Maple Leafs using quick getaway the right way

GRAVENHURST, Ont. — The Maple Leafs got their excursion to Muskoka off on the right foot on Tuesday.

Before hitting the ice on Wednesday, to be followed by another practice on Thursday prior to heading home, the Leafs took part in a team golf tournament and sat down for a team dinner. 

“It’s a pretty good setup and nice to get that team bonding going and get to know guys that maybe you don’t know as well,” centre Auston Matthews said. “It’s a great couple days to get away, get some good work in, but also have some fun.”

In Matthews’ golf foursome were goalie Matt Murray, defenceman TJ Brodie, and winger Denis Malgin. 

“I rode with Murr and it was nice to chat with him,” Matthews said. “He’s a bit of a quieter guy, but we had a lot of fun out there just messing around. I think our group overachieved, so we were pretty happy with it.”

What’s clear is that while the Leafs are enjoying the time away, they’re itching for the regular season to start. Practices next Monday and Tuesday before the opener in Montreal against the Canadiens on Wednesday can’t come soon enough.

“It’s kind of a tease right now, doing this stuff,” Mitch Marner said. “But it’s also very important. We’re getting through our systems. We’re practising hard. We keep each other honest out there, which is great to see early. It’s only going to get better as the year goes on.”

Said coach Sheldon Keefe: “We’ve got a lot of guys here that have played together a long time. We’ve made some adjustments that we want to do as a team. But by and large, a lot of it is similar, our structure, and the way we want to play is pretty similar. The guys are ready to just push on and get playing for real, I think.”

CAPTAIN COMEBACK?

There’s a chance, as small as it might be, that the Leafs will have their captain at the helm earlier than initially expected.

When John Tavares hit the sideline last week with an oblique strain, an injury suffered on Sept. 24 against the Ottawa Senators, the prognosis was that he would be out a minimum of three weeks.

On Wednesday, there again was Tavares on the ice with defenceman Timothy Liljegren (recovering from hernia surgery) before the club practised.

Is there a possibility that Tavares could be ready for the start of the season?

“I don’t think I’ve ruled that out, but it’s all going to be (based) on his recovery,” Keefe said. “I think it was a really positive day for him today, but the way that it would track out in terms of the plan that was set was that he wouldn’t be available.

“What his body is telling him is going to dictate that, whether it’s sooner, whether it ends up being later, it’s all going to be part of it. We’re just going to take it a day at a time. Certainly, I’m not expecting him to be full-go at all this week. That tightens up the timelines for him.”

IMPRESSIVE DUO

Based on what we saw in practice on Wednesday — wingers Nick Robertson and Malgin playing on a line with William Nylander — it’s getting safer to make the assumption that Malgin, as well as Robertson, will be in the lineup on opening night. 

A friendship between Malgin and Matthews goes back to the 2015-16 season, when the two were teammates with Zurich SC in Switzerland.

“All camp, he looks like he has gained a lot of confidence, he has looked strong on the puck,” Matthews said of Malgin. “It’s pretty evident in his play. He has been fun to watch, as have a lot of guys, but he had really stood out to me. In games and in practice, he has been all over the puck.”

Now, it’s understood that no one becomes a star in the pre-season. Still, the determination demonstrated by Malgin and Robertson has been represented on the scoreboard. Robertson leads the Leafs with seven points in four games, while Malgin is second with six points. Each has earned the look he is getting now.

“These guys have been unreal throughout camp,” Nylander said. “The way they’re able to skate with the puck through the neutral zone and create space. And you saw Nick’s pass to me the other night (in Montreal). It’s fun to be out there with them.”

LOOSE LEAFS

Keefe, when asked how good he thinks the Leafs can be: “I think it’s no secret that we’ve got a good club. We’ve established ourselves as an elite team in the NHL, and I expect us to be that again.” … Oddsmakers have set Tavares’ total points over/under at 74.5. Tavares, you would think, would have to play close to a full season to hit the over. He had 76 points in 79 games a year ago … Matthews on the potential for Nylander at the centre position: “He’s got a high IQ and with his skating, and the way he thinks the game, I don’t think that transition is really too difficult.”

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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