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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Kristen Shilton checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs, who held an 11 a.m. practice at Ford Performance Centre.

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The Maple Leafs made official on Monday what was increasingly clear throughout the team’s training camp: Rasmus Sandin is ready for the NHL.

The 19-year-old defenceman’s strong preseason propelled him past the club’s final round of cuts to the initial 23-man roster. He’s expected to make his NHL debut in Wednesday’s season opener against Ottawa.

“It’s really cool. It’s a dream come true,” Sandin said after Toronto’s practice on Monday. “That’s what all the hockey players are playing for. You want to take a spot in the NHL and it feels really good right now, obviously, but it’s only the first step here too. There’s a long way to go.”

Sandin was one of three freshmen to make the Leafs’ initial roster, along with Timothy Liljegren and Dmytro Timashov. If all goes to plan, he will be the first 19-year-old defenceman to suit up for Toronto since Morgan Rielly in 2013.

The team selected Sandin in the first round, 29th overall, in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He’s played just one year of professional hockey, suiting up for the Toronto Marlies in the 2018-19 campaign, but that 28-point effort (six goals, 22 assists) in 44 games primed Sandin to impress in the Leafs’ camp.

“He played good over a time and not just last year, but through the year and then in exhibition,” said head coach Mike Babcock of how Sandin secured his spot. “The more situations we put him in, the more he just played well.”

While Toronto likes what its seen so far from Sandin on the team’s third pairing with Martin Marincin, Babcock cautioned that any decision made now is subject to change once the regular season ramps up.

“These decisions are all for the start and we just keep going and we see what happens,” he said. “As long as [Sandin] keeps going in the right direction, this will be a real good thing for him. But we have to understand he’s a young player. His development is very, very important for us. Winning is very important for us, but his development is as well.”

Sandin focused on showcasing the depth of talent he already has in order to make an indelible mark on the Leafs’ brass, leaning on Rielly as a sounding board to avoid any pitfalls.

“I think I just kept playing my game, even though some games I didn’t play as much as maybe you want to or you’re used to,” Sandin said. “I was positive all the time and had a pretty good camp. I talk to [Rielly] a lot off the ice and also on the ice. He’s a guy who wants to help us younger guys on the team. He’s just a great guy and a great hockey player, so he’s a good guy to look up to for sure.”

The best advice Rielly said he could give Sandin is not to lose touch with what got him to the NHL in the first place.

“He shows a lot of confidence and he seems comfortable, so just go out there and be yourself,” Rielly said. “He made the team playing his game, so just keep doing more of the same. He’s a great player; we’re lucky to have him.”

Rielly remembers well the inevitable butterflies that will surely hit Sandin before puck drop of his debut, but trusts his fellow blueliner won’t be slowed by them.

“It’s nerve-racking. Your first opportunity to start your career, essentially, is what you’re doing,” Rielly said. “There’s a lot of pressure there. You want to play well. You want to help the team and there are a lot of different thoughts going on. He’s a great player and he earned his spot, so he’ll just go out there and be [himself].”

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When Toronto opens its season on Wednesday, the team will be without 13 of the 20 players who skated in their regular-season opener one year ago, replacing them with the likes of Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci, Jason Spezza and Alexander Kerfoot.

It’s been a high level of turnover for even Babcock to grasp throughout the team’s preseason.

“[There were a] couple nights when I was running the bench, I didn’t know what some of the guys can do, so you’re just learning that as you go,” he said. “But I think we had a pretty good training camp, and obviously we’re like [30] other teams; we’re optimistic, and we’re excited and we’re looking forward to getting going.”

Babcock admitted that a few of his preconceived ideas about where the Leafs would be at this point have already gone out the window.

“We’ve made a ton of changes in the off-season with the players, coaching staff, with how we’re approaching things and what we’re doing and so you’d like to see what works and what doesn’t,” he said. “Some of the things we thought we were going to do, we’ve gassed already. So just goes to show you, if it doesn’t lead to winning and success, there’s probably not much point in doing it.”

Introducing so many new bodies into important roles may not have been the easiest way to open training camp, but nearly three weeks later, most everyone should be feeling acclimated.

“By this time we’re all pretty comfortable. We all know where we stand, who your d-partner is, who your linemates are,” Rielly said. “I think we’re all feeling good. We know what’s coming. We’re just looking forward to start playing for real.”

Babcock keyed on Rielly and John Tavares, who both served as alternate captains last year, as players expected to set the right tone for those around them – especially the newcomers.

“Just get everyone together, whether that’s here working hard in practice, in our meetings, and feeling comfortable with what we do every day and as a group,” Tavares explained of his leadership role. “Trying to spend a lot of time together and get to know each other as people and really build those bonds and start this journey together.”

Tavares said he has been continually encouraged by the daily progress and increasing cohesion the Leafs have shown during the preseason.

“We’ve been building really well and the progress this last week and how we kept getting better and better [has been great],” he said. “I thought we did some really good things and the last few exhibition games, just playing some hockey we really wanted to build our identity on and now it’s carrying that over and continuing to build on that and continuing to fine-tune and push one another through what will be a long journey.”

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Timashov didn’t know what to expect walking into his Monday morning meeting with Leafs' general manager Kyle Dubas, but was more than pleasantly surprised to learn he’d made the cut on Toronto’s initial 23-man roster.

“I’m really happy. I’ve been working hard for this,” Timashov said. “When I found out today from Kyle, I was really happy, and a little emotional maybe, but I’m really happy.”

At 22, Timashov has waited patiently for his turn to not only impress Toronto, but for the team to have a spot open for the taking. Timashov has slowly built up his game with the Marlies since being drafted in the fifth round, 125th overall, by the Leafs in 2015, progressing to a career-best year in 2018-19 with 49 points (14 goals, 35 assists) in 72 games.

He spent most of training camp sharing the ice with Toronto’s other NHLers, but Timashov still felt like the new kid stepping on the ice for his first real team session on Monday ahead of the club’s opener.

“I’ve been practising with all these guys, but today I was a little bit nervous at the practice,” he admitted. “For sure I will be nervous on Wednesday too, but I just have to handle that and play good.”

The three years of familiarity Timashov already has with the organization, and particularly his friendships with Leafs’ teammates Frederik Gauthier, Liljegren, Andreas Johnsson and William Nylander, should help ease his transition into the next stage of his career.

“I just think I worked hard and I knew there were a lot of guys fighting for those spots and I just did my best and see what happened,” Timashov said. “I worked hard, and I’m happy.”

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Maple Leafs lines at practice:

Kapanen-Tavares-Marner

Johnsson-Matthews-Nylander

Mikheyev-Kerfoot-Moore

Timashov-Spezza-Gauthier

Shore

 

Rielly-Ceci

Muzzin-Barrie

Sandin-Marincin

Liljegren-Holl

 

Andersen

Hutchinson