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TSN Toronto Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs, who practised at Ford Performance Centre on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers.

John Tavares is looking like an Olympian on and off the ice these days. The Leafs centre is second on the team with 15 points in 16 games. He also recently served as a model for Team Canada's 2022 Olympic gear. 
 
"I got some good ribbing in the room," the 31-year-old said with a smile. "It's not my forte, I would say. Keep my day job, that's for sure."

Wayne Simmonds started laughing when asked about his captain's photo shoot. 
 
"We gave him the gears a little bit for it," Simmonds said. "We got pictures all over the team chat so it's pretty hilarious, but he looked good. A little bit of a different style for Johnny but he rocked it well."
 
"I don't know if it's my style choice, but it's working for him," said linemate Alex Kerfoot. 
 
"Pretty funny-looking coat there, but it looked OK on him," said big left winger Nick Ritchie. 
 
"All the guys said some comments about the coat," Tavares noted. "I thought it looked pretty good. I don't know."
 
What's not in dispute is how much Tavares wants another shot at the Olympics. 
 
"Definitely, you can tell," Simmonds said. "He's doing the modelling for it. He's playing great right now so he should have a great shot at making that team."
 

 
Tavares is usually a stoic, even-keeled guy with the media, but he lights up when the Olympics are mentioned. 
 
"It's such a rare opportunity," he said. "Such a unique opportunity. It was amazing in Sochi. From a personal standpoint it didn't end great. I'd love another opportunity."
 
An injury kept Tavares out of the medal-round games in 2014. Another injury cost him the chance to play basically the entire 2021 playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens in May. So, you can understand why the Oakville, Ont., native is craving best-on-best competition. 
 
"He's come in even more focused and driven this season," said coach Sheldon Keefe. "Even though he didn't play in our series, save for a couple shifts against Montreal, he's come in as fired up as anyone and motivated to improve our group and be better."
 
To stay at the top of the game, you have to get out of your comfort zone at times and Tavares has done that. He even organized a team-bonding trip to his cottage during the summer. 
 
"That's something that he's never done," Keefe pointed out. "A lot of players, rightfully so, look at the off-season as their personal time and John has a young family and, despite all that, he prioritized getting the group together."
 
With eight goals, Tavares is tied for seventh among Canadian forwards entering play on Wednesday. 
 
"You could tell that he was even more focused and had even extra urgency to his preparations so it's not a surprise that he's gotten off to the [good] start," Keefe said. "He's in a real nice groove for us producing greatly on offence, but doing so while being good on defence as well."
 
If Tavares keeps it up, he may just earn a ticket to Beijing in February.   
 
"You just try to be in the moment as best you can," he said. "Wake up today and get my oldest ready for school, put my shoes on, get a coffee in me and get ready to go out there and have a good practice and prepare for tomorrow." 
 
As for that controversial coat from the photo shoot? 
 
"I'd like to get it for real," Tavares said.  

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Ritchie was benched for part of the second period on Tuesday night after taking a slashing penalty. 
 
"Not a very smart penalty," the Orangeville, Ont., native admitted. "A little bit of frustration, maybe, but I know not to do that any more ... You can't take penalties where you're not saving a goal or something like that."
 
Earlier in the game, Ritchie had dropped the gloves with Michael McCarron, which he says contributed to the lapse in judgment.
 
"I was wound up," he explained. "I had a fight there in the first period and just a little bit adrenaline kind of thing more than anything." 

"Ritch and I talked before the season even began about penalties and finding that balance," Keefe revealed. "Getting in a fight like that, I don't have a lot of experience with that, but you can appreciate how it gets you fired up and it takes a while to come down from that. But that's the challenge, right, is to stay disciplined. So, he missed a few shifts. I got him right back in the mix, because I thought he was doing well and there was a lot of game left at that time, but those type of penalties we can't tolerate."
 
Keefe was sending a message not just to Ritchie, but the entire team. 
 
"It's really more about the team, frankly, than it is about Nick, in that case, because I do sympathize with the type of game he has to play to be engaged and at times you cross that line a little bit and that's part of what you get. But you do need to control it there. It's a very tight game and retaliatory penalties like that don't really help the team in any way."
 
Before the game, Ritchie was promoted back to the top line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. And, outside of the penalty, he received a positive review. 
 
"I actually thought Nick was playing well," said Keefe. "Competing well. The fight came to him because of how he was competing and playing. He gets some really good, clean contact on one of their top defencemen [Mattias Ekholm], which creates a turnover and launches Mitch and Auston on a two-on-one and then the fight comes to him."
 


Ritchie appreciated the chance to play on the top line again after things didn't work out during a six-game audition at the start of the year. 
 
"It gives you some confidence," he said. "We played a pretty good, solid defensive game as a team and didn't give up much. Pretty complete effort and the line had a few chances." 
 
Ritchie is stuck on just two assists, both on the power play, through 17 games. 
 
"Just got to keep plugging away and shooting and trying my best and getting to the front of the net and hopefully something falls soon," he said. 

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Ondrej Kase continued his strong play on Tuesday, picking up an assist on the insurance goal by David Kampf and then helping preserve the lead with a big shot block on Nashville’s Roman Josi late in the third period. 
 
"I loved it," said defenceman Justin Holl. "Little two-pad stack, you love to see it. Those are the plays that win you games and that's a big compete play. He's been doing that all year for us."
 
Kase now has a point in four straight games. 
 
