The big news out of that skate was that Cody Ceci was paired with Morgan Rielly, but don’t despair: if the Leafs were going to trade Ceci and sign Gardiner (#bringbackthelegend) this is the exact thing they’d do.
Regardless, Ceci could surprise us, and if he doesn’t, well Travis Dermott is on his back as soon as November.
Will Ceci help improve the Leafs? Well, unless he changes his name to “Hainsey” that’s all but a guarantee.
How else will the Toronto Maple Leafs be better this year?
Getting Better
The Leafs finished seventh overall and hit 100 points last year despite only being one game over in one-goal games (just luck) and never dressing their optimal lineup for a single game (the one time they almost did, Kadri got hurt at the end of the first).