That said, there is a bit of a breath of fresh air to the Leafs this year with a new General Manager in place and a number of new faces on the roster with real NHL pedigree. This isn’t a camp mainly featuring looks at the likes of Denis Malgin, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and Zach Aston Reese. There are a number of players looking to solidify themselves on top lines, defense pairings, and special teams while knowing a good preseason showing would help their odds, at least to start the season.
We’ve also seen the Leafs get off to slow starts in each of the past two seasons.