The Toronto Maple Leafs will use two more evenly stacked power-play units this season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have owned a top 10 powerplay every year since the arrival of their lethal weapon, Auston Matthews. They will be experimenting with a different approach this season and it could make their powerplay one of the most feared in the league.
Sheldon Keefe revealed that the Toronto Maple Leafs would have a different look for the powerplay this season. The Leafs will be spreading out the talent across two powerplay units and both were on display during the Blue vs. White scrimmage.
The first unit has Reilly up on the point with Marner and Matthews alternating from the point to the side boards depending on where the puck is. Thornton is squared up in the high slot and Simmonds is positioned in front of the net. They passed it around and got several scoring chances but never did put one in the back of the net. It looks absolutely promising though and I believe this unit will score on many of their opportunities.
Toronto Maple Leafs Televised Scrimmage
The second unit saw Nylander and Lehtonen manning the point with Tavares on the high slot and Hyman in front of the net. Robertson occupied the side boards, however if Robertson is not on the team initially that spot will most likely be taken by Spezza. This unit did get a goal with Nylander sniping a beautiful slap shot over the glove of Dell.
Various observations from the scrimmage:
Despite the high 7-3 score Freddy Andersen and Jack Campbell both looked steady and calm in net. Andersen could rarely be found out of position and looks poised and focused to lead this team to the promised land.
Thornton seemed to have his legs under him and looked in mid-season form. He forced multiple turnovers in the offensive and neutral zone and made a few slick passes to his new linemates, Matthews and Marner.
Reilly looked sharp throughout the game in both his skating and stick work. I’m expecting a huge bounce back year from Reilly with a dependable partner to his right all season in TJ Brodie.
Timothy Liljegren looks to have put on some weight, in a good way. He looked much stronger and made a few power moves in his own zone fighting off multiple opponents in the corners. He even made a few nice stretch passes to send his offensive teammate into a scoring opportunity.
Travis Dermott looked shaky in this game, committing multiple turnovers and getting lost in his own zone multiple times. With guys like Liljegren and Sandin waiting in the wings Dermott could find himself in the press box most nights, possibly even on the taxi squad.
Speaking of the taxi squad, Travis Boyd seems to be making a bid to be left off the taxi squad and given a chance to crack the lineup. The fourth line could be rotating all year the way some of these guys are playing. Keefe will have some tough decisions to make not just before opening night but perhaps throughout the year.
Mikko Lehtonen was impressive in this scrimmage. I wasn’t sure how his skills would translate from the KHL to the NHL but if his performance in this game is any indication of how he might play this season then the Leafs may have struck gold here. He especially looked to establish some chemistry with Nylander, assisting on two of his goals.
I, for one, cannot wait for the season opener on Wednesday night. Expect the Leafs to come out flying versus Montreal and set the tone for a successful season.