One trade has been made with plenty more to come, as the Maple Leafs keep trudging through their deadline-week schedule tonight in the Big Apple. Bobby McMann, OEL, and Scott Laughton will remain on the sidelines for “roster management” reasons, while Jacob Quillan steps in at center ice for the departed Nic Roy (7:00 p.m. EST, TSN4).
Game Day Quotes
Craig Berube on the Nic Roy trade:
It is all difficult. All this stuff.
He has played pretty well for us. It is tough to see him go. But that is the situation we’re in.
It is a tight-knit group in there. They won’t be happy about it.
Again, we put ourselves in this situation, so this is what happens.
Berube on McMann, OEL, and Laughton sitting out another game for “roster management” reasons:
They want to play. First and foremost, they want to play. It is a tough situation for them.
Berube on the expectations for Jacob Quillan:
He is definitely going to get more of a look to see what he can do. Second-year pro.
It will be a good experience for him to come up here. Use his speed. That is a big asset for him: his speed and being competitive.
Keep the game simple as best he can.
Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan on whether he will meet up with Auston Matthews after their Olympic experience together last month:
I would envision, if anything, it would probably be a casual hello after the game. When you win a gold medal with guys or Stanley Cup championships, it has the ability to galvanize a group. It is such a unique experience.
I have so much respect for all of those guys and what they were able to accomplish. Auston was our team captain and a huge part of the team’s success.
Sullivan on Matthews’ leadership:
I just think the way Auston leads is through example. He plays the game on both sides of the puck. He is committed to winning. He wants to win.
I thought he did a great job off the ice as far as rallying the team and building camaraderie around activities away from the rink and in the village. He was a big part of that.
He is not a rah-rah guy. He is a quiet guy. The biggest way he leads is through his example and how he plays the game. That is inspiring.
Sullivan on coaching a team in “sell” mode:
The uncertainty of it all is the most difficult part of it, right? That’s for everybody, not just players; it’s everybody involved. This is never an easy time. This is the reality of this time of year, leading up to the trade deadline. There is always an element of uncertainty, and it affects people’s lives. It is not easy.
We are going to stay in the moment. We are going to try to win the game right in front of us. We’ll talk about details, bringing a certain mindset, and staying in the moment, not getting overwhelmed by the circumstances or the noise around the team.
Maple Leafs (27-24-11) vs. Rangers (23-29-8): Head-to-Head Stats
via NaturalStatTrick.com & AdvancedHockeyStats.com
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines
Forwards
#63 Matias Maccelli – #34 Auston Matthews – #88 William Nylander
#23 Matthew Knies – #91 John Tavares – #53 Easton Cowan
#81 Dakota Joshua– #11 Max Domi – #89 Nick Robertson
#18 Steven Lorentz – #26 Jacob Quillan – #19 Calle Jarnkrok
Defensemen
#44 Morgan Rielly – #25 Brandon Carlo
#22 Jake McCabe – #28 Troy Stecher
#2 Simon Benoit – #51 Philippe Myers
Goaltenders
Starter: #60 Joseph Woll
#41 Anthony Stolarz
Extras: Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Injured: Chris Tanev (LTIR)
New York Rangers Projected Lines
Forwards
#94 Gabriel Perreault – #93 Mika Zibanejad – #13 Alexis Lafreniere
#50 Will Cuylle – #22 Jonny Brodzinski – #14 Taylor Raddysh
#24 Tye Kartye – #42 Noah Laba – #43 Conor Sheary
#84 Adam Edstrom – #71 Juuso Parssinen – #49 Jaroslav Chmelar
Defensemen
#44 Vladislav Gavrikov – #23 Adam Fox
#4 Braden Schneider – #17 Will Borgen
#29 Matt Robertson – #6 Vincent Iorio
Goaltenders
Starter: #31 Igor Shesterkin
#32 Jonathan Quick
Injured/Out: J.T. Miller, Matt Rempe
