The Maple Leafs practised at the Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday.
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How did Sergei Bobrovsky celebrate his 38th birthday on Sunday?
“Unpacking,” the Leafs goalie said with a smile. “Unpacking all day. Getting ready for season.”
Bobrovsky is still getting settled in Toronto, but the two-time Stanley Cup champion is already making a big impact on his new team.
“We had our leadership meeting and when he speaks, you listen,” said coach Jim Hiller. “He’s soft-spoken. You got to lean in a little bit and it’s coming from the best place. So I would think it’s had a positive effect already.
“I talk to different players. They’re just like, ‘I love this guy.’ Like, just, how can you not?”
The Leafs signed Bobrovsky to a three-year, $21-million despite his age and despite the fact he posted an .877 save percentage, the worst mark of his career, last season. But the two-time Vezina Trophy winner is revered for his resume.
“You know it’s really hard to describe,” Hiller said. “You watch different athletes and you see them at the pinnacle of their sport and they’re winning championships and he just fits that bill. Like, just beyond playing as well as he has and having the career that he has, he’s a champion and he’s such a humble guy and so dedicated to being a professional athlete, a goaltender, and being a champion. I think we’ve all, and I’d include myself in that, we’ve all really enjoyed being around him. He’s got a great presence about him but, mark my words, he’s a fierce competitor. He’s a gentleman and he’ll treat you with respect, but inside this guy’s doing everything he can to win and it’s just great to have him around.”
Bobrovsky downplayed the idea that he’s already playing a big leadership role on the Leafs.
“The biggest thing for me is stopping the puck,” he said. “I will try to do my best to give the guys the chance to win every night and that’s my main focus and if I accomplish that then we’re going to go from there.”
But the Leafs are quick to point out that Bobrovsky is able to lead by simply being himself.
“Just the way he prepares, the way he comes in every day, the way he works in practice, he’s the hardest worker out there,” said defenceman Darren Raddysh.
“One of the best goalies in the world is what you see,” observed winger William Nylander. “So, I mean, to see that every day is a lot of fun.”
After three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final (and two playoff series wins over the Leafs), Bobrovsky finally got a chance to catch his breath this summer. He’s hoping that will lead to a bounce back season in Toronto.
“I like cardio a lot,” he said of his routine. “I like weightlifting. I like stretching. I don’t know, I do, like, gymnastics in the summer.”
Bobrovsky isn’t doing the balance beam or rings, mind you.
“You do the stretch, you do the core strength, spine, you know, all the speed and the balance, all those things,” he clarified when asked about his gymnastics work.
Bobrovsky will be balancing a lot this season. There’s changes on the ice and off the ice.
“We haven’t seen the winter for seven years so we’re excited about that,” he said of leaving the Sunshine State behind. “The kids are going to see snow a lot. It’s interesting.”
What will be the biggest adjustment?
“I would say probably everything,” Bobrovsky acknowledged. “You get into the rhythm, get to know the guys, you know, feed your energy into the group and feed yourself into the group and try to be productive and effective.”
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Hiller served as Leafs assistant coach from 2015 to 2019 and got along well with the members of Toronto’s core, including Nylander.
“I’ve always really liked Willy,” Hiller said. “When I first took over as head coach in the NHL [in Los Angeles], the first player, ex-player, I heard from was Willy, and I hadn’t talked to him in years. And it really meant something to me. So I think we have a good relationship that way. We spent a lot of time together before and I look forward to helping him out here. He wants to be so good. I know that he trains. He does all that stuff.”
Hiller pointed out that Nylander hustled hard during a drill late in practice on Monday and broke up a chance by Steven Lorentz.
“Some of the things we’ve seen out here in practice the last couple days have been really impressive,” the coach said. “I don’t know if you noticed, but we ended the last practice on just an incredible backcheck by Willy and the stick-lift [after skating] all the way down. So, yeah, we’re seeing some really good stuff out of him.”
Hiller also made a point of crediting Nylander on the ice after that drill wrapped up.
