Maple Leafs debut new lineup at start of training camp

The Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off training camp Thursday and with everyone back on the ice, we got to see some new combinations that head coach Craig Berube is cooking up as he tries to see what sticks.

In the first on-ice practice for the team, split into two groups, we got some inkling of what Berube is thinking to start out this season when it comes to who is playing with who up front.

The major question all summer has been which winger will be Mitch Marner's replacement next to Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. The two Arizona natives are never going to be separated barring disaster, so which skilled forward is going to take the opportunity and run with it? For the first opportunity, it looks like newcomer Matias Maccelli is going to be getting that first-line chance to start.

In addition to Maccelli up top and given the try-out on Matthews's wing, some other Leafs regulars are getting new players to play alongside with them. Notably, in the first group, the pair of Steven Lorentz and Scott Laughton is getting plopped down beside Nick Robertson as a make-shift fourth line with some potential scoring pop.

David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, and Michael Pezzetta all playing together signifies that they aren't going to be getting any major looks in training camp so far, as those three are all battling for the exact same roster spot to just be an extra forward.

Moving on to the second group is where we see some interesting combinations.

Next to the formidable duo of John Tavares and William Nylander, we get someone more familiar to them in Bobby McMann. This trio served as the Leafs' second line for just over 158 minutes last season and performed incredibly well, with them having 69.27 percent of the goal share.

Easton Cowan is getting a true opportunity for an NHL role as he's placed next to Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy -- for Berube to truly see if the young Memorial Cup champion can play at a top level of pace and not just be down with the rest of the potential Marlies.

This is going to be a massive year for the Leafs and with the departure of Marner, their new-found forward depth is going to be truly tested. On paper it can look as good as they have ever been, but it all depends on chemistry and that is what we are going to find out in the next couple of weeks.