The Toronto Maple Leafs made a bunch of changes ahead of their game vs. Colorado after being without John Tavares as they debut a new defenseman as well.
Coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night, the Maple Leafs head into Colorado for another Western Conference tilt against a team that has been red-hot to start the 2026-27 season.
Already going to be without John Tavares due to the birth of his new baby, the Maple Leafs are going to be in tough against Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and the rest of the Avalanche powerhouses but they have a debuting defenseman.
Maple Leafs debut a brand new lineup against the Avalanche
Jim Hiller is running with seven defenders and 11 forwards on Saturday as Nick Blankenburg makes his Maple Leafs debut on Saturday night:
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Going by practice, this is how the rest of the team will line up, with one of the top forwards such as William Nylander pulling double duty:
Marchenko - Matthews - Roslovic
Cowan - Paul - Nylander
McKenna - Sissons - Groulx
Blueger - Duhaime
McCabe - Raddysh
Rielly - Tanev
OEL - Stecher
Blankenburg
Bobrovsky*
Stolarz
*Starter to be named during warmups
The first line remains unchanged from how it has been recently, but the second line gets a facelift after John Tavares' absence due to the birth of his child. It's a high-energy checking line that could lead to a ton of offensive chances.
The third line will offer Gavin McKenna a bit more protection with Sissons (and someone who can help create offensive chances for him as well) - with Bo Groulx also getting a spark.
The fourth line will feature both Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime, with a forward like William Nylander, Easton Cowan, Nick Paul or even Auston Matthews evening out the rest of the lineup.
The defensive side looks a lot stronger too as they have a lot more balance and a lot more protection for both Morgan Rielly and Darren Raddysh who both need some extra assistance at times. It's likely that Stecher and Blankenburg will trade minutes, though we could see them both on the ice if Oliver Ekman-Larsson isn't 100%.
Sergei Bobrovsky is in search of his first win as a Maple Leaf, and if these new lines are able to find chemistry quickly and prevent the potent Avalanche from doing damage, then he could be in line for win #1 though Jim Hiller hasn't disclosed his official starter just yet.
What to watch for in Maple Leafs vs. Avalanche clash
Well, it is going to be interesting to see how the defensive side of things lines up for the Maple Leafs in terms of being able to stop Colorado. There is a lot more balance now with Rielly and Tanev together and McCabe and Raddysh paired; there's at least a stable presence on each side.
Also keep an eye out for Blankenburg as he is facing his former team and going to be motivated to do well for his new team; finally getting a chance to play.
Another story is the non-debut of Miles Wood, who was called up on Friday as a means to add some forward depth, speed, and scoring potential to the bottom six and it's unknown when he is going to play.
On the Avalanche side, look for Nazem Kadri to do damage against his old team, as he has 14 points in 12 games against Toronto and is always a threat no matter where he plays in the lineup.
It's going to be an uphill climb for the Maple Leafs against the Avalanche especially being on the road, but if they are able to get out to as hot a start tonight as they did against Vegas then they are in a good spot - they just need to hold the lead this time out.
Do you think the Maple Leafs lines are better balanced against the Avalanche?
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