Final NHL rosters are due today at 5 p.m., but the most pressing issue at Maple Leafs practice today was not the bottom of the lineup, but the very top. There has never been a guarantee that Auston Matthews will play in the home opener against Montréal on Wednesday, and now it looks like practice today was contingency planning for his absence.
Matthews was dressed as an extra today along with Kirill Semyonov (likely the final cut). The power play was arranged to do without him:
Tavares
Nylander-Marner-Matthews
Rielly
With Ritchie watching turned into…
Ritchie
Nylander-Marner-Tavares
Rielly
With Matthews watching.