attack
Nazem Kadri is no longer a Toronto Maple Leaf. It still feels weird saying that. Alex Kerfoot (brought over in the Kadri/Barrie trade) is more suited to third line duties and fits well so far. The continued growth of our young forwards like Trevor Moore, Kasperi Kapanen, and the arrival of Ilya Mikheyev make the Maple Leafs stronger on the wings.
Another year of stars, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander is only going to make things that much better. They’re already elite players and aren’t in their prime just yet. Oh yeah, don’t forget that John Tavares is a Maple Leaf.
This lineup allows the Toronto Maple Leafs to attack in relentless waves and it’s blueline supports that goal heavily. With a better balanced team, improve defense and even more lethal offense, how can you not get excited for this Stanley Cup contender?
Time to drop the puck.