With the season already underway, we have had a short look at the squad that will be iced for the Maple Leafs. In this article we’ll look at 3 Maple Leafs who are penciled in to have breakout seasons for the Buds.

1. Matthew Knies

The easy, cop-out answer is Matthew Knies. Knies is entering his second full year in the NHL, Knies is in one of the best positions a winger could be in. Knies will be iced alongside stars Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, two of the NHL’s best and brightest talents. Knies has only gotten stronger and more confident throughout the offseason, and with a full NHL season under his belt, Knies is only going to be that much better. Knies is a consistently solid player, giving the Leafs a player who eats minutes, can play on both special teams, can get into the dirty areas, and fight for the puck. As he gets older and smarter with the NHL game, Knies’ goal total should rise as he plays.

Knies should be a top candidate for a breakout year. With how hard he plays his game, he is one of the games up and coming power forwards, with a lot more offensive talent than others. Fans should not be surprised to see Knies as a staple on Toronto’s top line, as well as being the next man up to operate on Toronto’s top powerplay unit.

2. Nicholas Robertson

Robbie’s NHL career has been slowed down constantly due to injuries, and Robertson wasn’t truly given the best shot over the last couple of years under former coach Sheldon Keefe. Now, with new management and new coaching – who seems to love Robertson’s work ethic among other things – Robertson should look to be a staple in Toronto’s middle-six, with time on the second powerplay unit.

Robertson has the ability to play with different kinds of talents, as he adds speed and offensive abilities to whatever combination of players he’ll be with. Coach Berube has highlighted Robertson’s work ethic multiple times during preseason and in the first couple post-game media scrums, showing his support for the Leafs young forward.

3. Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Ekman-Larsson was recently a member of the Stanley Cup winning Florida Panthers. He led the team as one of their top defenders in the postseason, notably quarterbacking their powerplay in the finals. OEL has had a good start to the NHL season thus far, having scored a goal most recently against the St. Louis Blues in the Leafs 5-1 loss. Even on the defensive side, Larsson has been a great addition for the Leafs, eating big minutes and being a strong, and competent defender on the backend. This is something that the Leafs have been wanting for the longest time, and having Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev on the team being those types of hard-nosed players, this Leafs team is looking a lot different come the postseason.

OEL brings solid NHL experience, as well as leadership, having been captain of the Arizona Coyotes earlier in his career. Now it looks like he has also replaced longtime powerplay man Morgan Rielly as the clubs new powerplay quarterback, Ekman-Larsson will be playing a big role for the Buds going forward.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a plethora of talent on their squad, and some of their players are due for their biggest seasons yet. Look for these specific Leafs to have eye-opening years, contributing to this team in a big way.