Preseason was treating the Leafs kindly as they had bulldozed their way through the first four games and finally met their match in the first meeting between Toronto and Montreal. Each team iced a number of young guns to take a look at and gave their starters the night off. Tonight’s game will be the opposite as the Leafs and Habs are going from one end of the spectrum to the other.
Will the Tavares and Marner magic carry over into the regular season? This may be one of the newest and most dangerous combinations in the league. Tavares can bury the puck on command and with Marner feeding Gretky like passes to number 91 you can bet were going to see some dazzlers. Tavares will be pushing the 40 goal mark with a smile on his face and you can bet it will be little Mitch in there as the first man to celebrate. It’s going to be tough to keep Marner’s contract on the cheap end next season, something to worry about at a later date. For now let’s just get Nylander signed and inserted into the final two preseason games. Enough is enough fellas; it’s time to play some hockey.
Keep an eye on the Leafs youngsters who are battling for roster spots, that’s who I watch mostly in these games to see how they fit in and what they bring to the table. The Leafs really have a battle for the fourth line center position as well as the bottom pairing on the defense. My money is on Dermott being a regular from night one, I thought he played well for the Leafs last season cashing in 13 points in 37 games while playing well defensively sporting a +16 rating. I’d love to see Dermott excel as the season goes on and Babcock rewards the youngster with more ice time and responsibility.
This top nine the Leafs have is off the charts. One week until puck drop…let it sink in.
So the power play was one of the Leafs strong points; add in Tavares.
How good will Kapanen and Johnsson be this season for the Leafs? Will they be winging Nazem Kadri on the third line? One thing is for certain, Kapanen will be killing penalties for the Buds. He was outstanding last year, especially in the playoffs.
Obviously the only big question mark of this season will be the Leafs defense, but it should be good enough to put them into position A and hopefully Mr. Dubas and Shanahan come up with a plan to add a quality defenseman before trade deadline, the earlier the better.
Enjoy tonight’s game!
Thanks for reading.