It’s been 131 days since the Toronto Maple Leafs last took to the ice in an NHL game, but the wait for a new season appears to be approaching a climax.
More than four months have passed since the Columbus Blue Jackets knocked the Toronto Maple Leafs out of the qualifying round of the 2020 NHL playoffs, but eyes across the league are now beginning to turn towards the start of a 2021 season.
NHL.com is reporting that the NHL and NHLPA have a tentative agreement in place to begin play January 13th.
2021 And The Toronto Maple Leafs
While they are still waiting the approval of the board, among many other stakeholders, the NHL appears set to kick things off on the regularly touted date of January 13th, with training camps for teams not involved in the post-season last summer potentially beginning on December 31st, while the remaining 24 teams would start training from January 3rd.
The 2021 season will be reduced to 56 games, which could benefit the Toronto Maple Leafs, who will be eager to get rolling early and reach the post-season after a disappointing end of a season that saw injuries take its toll on the team.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe will be at the helm from the get-go, with his Leafs team truly in the ascendancy after replacing veteran coach Mike Babcock over a year ago.
Taxi squads will be used around the NHL, which could have a long-term benefit for a number of Leafs prospects that are on the cusp on breaking into the majors, seeing them travel and train with the team throughout the season.
It is believed that players on the taxi squad will still be treated as minor leaguers with regards to call-ups, meaning they will have to pass through waivers to be returned to the taxi squad if they are not waivers exempt.
There will also be the additional intrigued of seeing the Toronto Maple Leafs contest an all-Canadian division, which is still largely expected to be the case despite the increases in Coronavirus cases north of the border in recent weeks.
Facing off against bitter rivals such as the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens far more often than usual will be a big draw for Canadian hockey fans and could see plenty of memorable matchups take place in what will be a truly unique season.
The last time the NHL played a shortened regular season, besides the 2019/20 campaign, was back in 2012/13, when the Leafs made the post-season – leading to that seven-game series against the Boston Bruins that is all too memorable.
Plenty of new faces will be suiting up for the Toronto Maple Leafs this upcoming season, which will make the new campaign even more interesting than it already will be, with expectations high after the likes of T.J. Brodie, Wayne Simmonds, Jimmy Vesey and Joe Thornton were brought in to tip the team over the edge.
Official confirmation is still being waited on, but after such a difficult 2020, the future is looking brighter on the hockey front for the Toronto Maple Leafs, with only a few weeks to go until the tentative January 13th start date.