Leafs’ old guard not about to be left out
Bozak, Kadri, van Riemsdyk are still smack in the middle of team’s offensive outbursts
Tyler Bozak confesses that he thought Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner were so good last year that they probably couldn’t get much better this year.
Then he saw what they were capable of in the Maple Leafs’ 7-2 opening-night win over the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday. Matthews had a goal and two assists, Marner had a goal and an assist, and Nylander scored once and was plus-4.
“They’re going to be rolling all year, which is nice to have,” Bozak said. “Funny, you don’t think they’re going to be any better, and they come back better. It’s pretty cool to see and fun to watch them grow, so it’s exciting times.”
James van Riemsdyk saw the same growth.
“It’s one of those things, the experience, the confidence you get when you get that experience,” van Riemsdyk said. “The feel around the team is definitely different than last year. We have that confidence that guys are putting in the work, that we want to be good players, we’re all playing for each other.
“We’re a tight-knit group, and that will be to our advantage as we go through the ups and the downs of the season.”
Lost in the accolades about the now-second-year players — and the two-goal performance of the new old guy, Patrick Marleau — was the performance of the Leafs’ old reliables: Bozak, van Riemsdyk and Nazem Kadri.
Their continued high level of play is as important as the growth of the youngsters. “We can always chip in,” Bozak said. Bozak had career bests with 37 assists and 55 points last season. Kadri reached career highs in goals (32), assists (29) and points (61). Van Riemsdyk set personal marks for assists (33) and points (62).
And all got off to multiple-point starts Wednesday: Bozak had two assists, Kadri scored the opening goal and added an assist, and van Riemsdyk had a goal and two assists.
“We have a lot of depth up front,” van Riemsdyk said. “It makes it hard (for the other teams) when you have the different groupings that we have that can all chip in offensively. We all do good things. We’re comfortable with that, and different situations, and different roles.”
The depth of the forward lines offers a different kind of luxury: For the most part, lines have been kept together from last year, with, of course, Marleau being the big addition. The power-play and penalty killing units are also the same as last year.
“I don’t think I’ve ever, in my career, had the continuity we had last year,” van Riemsdyk said. “We had all the same guys on each unit all year, and that never happens. I think we found that chemistry that comes with it. Especially on those bang-bang plays, and those plays off of reads.”
Kadri plays with the Bozak line, and usually defenceman Morgan Rielly, on one power-play unit. Marleau has moved onto the Matthews line, in Zach Hyman’s place, with two defencemen, usually Jake Gardiner and Connor Carrick, on the other power-play unit.
“We have two units that are very similar,” van Riemsdyk said. “It makes it difficult for teams to match up with you. It leaves us with a matchup that works in our favour. They have to pick their poison.”
The Leafs were one of the top offensive teams last year, finishing fifth in goals and third in power-play goals, and their start suggests they’re going down that road again.
“It’s only one game,” Bozak said, “but we have a lot of talent in here. We have a lot of guys who can score.”