Toronto Maple Leafs: What Each Forward Line in Camp can Provide
Training camp is underway for every team in the NHL including the Toronto Maple Leafs and we can’t wait for the first puck drop of the brand new season.
Training camp has begun for the Toronto Maple Leafs and we have gotten the chance to get a glimpse at the new faces in the blue and white that were brought in this past off-season.
From signings that bolstered the team’s defense to signings that helped the team’s depth, it’s safe to say this coming season is going to be an exciting one for fans to watch.
During training camp, we got the opportunity to look at both group one and group two’s forward and defense pairings during practice. Group one is the group that will be in the NHL and group two that will be fighting for roster spots on the taxi squad. With that being said let’s take a look at all four forward lines in training camp and see what they provide the team.
Forward Line One
The first line for the Toronto Maple Leafs shouldn’t really be a surprise to anyone because you know it’ll have Auston Matthews on it and one of either Mitch Marner or William Nylander, however, there is one surprise to this line as Joe Thornton will be Matthews’ and Marner’s left-winger to start the season.
Forward line one: Thornton – Matthews – Marner
The 41-year-old who is entering his 23rd season in the NHL, yes I said 23rd season you read that right, is looking to find some playoff success with the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. As the oldest guy on the team, he’ll provide the group more than just veteran presence on and off the ice, he’ll provide leadership, and despite being in his forties he can still provide some skill on the ice.
This line provides a mixture of a little bit of everything and I cant wait to see it take the ice on January 13th against the Canadiens. Thornton, who despite being 41 years old can still pass a puck and will provide a nice playmaking ability alongside an elite goal scorer in Auston Matthews. He can also provide that grit if need be given he is 6’4 and 220lbs he isn’t afraid to show some physicality when the team needs some.
Matthews on the other hand doesn’t need that much explaining to do as we know what he’s capable of doing. He is one of the best goal scorers in the entire league and is statistically the best five-on-five goal scorer in the league ever since entering the NHL in the 2016-17 season. He has also been improving his two-hundred-foot game every year since he’s been in the league and it will definitely go a long way in his career as he continues playing.
You can say the same thing about Marner as well, he’s a terrific skater and has a very, very high hockey IQ, it’s like he knows where his linemates are at all the time and can feed them the puck and make plays almost perfectly. Don’t believe me just look and his and Tavares’ numbers from the 2018-19 season, those two were almost unstoppable when together. Marner also hopes to add a scoring component to his game this season, and with Thornton on this line, he might get the opportunity to score more goals.
Forward Line Two
Forward line two: Jimmy Vesey – John Tavares – William Nylander
Just like the first line on the Toronto Maple Leafs, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you who would be on the second line because if Matthews and Marner are on the first line, then you know line two will have John Tavares and William Nylander. Well, that’s what line two exactly has, plus another little surprise on the left-wing, this time it’s Jimmy Vesey entering the team’s top six and will be on the wing with Tavares and Nylander.
Vesey brings that Hyman type to this line in my opinion, simply because he has a nose for the net and isn’t afraid to bang bodies or get physical in corners. Vesey who is entering his fifth year in the league has three seasons where he notched at least 16 goals with the Rangers and had a down year with nine last season with the Sabres, is looking to do the same here in Toronto alongside guys like Tavares and Nylander five-on-five.
Tavares brings that leadership role to this team, but more importantly, he brings his goal-scoring ability to a team that already has an elite goal scorer so that just adds another dangerous goal scorer on the ice for teams to try and handle. He has good hands as well and can pass the puck if he’s feeling like a playmaker instead of a goal scorer. Tavares alongside Nylander last season was good and with the addition of Vesey this season it may be just as good, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Nylander on the other hand had a career year last season scoring 31 goals and was on pace to finish the season with 36 goals and 69 points. Nylander brings an ability to score goals just like Tavares, but more importantly, he can pass the puck as he’s been a pass-first winger in seasons past but now has added a nice scoring touch to his game and becomes another threat on the ice for the Maple Leafs. (Stats from Hockey-Reference.com)
Forward Line Three
Forward line three: Mikheyev – Kerfoot – Hyman
The third line may be one of my favourite lines on the Toronto Maple Leafs next season if Sheldon Keefe decides to keep the lines how they are. This line may be the third line but this line could act as a second-line simply because of how all three players play the game of hockey. The line consists of three hard-working players who all play a similar style of game, which is heavy on the forecheck, play responsible defensive game, and also can put the puck in the back of the net when needed.
Ilya Mikheyev who is now entering his second year in the NHL plays a style of game that is similar to Hyman and it is very enjoyable to watch, to say the least. He responsible defensively, not afraid to go into the corners with his size, has some speed to him, and can pot some goals home too. He’s a perfect linemate for anyone in my opinion.
Alex Kerfoot has been a great third-line centre for this Toronto Maple Leafs team and will look to continue that role heading into next season on a line with Mikheyev and Hyman. Kerfoot who just like Mikheyev plays a responsible defensive game isn’t afraid to rough things up on the ice, he’s not a fighter but he’s the type to get under your skin to annoy you and make it difficult to go up against him despite his size.
Zach Hyman, we all know what he can do, I shouldn’t have to be explaining myself here but I will either way just to refresh some memories just in case you forgot. He’s a good two-way player who can kill penalties, heavy on the forecheck just like Mikheyev, isn’t afraid to get physical either, and has recently added a goal-scoring touch to his game as he’s had some insane goal-scoring paces in the last couple of seasons.
Forward Line Four
Forward line four: Barabanov – Spezza – Simmonds
The last of the four forward lines on this Toronto Maple Leafs team in training camp is also a line that has a little bit of everything and could potentially shock some people with their production this year. It consists of veterans Jason Spezza and Wayne Simmonds, but it also has a new addition to the Maple Leafs organization that they signed out of the KHL in Alexander Barabanov.
Spezza who has been in the league for quite a long time like current teammate Joe Thornton is trying to get another shot at a Stanley Cup before he calls it a career. He provides this somewhat young Leafs team multiple abilities that will help this team succeed during the season and hopefully into the playoffs.
He’s a proven goal scorer and a great passer as well, as he has almost 350 career goals and over 900 career points during his long career so far. He provides a leadership role as a veteran that has played the game for many years and he can also play on the team’s power-play if need be.
Simmonds on the other hand is a very interesting addition and I can’t wait to see him hit the ice next week. It’s interesting to me because he said this is the healthiest and best he’s ever felt in a couple of years and he thinks he can help provide some scoring and some physicality on the ice too, so I wonder if we’re going to get to see a healthy Wayne Simmonds, will he somehow go back to his Flyer days, or close to it at least?
He can give a team some goal scoring from in front of the net, especially if he’s slotted on the power-play that would give a goalie nightmares, he can also obviously provide physicality and won’t ever shy away from dropping the gloves with someone either.
Next. First Line Thornton a Bad Idea. dark
Lastly, Barabanov coming over to North America from the KHL is looking to be a hard worker on the ice and continue his style of game from overseas as he doesn’t mind playing a physical game and likes to beat guys one-on-one. He can defiantly provide some goal-scoring on that fourth line as he had 11 goals in 43 games last season and potted home 17 goals two seasons ago.