The Toronto Maple Leafs will be making some lineup decisions ahead of Tuesday’s home game against the Calgary Flames.
With William Nylander, Calle Jarnkrok, and Scott Laughton all dealing with injuries, Toronto is making some lineup changes. One player who’s set to make his season debut is Sammy Blais, whom the Maple Leafs claimed off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the season.
Blais played for Craig Berube with the St. Louis Blues, as he was part of the Stanley Cup-winning team in 2019. Although Blais has yet to play this season, that appears like it will change on Tuesday, and Berube explained why he’s finally getting into the lineup.
“I think we’ve had numbers here, right? We’ve been getting Easton Cowan going and some of the other guys,” Berube said after practice on Monday. “That’s the reason; it is more of a numbers thing than anything. We had our guys here. We picked him up off waivers, which is great, but that is really what it boils down to.
“Sammy is a physical player. He likes to throw his body around on the forecheck. From the past time when I’ve had Sammy, he has really good hands; he is good in tight with the puck, and he can do pretty incredible things with the puck. He has a good shot, too. More than anything, he is going to go out there, finish his checks, and try to make the other team uncomfortable.”
He’s expected to play on the fourth line and give Toronto some more speed and grit to the bottom of the lineup.
Blais hasn’t played in an NHL game since the 2023-24 season. In his career, he’s skated in 257 games, recording 27 goals and 44 assists for 71 points.
Maple Leafs Projected Lines
With Blais expected to draw into the lineup, Toronto is expected to shake up the forward lines.
Nylander is considered a game-time decision, and if he plays, the lines will change. But, if Nylander remains out, here is what the Maple Leafs’ forward lines are expected to look like on Tuesday.
Bobby McMann – Auston Matthews – Nick Robertson
Matthew Knies – John Tavares – Matias Maccelli
Dakota Joshua – Nic Roy – Easton Cowan
Steven Lorentz – Max Domi – Sammy Blais
The Maple Leafs will use a top line of McMann and Robertson alongside Matthews, which Berube was happy about.
“Speed. A lot of speed on the wings,” Berube said of the top line. “They were getting on top of people. It was a good goal by Nicky, coming off the bench and finding that hole there. They made a nice play to him. Nicky has speed, Bobby has speed, and Auston has speed; it’s a fast line. I want them to be direct. They’ve got to just play direct, do their job in the offensive zone, and make sure they’re responsible defensively.”
Toronto is off to a 4-4-1 start.
Berube Was Excited to Coach Blais Again
Toronto claimed Blais off waivers to add more depth to the roster.
Blais is familiar with Berube, and after the roster move, the Maple Leafs coach was excited about the roster move.
“He knows what I expect out of him, and I know what I’m getting out of him,” Berube said about Blais before the season. “I think more than anything, I know what type of player he is and what he brings to our team, and he knows what I want, so, it’s good to have him.”
Blais was selected in the sixth round of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Blues.
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