It’s hard to believe the month of August has arrived, it seemed like it was just a few weeks ago the Penguins hoisted the cup and the Leafs drafted Auston Matthews with the first overall pick.
Oh what a glorious moment that was, but not nearly as exciting or emotional as it was the night Toronto won the lottery and the chance to pick first overall, that was dreamy. That moment felt like the biggest and most game changing moment towards the rebuild. It brought hope the Leafs will get back on track sooner than expected, it truly felt like the TSN turning point moment in the “Shanny Plan… as Lamoriello referred to this summer.
Wait until Matthews hits the ice for the Leafs in his first pre-season game, all eyes will be on Toronto’s first overall pick. The remaining wandering eyes will pick up glimpses of Mitch Marner and William Nylander as they will stand out like flares being fired off over open water. Upfront, these are the big three, the ones I can see the Leafs riding into the sunset to the promise land.
Babcock is hoping when Matthews steps on the ice, he will set an example by the way he carries himself and how hard he works to always want to learn more and get better every day. If this can rub off on other young players, especially Nylander, the Leafs will be that much better for it down the road. You’d have to think that Nylander impressed Babcock and the coaching staff in the overall picture, but surely Babs wasn’t fully satisfied with Willy’s overall work ethic and mediocre performance in the Marlies Calder Cup run where he only scored 11 points in 14 games.
That may not seem like too bad of stats, but William Nylander is capable of much better, both he and the management team know that. There has been some talk that Willy was actually sick for a good chunk of the Marlies playoffs, for what it’s worth. But this doesn’t change the outlook from the Leafs coach as he feels that “Matthews coming in is going to help Willie be a better player. They are going to compete….
It seems as if Babcock’s intentions are to start both Matthews and Nylander on a line together, likely trying to spark some chemistry from two of the three young guns. Which leaves Marner to marinate in the OHL or hopefully on a line with one of JVR/Bozak or Kadri/Komarov; who I feel will be the other paired up players.
How I see it playing out from what Babcock has said in his tenure in Toronto would be to have a grinder, or someone who can battle along the boards by getting the puck, and passing it to a higher skilled player. Puck possession is a big focus for Babcock and his coaching staff, so having a player who can win battles in the offensive zone is a must.
Kadri-Komarov JVR-Bozak Matthews-Nylander
At this point, those are the combo’s I see most fitting as Kadri and Komarov were quite the force for the Leafs last season. Uncle Leo (Komarov) has the battle and some finish to go with it; he’s one of Babs henchmen on the front lines, a true warrior. Kadri can also lay the body, but has a talent for drawing penalties as he is shifty with the puck and creates himself space. With another talented winger on the line (one who doesn’t get hurt every 12 games in Lupul), could be quite productive and decent defensively. If Marner were to be slotted into the Kadri-Komarov line, he would certainly have some experience on his line, plus two guys who shouldn’t have too much of an issue putting the puck in the net from his nifty setups.
James van Riemsdyk and Bozak played together for three seasons with Phil Kessel, and had quite a bit of success in that time as JVR produced 149 points in 210 games. Of course replacing the Thrill won’t be easy, but the Leafs do have a number of quality prospects looking for a chance to prove their worth. It seems this line could use someone like Connor Brown or Zach Hyman to battle for some pucks but also add some intangibles to the line with quality two-way play, speed and some finish to boot.
Now this is exactly where I see Martin fitting with the Leafs and exactly why Lamoriello and Babcock gunned for the speedy, hard hitting tough guy. When looking at a line with Martin on the left, Matthews in the middle and Nylander on the right wing, I can see nobody taking any cheap shots at the Leafs rookies. On top of that, Martin hits hard and often and will have no issues skating with the talented youngsters, perhaps this is why the Leafs had no issues paying Matt Martin like they did. There is more to the NHL than straight up goals and assists and I think that is exactly where a player like Martin comes into play.
Just imagine if the Leafs have a bad shift or two and Babcock gets frustrated and taps both Komarov and Martin on the shoulder. It may turn into a destruction derby out there, especially if Polak is on the ice at the time. Three of the top five hitters in the league on the ice at once, now that’s something that will get some players shaking in their boots.
Surely Babcock will have a lot of time to maul it over and chances to see how things look when pre-season arrives, but these three pairings that project like they would cover a number of facets of the game with offensive and defensive ability’s spread out.
It may take some time for things to click, and we may see some shuffling, but at the end of the day you can see a lot more talent in this Maple Leafs lineup than you have seen in a long time.
What are your thoughts on my pairings? Do you have a pairing or two that you think might bode well together?
Thanks for reading, enjoy the rest of your day.