The Leafs have been doing a lot of drills, which incorporate skating hard back into the defensive zone.
“I think the system is a faster-pace system for us,” Nylander said. “I think that’s going to be good. But I think also in training camp, it’s so short, and he’s keeping it pretty simple so everybody understands and he’s on the same page, which I think is really important.”
It’s not just Hiller’s system that Nylander enjoys, it’s also the coach’s attitude.
“When he was here, he was a very caring guy as well and I thought he did a great job,” the 30-year-old Swede noted. “So I reached out to congratulate him when he got the [Kings] job. So, yeah, I mean, so far, I like it a lot.”
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For the second straight practice, Raddysh skated alongside Morgan Rielly.
“I’ve known Mo quite a bit,” Raddysh said. “I used to see him around Mitch [Marner’s] events and got to know him through there. And he’s a member of the same golf course so I see him in the summertime sometimes and around there playing golf.”
How’s the chemistry coming on the ice so far?
“It’s been great,” Raddysh said. “You know, I’ve known Mo quite a bit from before, and I got to know him a little bit in the summertime, and skated a little bit. Yeah, just kind of working through getting to know each other and feeling each other out, and it’s been good the last few days.”
They have a lot in common on the ice.
“We both like to skate,” Raddysh said. “We both like to move the puck, join the rush, and we can distribute the puck up to the forwards. I think those are our two strong suits, and if we continue to do that and play in the O-zone, it can lead to good things.”
That’s why the Leafs have united their two top offensive defencemen on one pair while their two top defensive defencemen – Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev – skate together on a shutdown unit.
The Leafs start the season with four straight home games, which will allow Hiller to dictate matchups.
“We’ll probably try to match up Tanev and McCabe as much as we can,” Hiller said. “That doesn’t mean Rielly and Raddysh or [Oliver Ekman-Larsson] and whoever he’s playing with, won’t play against other teams’ top lines, but just generally. If we get opportunities to put Rielly and Raddysh in the offensive zone with our top six, we’ll look to do that if we can, again, within reason. That’s the thought right now. It could change.”
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The Leafs first two pre-season games both featured fights. In Toronto, defenceman Marshall Rifai dropped the gloves with Florian Xhekaj after the Canadiens forward took runs at Nylander and Auston Matthews.
“I just think it’s something that needed to be addressed and it was addressed,” said Rifai, who has played three games with the Leafs since joining the organization in the 2022-23 season. “There’s nothing more to it than that.”
“That was an unbelievable job by Marsh and fired everybody up,” Nylander said. “So I think he did an amazing job. I appreciate that.”
In Montreal, winger Michael Pezzetta fought Lucas Condotta after the Canadiens forward levelled Marc Johnstone with a big hit.
“Hit my buddy Stoner back there and just didn’t like it so had a little scrap,” said Pezzetta, a former Hab. “Condo is a great guy and he answered and that was a good fight.”
Pezzetta held up late in the fight after catching his former teammate with a punch. He didn’t want to create an injury, but also needed to send a message.
“It builds that culture and builds that confidence in each other,” Pezzetta said. “You look at the guy next to you and you know he’s going to go to war with you and that’s a good feeling and it allows you to push yourself a little bit harder.”
Rifai and Pezzetta both celebrated a Calder Cup championship with the Toronto Marlies last season.
“You look back to the Marlies and why we won a championship, it was that kind of mentality,” Pezzetta said. “If someone goes down you’re getting right in there and every single guy would stand up for each other and when you have that feeling in the room it’s special and it’s something you build one day at a time and that was a good start.”
“I think it’s just setting the tone right away from a culture standpoint,” Rifai said. “If you saw where the Marlies were when I got here and where we’re at today, I think it’s a lot different. You win the game by outscoring the other team so obviously, you know, we didn’t execute on that front, but ultimately I think this part of the year is about gelling and knowing we have each other’s backs. Overall, I thought, from that perspective, it was good.”
