Toronto Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Roslovic, McKenna, Cowan, Knies & Room to Grow – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

There’s a funny thing about looking at the Toronto Maple Leafs before training camp starts. You can spend all summer putting together lines, moving players around, and trying to figure out who plays with whom. Then camp opens, and somebody gets moved three feet to the left and the whole look changes.

That will probably happen again this year. But Justin Bourne’s look at the Maple Leafs gives us a pretty good place to start. He sees a team that is better than last season, but also one with some pretty big questions. Two of those questions involve how Toronto uses its new players and, perhaps more importantly, how it uses its younger ones.

Jack Roslovic Could Be the Matthews Placeholder

Bourne has Jack Roslovic starting on the top line with Auston Matthews and William Nylander, which makes sense. Roslovic isn’t necessarily the answer to the top-line question, but he is a pretty good place to start.

He has the skill to take advantage of the chances Matthews creates, and there’s some history there. Roslovic played with Matthews when they were junior-aged. Bourne also points out that Roslovic has shown he can put up goals when the opportunities are there. That matters. The team doesn’t need another passenger on that line. They need somebody who can finish.

There’s another part of this that makes sense. Toronto doesn’t have to name Roslovic the new top-line right winger and then expect him to live up to that every night. Put him there, see what happens, and move people around if necessary. Maybe he clicks with Matthews. Maybe he doesn’t. Either way, there’s nothing wrong with treating the first few weeks as an experiment rather than a referendum on the season.

McKenna, Knies and Cowan Give the Maple Leafs Something Different

This is where the Maple Leafs might get really interesting. Gavin McKenna isn’t just another young player being added to the roster. He changes the kind of hockey Toronto can play. Bourne points out that the team has had plenty of shoot-first players, but not enough players who consistently see the ice and make plays for others. McKenna can do that.

And then there’s Matthew Knies, who took another step as a passer last season, and Easton Cowan, who should be better after playing a major role in the Toronto Marlies’ Calder Cup run. Those three players give the Maple Leafs something they haven’t always had. They can grow into bigger roles instead of simply filling holes.

Bourne’s idea of not throwing McKenna onto the Matthews line immediately also makes sense. September is only the beginning. Let him play and make mistakes. Give him some power-play time, let him work with experienced players, and move him up when he earns it. Matthew Schaefer‘s experience with the New York Islanders last season reminds us that young players sometimes thrive when they know somebody has their back.

That may be the biggest difference with the Maple Leafs this season. The younger players don’t necessarily have to carry the team. They can complement it.

The Maple Leafs Finally Have Room to Grow

And that brings us back to the bigger picture. The interesting thing is that legitimate alternatives now exist. If Roslovic works with Matthews, great. If McKenna needs time, Toronto can give him time. If he turns out to be ready for more, opportunities should follow.

The same goes for Cowan and Knies. Both are growing into useful NHL players who can take on more responsibility as the season goes along. That’s a much healthier way to develop young players than handing them a giant role on opening night and then wondering why they struggle.

And this is where the Maple Leafs’ summer starts to make a little more sense. They’ve added more role players, more physical players, and more defensive responsibility. With McKenna, they might also have a young player who can make things happen with the puck.

For the first time in a while, Toronto isn’t just hoping their young players can survive. They might actually be hoping they can help change the team.