There is no question that the Toronto Maple Leafs have had a banner offseason. Thus far, John Chayka has managed to pretty much overhaul the forward group, while shedding some unwanted contracts.
The arrival of Gavin McKenna has brought plenty of justifiable hype to the club. And if he can deliver from the get-go, Toronto could be one of the most dangerous teams in the Eastern Conference.
But there’s nothing that no one is saying about the Maple Leafs. Despite the significant changes to the overall makeup of the team, the Leafs remain a veteran club.
That situation means that there’s always the possibility that someone will get hurt. And if they do, what does that do to the lineup?
Let’s talk about the most injury-prone element on the roster: Anthony Stolarz. In his two seasons in Toronto, he’s had multiple stints on the shelf. Now, he’ll be playing a backup role to Sergei Bobrovsky. But what if Stolarz goes down at one point or another? What does that do to the Maple Leafs’ goaltending situation?
That’s just one consideration. There’s also Chris Tanev. The 36-year-old is coming off a nightmarish injury-filled season. If he’s fully healthy and can play around 70 games, the Maple Leafs will be in good shape. But what if he can’t hold it together? What does that do to the Leafs’ blue line?
The same can be said about Dakota Joshua, William Nylander, and especially Auston Matthews.
Maple Leafs Banking on Matthews Being Fully Healthy
Auston Matthews had a nasty knee injury at the end of last season. And it’s those knee injuries that should always concern teams. There’s no telling if they heal well enough. Even when a player goes through surgery and rehab, there’s always the concern that there could be lingering complications.
So, what happens if Matthews hasn’t fully recovered? Of course, there’s no way the team will put him out there unless he has completely recovered. That’s why the biggest question mark of all will be Matthews and his surgically repaired knee.
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There’s Another Key Consideration with Veteran Lineup
There’s one more crucial consideration when it comes to the veteran Maple Leafs lineup. This year, the NHL will transition to an 84-game schedule. Two additional games may not seem like a lot. But it extends the season schedule by about a week.
Yes, the NHL decided to shorten the pre-season to accommodate the additional matches. However, it will be hard to predict just what sort of impact the extra games could have on teams. Last year’s compressed schedule wreaked havoc on teams across the league. The predominance of injuries was much greater, leaving stars hurt and, well, running out of gas.
The Colorado Avalanche were a good example of that. They steamrolled through the regular season and the first two rounds of the playoffs. Then, the lingering injury to Cale Makar and overall fatigue caused the team to just hit a thud in the Western Conference Final.
That’s something that the Maple Leafs will have to keep in mind moving forward. The veteran lineup might not hold up too well over the long haul. If it can’t keep up, a late-season collapse may not be a ludicrous idea.
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