Also in Montreal, centre Teddy Blueger immediately jumped in and fought Ethan Samson after the Canadiens defenceman landed a big hit on Vinni Lettieri.
Late last year, the Leafs on the ice did not immediately confront Radko Gudas after the defenceman injured Matthews with a knee-on-knee hit on March 12. That incident led to soul searching inside the dressing room and a feistier end to the season.
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Nick Paul took the ice wearing the sweater of Easton Cowan. The sophomore winger alerted the veteran centre to the issue upon arriving to the ice pad. The pair were all smiles at the bench as Paul peeled off the No. 53 and exchanged it for his No. 20.
Based on their reaction on the ice, forward Brandon Duhaime appeared to be the culprit. What happened?
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Cowan said with a laugh.
While Cowan helped Paul with his wardrobe before the practice, Paul repaid the favour by joining forces with Colton Sissons to create some chances for the 20-year-old during the workout.
“Even in the practice today, those two are really good forecheckers,” Hiller noted. “We would really love for Easton to develop into that type of player too, and I think he’s on his path, but he is definitely just a little more of a skilled player.”
Of course, Paul also brings a lot of skill to the table. He finished his practice day by starring in some shootout work.
“I think Paulie was five for six,” Raddysh noted. “I was two for two, though. I don’t know if anyone saw that (smile). I don’t think I’ll be taking breakaways, I’ll be honest with you.”
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Asked about the team’s goaltending depth, Hiller brings up newcomer Samuel Hlavaj, who signed a one-year deal in the summer.
“[He] has really jumped out at me,” the coach said. “I’m not a goalie guy, but I have been asking questions about him, like, ‘Where did he come from?’ He has been really good.”
Hlavaj, 25, split last season between the AHL’s Iowa Wild and ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders. He also starred for Slovakia at the Olympics and helped the underdog nation reach the bronze-medal game.
The 6-foot-4, 218-pounder is quickly making a name for himself around the Leafs facility.
“He’s a big boy,” Pezzetta said. “We were having a workout in the gym and we were doing step ups and there’s four levels of weights and there’s not many guys that reach for the big weights and he was one of them and I was like, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen a goalie reach for the heaviest weights.’ Usually they’re grabbing something lighter and working that way, but he’s a big boy and he moves great.”
Is Hlavaj a beast in the gym?
“Quite,” he confirmed with a smile. “Quite a beast, I would say. I guess I spend lots of time in the gym in the summer, so that probably helps me.”
He’s looking pretty good on the ice so far as well. Hlavaj stopped 13 of 15 shots while logging just under 30 minutes in his pre-season debut in Montreal.
“Awesome,” he said. “I enjoyed every moment, like, in that game. The fans were awesome. Great game. Played great hockey. So, we can build on it.”
Hlavaj projects to start the season No. 4 on Toronto’s goalie depth chart behind Bobrovsky, Anthony Stolarz and Calder Cup MVP Artur Akhtyamov.
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In the first drill of Tuesday’s practice, Nylander took a McCabe shot to the chest and immediately doubled over in pain.
“Yeah, that’s a little sore right now, not going to lie,” he said with a grin. “But yeah, he did apologize. It’s okay.”
Nylander didn’t miss a rep in the practice.
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Lines in Leafs practice on Tuesday:
GROUP 1
F
Knies - Matthews - Roslovic
McKenna - Tavares - Nylander
Cowan - Paul - Sissons
Lorentz - Blueger - Duhaime
Groulx
D
Rielly- Raddysh
McCabe - Tanev
Ekman-Larsson - Stecher
Andrae - Blankenburg
G
Bobrovsky
Stolarz
Bonello (EBUG)
GROUP 2
F
Brisson - Koblar - Lettieri
Quillan - Haymes - Tverberg
Pezzetta - Johnstone - Sim
Shaw - Rybinski - MacEwan
Joshua
D
Rifai - Myers
Mermis - McWard
Chadwick - Danford
Smith - Bilecki
G
Akhtyamov
Hlavaj
Bonello (EBUG)
