Toronto Maple Leafs: Patrick Marleau skates for the first time
Newly signed Toronto Maple Leafs forward Patrick Marleau joined his teammates at the MasterCard Centre for practice for the first time Wednesday.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Patrick Marleau it certainly caught people off guard and brought upon some criticism. With players starting to make their way back home to prepare for training camp, it was only a matter of time before Marleau would make an appearance which finally happened on Wednesday morning.
Patrick Marleau takes the ice with the #Leafs for the first time at summer skates. van Riemsdyk and William Nylander have also arrived. pic.twitter.com/0TSNTJmByn
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) September 6, 2017
Marleau did make an appearance at the MasterCard Centre on Tuesday but did not skate. He spoke with TSN reporter Kristen Shilton about moving to Toronto with his family and what was the biggest selling point for Toronto.
Patrick Marleau is getting to know Toronto and says he hopes to help end the #Leafs' Stanley Cup drought.
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 6, 2017
WATCH: https://t.co/CZvgZ4Tq1f pic.twitter.com/ApQLSTQyPL
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“I want to get out there and see it up close,” he said about the team’s youth. “Being on the west coast, you’re able to watch the games before your games, and it’s very exciting watching YouTube highlights of these guys. Everything everyone has been saying – you can see it. [They’re] fast, talented. Seeing the great young players, prospects, talking to Lou [Lamoriello], talking to Mike [Babcock]. Just how they feel about the group and where they see things going is why I’m here.”
Marleau and Babcock are very familiar with each other from the 2010 and 2014 Olympics so the 38-year old is aware of the expectations from his new coach. One thing he will have to get used to is that the Toronto media market considering the San Jose Sharks does not receive the same amount of attention which is something that was discussed on TSN 1050 a couple of weeks ago.
Look who's on the ice with his #Leafs teammates 👀 pic.twitter.com/isepqF4lvA
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 6, 2017
Next: Catching up with prospect Jeremy Bracco
The biggest question moving forward is where Marleau will slot into the lineup. Most would expect him to play with Auston Matthews but others are not so convinced that Babcock will move Zach Hyman off of Matthews’ wing. Marleau will likely audition for Matthews’ line during training camp and Hyman could be moved to play with Nazem Kadri or Dominic Moore.