For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter The Toronto Maple Leafs open the 2017-18 regular season at the MTS Centre against the Winnipeg Jets. Expectations for Mike Babcock’s young club are high after making the playoffs and being competitive against the Washington Capitals in the first round and adding veterans Ron Hainsey, Dominic Moore and Patrick Marleau over the summer.
Tweets by @MikeInBuffalo Hainsey begins his Leafs career on the top pairing with defenseman Morgan Rielly. The 37-year-old veteran may allow Rielly to jump more into the offensive attack this season after concentrating more on his defensive game last season. Moore made the 23-man roster but lost the fourth line center battle to start the year to veteran Eric Fehr, who was acquired from Pittsburgh at the trade deadline. Marleau (signed to a three-year, $18.75 Million contract in early July) will patrol the left side alongside Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov. On defense, Toronto will need Jake Gardiner to continue his maturation after leading the club in points (43) and plus/minus (+24) and sophomore Nikita Zaitsev to repeat the success he displayed last season after playing seven seasons in the KHL. Rookie Andreas Borgman was the victor of the battle for the final defensive spot, but will have to continue to play the aggressive style he displayed in the pre-season to keep Calle Rosen and Travis Dermott from taking his job. Up front, Toronto are three deep in scoring lines with Calder Trophy winner Auston Matthews, Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak up the middle and sophomores Mitch Marner and William Nylander coming off 60+ point rookie seasons. The addition of Marleau provides the Leafs a calming influence and a veteran presence that could help the club’s youngsters mature, but Babcock will expect the 38-year-old to provide secondary offense. The biggest factor for Toronto may be goalie Frederik Andersen being able to repeat last season’s success. The 27-year-old proved he could handle the workload of a starting goaltender (playing a career-high 66 games and winning 33 of the club’s 40 victories last season) but Babcock may want to limit his workload to 60 games and give veteran Curtis McElhinney more games. Based on the additions over the summer and the depth of their offense, the Leafs should finish in the top three of the Atlantic Division, but that is dependent on their young core not having sophomore slumps and Andersen maintaining his steady play. The Tampa Bay Lightning with Steven Stamkos returning are the favorites to win the division and potentially get out of the Eastern Conference, but the season is 82 games and a lot of things can change. Atlantic Division predictions Tampa Bay Toronto Boston Buffalo Montreal Ottawa Florida Detroit
Lines Hyman-Matthews-Nylander Marleau-Kadri-Komarov van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner Martin-Fehr-Brown
Pairings Rielly-Hainsey Gardiner-Zaitsev Borgman-Carrick
Goalie Andersen
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