Status of Matthews a key point for Maple Leafs heading into final week of pre-season

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Author of the article:

Terry Koshan

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Oct 02, 2021  â€¢  30 minutes ago  â€¢  4 minute read  â€¢  Join the conversation Maple Leafs Auston Matthews hasn't played a game in the pre-season as of yet. Toronto Photo by Jack Boland /Toronto Sun Article content

One week and three pre-season games remain.

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Following a full day off on Saturday, the Maple Leafs will get back at it with practice on Sunday before a group heads off to Ottawa to take on the Senators on Monday night.

Expect coach Sheldon Keefe to take out his paring knife to make cuts once the back-to-back set â€" the Leafs play host to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday following the game in the nation’s capital â€" is done.

“The lineups that are put in place (by the opponent) are going to be more competitive and more NHL-like,” Keefe said. “We’re expecting that the players are going to be challenged in a greater way and that will help give us a sense of where that separation is.

“We will get two much-different looking (Leafs) lineups (against) Ottawa and Montreal. It will give us a better indication of where we’re at.”

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While there will be the on-going jockeying for spots on the left wing and for a fourth-line role, the biggest question in the final week prior to the Oct. 13 regular-season opener will be the status of centre Auston Matthews.

Will the Leafs’ best player be able to work his way back from left wrist surgery to the point that he can play in the final exhibition game, on Saturday at home against Ottawa?

One game isn’t much in the grand scheme, admittedly, but it would give Matthews a chance to get his timing down and also would provide an opportunity to get between newcomer Nick Ritchie and Mitch Marner for the first time.

“He has been skating a lot, his shot still looks deadly and he has been around the guys, which is great,” Marner said. “His spirits are still high, and it’s something you want. Whenever he is back, I’m sure he will jump right into the mix of things pretty quickly.”

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SANDIN’S SIGHTS

For defenceman Rasmus Sandin, who is about to embark on his first full season with the Leafs, the personal goal this week isn’t a mystery.

The 21-year-old was asked to assess his camp through the initial 10 days.

“A little bit up and down,” Sandin said. “I need to clean some stuff up.”

Such as?

“Move the puck a little bit quicker, do everything a little bit quicker,” Sandin said. “Play hard and play tough without the puck and keep moving the puck the same way as I have been, just do it a little quicker.”

Sandin mentioned the other day that he wants to start doing things “the Rasmus way.” He elaborated, a bit, on that.

“A lot of times since I was young, I’ve been (making) some weird decisions, no matter if it’s hockey or outside of hockey,” Sandin said. “But I’ve always believed in what I’ve been doing, and I’m going to keep doing that. I’m trying to go my own way and hopefully that will be a good way.”

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LOOSE LEAFS

Marner didn’t seem to have much of a problem with the hit he took from Nick Robertson in the Blue and White scrimmage, even if it was just about the only finished check during the game. “We’re competitive out there, we want make each other better,” Marner said. “It’s what we talked about from Day 1 of camp, is being competitive and making sure we’re pushing each other. It’s great to see that.” … William Nylander’s impression of Robertson: “He competes out there and he has a wicked shot. Tremendous talent.” … We’ll learn once the Leafs’ final roster is set which players, if any, were a bit of a revelation to Keefe. Late on Friday night, he was not tempted to name names. “There definitely has been (some),” Keefe said. “I’m not going to single out guys at this point. I don’t think it’s fair to do that.” … The economics of the game (also known as the flat salary cap) result in some players getting little more than a professional tryout. In a perfect world, or one in which the cap would have increased by several million dollars without a pandemic, a player such as forward Nikita Gusev would have been signed. Instead, Gusev is with the Leafs on a tryout, and he stood out during the special-teams portion on Friday with a couple of nifty power-play goals. You figure he’s going to get a contract somewhere, if not with Toronto … Sandin on the confidence of good friend Timothy Liljegren, who, if nothing else, should have a clamp on the spot as the seventh defenceman: “He’s very sure of what he’s doing. During practices and during games, he has been very comfortable. Making really good plays with the puck and without the puck, he has been playing hard. He has been looking good.” … Defenceman Teemu Kivihalme, placed on waivers on Friday, cleared on Saturday … Marner on Sandin’s ridiculous move during the shootout on Friday, when Sandin fooled goalie Michael Hutchinson with a deke to his forehand: “Hell of a move. Pretty silky player.”

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