A Review of the 2021-22 Opening Night Toronto Maple Leafs Roster
By Luke Ryan
Toronto Maple Leafs Forwards On 2021-22 Opening Night
The forward group for the Toronto Maple Leafs isn’t going to look quite the same when they skate out for the 2022-23 season.
Indeed, Auston Matthews will be looking to be ready opening night this time around. After all, he was scratched versus Montreal last season, due to wrist surgery that August.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had three forwards making their debut with the team; two of whom have already moved on ahead of the new campaign.
The opening night forward lines, per Natural Stat Trick, were:
John Tavares, Mitch Marner and Nick Ritchie
Two of the Toronto Maple Leafs opening night top line aren’t going anywhere any time soon. Both John Tavares and Mitch Marner will no doubt be among the first names on the team sheet to start the new season.
Nick Ritchie, meanwhile, was a summer signing that ultimately didn’t pan out. He will be lining up for the Arizona Coyotes this season, after a mid-season trade saw Ryan Dzingel and Ilya Lyubushkin arrive in Toronto in return for Ritchie and a conditional second or third round draft pick.
Alex Kerfoot, Michael Bunting and William Nylander
While this line didn’t last, with last season’s opening night prize, Michael Bunting showing impressive chemistry with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner; all three project to be on the Leafs opening night roster.
The only exception to that is the fact that Alex Kerfoot is routinely floated as a trade candidate due to a very well-priced $3.5 million per season deal. Before opening night, it doesn’t feel impossible to see him dealt.
David Kampf, Ondrej Kase and Pierre Engvall
Both David Kampf and Ondrej Kase were making their respective debuts in this game. Kampf, who arrived as a sneaky addition after his contract wasn’t renewed by the Chicago Blackhawks, proved a valuable player for the Maple Leafs finally giving their third line a true defensive identity.
Likewise, Ondrej Kase was a new arrival that held plenty of promise. He was signed to a relatively low-risk cheap contract and ended up proving himself good value, when he wasn’t injured.
Ultimately though, his history of concussions ended up damaging his standing with the team and he moved on this summer and will open the new season with the Carolina Hurricanes. The $1.5 million they’re paying him too steep of a price for Toronto.
Pierre Engvall just recently signed on for another season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, earning a $1 million raise from his $1.25 million contract last year; expect Kampf and Engvall to be reuinted next year.
Jason Spezza, Michael Amadio and Wayne Simmonds
Jason Spezza, despite still proving valuable to the Toronto Maple Leafs at times last season, ultimately decided to hang up his skates this summer.
He won’t be skating out for the team on opening night, but will no doubt be watching on from the press box in his new role as Special Assistant to the General Manager.
Michael Amadio, meanwhile found himself in Las Vegas, waived after just 3 games with Toronto to balance the team’s salary cap. He had a decent campaign in ‘Sin City’ too, netting 11 goals in a 53-game foray.
Wayne Simmonds is the only member of this line that remains active on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster ahead of the new season, though even he may face an uphill battle to claim a spot in their 2022-23 opening night line-up.
Scratch: Auston Matthews
It’s seldom that you see Auston Matthews scratched, but off-season wrist surgery forced him to miss the opening night, before going on an insane 60 goals in 60 games run.
Next. Don't Expect a Big Trade. dark
At this point the opening night lineup is not 100% clear, but we do know that with the Leafs top-heavy cap philosophy, the season-to-season turn over is quite high with this team.