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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs. The Leafs' scratches skated this morning while select players met with the media in afternoon at Scotiabank Arena. 

What growth has Mike Babcock seen in Michael Hutchinson? 

"How many games did Hutch play for us last year?"

Five. 

"So, let’s watch."

Hutchinson, who starts tonight against Montreal, played well in the pre-season, but ultimately only claimed Toronto's back-up job by default when Michal Neuvirth couldn't stay healthy and was released from his pro tryout. So, Hutchinson still has a lot to prove and October will be crucial. Unlike last season when Garret Sparks started twice in the opening month, Toronto has four back-to-back sets in the first four weeks this year.

"He's got four big games," said Babcock, "and so we need to be in a situation where we have a guy we can count on and a guy we can know goes in there and we can help him win so that's a priority for him." 

The next five projected starts for Hutchinson after tonight will come on the road so this is a rare chance for the Barrie, Ont. native to make a statement in front of friends and family. 

"It's one of those games that, as a kid growing up watching Saturday night Leaf games, was definitely special in our household," the 29-year-old said, "so to be a part of that is definitely something special."

"Nothing like Saturday night at home against Montreal, good for him," said Babcock. 

Hutchinson shut out the Canadiens in the pre-season and is projected to face Montreal again later in the month (Oct. 26) at the Bell Centre. Sandwiched in between will be tough tests in Washington (Oct. 16) and Boston (Oct. 22). 

The Leafs, ideally, would like to rest workhorse Frederik Andersen more after he started 66, 66 and 60 games in his first three seasons in Toronto, but the plan only works if the No. 2 guy can hold his own. And the leash could be short for Hutchinson. Back in the 2016-17 season, Jhonas Enroth only got four starts before being jettisoned. One thing Hutchinson has going for him is he’s fitting in well with goalie coach Steve Briere and the team off the ice. 

"He's a real good person," said Babcock. "Freddie likes him, Stevie likes him, he's got good work habits. People with good work habits continue to get better, it doesn’t matter how old they are, they continue to get better so he has that."

"We have a lot of confidence in Hutch," said defenceman Morgan Rielly. "He's played well for us in the past so he's looking forward to tonight. It's a big role for him."

—-

Briere sent Hutchinson, who played only nine games in the NHL last season, video clips throughout the summer to help him improve certain aspects of his game. But the biggest improvement he's made is on the mental side of the game. 

"For me the biggest thing is coming into the season mentally refreshed and very positive."

Hutchinson became a father last April welcoming daughter Lilah into the world. 

"It really centres you a bit," he said. "You realize you can't get too high or too low or too frustrated so you learn a lot of patience and every single day you wake up and you're excited, you know, you get to see your daughter and see her smile and that makes you excited for every single day."

If Hutchinson ever feels like the pressure is getting to him, all he has to do is look down at the inside of his right wrist for inspiration. 

"We ended up getting an ink-pad and getting a handprint of her when she was 12 days old and I thought it would be a cool tattoo to get," he explained. "It's my first and only one, but it's in a spot where I can see it pretty easily and every single time you see it it brings a smile to your face so something I’m definitely glad I did."

Hutchinson got the idea from former Jets teammate Blake Wheeler, who also has a tattoo of his child's handprint. 

Lilah and Hutchinson's wife Jenna will be on the glass tonight during warm-ups to offer one last boost. 

"It's definitely a cool feeling when you're skating around there and you look in the corner and you see your wife and your daughter," he said with a wide smile, "it just makes you that much more excited for the game. For some reason it just has that calming effect on you too so that’s always a good thing."

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Jason Spezza made a good impression on Babcock during his Leafs debut Friday drawing a penalty and playing 10:36 of responsible hockey, including shifts on the power play and penalty kill. 

"I was impressed with him," Babcock said after the game. "He was happy to do what we needed him to do."

But Spezza, Nic Petan and Justin Holl will all come out of the line-up tonight so that Nick Shore, Dmytro Timashov and Martin Marincin can get another chance. That trio played on Wednesday. 

"What we're trying to do is give everyone a fair opportunity and if we had the right answer we wouldn't be doing this," Babcock explained. "We'll figure it out in the first 10 games."

Spezza, Petan and Holl are expected to play Monday against the Blues. 

Babcock also indicated players with the Marlies are still on the radar and could potentially work their way back into the equation. 

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Auston Matthews sealed Toronto's win in Columbus with a howitzer goal Friday night. 

"That was very accurate," said Andersen afterwards. "That was crazy. His shot is second to none."

"It's pretty electric," said Mitch Marner, who signalled goal after the puck zipped in and out of the net at lightning speed. 

"It's just amazing," said new Leaf Cody Ceci. "You see it day after day and it’s pretty amazing. Usually you see it on SportsCentre, but now I get to see it every single day. It's pretty cool and nice to see how fast he can get it off."

"I really don't know anyone that has that type of shot," said John Tavares. "It's very unique and if he gets enough time to corral and shoot it like he did last night I don't know what goalie is going to stop it."

"It's just amazing," said linemate Andreas Johnsson. "Just wow."

"It's pretty fun to watch," said Spezza with a smile. "It's a special shot that he’s got and maybe a little bit by osmosis we can all get a little better at our wrist shots by watching him."

But Spezza, who has scored 332 goals in his 1,066 NHL games, understands how much effort it takes create a weapon like that.  

"He works hard at it," Spezza observed. "​It’s not just something that comes to him. He works at his game. I see him every day, he’s out there shooting pucks and I’ve been impressed with his approach and demeanour and how seriously he takes his game.”

The Canadiens were watching from Toronto as the Leafs tangled with the Blue Jackets last night, but even before seeing the Matthews blast, the Habs were well aware of what the big centre can do. Matthews has scored 10 goals in 11 games against the Canadiens. The only team he has scored on more is Ottawa. 

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Wearing a Raptors pullover this morning, Babcock noted the Leafs are trying to use Toronto’s championship-winning NBA team as an inspiration. 

"We're hoping to learn how to play right like they did," he explained. "They played an unbelievably, stifling defence and were able to win a championship. They had some hard knocks for years and were able to get it done."

The Raptors loaned the Leafs a basketball from the final series against Golden State, which will be used as a player-of-the game award. 

"It's definitely cool," said Marner. "I mean, watching that win, watching what happened there was pretty electrifying for our city … it kind of shows what we want to do at the end of the year."

—-

Projected Leafs line-up for tonight’s game: 

Johnsson - Matthews - Nylander

Kapanen - Tavares - Marner 

Mikheyev - Kerfoot - Moore 

Timashov - Gauthier - Shore

​

Muzzin - Barrie 

Rielly - Ceci 

Sandin - Marincin 

 

Hutchinson starts 

Andersen