The Toronto Maple Leafs roster is going to feature a similar core, but the rest of the line-up is going to be very different next year.
I can’t say that the Toronto Maple Leafs fanbase is optimistic this year, but regardless, this team should still be very competitive.
Making a huge bet on them to win the Stanley Cup would be a bold move, but maybe this is the year they actually do it? I mean, they still have one of the best top-six’s in hockey and if one of their goalies get hot, they could win some games next Spring.
However, I wouldn’t make the bet.
Either way, with the recent PTO to Zach Aston-Reese, the Leafs line-up is coming into form.
Speaking of which, here’s an updated version of what I see the line-up looking like on opening night:
Toronto Maple Leafs Forwards:
- Michael Bunting – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner
- Nick Robertson – John Tavares – William Nylander
- Pierre Engvall – Calle Jarnkrok – Alex Kerfoot
- Zach Aston-Reese – David Kampf – Nicolas Aube-Kubel
After having so much success last year, the top-line is bound to stay in-tact. Although I’d like to see Robertson vibe with Matthews and Marner, it feels like a natural fit to keep the Leafs trio together.
Speaking of Robertson, this is the year he makes the line-up full-time. You can’t keep a prospect as talented as him in the minors anymore and this is the year he gets his opportunity to shine, and that he will.
The third-line is sneaky good now. Engvall, Jarnkrok and Kerfoot can all produce and all of them are pretty sound defensively. Watch for this line to make some noise early and often.
As for the fourth line, the addition of Aston-Reese and Aube-Kubel means that Wayne Simmonds isn’t needed anymore. Unfortunately, Simmonds will be a healthy scratch most nights and only be called upon when someone is injured.
Great insurance, but overall the fourth-line is feisty and defensive. They’re not going to score, but they’re going to play a ton of shutdown minutes against the opposition’s best.
Defenseman
- Morgan Rielly – TJ Brodie
- Jake Muzzin – Justin Holl
- Mark Giordano – Timothy Liljegren
In a perfect world, Rasmus Sandin returns and pushes Justin Holl to the press box, but at this rate, I can’t see him re-signing. If it was going to happen, it already would have, but regardless, the Leafs defensive pairing’s are fine.
Rielly and Brodie are a great pair and the two are a solid first-unit for the Leafs. As for the second-unit, Muzzin is a fantastic defenseman who complements Holl. However, let’s hope he can stay healthy all year, as Muzzin’s unfortunately been known too miss a lot of action over the last few years.
Re-signing Giordano to a small cap-hit was a huge win for Toronto and that veteran presence will help Liljegren tremendously. The two of them found chemistry last year and that will continue this season, as that’s one of the better third-pair’s in the NHL.
Goalies
- Matt Murray
- Ilya Samsonov
Although he faltered the last two years, the opening night starter is going to be Matt Murray, in my opinion. Returning to the team he grew up loving, with a clear mind and focus will be huge for the netminder.
He doesn’t need to be perfect, but instead needs to be average for Toronto to win most nights.
Samsonov makes the most sense as the back-up, but by year’s end, he’ll probably have between 30-35 stars under his belt, as Toronto will benefit from a 1A/1B goalie tandem.
Overall, the Toronto Maple Leafs line-up this year is going to surprise some people, but they will need Matthews and Marner to carry the offensive load, once again.