Crash course on the menu for newcomers to Maple Leafs
Coach calls the addition of ex-Kings Campbell, Clifford a ‘disruption’ — in a good way
New Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell and forward Kyle Clifford caught up with an old friend — Jake Muzzin — and made a new one — Mitch Marner — when the four went out to dinner the night after Wednesday’s trade with the Los Angeles Kings.
“Mitch was nice enough to pick up the tab,” Clifford said.
“That was too nice of him,” Campbell added about Marner’s gesture. “Such a great guy, along with the rest of the group. I’m excited to be here.”
As the new Leafs get used to their surroundings, the team as a whole has no time to waste in pursuit of a playoff spot. The trade, designed to address the need for better backup goaltending and a lack of grit — sent a message to the entire lineup: Get going.
“It’s a disruption, but we were at a point where we think disruption is healthy,” said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe.
“(General manager Kyle Dubas) is committed to us and we have to respond,” defenceman Muzzin said.
“When you go through it as many times as I have, you understand that something’s being addressed for a reason,” added captain John Tavares. “It definitely gives a sense that we have to be better. We’re excited about the guys we’ve brought in. For all of us that are here, obviously we just want to play better hockey more consistently, and get where we want to get to.”
There’s no time like the present. After two losses in a row, the Leafs hosted the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night before were a quick turnaround to face the Canadiens in Montreal on Saturday.
No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen did some on-ice drills Friday, but remains sidelined and won’t accompany the team to Montreal. There’s a chance Campbell — brought in as an upgrade over Michael Hutchinson — will start both games.
“He’s hardest working (goalie) I’ve ever seen in hockey,” Muzzin said. “I’ve trained with him in the summer the last two years, down in L.A. His preparation, coming to the rink throughout the summers and throughout practice, battling on every puck, extra work, early on the ice, all that kind of stuff.”
Clifford, meanwhile, seems bound for a regular role as a bottom-six forward.
“We hope that it just brings a greater energy and enthusiasm,” Keefe said. “That’s a thing. I don’t think you can ignore the fact that players are people that have energy and passion and enthusiasm. It can bleed through the rest of the team. It’s a very positive thing.”
Muzzin and Clifford were teammates on the Kings’ Stanley Cup winners in 2012 and 2014.
“We had a lot of guys buying in and doing the right things every night,” Muzzin said of that era. “We knew how to win tough games, and for a while there we were really good at it.
“So (Clifford will) bring some experience from those two teams. He’s going to bring toughness, he’s going to bring grit — a hard-working guy — and that sandpaper that can go a long way in games.”
Tavares seemed happy about the addition of grit: “We just want to be a hard team to play against, and I think that’s what (Clifford) is going to bring. He makes the opponent feel uncomfortable; I don’t think guys particularly like playing against him. You always want to be aware when he’s out there, because of how hard he plays the game. He plays like that each and every night, every shift. That energy, that kind of mentality, can rub off on other guys and that’s the identity we want to have.”
Muzzin backed that notion, saying that he hopes “how hard (the newcomers) work will rub off on guys in doing everything the right way, because we have a really talented group. We rely on that too much.”