After an eventful summer filled with personnel changes on and off the ice, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a few questions that need to be answered ahead of the 2023-24 NHL season.
The Maple Leafs kick off their pre-season campaign tonight against the Ottawa Senators and are sending out a lineup that will likely look similar to their roster in their first regular season game on Oct. 9 against the Montreal Canadiens.
The @MapleLeafs roster for tonight’s preseason game versus Ottawa at @ScotiabankArena. pic.twitter.com/LOxgJmfHMb
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) September 22, 2024
While most of the players are familiar, the way they will be deployed under new head coach Craig Berube will be the most intriguing part of this exhibition game. Especially William Nylander.
William Nylander at Center
Nylander, who was originally drafted as a center in 2014, has been vocal about wanting to get another shot at playing in the middle and acknowledged the defensive responsibility that comes with the role.
Early line groupings from training camp would suggest that Berube is trying to construct an offensive core that spreads out scoring amongst its top three lines, while also having defensive capabilities. This would differ from Sheldon Keefe’s philosophy, where he would often load up the top six.
There will likely be some growing pains for the 28-year-old to adjust to this role, but all signs seem to be pointing to Nylander having a longer leash as the Maple Leafs look to create a deeper and more dangerous lineup at both ends of the ice.
Left Wing Competition
Matthew Knies’ impressive rookie season made it easier for the Maple Leafs to stomach the loss on the left wing side when Tyler Bertuzzi elected to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks in free agency.
With Knies being a near certainty to start on the first line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, the real questions come in the middle six. If Nylander permanently shifts to center, the replacement that makes the most sense on the second line is Max Domi, who’s shown the ability to be a complimentary passing threat in the Maple Leafs’ offence.
However, the addition of Max Pacioretty could create some unexpected competition for the Maple Leafs. If the 35-year-old fits well in Berube’s system and can put together a productive pre-season, there’s a chance that Toronto’s second and third lines could look very different in October.
How will Max Pacioretty do in his pre-season debut with Toronto? pic.twitter.com/vlzX25BJOj
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 22, 2024
Goaltending Splits
After Ilya Samsonov agreed to a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Vegas Golden Knights, the Maple Leafs were able to find a solid replacement in Anthony Stolarz, who is fresh off a Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers.
Joseph Woll’s remarkable performance in relief of Samsonov throughout the regular season and the playoffs has put him in a great position to take on the starting role, but Stolarz creates some internal competition with his impressive resume as a backup.
Stolarz had a career year with the Panthers in 2023-24, putting together a .925 save percentage and a 2.03 goals-against average in 27 games played. Considering Woll’s injury history and lack of experience as a starter, a good pre-season showing from Stolarz could lead to a much larger role this season than initially anticipated.
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News Summary:
- Three Toronto Maple Leafs Storylines To Follow During The Pre-season
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