Toronto Maple Leafs fans rejoice, September is here, and that means preseason is right around the corner.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will kick off their preseason with a doubleheader against the Ottawa Senators on September 24th. Game one of the doubleheader will be at 1 pm, with the second game at 7 pm. Because these two games are the first games of the preseason, fans should expect two balanced lineups. Each game will have a combination of NHL regulars and minor leaguers.
One player that will be looking forward to playing in one of the games against Ottawa will be Matt Murray. Due to injuries, Murray never gave Ottawa the goaltending they thought they were getting when they traded for the two-time Stanley Cup winner. He is looking for a fresh start in Toronto. An early preseason win against his old team to start things off would be nice. Hopefully, he will help Toronto beat Ottawa on October 15th in the first battle of Ontario for the 2022-23 season.
There will also be many players playing in these doubleheader games who are trying to earn a spot on the NHL roster. Can Nick Robertson finally land a roster spot at the NHL level? He will be one of the players trying to prove himself to the Toronto Maple Leafs. I expect him to be mentioned quite a bit three weeks from now.
Toronto Maple Leafs Other Five Preseason Games
Toronto’s third preseason game will be on September 28th against the Montreal Canadiens. It will be their third preseason game in a row playing at home before a three-game road trip. The Maple Leafs have a gap of three days between their games on the 24th and 28th. Plenty of time for some good training camp sessions.
The first stop on the Leafs preseason road trip will be in Ottawa on September 30th. It will be the third and final preseason game between these two teams. Toronto will then make stops in Montreal on October 3rd and Detroit on October 7th. By the time Toronto plays the Detroit Red Wings on October 7th, both teams should have their main rosters almost set for the regular season.
Toronto will return home on October 8th and host the Red Wings in the second game of their back-to-back preseason series. It will be Toronto’s final preseason game. They will have a few days off before they start the regular season on October 12th against the Canadiens in Montreal.