"He has scored 20 goals in the league," noted Keefe. "He can score. He has that skill set, but he plays hard. You can just see it in the way he skates — he digs into the ice, he is pushing, and he is giving it everything that he's got. That shot block at the end, he is emptying the tank."

 
The shot left a mark and Kase missed practice on Wednesday. 
 
"We're going to see how he is tomorrow," said Keefe. "He went and had a picture this morning and it came back clear so that's good news. We'll just have to see how he is in the morning."
 
Kase has been a key part of Toronto's new shutdown line this season. That group, which starts most shifts in the defensive zone, is suddenly starting to score. In fact, Kampf now has goals in consecutive games for the first time in his NHL career.
 
"It is great to see them get rewarded, especially for two guys that I honestly don't think care if they score," said Keefe. "They know what they need to do and bring for the team. These guys don't cut corners at all. Those are the guys you want to see get rewarded. They deserve it. They generate chances. They're good players. They hold onto the puck. They are not only diligent defensively, but they do great things."

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Simmonds admits it was tough to sit as a healthy scratch on Saturday night in Buffalo. 
 
"First time for me in 14 years I've ever been healthy scratched during the regular season," he said. "It was a little bit of a tough pill to swallow, but we got a lot [of] depth here, right, so every piece of this team is extremely important. So, for me, it was trying to get ready for the next game and make sure my head was still in it." 
 
Does the 33-year-old, who has played 963 NHL games, see value in load management? 
 
"I don't know," Simmonds said. "We have our Sports Science guys that handle that sort of stuff. I'm the type of player that I want to play every single night. My role's been reduced a little bit this year so that's up to the coaching staff. If it's up to me, I'm playing every game." 
 
Simmonds is averaging nine minutes and 29 seconds of ice time per game this season, which is last among Leafs forwards. Last season, he averaged 11 minutes and 59 seconds of ice time per game. 
 
Despite the reduced role, Simmonds is still finding a way to make an impact. On Tuesday, he was set to drop the gloves with Mark Borowiecki but called off the fight after accidentally poking the Predators defenceman in the eye. 
 
"I'm not going to attack a guy like that," said Simmonds. "There's no point in doing that. I'm not that type of player. I'm not going to attack anyone that was vulnerable." 

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The competition for jobs at the bottom of Toronto's lineup is only going to get fiercer after the team acquired gritty winger Kyle Clifford from the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday afternoon. 
 
"I have come to really respect Cliff, who he is as a person, and what he has accomplished in the league," said Keefe. "We would've liked to have seen him return to us a season ago, but having him back in the organization now, I think it will be a very welcoming group if and when he gets with us. I believe over time, he will find his way here. Just the fact that he is in our organization, adding to our depth — it is a positive thing for us."
 
Clifford, who played 16 games for the Leafs during the 2019-20 season, passed through waivers prior to the trade on Tuesday. 
 
"He hasn't played much this season," Keefe pointed out. "He was on the COVID list for a while there and missed a good period of time. He has only played two games this season. My understanding is that he is going to go down to the Marlies and get himself up and running."

 
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Jack Campbell loves pumping the tires of teammates, but he is usually tightlipped when it comes to his life and game. 
 
"I don't really, normally, share too many personal things," the 29-year-old said. 
 
On Tuesday night, after shutting out the Predators in the 100th game of his NHL career, the goalie made an exception when asked about Dion Phanuef. The former Leafs captain officially retired on Tuesday and was honoured in a pre-game ceremony. Phaneuf finished his career in Los Angeles at the same time that Campbell was in the process of reviving his. 
 
"He's truly a legendary teammate," Campbell said. 
 

 
On Feb. 17, 2018, Campbell made the second start of his NHL career. The stakes felt high. 
 
"It was my only shot to really prove I'm ready," Campbell recalled. "It was my first start since I was like 20, 21-years-old and Dion came up and gave me a pep talk. I'll never forget that. I'll keep the words between us, but I really appreciated that."
 
Campbell stopped 41 of 42 shots in a win over Vegas that night. It was part of a steady rise back up the ranks. 
 
A first-round pick in 2010, the Michigan native is now finally established as an NHL starter. Campbell actually leads the NHL in save percentage (.943) this season and is starting to get questions about his candidacy for the United States Olympic team. Campbell shrugs off those queries, saying he's too busy to think about much beyond the next game. He's already played in 14 of Toronto's 17 games this season. 
 
"I'm just trying to have as much fun as I can," he said. 
 
In that regard, Toronto's goalie coach has been a key ally. 
 
"Steve Briere has been unbelievable for me," Campbell said. "His work ethic is second to none. It's unbelievable. I don't want to say too much, but he just does it all for me. He pushes me. We have a great time every, single day and have a lot of fun."
 
A recent example came after Monday's practice when Campbell proudly brought a trophy onto the ice ahead of some breakaway work. 
 
"Stevie built it from scratch," said Campbell with a laugh. "What can I say about him, he backs it up. He works. We just wanted to build some internal competition for practice days and put something on the line. The guy or the team that does the best in the shootout that day gets the trophy."

 

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Lines at Wednesday's practice: 
 
Ritchie - Matthews - Marner 
Kerfoot - Tavares - Nylander 
Engvall - Kampf - Semyonov 
Bunting - Spezza - Simmonds 
 
Rielly - Brodie 
Muzzin - Holl 
Sandin - Dermott 
Liljegren 
 
Campbell 
Woll 
 
Absent: Kase 
Injured: Mikheyev, Mrazek