Leafs release tonight's preseason roster with one massive player missing
The Maple Leafs will take on the Montreal Canadiens in Toronto tonight, and the roster for the game has been released, with Auston Matthews missing again.
The Toronto Maple Leafs get ready for a giant pre-season matchup against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, and it will feature a roster that is very close to what fans will ultimately see on opening night. For their third of six pre-season games, the Leafs host the Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena with a lineup full of NHL regulars. One is young Easton Cowan, who has been one of the real stories in camp to date, fighting tooth and nail for a place on the team's opening night roster. His presence is indicative of the effort that Toronto is putting into finding that mix of youthful energy with established talent.
A few other fighters for a place in the final roster of the Maple Leafs are, of course, veterans Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz on professional tryout agreements who will look to impress. Meanwhile, the quest for a full-time spot with the club continues for Nick Robertson and Pontus Holmberg, as both are expected to suit up for their second straight preseason games. The battle in Toronto's camp is getting intense, as these games count for players on the bubble.
The lineup will bear a very close resemblance to the line combinations they have iced in recent practices, but there are a couple of big omissions. For one, Auston Matthews is still out for a breather as he continues to nurse an upper-body injury and isn't on the ice. There won't be Calle Jarnkrok after leaving Tuesday's game against the Ottawa Senators with a lower body injury. Both players participated in today's morning skate, a sign that they're on their way back, but neither will play tonight.
As the pre-season chugs along, coach Craig Berube has hinted the final lines of this team have slowly begun to take shape. However, competition remains cutthroat inside the roster, particularly in that bottom six forward group. All of those leave little room for a young player like Matthew Knies, who won't be in the lineup Thursday but will remain in town to skate with the second group as he tries to fight his way onto the roster.
In goal, Matt Murray and Anthony Stolarz will get the netminding duties for Toronto. The puck drop, with the game nationally broadcast on Sportsnet, is slated to come just after 7 PM eastern. With the roster spots still up for grabs and the regular season fast approaching, the game on Thursday promises to be a key moment in determining the Maple Leafs' opening-night lineup.
| POLL | ||
26 SEPTEMBRE | 47 ANSWERS Leafs release tonight's preseason roster with one massive player missing Will Auston Matthews be healthy for the regular season? | ||
| Yes | 36 | 76.6 % |
| No | 11 | 23.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
