The Toronto Maple Leafs lost the services of forwards Michael Bunting, Alex Kerfoot, Ryan O’Reilly, and Noel Acciari to free agency. At the same time, they acquired Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, and Ryan Reaves. Since these three forwards were signed and the four forwards moved on, there has been a lot of speculation as to what the new forward lines will look like when training camp begins.
It is safe to say that Bertuzzi is a lock for a top-six role. It’s also clear that Reaves will occupy a spot at or near the bottom of the roster. The biggest question appears to be where Domi will fit in. Will it be as a third-line center or a top-six winger?
For Now, Head Coach Sheldon Keefe Is Returning
We do know that head coach Sheldon Keefe is returning and will be coaching this team to start the season. We don’t know how secure his position with the team is long-term; but, for now, he remains the coach.
Related: Ex-Maple Leafs Frederik “Goat” Gauthier: Where Is He Now?
The one thing we know about Keefe is that he is not afraid to move his players around and send different combinations over the boards in different situations. For example, last season Mitch Marner jumped back and forth between Auston Matthews and John Tavares. In other words, look for the “new guys” to play a variety of roles on a number of lines.
The Maple Leafs used no fewer than eight different players on the left wing in the top six over the regular season and playoffs. The bottom six saw a multitude of players play all six positions.
If the Maple Leafs were down a goal Keefe would load up a line with Matthews, Marner, and Tavares, and throw William Nylander into the mix as well. If they were defending a lead, Marner might find himself on a line with David Kampf and Alex Kerfoot.
Related: Edmonton Oilers’ Top-20 Goal Scorers All-Time
The one guarantee we had as fans was that whatever the lines looked like in the first period was not necessarily what they would look like in the third.
The Postseason Further Shook Up the Maple Leafs Line Combinations
In the playoffs, with the additions of O’Reilly, Acciari, and Sam Lafferty, the lines got shaken up even more. It worked, to a point.
Keefe had success in the postseason with the line mixing. The six-year streak of consecutive first-round losses was broken when the Maple Leafs eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games and the team advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 19 years.
The second round did not go as well for the Maple Leafs as they went down in five games to the eventual Stanley Cup finalist Florida Panthers. However, Keefe did not change his ways. He further established that he was not afraid to change things up if he felt it was necessary.
New Maple Leafs GM Treliving Wanted More Snot in the Lineup
New general manager (GM) Brad Treliving made it no secret about the reason he acquired Bertuzzi, Domi, and Reaves. He wanted to add more “snot” into the lineup. While normally we would expect all three players to play in different parts of the lineup as we previously mentioned, what if the situation were to arise where Keefe felt that more “snot” was needed? We could see him throw out a line of Bertuzzi, Domi, and Reaves on the ice.
Related: Maple Leafs Hope Ho-Sang Can Overcome His History
Add to that the possibility that rookie Matthews Knies, who showed in a small sample that he was not afraid to throw his 6-foot-3 body around, could be thrown into the mix. If so, we could see a couple of “rock-em,’ sock-em’” line combinations thrown on the ice at any given time.
Have the Maple Leafs Changed Their Image?
The biggest criticism this team has had in the past is that it is too soft. Treliving has set out to change that. We don’t expect the Maple Leafs to be a reincarnation of the old “Bay Street Bullies” from back in the days of the old “Chuck” Norris Division. However, we don’t expect the team to get pushed around. If anything they will do the pushing.
That should make a large group of Maple Leafs fans happy. But will it turn into wins during the playoffs? Only time will tell. But it could be a fun ride.
[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs’ fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]
