Bottom-6 forward competition giving Sheldon Keefe a lot to think about
The Toronto Maple Leafs have one of the best offenses in the league, but at the same time, one of the most expensive. With Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander leading the way, all Kyle Dubas and company have had to do was assemble a worthwhile, cheap and dependable bottom 6. Easier said than done.
This year, things are going to be a little different to start the season due to Tavares' injury, but the Leafs are still equipped with Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and last year's surprise in Michael Bunting.
In the off-season, Dubas and company got busy and addressed their depth and added some intriguing names to compete for spots in the bottom 6. They added players like Calle Jarnkrok, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Adam Gaudette, and Zach Aston-Reese to the fold and had a pre-existing bunch that already included Alex Kerfoot, David Kampf, Wayne Simmonds, Kyle Clifford, and Pierre Engvall.
This new-found depth on the bottom 6 has not eluded the view of head coach Sheldon Keefe, who is very excited about the prospects of his lineup heading into the season opener. Keefe was quoted as saying "Certainly in my time here, this is the most competition we've had and the hardest decisions we've had."
Additionally, Nicolas Robertson figures to join the cluster of forwards attempting to crack the opening night roster. With John Tavares set to miss a few weeks, many will be vying to take advantage of his absence and that inner-competition can only be a good thing for a Leafs team looking to finally take the reins within their division and advance past the first round.
