3 things that stand out about the initial Maple Leafs camp line combos

After four months, there are finally some new Maple Leafs line combinations to dissect. It’s been a long time coming and while much of the talk of camp will be about who is on the right side of Auston Matthews (initially Matias Maccelli) or on the left side of John Tavares (Bobby McMann got the first look), there were some other takeaways from the first day that are worth giving some attention to.

Cowan alongside Roy and Joshua is the organization giving him the best chance possible to make his case for the Leafs…

The idea of putting Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua seemed like a bit of a no brainer and Joshua was probably brought in specifically because he can potentially fill the role that Keegan Kolesar played alongside Roy in Vegas. It also really cements the notion that Matthew Knies/AustonMatthews, John Tavares/William Nylander, Roy/Joshua, and Steven Lorentz/Scott Laughton are the duos that Craig Berube wants intact and everyone else will be navigating through the lineup and competing for the coveted vacancies.

More than anyone else, Easton Cowan seems like a chameleon that can work with any of those lines. At the OHL level, he’s a capable two-way playmaker with some agitating tendencies and unquestionably a hard worker. There were some concerns that he’d be placed on the outside of the Leafs roster to start or put in a fourth line role that wouldn’t see him considered for minutes you’d want a top prospect playing in, but instead he’s with Roy and Joshua on a line that he could be a permanent fit on. He might have Max Domi’s injury to thank for that opportunity but hopefully he makes the most of it.

The initial look saw Cowan trade off some of his line rushes to Miroslav Holinka, a fellow rookie albeit one further down the depth chart, and after some initial awkwardness, Cowan began looking comfortable in the spot.

He’s far from a lock to be back next to Roy and Joshua on Friday, but as long as he’s trading places with someone like Robertson or McMann, he’ll still show signs of being in the mix for a Leafs job in October.

Robertson with Lorentz and Laughton signals that he is the lineup card priority over Jarnkrok and Kampf even if the fit isn’t clear

The secondary scoring and potential evolving role of Nick Robertson being prioritized over aging veterans is encouraging, even if Calle Jarnkrok looks poised to take his spot next to Laughton back from Robertson.

Robertson being on a line that is clearly designated for the Leafs shows that an effort is going to be put into finding the right fit and while Laughton’s line might not be it, there’s somewhat of a vote of confidence in Nick on day one.

If Robertson stays put there the Leafs have him with a duo that makes up for his defensive shortcomings and potentially Robertson helps the Leafs get a little more offence out of Scott Laughton at the same time.

If the Leafs run a third defensive pairing with a capable puck mover it seems like this line has a better chance of success and might be worth keeping together at least until they can be tested in a preseason game.

Thrun and Myers seems like a more exciting third pairing than Ekman-Larsson and Benoit

Berube clearly didn’t have any hot takes on how he wants his defence to look over the offseason. The successful pairing of Tanev and McCabe remains untouched and there is still a belief that the Rielly and Carlo pairing can work given more time together.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Simon Benoit will both be pushed by Henry Thrun and Philippe Myers for their spots but by keeping them together it’s clear they are the incumbents for the bottom pairing and it’s on Thrun and Myers to steal their jobs.

Ekman-Larsson likely isn’t going anywhere. Right sizing him to the bottom pairing and only playing him up in the lineup when injuries call for it is probably the plan.

As for Benoit, Myers was already making a strong case for the spot in the lineup and Thrun might have more talent and upside than either of them which will make the competition even more challenging.

For now, it will be exciting to see what Thrun and Myers can do together as they seem like an exciting third pairing and Ekman-Larsson might be best option as the 7D, simply placing him anywhere in the lineup that he’s required or being the most adaptable to platooning.

Arguably, Benoit can’t afford a misstep in camp.

3 Things to watch for

• Max Domi’s absence is creating a lot of opportunities and right now it looks like Maccelli, Cowan, and Robertson are all benefiting from them. How do things shuffle when he returns? Is there some potential for Domi to also be on the hot seat?
• Robertson was given the inside track and Calle Jarnkrok stood out. David Kampf has the benefit of being a natural centre and the Leafs likely want to preserve that depth and can likely waive him down to the Marlies without a claim but what happens if Quillan and Haymes prove that they should be higher on the depth chart than Kampf?
• Do we see any shuffles between groups 1 and 2 in the coming days? Are all of the current prospects and Marlies in Groups 1 and 2 staying there or will we see a rotation of Group 3 players into the mix?

Day one answered some questions but sparks some new debates as well. Sunday’s preseason opener will give the best insight into where Berube’s head is at.