Buffalo Sabres Opponent Outlook: Toronto Maple Leafs

The QEW rivalry between the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs will likely always be a factor as the teams face off, and the 2015-2016 NHL season will be no different.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs were undoubtedly one of the most active teams in the league this summer. Not only did they bring in new players – and get rid of some – but their front office has also changed quite significantly, with Mike Babcock leading the charge behind the bench. Jim Hiller, D.J. Smith and Andrew Brewer will act as assistants behind Babcock. Jacques Lemaire is the team’s special assignment coach.

Lou Lamoriello was also hired as the team’s general manager.

And that was just the beginning.

The Leafs made several solid trades this summer, beginning with sending forward Greg McKegg to Florida in exchange for Zach Hyman’s rights and a conditional 2017 7th-round pick. They also picked up defenseman Martin Marincin from Edmonton, in exchange for prospect Brad Ross and a 2015 4th-rounder. Marincin would become a free agent & re-sign with Toronto.

In the splash of the summer, the Leafs completed a nine-piece trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Gone are the days of Phil Kessel in Toronto, as he was sent to the Penguins along with Tim Erixon, Tyler Biggs and a conditional draft. The move allows Kessel to get a fresh start in Pittsburgh alongside elite players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

It also brings several prospects into Toronto, including forwards Nick Spaling and Kasperi Kapanen. Defenseman Scott Harrington, a 2016 3rd-rounder and a conditional pick were the other pieces of the trade.

Even after that, the Leafs weren’t done.

They sent Jamie Devane to the Predators in exchange for the rights to Taylor Beck. The Leafs then sent him, along with Matthew Finn, Tom Nilsson, Christopher Gibson and Carter Verhaeghe, to the New York Islanders. In exchange, they picked up Austrian forward Michael Grabner.

In addition to those trades, the Leafs picked up several players via free agency: Shawn Matthias (VAN), Daniel Winnik (PIT), PA Parenteau (MTL), Mark Arcobello (ARI) and Matt Hunwick (NYR). Richard Panik, Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Bernier all re-signed with the club as well.

Most recently, the Leafs signed former Buffalo Sabres forward Brad Boyes after inviting him to training camp.

Last season, the Maple Leafs and Sabres split the season series, with each getting a pair of wins. The Sabres walked out of the season series with five points (two wins and one shootout loss). Overall, the teams matched each other in scoring with 13 goals apiece, and the Leafs outshot Buffalo 132-109.

The first meeting of the season saw the Leafs put up a four-goal campaign to take a shutout victory over the Sabres. Tyler Bozak, Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk and Jake Gardiner scored for Toronto. Bernier had 10 saves as the Sabres simply couldn’t put up much of an effort. Michal Neuvirth had 33 saves in the loss.

The Sabres rallied for the next meeting, which would result in a 6-2 offensive explosion for Buffalo.

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Zemgus Girgensons has a pair of goals, while Tyler Ennis had a three-point night (1-2) to help Buffalo to victory. Drew Stafford, Matt Moulson and Tyler Myers also scored for Buffalo. Neuvirth stopped 32 of 34 shots faced, while James Reimer stopped 29 of 35 for the Leafs.

The third meeting of the year would result in a 4-3 shootout win for the Leafs.

Johan Larsson, Ennis and Moulson tallied in regulation for Buffalo, with Brandon Kozun, Leo Komarov and Tyler Bozak notching goals for Toronto. No Sabres scored in the shootout, and Toronto walked away with the extra point.

Finally, the season series culminated with a 4-3 win for Buffalo. Zac Dalpe, Cody Hodgson, Matt Ellis and Moulson scored for the Sabres. Anders Lindback had 24 saves, while Zach Bogosian led the team with over 30 minutes of ice time. Bernier had 27 saves in the loss.

The Leafs will be a completely different team hitting the ice this season, looking to rebound after last year’s 68-point finish that left them second-worst in the Eastern Conference.

This season, the Leafs and Sabres will face off four times, but they won’t see too much of each other early on.

The teams meet once in October, in Buffalo on Wednesday the 21st. They won’t see each other again until March, and will then face off three times that month.

The Leafs and Sabres will face off at Air Canada Centre on March 7 and March 19 before closing the season series on March 31, in the Sabres’ penultimate game at First Niagara Center this season.

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