Think about you’re Craig Berube, the brand new head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. You’ve simply coached your first preseason sport, rolling out what was seemingly your finest lineup, and but you misplaced 6-5 to the younger and hungry Ottawa Senators. It’s not the outcome you hoped for, however preseason is about studying, not essentially successful.
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Now you’re making ready for sport two, once more dealing with the Senators, however this time on the highway. The plan? Possible give your prime stars a relaxation and shift the main target to evaluating youthful gamers and depth choices. With so many roster spots nonetheless up for grabs, there’s lots to determine. So, what did you’re taking away from that first sport, and the way will it form your strategy shifting ahead?
Berube’s First Have a look at the Core Gamers
New head coach Berube wasted no time assessing his core group, which options the Maple Leafs’ prime stars. Whereas video evaluation is useful, Berube understands that nothing compares to seeing gamers reside—each on the ice and within the locker room.
For this primary preseason sport, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Matthew Knies remained intact on the highest line. Nonetheless, Berube opted to shuffle the remainder of the lineup to check numerous mixtures.
Matthews, Marner, and Knies—the Maple Leafs’ prime line—remained collectively all through the sport, signaling their solidified standing because the staff’s major trio. Different line mixtures noticed William Nylander heart Max Domi and Calle Järnkrok, whereas John Tavares performed alongside Max Pacioretty and Nikita Grebenkin. Jacob Quillan centered Easton Cowan and Ryan Reaves, although Cowan was shuffled throughout a number of strains as the sport progressed. Tavares and Pacioretty, nevertheless, emerged as probably the most constant and efficient duo, displaying early chemistry.
Relating to ice time, Marner led all forwards with 21:06, carefully matching his common from final season (21:17). This implies new head coach Craig Berube doesn’t plan to scale back Marner’s workload. Matthews led in even-strength ice time at 16:51, whereas Nylander topped the power-play minutes with 2:52. Jarnkrok led the penalty-kill efforts at 2:45.
Notably, Matthews noticed 48 seconds of penalty-kill time, hinting that Berube might experiment with new roles for his star gamers. Reaves additionally logged 1:08 on the penalty kill, which might merely be a placeholder for David Kämpf, but it surely’s value monitoring shifting ahead.
Within the Rookie Watch: Who Stood Out?
A number of rookies acquired ice time through the sport, however their futures with the Maple Leafs stay unsure. Nikita Grebenkin performed for 11:09, which included 42 seconds on the second power-play unit; nevertheless, his restricted ice time raises questions on his probabilities of securing a roster spot. Jacob Quillan skated for 12:05, logging 1:19 on the penalty kill, however he’s additionally unlikely to make the roster this season. Easton Cowan had extra alternative, enjoying 13:30 and seeing a while on the facility play. His position, nevertheless, stays in flux, with insiders divided on whether or not he’ll make the staff or be despatched again to juniors.
Protection Pairings: Early Impressions
Morgan Rielly was paired with Chris Tanev and delivered a powerful efficiency, logging 24:49 of ice time—over a minute greater than his common from final season. This important ice time signifies that head coach Craig Berube has confidence in Rielly’s capability to deal with a considerable workload, suggesting he could also be anticipated to play near half a sport.
In distinction, Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson every performed simply over 20 minutes however struggled as a pairing. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see if Berube decides to stay with this duo or opts to shuffle the pairings to raised steadiness the defensive lineup.
Timothy Liljegren logged 16:14 of ice time, whereas rookie Cade Webber recorded 14:14. Liljegren’s ice time might sign a possible relegation to third-pairing duties regardless of his new contract. Webber had a quiet however regular sport, and whereas he’s seemingly certain for the Marlies, he stays a participant value watching because the season progresses.
Goaltending and Line Dynamics: Takeaways from Sport One
The Maple Leafs confronted some goaltending struggles of their preseason opener, with neither Joseph Woll nor Matt Murray impressing. Whereas it’s not unusual for goalies to have a tough begin within the preseason, Woll did not solidify his declare because the starter, and Murray seems to be the third possibility. Each should display enchancment because the preseason progresses to safe their positions.
Relating to on-ice efficiency, the highest line of Matthews, Marner, and Knies seems firmly established. They showcase strong chemistry and can seemingly stay intact underneath head coach Berube. In the meantime, Tavares and Pacioretty emerged as a standout duo, combining for six factors. Pacioretty made a strong first impression, however his capability to take care of good well being will probably be an important issue shifting ahead.
Nonetheless, not all strains fared as nicely. Regardless of scoring a highlight-reel aim, William Nylander’s line, that includes Max Domi and Calle Järnkrok, struggled, ending with unfavourable scores. Domi’s minus-three score raises issues about this mixture and means that changes could also be needed.
Ryan Reaves’ future with the staff can also be unsure, as he logged restricted ice time and may very well be positioned on waivers to create cap area. His temporary stint on the penalty kill seemingly gained’t considerably affect his position. Additionally, Järnkrok’s job is probably not safe; regardless of his involvement in penalty-killing duties, a quiet efficiency at even energy signifies he may be in a battle for a roster spot.
Lastly, Cowan’s position stays undetermined after being shuffled across the lineup with out common shifts. His future with the Leafs might hinge on upcoming video games, which is able to seemingly resolve whether or not he stays with the staff or returns to juniors.
Last Ideas Heading into Preseason Sport 2
Because the preseason continues, Berube may have extra alternatives to check line mixtures and consider rookies. The crucial query will probably be whether or not the Maple Leafs can iron out the kinks of their lineup and discover the precise chemistry earlier than the common season kicks off. With a troublesome Atlantic Division race looming, each element issues.
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