‘This Is The Plan’: How Maple Leafs Coach Jim Hiller Plotted His Lines Amid Shorter Training Camp

On the first day of training camp, the Toronto Maple Leafs' lines have been revealed, at least what can be considered a first draft.

In terms of the forwards, the top six were Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic as the first line, with Gavin McKenna, John Tavares and William Nylander as the second line. In the bottom six, Nick Paul, Colton Sissons and Easton Cowan donned the third line, followed by the fourth line with Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime, and Steven Lorentz/Dakota Joshua.

Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller explained his thinking regarding the formation of his forwards, particularly the top three lines.

The big change to Toronto's top line is Roslovic on the right side. He was one of the many additions that GM John Chayka made on July 1, signing him to a two-year, $4-million-per-year contract.

Was Roslovic being placed on the top line simply because of the past relationship he's had with Matthews?

"They were together at the program, and, you know, they've maintained a good friendship," Hiller said. "I think Auston really likes Rosie's game. He likes the skill. He likes how he can complement him. You know, he carries the puck through the neutral zone. a really good skater, and Auston and Kniesy have played together, so that's kind of an easy one."

Hiller admitted that while "this is the plan for now," anything can change as early as the first couple of games into the regular season.

The Leafs' second line from Thursday was highlighted by McKenna's presence on the left wing. Hiller kept fans and reporters in suspense as to where he would be pencilled in, but the second-line trio actually knew for quite some time.

"I'm surprised it didn't get out because we had kind of told those players for a while that's what it would look like," Toronto's head coach said.

The explanation for putting McKenna with Tavares and Nylander didn't come to fruition from some deep thinking, Hiller admitted.

"I don't know," he said. "There's not really a good reason, I would say, one or the other, that I would say, 'hey, this is because of this.'"

However, there are some simple connections that Hiller could make that ended up getting these three forwards together for day one of camp.

"(McKenna's) living with John, you know, and John's detailed, so I think that probably helps him go home and talk about anything if he has any questions for him at the end of the day," he said. "And, you know, I think Willy's a really important player, and he can complement those two as well."

This projected second line is very offense-minded, and this group probably lacks the defensive ability and mindset that all the other lines have, to some extent. Does Hiller have concerns about that line in the defensive zone?

"Concern about every line in the defensive zone, to be honest with you," he said. "But, yeah, when you look at that, you're going to say, 'okay, that looks like it might be their biggest challenge.' I don't think the offensive zone will be their biggest challenge, but I would agree. And that's going to really be on John and really to do their job extremely well and then help Gavin along the way."

Finally, Hiller touched on the third line, spotlighting the efforts from Easton Cowan. 

"He makes some plays with the puck, but he was a puckhound," he said. "He was everywhere, I thought."

Cowan was on the right wing of Colton Sissons and Nick Paul. It should be noted that Paul and Sissons at times swapped coverage in the middle of the ice, which would push Cowan to the left side.

And the 21-year-old's ability to "hound" the puck is a great quality to have on the third line. Along with Paul and Sissons next to the youngster, the Maple Leafs' bench boss thinks some real productivity can come from that trio.

"What I like is you can say, 'oh, that's a checking line;' I see it as more than that," Hiller said. "That's a line that should be able to play these other teams' best players. But also push them offensively. Because those three players, they can score goals. And I think Easton really can be the straw that stirs the drink from an offensive perspective and keep the other team's best line on it."

See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.