MUST-SEE GAMES
Curtain-raiser for Phaneuf and Leafs is Wednesday vs. the Habs. Here’s 15 you won’t want to miss,
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015
Home opener against the Montreal Canadiens. We’re tempted to say it won’t get any better than this, but then there’s 81 more games to come. These two historic rivals have opened the curtain on the NHL season for seven straight years. As long as they have Carey Price, the Habs promise to be a playoff contender.
Friday, Oct. 9, 2015
On the road against the Red Wings. It will be Babcock’s first game back in Detroit. Cue the tear-fest. Whatever tribute the Wings pay to him will be well-deserved. But it will be interesting to see if the Leafs-Wings rivalry gets turned up a notch with Babcock’s departure.
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015
Phil Kessel returns to Toronto as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Leafs will have already played against Kessel and Co. in Pittsburgh on Oct. 17, but the fan reaction in Toronto to seeing No. 81 can’t be missed. And if he gets off to a fast start with Sidney Crosby, the hand-wringing will be unbearable.
Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015
The Leafs visit Boston in the first of a home-and-home series. The return engagement is Monday in Toronto. It will be the first time in nearly a decade the two division rivals meet without Kessel in the lineup for either team. The Bruin-Leafs rivarly was fuelled by that 2009 Kessel trade. No more "Thank you, Kessel" chants.
Monday, Nov. 30, 2015
Connor McDavid plays against the Leafs for the first time at the Air Canada Centre. McDavid grew up idolizing the Leafs but it was the Edmonton Oilers who won the lottery and the right to draft McDavid first overall in June. If you’re lucky enough to have tickets for this game, save them and frame them.
Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015
The Leafs visit Brooklyn, N.Y. for the first time since 1942 when the Americans were in the league. Brooklyn’s Barclay Center is the new home of John Tavares and the New York Islanders. It’s also the first game of a home-and-home with the Islanders.
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016
The Leafs begin a three-game trip through the NHL’s Death Valley — California. It starts with Ducks on Wednesday, the Kings on Thursday and the Sharks on Saturday. Anything north of two points should be considered a good trip.
Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016
David Clarkson plays in Toronto for the first time since being traded to Columbus. A bust as a free-agent signing with the Leafs, his reception in the Air Canada Centre should be reserved. By then, the hockey world will know if the Jackets are a force to be reckoned with and what role Clarkson has taken with them.
Friday, Jan. 15, 2016
The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks visit the Air Canada Centre for the only time this season. By then we should know if GM Stan Bowman was able to produce enough magic to keep his winning formula together. There were a lot of questions about the salary-shedding Blackhawks heading into the season.
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016
The Leafs start a Western Canada road-swing in Calgary, coming face-to-face again with Brian Burke’s up-and-coming Flames. Trips westward are rarely easier, and getting harder with McDavid in Edmonton two nights later and wrapping things up in Vancouver on the Saturday.
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016
The Leafs are in Montreal on a Saturday night, which is usually special enough. But it is also the last game before the Feb. 29 — Leap Day — trade deadline. By then, president Brendan Shanahan may have already gutted the team in search of high draft picks. But it could be the last chance to say goodbye.
Monday, Feb. 29, 2016
The Tampa Bay Lightning visit for a 7:30 p.m. start, four-and-a-half hours after the trade deadline will have passed. Who knows what the Leafs might look like. One or two of them might be on the Lightning, who’d be among the teams looking to bolster their lineup for a playoff run.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
The last meeting of the season between the Ottawa Senators at the Maple Leafs. Will the ACC-tilt have playoff implications? Will the Battle of Ontario mean anything? It comes in the midst of the friendliest part of the Leafs schedule: the ninth game of 19 in which the Leafs play 15 at home.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Jack Eichel, the American phenom who will challenge Connor McDavid for rookie-of-the-year honours, visits the ACC for the first time with the Buffalo Sabres. Eichel’s been champing at the bit to show his stuff and there’s no better place than the Air Canada Centre to put on a show.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
The Leafs visit New Jersey. It will be a homecoming for Lou Lamoriello, the new GM of the Leafs and former GM of the Devils. He won the Stanley Cup three times there. It will also be the last game of the regular season. If things go according to form, these two teams will be more worried about draft position than the playoff race. A win could be devastating.
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