Leafs not taking the 2022-23 season lightly; Rielly says they have a lot to prove this year
It's truly an amazing time to be a sports fan in Toronto right now with the Toronto Blue Jays set to kick off their Wild Card Series tomorrow against the Seattle Mariners, the Toronto Raptors season starting in 2 weeks time, and of course the Toronto Maple Leafs kicking off the season in style with a back to back on the 12th and 13th against the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals respectively in what should be another strong season from one of the league's top teams.
The Maple Leafs enter the 2022-23 season with high expectations yet again after finishing 2nd in the Atlantic Division, 3rd in the Eastern Conference, and 4th in the NHL with 115 points last season. The Leafs come into the season with essentially the same core with the exception of some changes made to their bottom-6 and depth.
However the same can't be said for some of their divisional rivals, as the Florida Panthers made a slew of changes that will surely have them regressing from their 122-point season, the Boston Bruins are heavily injured, which leaves the Tampa Bay Lightning to fend off for the top spot.
Veteran defenseman, Morgan Rielly, had this to say about the Leafs heading into a very pivotal campaign: "We got a lot of work to do. We have a lot to prove. We don't have anything to kind of brag about, but I think that we're confident bunch. I think this can be a really good team."
The Leafs' inability to show up during the playoffs has been dissected at length. They need to break free of their downtrodden first round luck. Year after year, the microscope gets closer and closer, the seat gets hotter and hotter, and the fanbase gets more and more restless as the perennial regular-season beasts are always tamed come spring-time.
Morgan Rielly and company think differently, the coaching staff is aware of the pressure, and you don't have to remind Kyle Dubas either. The Toronto Maple Leafs are raring to get this season going and change the misfortunes of their past. It's time to change the narrative surrounding this team and Rielly knows it.
| POLL | ||
7 OCTOBRE | 207 ANSWERS Leafs not taking the 2022-23 season lightly; Rielly says they have a lot to prove this year How many points will Morgan Rielly produce for the Leafs this season? | ||
| 45-55 | 50 | 24.2 % |
| 56-65 | 82 | 39.6 % |
| 66-75 | 58 | 28 % |
| More than 75 | 17 | 8.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
