Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell Leafs debuts announced
Wednesday night's game against the New Jersey Devils will not only be the Next Gen Game but it will also usher in a new era of Leafs hockey as Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell are both set to make their Leaf debuts.
The newly acquired players will take part in their first practice on Tuesday and, assuming all goes well, they'll play Wednesday night. It's unknown where they'll slot into the lineup but knowing that Sheldon Keefe likes the Rielly and Lyubushkin pairing, Gio could be reunited with his former partner T.J. Brodie, from their days in Calgary. That being said, Rasmus Sandin's injury could change those plans.
Keefe did mention that he expects that the Leafs will try out some different pairings down the final stretch leading up to the playoffs before anything is solidified, so there are certainly plenty of options available to the Leafs' bench boss now that he has such a deep group.
Meanwhile, a feisty player like Colin Blackwell could fit in well on the Leafs' 4th line. Another option for the newly acquired forward could be giving him a shot with Tavares and Nylander and see if he could possibly play a Michael Bunting role on that line. I'd imagine that Keefe plans to employ the same strategy with Blackwell that he'll try with Giordano. Mix and match until the right fit is found.
We'll know more about Giordano and Blackwell's roles heading into Wednesday after Tuesday's practice.
| POLL | ||
MARS 21 | 315 ANSWERS Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell Leafs debuts announced Will Mark Giordano play with T.J. Brodie right away - or will he start on the third pair until he gets comfortable? | ||
| He'll reunite with Brodie | 269 | 85.4 % |
| Keefe will ease him in on the third pair | 46 | 14.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
