Welcome to the working week for the Maple Leafs.
After just five games in 17 days, both the schedule and a busy agenda heat up, as they enter the meat of the season in a fight for first place in the Atlantic Division, trying to sustain success with an ever-changing lineup.
Five items of significance:
THE SCHEDULE
Without a proper practice since Tuesday, the Leafs came back early Sunday from a 1-1 split on their Florida road trip, right into facing the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday evening. It’s the first of eight contests from Dec. 2-15, six against teams such as the Hawks, not currently in a playoff position. This is where the Sheldon Keefe Leafs, successful as they were, often stumbled, taken such opposition too lightly or not starting on time and resorting to try and score their way out of trouble. Nashville, Anaheim and Buffalo are also on the home portion in the coming days.
The month in general will see three back-to-backs for the Leafs, all three involving travel between.
THE ROSTER
Tuesday will be an important day to see if centre/winger Max Domi is on the road to recovery from a lower-body injury, likewise with Bobby McMann after he limped off Wednesday in Florida and placed on injured reserve. McMann was sidelined as Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies came off IR.
There are still three forwards on Long Term Injured Reserve, David Kampf, Max Pacioretty and Calle Jarnkrok, all with lower body issues.
Monday will be the last of winger Ryan Reaves’ five-game suspension stemming from an illegal check to the head of Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse on Nov. 16. The loss of playing time and salary has pained Reaves as much as his inability to talk about the incident per a club gag order that lifts on Tuesday. But Reaves has watched some Marlie call-ups do well as fourth liners, and not get into rany umbles.
The club demoted Alex Steeves on Saturday, but like Fraser Minten as a third line centre. It will get tricky moving someone else off the 23-man roster once McMann returns by next week.
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NATION BUILDING
Just before the Leafs – Predators’ game on Wednesday, rosters for the 4 Nations Face-off in February will be announced.
Matthews is already on Team USA, William Nylander for the Swedes and Mitch Marner made a compelling case for inclusion on coach Jon Cooper and staff for inclusion on the Canadian roster, with his strong play on Matthews’ absence and two assists in the 5-3 win over Cooper’s Lightning on Saturday. Cooper had previously coached Marner at the national level.
“He’s always had (confidence),” Cooper told media in Tampa Bay before the game, “but you see it in how he plays. He’s let it out a little more and in a good way. He’s not showing off. He does everything on purpose.”
Marner would also underline his value to the Leafs in this contract year with a 4 Nations selection, having already trained in the off-season with Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Two other Americans on the Leafs, defenceman Jake McCabe and goaltender Joseph Woll, have played well so far, but the Yanks are stacked at those positions.
There has been some speculation that the full rosters for the three countries and Finland might not be revealed in their entirety as teams wait on the status of some injured players.
CAGE MATCH
Who’s up for a goaltending controversy, the good kind?
After Woll’s training camp injury had eyes rolling about his durability and Anthony Stolarz stole the show in going from career back-up to No.1, Woll finished November on a roll.
We’ll over-look that frantic finish in Tampa Bay when teammates let their guard down with Woll less than nine minutes from another shutout and look at his 137 saves on 146 shots on his five-game win streak. Consider Woll ‘pushed’ as the organization hoped he would be when the veteran Stolarz joined them from the Stanley Cup champion Panthers.
There are plenty of games for both goalies in coming days, but you couldn’t blame head coach Craig Berube for at least thinking of tinkering with the rotation again versus the Blackhawks.
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TRANSFER OF POWER
Another interesting period is ahead for assistant coach Marc Savard’s power play.
Matthews is back and was to be featured on a five-forward look on Saturday. But the Leafs only opportunity with him, Knies, Marner, Nylander and John Tavares produced no shots on goal.
Still, it‘s a concept Berube wants to explore in depth, using Marner as a safety valve defenceman and keeping Nylander to work the second unit as he is not involved in the double duty of penalty killing. The ‘B team’ could also use a power play goal, especially Nick Robertson after he broke his slump at even strength Saturday or youngster Nikita Grebenkin.
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