The Young Guns Impress and Other Observations From the Maple Leafs' Pre-Season Win Over Montreal on Saturday
Matthew Knies, Fraser Minten, and Nick Robertson scored as the Maple Leafs won 3-1 in Montreal.
It was another game in Montreal for the Maple Leafs on Saturday night. T.J. Brodie and Simon Benoit made their pre-season debut against the Canadiens' big guns Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
But once again, the younger players on Toronto stole the show. It was a fairly young lineup for the Maple Leafs on Saturday. And with that being said, here are a couple of observations from Toronto's win over Montreal.
The young guns look good
The standouts game after game continue to be the trio of Matthew Knies, Fraser Minten, and Easton Cowan. Whether it's Knies' strength, Minten's all-around game, or Cowan's tenacity on the puck, they've been impressive thus far in Maple Leafs training camp.
Knies has arguably been Toronto's best player in training camp. It's been spectacular to watch his strength on the puck and his confidence at this level. The 20-year-old picked up where he left off from last season and then some. He's had quite the pre-season and quite the game, especially playing in back-to-back games.
Minten found the back of the net, too, off a turnover from Noah Gregor. He found Alex Steeves who found Minten in front to score.
What's impressed me most about Minten is his consistency game after game. With prospects, you usually expect them to have one good game out of a bunch, but the 19-year-old has played solid in every pre-season game.
The same goes for Cowan. His motor has been noticeable in every single game he's played since training camp began. He even showed consistency in Traverse City, which likely helped his play with the Maple Leafs this week.
Cowan is going back to the OHL's London Knights eventually. But his play throughout the last few weeks has shot him up my prospect rankings.
T.J. Brodie's pre-season debut
Brodie looked the part in his first pre-season game playing alongside longtime defense partner Morgan Rielly. The pair looked pretty good, albeit it's pre-season.
The 33-year-old even got some time on the penalty kill and contributed to not allowing a goal. He even gave us his patented Brodie-slide during a Montreal power play in the first period.
This was his first game of the pre-season because his training pattern was interrupted due to the unfortunate passing of his father.
All in all, for his first pre-season game, Brodie looked like the usual player he is. The more games he plays, the more he'll return to last season's form.
Nick Robertson finally gets on the board
When you think Robertson might need some time in the AHL to begin the season, he shows that's maybe not the case.
The 22-year-old has had an impressive pre-season all things considered. But there was one glaring aspect of his game missing: goal-scoring. He had several chances throughout the first few games he appeared in but couldn't finish them.
His goal on Saturday could open the floodgates for the 22-year-old.
Whether it's been working on his skating or just getting back to full health, this goal for Robertson is likely a big one for his confidence. I expect more goals from the 22-year-old for the remainder of the pre-season.
- Noah Gregor had another great game. I'd expect him to sign with Toronto eventually.
- Alex Steeves set up Minten for his goal and had the secondary assist on Knies' goal, giving him a couple more points in the pre-season. He's looked really good, and is likely making it difficult on Toronto's coaching staff, but there are a lot of forwards vying for spots on the NHL team.
- Pontus Holmberg is in a similar boat to Steeves. He's looked really strong for the Maple Leafs in pre-season action. However, there are just so many forwards vying for spots.
- Martin Jones only allowed one goal, and it came in the third period on Saturday. He stopped 33 of 34 shots against. With the injury of Conor Timmins, I wonder if Toronto will find a way to keep Jones in the NHL.
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