4 takeaways from Leafs-Predators: Matthews rewarded for shot creation, Knies, Cowan provide glimpse of bright future

Here are four takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 7-4 win over the Predators:

William Nylander responds to early season callout from Craig Berube

William Nylander was called out by Craig Berube following Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Nylander isn’t a galvanizing speaker but he does lead by example. He finished an empty net goal, two secondary assists, while driving his line alongside John Tavares and Matias Maccelli, quieting the notion that he’s off to a slow start to the year.

Nylander is now up to two goals and seven points, and because of both of his goals occurred at 6-on-5, there’s a tendency to reduce the impact of his start to the year. It was a much better effort from Nylander overall, who drove the puck deep into the offensive zone and ran a terrific two-man game with Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

“Willy drove the line like with Johnny and (Matias) Maccelli, liked all three of them,” Berube said post-game. “But Willy did what he does. He had the puck, he was doing things, he was making good decisions, driving it deep, doing what he does in the offensive zone. But I thought they were responsible defensively. I was happy with the line. I thought they were very impactful.”

Auston Matthews rewarded for elite shot creation

At the time of this filing, Auston Matthews trails only Mika Zibanejad with 15 shots on goal at 5-on-5 through the first four games. Matthews generated 20 shots in all situations through the first four games, and was rewarded for his elite shot creation scoring two goals, one of which was an empty-netter.

Matthews’ shot velocity is back and you can see the puck zip with more pace, especially when given time to get his curl-and-drag release off. He is pushing himself into the high-danger areas with increased frequency, and has generated 1.67 individual expected goals at 5-on-5 via Natural Stat Trick, once again, trailing only Zibanejad.

Toronto’s captain is looking dangerous off the rush as well, and converted a slick give-and-go from Matthew Knies with nine minutes remaining in the third period, giving the Maple Leafs a 5-2 lead. Matthews was hunting for offence all night, made plays for Knies and Cowan, finishing with five shots and 1.45 individual expected goals in all situations. Reducing hockey to pure math is no fun for anyone, especially when talking about an electric player like Matthews, but he was rewarded for his shot creation and opportunism on Tuesday, and with three goals in four games, he may be heating back up into Rocket Richard form.

Knies-Matthews-Cowan provide glimpses of brighter future ahead

Toronto hasn’t developed prospects expeditiously throughout the past decade, which makes sense, to a degree, for a team perpetually competing for a Stanley Cup. Matthew Knies is the clear leader of Toronto’s under-25 cohort, and now Easton Cowan joins him as one of the pillars of the future. Craig Berube will experiment with his lines through the opening weeks of the season, but Knies-Matthews-Cowan provides a glimpse of what the future holds for the Maple Leafs.

Knies and Matthews are both here for the long haul. Toronto’s captain is firmly in the prime of his career, turning 28 in September, with his contract running through the 2027-28 campaign. Knies signed a six-year extension over the summer and he’s one of the NHL’s burgeoning power forwards, with a unique combination of speed, size, toughness and hockey intelligence, while showing improvement on the penalty kill. And now Cowan enters into the mix, a 20-year-old coming off a tour-de-force junior career with the London Knights.

Cowan recorded the first point of his NHL career on Tuesday, generating a secondary assist on Matthews’ first goal of the contest. He was tenacious throughout training camp and his improved ability to fight through contract has been on full display. Knies-Matthews-Cowan outshot the Predators 6-3 at 5-on-5, with a 65 percent share of the expected goals. It’s been a strong start to the year for Cowan, after being scratched for the first two games, and now the Maple Leafs are getting a real glimpse of what lies ahead, with a brighter future.

Cayden Primeau wins 1st start for Maple Leafs

Cayden Primeau won his first start for the Maple Leafs, and it’ll be compelling to see when he gets in the net again. Primeau is effectively providing spot duty while Anthony Stolarz takes on the majority of starts, with Joseph Woll away from the team on a leave of absence. The 26-year-old made 26 stops and the first two goals weren’t his fault, although one may wonder how Primeau may fare against better competition.

“I was nervous not being able to play a preseason game and not being able to play the game with the group. A little bit nervous just trying to figure out how things are going to go,” Primeau said post-game.

Primeau may not be a reliable option going forward, but he did what was asked in backup duty against the Predators. And it’s not worth dwelling on too much, especially after how elated Primeau appeared to be after securing the 7-4 victory.

“That one felt good for sure. Just being able to get out with two points feels good,” Primeau said post-game, while noting with a smile that many of his family members opted to attend his sister’s birthday.