We are less than three months away from the start of the 2023-24 regular season. The Toronto Maple Leafs are entering the year with very high expectations, and there are plenty of things to look forward to when looking at their current group. As a result, let’s discuss five things that Maple Leafs fans should be excited about for the upcoming campaign.
Ryan Reaves’ Toughness
For many years, the Maple Leafs have been criticized heavily for being too soft to play against. This ongoing narrative carried over to this past season, and it was especially discussed during the playoffs. As a result of this, Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Brad Treliving prioritized toughness early on in free agency, signing Ryan Reaves to a three-year, $4.05 million contract ($1.35 million cap hit). Although this is a risky contract to give to a 36-year-old enforcer, it is hard not to feel a bit of excitement over the toughness he will bring.
Reaves will serve as a protector of the Maple Leafs’ top stars and young players during the regular season, but his gritty style of play will be even more appreciated during the playoffs. It will be fun to see how much of an impact he makes during his first season with the club, but I expect him to be a real pain for opponents to play against.
John Klingberg’s Offense From the Point
It was clear that the Maple Leafs were going to add at least one right-shot defenseman this summer. Both Justin Holl and Luke Schenn walked in free agency, so the Maple Leafs responded by signing John Klingberg to a one-year, $4.15 million contract. Overall, it is another one-year, prove-it deal for the 30-year-old, but when looking at Toronto’s group, there appears to be a great match here.
Klingberg’s offensive contributions from the point should provide Maple Leafs fans with excitement. Although he had a bit of a down year for his standards in 2022-23 (33 points in 67 games), he spent the majority of the year on a rebuilding Anaheim Ducks club. He is going to have far better offensive weapons to work with in Toronto, and I think we will see him have a big year offensively because of it.
The Skill & Grit of Tyler Bertuzzi & Max Domi
The beginning of free agency looked rather bleak for the Maple Leafs. They lost Schenn, Holl, Michael Bunting, Ryan O’Reilly, Alex Kerfoot, and Noel Acciari. However, they immediately turned things around when they added two big-name forwards in Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi to one-year contracts.
Related: Meet Your New Maple Leafs: 2023 Free Agency Edition
Bertuzzi and Domi will make the Maple Leafs’ top six look pretty different in 2023-24. Yes, they are well known for their excellent offensive skill, but they both also play a gritty style of game. The latter will be especially beneficial during the postseason, and it is going to be a ton of fun to see how these two perform during their one-year, prove-it contracts.
Full Season of Ilya Samsonov/Joseph Woll Tandem
The expectation heading into the 2023-24 season is that the Maple Leafs will run with an Ilya Samsonov/Joseph Woll tandem. The Maple Leafs are actively looking to move on from Matt Murray, as they need cap space and Woll has overtaken his spot on the club’s depth chart. As a result, there is a very good chance that we will get our first full season of Samsonov and Woll running the net.
There is reason to believe that Samsonov and Woll can form a strong 1A-1B tandem for the Maple Leafs. Samsonov was very good for the Maple Leafs last season, while Woll impressed during his small sample size with the NHL club. They will both be looking to build off of this in 2023-24, and it will be intriguing to see how they perform.
Matthew Knies’ Rookie Season
Perhaps the most exciting part of the 2023-24 campaign is that it will be Matthew Knies’ rookie season. The Maple Leafs’ top prospect is expected to have a full-time NHL spot for the start of the season, likely forming a trio on the club’s third line with David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok. The 20-year-old left a solid first impression with the Maple Leafs last year, posting one goal and three assists in seven playoff games. Now, he will be looking to have a big year with Toronto as a rookie.
Knies is going to provide the Maple Leafs with a much-needed young power forward. It is going to be very interesting to see how much of an impact he makes as a rookie, but when noting how skilled he is, there’s a good chance that he will have an impactful rookie campaign.
Alas, the 2023-24 season has all the makings of being an entertaining one for the Maple Leafs. Their new free-agent additions, goaltending tandem, and Knies will be fun storylines to pay attention to. What are you most excited about heading into the new season? Feel free to let me know in the comments.
