5 Reasons Why Leaf fans Should be Excited For Next Season
As we near the end of the off season its time to look at the upcoming season for the Toronto Maple Leafs who have had a very question-filled off season to say the least.
Here are 5 reasons you should be excited for the upcoming season.
#1 Ryan Reaves
The Maple Leafs against the Florida Panthers were beaten up physically by the likes of Radko Gudas, the Leafs have always had this problem with the team but this off season Brad Treliving signed 36-year-old Ryan Reaves to a three-year $4.05 million contract to help change the culture in the room. Reaves will also bring his electric personality to the locker room.
Although it is risky to give a 36-year-old a multi-year deal, Reaves will be able to go out on the ice and protect his fellow teammates and serve as a leader in the locker room with handling media attention.
#2 Klingberg and Reilly
Morgan Reilly has the been the means of offensive output on the blue line for the Leafs for the past numerous years, With the addition of John Klingberg the Leafs get another offensive defenseman to their arsenals that will most likely man the top powerplay unit for the Leafs making their powerplay that much more deadly.
Klingberg is also only on a one-year deal with the Leafs so there is no committment to the 30-year-old defenseman. He had a down yeear as a member of the Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild with only 33 points in 67 games. However with Matthews, Marner, Tavares and Nylander all being options to give the puck to Klingberg will likely have a bounce back year.
#3 Bertuzzi and Domi
When Treliving took over as the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs it is clear what he believed the Leafs needed to add to their roster and that was grit. Along side of Reaves, the Leafs also acquired Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi who will certainly add another level of grit and skill the Leafs have not had in years past.
Both players add grit and a scoring touch to the lineup, that also brings in some versatility to this team as they will play up and down the top-9 for Sheldon Keefe. Domi will also look to follow in his dads footsteps as a member of the Leafs.
#4 Samsonov-Woll Tandem
Last season we got small glimpses of what a tandem of Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll will look like and with Samsonov just getting signed to a one-year $3.55 million contract the days of Matt Murray are done in Toronto.
Joseph Woll played the final games for the Leafs in the playoffs he looked strong and confident in the net that leads many to believe this tandem will be another 1A- 1B setup. Samsonov and Woll will look to backstop the Leafs to another strong regular season.
The last but certainly not least Matthew Knies will look to have his first full season in the NHL and with early signs showing just how strong he is on the puck, a strong rookie season may be coming for Knies.
Knies was a good injection of energy into the Leafs lineup after Bunting recceived a suspension for cross-checking Erik Cernak. Knies impressed many with his size and skill that he showed. The Leafs will look to head into this next season with an extra level of grit and skill that was missing last season.
| POLL | ||
Are you excited for the Leafs next season? | ||
| Yes | 686 | 65.2 % |
| No | 366 | 34.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
