Leafs wary of young Habs with point to prove

The Maple Leafs and Canadiens skated at the Bell Centre on Wednesday. 

The Leafs will look to exploit a Canadiens defence with four rookies, including two players – Kaiden Guhle and Arber Xhekaj – who are making their NHL debuts. 

"The young guys are always hungry to try and prove a point, especially these guys," warned winger Mitch Marner. "These guys have a lot of Canadian guys on their roster. In Canada, Toronto is always a team that gets talked about a lot. Everyone is always excited to show [off] against us and prove a point."

"Watching them in pre-season, they're flying around," said 39-year-old defenceman Mark Giordano, who has played in more NHL games than the entire Montreal defence combined. "That's the way the league is now. It's a young man's game, so we have to be aware." 

Guhle, a 20-year-old from Edmonton, projects to play on the top pair opposite David Savard while Xhekaj, a 21-year-old from Hamilton, Ont., is slated to start beside Chris Wideman on the second pair. 

The Leafs finished second in goals per game last season (3.8). Toronto's attack features the reigning Hart Trophy winner in Auston Matthews and Marner, who racked up 97 points last season.  

"We've played against those guys a couple times in the pre-season, so it's good to get those jitters out of the way when you see those guys coming down on you," Guhle told reporters. "I think we're comfortable playing against those guys."

"I've been pretty calm," said Xhekaj. "I think it's more my parents who are nervous and pinching themselves and realizing what's actually happened. I find I usually don't take it in. Like, everything happens fast for me, and I don't have time to soak it in. I just have to get up and play."

Montreal's third defence pair features Johnathan Kovacevic, 25, who has four games of NHL experience, and 22-year-old Jordan Harris, who made his NHL debut last season suiting up in 10 games with the Canadiens. 

Toronto's forward group will be at full strength as centre John Tavares returns from an oblique injury. 

"We want to stress the opponents defence and their goaltender as much as we can and spend as much time as we can on their half of the ice," said coach Sheldon Keefe. "We have four lines we can roll consistently and should be relentless in nature." 

The Leafs and Canadiens split four games last season, with Montreal outscoring Toronto 12-8.

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Xhekaj didn't get picked in the Ontario Hockey League draft. He didn't get picked in the National Hockey League draft. When the OHL didn't hold a season during the pandemic, he worked at Costco. 

"It's amazing," said Xhekaj, who earned a contract as a free-agent invite at Montreal's 2021 training camp. "It's special. The past two years have been crazy for me."

Marner watched Xhekaj's run to the OHL title last season in Hamilton and was impressed. 

"His story is pretty cool," Marner said. "I didn't know he was not drafted to either league and to be where he is now, it's outstanding. It's the kind of story that kids need to look at and grow up watching because it's not always the prettiest way to get to where you want to be. It's about working hard and keeping your dreams alive."

Xhekaj lists Toronto's Jake Muzzin and Detroit's Ben Chiarot, a fellow Hamiltonian, as his NHL role models. 

"He's a big man that tries to put his physicality in his game first and tries to make it hard on other people," Marner noted. "For us, it's just making sure we're making smart plays with it, supporting each other on the ice and trying to draw people into us and open up other guys."

"I just got to know my time and know my place," Xhekaj said. "I obviously want to make a statement and show I'm going to be a physical guy and take care of business if it has to be done." 

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The Canadiens will also have a rookie up front as first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky lines up beside Christian Dvorak and Brendan Gallagher. 

"It feels like dream life," the Slovak winger told reporters. "Get drafted by Montreal. Opening night against Toronto in Montreal. It's like a dream and I'm just happy to be part of it."

Is he dealing with nerves? 

"Maybe I'm a little nervous, but I don't show it," he said with a wry grin. "Or not yet."

The 18-year-old has excelled on the big stage in his young career. He was the MVP at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.

"He's a big man," Marner observed. "He moves very well on his feet for how tall he is (6-foot-3). Obviously, he's got a pretty wicked shot. He makes some good plays out there. He can see the ice very well and he's not afraid to take pucks to the net."

Matthews, a fellow first-overall pick, paused when asked if he had any advice for Slafkovsky.  

"That's an interesting question," the Leafs centre said, "because they're an opponent so I don't know. You kind of figure it out along the way. I'm not sure I got too much advice [for him]. He got picked there for a reason so I'm sure he'll be ready." 

It's the anniversary of Matthews' NHL debut. He famously scored a record four goals in Ottawa on Oct. 12, 2016. 

"Obviously, a lot of work goes into getting up to that point," the Arizona native recalled. "Finally living your dream, playing in the NHL, playing your first game, a lot of emotions kind of run through your head. In the end, it's just hockey and something we've all been doing for our whole lives, so that's the kind of mindset that I try to have every night going into a game regardless of the situation."

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Top-line winger Michael Bunting, who's entering the final year of his current contract, told reporters that he's open to negotiating during the season. 

During Inside Trading on Tuesday's edition of SportsCentre, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported that there haven't been any contract talks yet, but when those negotiations begin the sense is a maximum eight-year deal will be appealing to both sides. 

"I'm a Toronto boy. I love playing for the Maple Leafs. This is my home," Bunting told reporters, including Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. "I grew up in Scarborough, and, yeah, it's so much fun putting on that sweater every single night. That's what I will say about it, and I hope everything else figures out itself."

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Leafs lines for the 2022-23 season opener: 

Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Nylander - Tavares - Malgin 
Engvall - Kerfoot - Jarnkrok 
Aston-Reese - Kampf - Aube-Kubel

Rielly - Brodie
Muzzin - Holl 
Giordano - Sandin 

Murray starts
Samsonov

Injured: Liljegren (hernia), Benn (groin) 

Flashback: Leafs lines for the 2021-22 season opener: 

Ritchie - Tavares - Marner 
Bunting - Kerfoot - Nylander 
Engvall - Kampf - Kase
Spezza - Amadio - Simmonds 

Rielly - Brodie 
Muzzin - Holl 
Sandin - Dermott 

Campbell starts 
Mrazek

Injured: Matthews (wrist)