The Maple Leafs practised at the Ford Performance Centre on Thursday before travelling to Arizona to begin a team-bonding trip. The team’s next practice in Toronto will be on Monday.
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Auston Matthews was “pretty excited” to find out the Leafs planned to switch the site of their annual team-bonding trip from Muskoka to Arizona.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” the 29-year-old centre from Scottsdale, Ariz. said before heading to the airport on Thursday. “I think the guys are excited. I feel like the bar’s been set pretty high, so hopefully we’ll be able to meet it.”
The Leafs wanted to try something new this year and it’s obvious why they’re willing to make the journey to the Valley of the Sun.
“The fact that we’re heading all the way to Arizona, you might say, ‘[Why] so far?’” head coach Jim Hiller said. “Our captain lives there and I know he’s got some plans for the guys and the weather’s pretty good (sunny with a high of 34 degrees on Friday). So, we’ll take it. We’ll enjoy it and we’ll take the positives that come with it.”
Matthews will host the players at his place during the trip.
“He’s got a good setup,” noted Phoenix native Matthew Knies. “He’s got a little sport court and everything so get the games going and, yeah, just watching TV with the guys and enjoy it. This is a pretty unique opportunity for us to kind of get close to each other, form some camaraderie. It’s short, but it’s good momentum for the season.”
Hiller stressed they are not sacrificing any on-ice time due to the trip. The team will hold a practice at Mullett Arena in Tempe on Saturday before heading home to Toronto that evening.
No one around the Leafs seems overly concerned about dealing with long flights and a time change only days before things get going for real.
“There’s still going to be time to get back and get adjusted here and ready for the regular season,” said Knies.
Toronto opens the regular season with consecutive home games on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens and Wednesday against the New York Islanders.
“There’s definitely some time between now and the first game,” Matthews said. “And I’m definitely not complaining that it’s in my hometown.”
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Third-line centre Nick Paul did not take part in practice after leaving Wednesday’s game with an undisclosed issue.
“That’s nothing I think that we’re overly concerned about, but we have to take it day by day,” Hiller said. “That’s what I would leave it with.”
Will Paul be ready for the season opener?
“I can’t say that,” Hiller acknowledged. “I can’t say that with certainty.”
Acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Paul is quickly emerging as a popular figure in the dressing room.
“He’s great,” said Matthews. “We’ve obviously been playing in the same division for a long time, and he’s always really hard to play against. And you can just tell he’s such a team-first guy and just a competitor. He just goes out there and he does his job. He works extremely hard and keeps things light and keeps things fun as well. But definitely a guy that you really enjoy having on your side.”
Colton Sissons moved to centre at practice with Bo Groulx joining the third line.
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Following Wednesday’s game, Hiller described Knies’ performance during the pre-season as “OK.”
“There’s more there, for sure,” the coach concluded.
Knies did not hit the scoresheet in his two exhibition outings and generated just two shots on net despite playing on the top line with Matthews and Jack Roslovic.
“It’s been fine,” the 23-year-old winger said of his training camp. “I think my game kind of excels when there’s a lot more predictability and a lot more north-south play and, you know, playing simple, playing hard, and I think that’s kind of what you find in a regular season. So, yeah, I’m just trying to get my feet under me, get good puck touches, make good plays, and hopefully in the regular season, you know, I can kind of keep to my game and just play to my strengths.”
Hiller spoke with Knies on the ice before practice began and struck a more positive tone with reporters when asked about the chat.
“We watched video before the practice started, and he was in most of the positive clips,” Hiller noted. “And it was some of the stuff we talked about, skating back, lifting sticks, winning puck battles. So those types of plays, sometimes you get rewarded on the scoresheet with those, but sometimes you just don’t, and he led our team in those plays and those areas last night. So just let him know that that was a positive game for him and he can build on that.”
Toronto’s top line bounced back after a quiet opening pre-season game with Matthews and Roslovic both scoring during the 6-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.
“I thought the last game was obviously much better for us as far as just creating more offence and sustaining more offence,” Matthews said. “And just want to keep trending in that direction and continue to get better and all that.”
Roslovic’s goal on Wednesday came on the power play.
Knies is hoping to earn his way back onto the top power-play unit. He spent most of last season as the net-front presence with that group, but was bumped to the second group by Roslovic’s arrival.
“I mean, I think every time I’ve been here, you know, I’ve kind of been on both [units],” Knies noted. “I think we have a pretty darn good second unit with those guys. So, yeah, just try and stay prepared, play to my strengths, play around the net, try and create things and hope I can earn my way onto the first one. But, you know, I think, again, our second one is pretty lethal.”
The second unit features Morgan Rielly, Easton Cowan, Paul, Gavin McKenna and Knies.
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After Paul exited the game, there were some different line combinations on Wednesday night and McKenna got a couple shifts in Knies’ spot beside Matthews.
“It was good,” the rookie sensation said. “We had a good couple shifts together and one ended up in the back of the net. So, yeah, he played unbelievable, I think we all saw. And, yeah, to be out there with him, you’re always kind of looking for him in a spot so he can let his shot go. I think he was looking for me out there as well. So I had a lot of fun playing out there.”
The feeling was mutual.
“Yeah, it felt good,” Matthews said. “I mean, the few shifts we had together, we had the puck a lot and making things happen in the offensive zone.”
McKenna finished the night with one assist and a plus-three rating.
“He’s just a really, really smart player,” Matthews said. “I mean, there’s times where he has the puck and he does stuff with it that not many people can do, but then there’s also times where he just makes the right simple play and it ends up creating so much space for the other guy ... His IQ is extremely high.”
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The Leafs placed Steven Lorentz on waivers on Thursday. Zack MacEwen, who had a goal and a fight in Wednesday’s game, skated in his spot on the fourth line at practice.
“We like the physicality,” Hiller said. “I mean, I know he scored last night, but I think what was equally or probably more important to us was, you know, there was some stuff going on, and he was able to get in there fairly quickly and do his job.”
When Ottawa’s Hayden Hodgson went after Toronto defenceman Jake McCabe near the end of the game, MacEwen jumped in immediately.
“Mac did an awesome job,” McCabe praised. “Scored a goal. Blocked a shot, got up in the rush and [Cowan] makes a great play to him. It’s nice to see players like Mac get rewarded. A big fight, stick up for his teammates … unbelievable night.”
MacEwen, who sustained an ACL tear and was limited to three games with the New Jersey Devils last season, signed a two-year deal ($875,000 cap hit) with the Leafs in the summer.
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Defenceman Nick Blankenburg, who is at camp on a pro tryout, continues to skate with Toronto’s main group and is attending the team-bonding trip. All signs point to the 28-year-old signing a contract soon.
“Well, I mean, he’s an NHL defenceman,” Hiller said. “We know that. So we were fortunate that he was able to get over here and come to our camp.”
Blankenburg produced 24 points in 61 games last season split between the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche. He scored one goal in five playoff games with the Avalanche.
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Dakota Joshua skated as the extra forward at practice as he continues to work his way back from a lingering core injury. The winger stayed on the ice well after practice to do some extra skating.
Hiller confirmed that Joshua would join the team on the bonding trip in Arizona.
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Lines in Thursday’s practice:
Knies - Matthews - Roslovic
McKenna - Tavares - Nylander
Groulx - Sissons - Cowan
Duhaime - Blueger - MacEwen
Joshua
McCabe - Tanev
Rielly - Raddysh
Ekman-Larsson - Stecher
Andrae - Blankenburg
Bobrovsky
Stolarz
Bonello (EBUG)
