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Toronto Maple Leafs: Projecting the 2020-2021 Forward Lines

By Rossy Pasternak

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 07: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his third period goal at 16:54 with Morgan Rielly #44, William Nylander #88, Auston Matthews #34, Zach Hyman #11 amd Mitchell Marner #16 against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 07, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 07: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his third period goal at 16:54 with Morgan Rielly #44, William Nylander #88, Auston Matthews #34, Zach Hyman #11 amd Mitchell Marner #16 against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 07, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ONTARIO – AUGUST 07: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple . (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO – AUGUST 07: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple . (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /

Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs have done an excellent job of filling out their roster. Now, Head Coach Sheldon Keefe and his staff are left with the tough task of determining how to best deploy their forward group.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have added a large group of forwards to fill out their roster, including bringing in Wayne Simmonds, Joe Thornton, and Jimmy Vesey on cheap 1-year contracts. While the merit of these signings can and have been debated, barring any unexpected moves this will be the group that Keefe and Dubas are rolling with.

It’s more than likely that the lines on Day 1 of the season aren’t the lines that the Leafs will end the year with. Expect Sheldon Keefe to mix and match depending on injury, player performance, and matchup. Dubas has done an excellent job providing the coaching staff with a plethora of options on offense, and the onus is now on them to use that depth and flexibility to compete for a Stanley Cup.

Because of the Leafs salary cap situation, roster flexibility is a priority for Dubas and co., expect players who will not be exposed to waivers to be given the first shot at cracking the roster. (per CapFriendly)

Let’s take a look at what the lineup could look like once things get rolling next season, whenever that may be.

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