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A Review of the 2021-22 Opening Night Toronto Maple Leafs Roster

By Luke Ryan

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 13: Empty seats are seen prior to play between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 13: Empty seats are seen prior to play between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 13: Cole Caufield #22 of the Montreal Canadiens swings around T.J. Brodie #78 of the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 13, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – OCTOBER 13: Cole Caufield #22 of the Montreal Canadiens  . (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

Toronto Maple Leafs Defense On 2021-22 Opening Night

The Toronto Maple Leafs lined up with a defensive group not too dissimilar from what we might expect ahead of the new season.

Of course, by the time the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs rolled around, the group looked quite difference with the mid-season additions of Ilya Lyubushkin and Mark Giordano, but on opening night of the 2021-22 season, the pairings were:

Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie

This pairing seems most likely to remain intact for the opening night of the 2022-23 season, with Morgan Rielly commencing the first year of a new deal seeing him paid $7.5 million per season; a significant raise on his previous $5 million per season.

T.J. Brodie provides a level of security for the Toronto Maple Leafs alongside Rielly, given the tendency towards offence from the latter.

Neither player seems likely to be going anywhere and you can all but guarantee them lining up together on opening night again this season.

Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl

Often utilized by Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe as his shutdown pairing, right now, they both remain members of the roster.

Both players are routinely floated in trade ruminations; Justin Holl because his $2 million contract feels easily moveable, while Jake Muzzin sports a steeper $5.625 million per season contract and showed some level of decline with his performances across last season.

As such, it’s not completely unbelievable that either player isn’t lining up in Toronto Maple Leafs colours on opening night.

Rasmus Sandin and Travis Dermott

The third pairing on defense on opening night last season was the duo of Travis Dermott and Rasmus Sandin.

Dermott was sent to the Vancouver Canucks in return for a 2022 third round pick. He played 17 games for the Canucks post-trade and projects to line-up on Vancouver’s third pairing come their opening night.

Rasmus Sandin meanwhile, despite showing decent potential finds himself in a bit of a contract stalemate with the Leafs.

Right now, he hasn’t inked a contract but the Leafs are unlikely to move on from a 23 year old with his potential, so he will likely be in the opening night lineup in some fashion.

Scratched: Timothy Liljegren

The seventh defenseman, scratched for opening night was Timothy Liljegren, who seems unlikely to be a healthy scratch come opening night of the new season. He really staked a strong claim to his spot in the line-up in the second half of last season.

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