Auston Matthews is determined to guide the Toronto Maple Leafs to calmer waters in the upcoming NHL season. That includes rallying the troops after the dramatic departure of Mitch Marner, who left the team after a decade in the Six.
It’s been a turbulent summer, but the worst is over. Or so the Maple Leafs hope. Captain Matthews knows his teammates are counting on him to lead the way. And he wouldn’t want it any other way.
On that note, Matthews made his thoughts clear on the noise surrounding Marner‘s exit and whether it affected the players during the past NHL season. With a pointed comment, the captain in Hogtown put an end to the conversation—at least from his standpoint.
Matthews’ statement
“I don’t think it was really that much of a distraction last year to be honest,” Auston Matthews told reporters about Marner’s contract year. “From the start of camp everybody is working for one goal and coming together as quickly as possible.
Mitch Marner during a game with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I don’t think any of the outside stuffwas a distraction. Maybe you guys will ask a couple more [Marner] questions for the next couple of weeks but hopefully that’ll die down shortly.“
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Practice lines
The Maple Leafs know the work is cut out for them in the NHL. The task at hand is crystal-clear, but the road to it is one with its fair share of roadblocks and hurdles. Determined to finally end the Stanley Cup drought, the Buds are leaving no stone unturned. On that note, head coach Craig Berube is addressing every option on Toronto’s lineup.
According to Leafs Latest on X, the Buds rolled out the following lines in their last practice. Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews were joined by Matias Maccelli on the top line, while Bobby McMann, John Tavares, and William Nylander rounded out the top six. In the bottom six, Dakota Joshua skated alongside Nicholas Roy and Max Domi on the third line, with the fourth line featuring Steven Lorentz, Scott Laughton, and Borya Valis.
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Meanwhile, the defensive corps was led by Morgan Rielly and Brandon Carlo on the first pairing. The second duo featured Jake McCabe and Brandon Tanev, while the last blueliner combo was made up of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Matt Benning.
