Maple Leafs Need Matthews and Bobrovsky to Make Each Other Better

The Toronto Maple Leafs changed enough this summer that, at times, it feels like we’re looking at a completely different hockey team. There’s new management. New coaching. New players. And more depth. A different look on defence. Even the bottom six feels like it belongs to a different version of the organization.

And yet, after all those changes, the Maple Leafs may still be leaning on two areas they’ve relied on for years: Auston Matthews and their goaltending.

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Matthews and Bobrovsky Will Be Asked to Lead the Maple Leafs

Matthews and Sergei Bobrovsky will have a lot to say about how this season goes. Not necessarily because either one needs to be the loudest guy in the room. It’s because they’re two of the players everyone else will be watching. Matthews might feel that pressure more than anyone. He’s the captain, he’s the face of the Leafs, and people have expected him to carry this team for a long time. Changing the players around him won’t make those expectations disappear.

Toronto doesn’t just need Matthews to score goals. It needs him to look comfortable. Confident. Like a player who knows exactly where this team is going. Bobrovsky brings a completely different kind of pressure.

He’s the veteran goalie who has won two Stanley Cups and played in just about every difficult situation the NHL can throw at a goaltender. The Leafs aren’t simply hoping he’ll make saves. They’re hoping he’ll give the team the feeling that one bad shift, or even one ugly period, doesn’t automatically become a disaster.

Having Bobrovsky with Matthews Brings a Different Level of Respect

And there’s something else about having these two players together that I find interesting. Matthews is used to being the guy everybody looks toward in Toronto. Bobrovsky arrives with a resume that demands respect. He’s already been through some of the pressure Matthews is still learning to navigate.

From what I am reading, Matthews may be a little in awe of Bobrovsky. Wouldn’t be surprising. Goalies can have that effect, especially goalies who have won at the highest level. But it has to work both ways.

Bobrovsky may be the established veteran, but Matthews is this team’s captain. He’s the guy who drives the offence. He’s the guy the Leafs have built around.

The Balance Between Matthews and Bobrovsky Could Be Important

Matthews can bring the goals and the belief. Bobrovsky can bring the calm and the experience. One has to put the puck in the net. The other has to keep it out. It’s pretty simple, really.

After changing almost everything else, maybe the Maple Leafs need Matthews and Bobrovsky to make each other comfortable enough to do what they’ve always done best. Sometimes a new team doesn’t need a new star. It needs the stars it already has to fit together a little better.

The bottom line is that Matthews and Bobrovsky don’t have to lead the same way; they may actually complement each other because they lead differently.

Related: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Oilers, Maple Leafs & Blue Jackets Issue