‘FIRED UP’: Campbell set to put Maple Leafs’ last season in past
Marner prepared for brand new power-play function
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Jack Campbell’s ultimate sport as a Maple Leaf final season left him in tears.
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The person many count on to be the Leafs’ beginning goalie in 2021-22 is greater than able to put Toronto’s playoff collapse in opposition to the Montreal Canadiens, which culminated in an uninspired loss in Sport 7 in Might, behind him.
Campbell will begin on Monday night time in Montreal in opposition to the Canadiens in Toronto’s second of six pre-season video games. Petr Mrazek is slated to alleviate Campbell midway via the sport.
“I’m fired as much as get again on the market,” Campbell mentioned after the morning skate on the Ford Efficiency Centre. “It has been a protracted wait. We’re a extremely motivated group.
“We simply wish to cease speaking about it and simply get on the market and begin enjoying some hockey.”’
Members of the media acquired every of the 5 episodes of the Amazon Prime docuseries, All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs on the weekend. Filmed all through the 2020-21 common season, the sequence, which will probably be launched to the general public on Friday, provides watchers a look behind the scenes that in any other case wouldn’t be doable.
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Following the Sport 7 loss, Campbell broke down crying within the dressing room and was consoled by a number of teammates as the fact of the season’s finish hit. The scene is among the extra riveting within the sequence.
“Everyone offers with feelings otherwise and it was devastating to consider letting town down and Spezz (Jason Spezza) and Jumbo (Joe Thornton) and the way unhealthy all of us needed to win for them,” Campbell mentioned. “That motivates us. You’ll see the work we put in. We don’t wish to have that failing once more this season.
“Followers and never even hockey followers will admire the content material as a result of it’s all genuine and our actual feelings come out and naturally, there’s vulnerability in it. Everyone is aware of how final season ended. It’s by no means straightforward to take care of while you fall wanting a purpose, however I additionally suppose individuals will benefit from the present.”
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One wrinkle to look at for on Monday night time: We’re going to get our first have a look at Mitch Marner enjoying the bumper function on the facility play.
With new assistant coach Spencer Carbery working the facility play, taking up from Manny Malhotra, there’s strain on the Leafs in enhancing from their Twentieth-place end with a man-advantage final season.
“We really feel like that’s an space that’s underutilized by us, and in getting the puck in Mitch’s palms in that area, he’s acquired nearly as good a capability or higher than anybody we have now by way of getting out of tight areas and making a play that you’d in any other case suppose isn’t there,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe mentioned. “After which it provides us the flexibility then to have two shooters on the flanks on the identical time.”
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Marner, who didn’t rating a power-play purpose final season, was trying ahead to the brand new function. He has been watching video of Tampa Bay Lightning star Brayden Level’s work on the bumper.
“I’ve by no means performed it, to be sincere,” Marner mentioned. “I’m excited to offer it a shot and, hopefully I get used to it quick.
“I’ll attempt to be an possibility that I can get into an area the place I can get photographs off fast. For that shot, I believe it’s extra about attempting to get it on web and inserting it, and likewise attempting to assist guys out in the event that they’re underneath strain.”
How the Leafs lined up at morning skate:
Nick Ritchie-Adam Brooks-Mitch Marner
Ilya Mikheyev-Kirill Semyonov-Wayne Simmonds
Nikita Gusev-David Kampf-Ondrej Kase
Brett Seney-Curtis Douglas/Semyon Der-Arguchintsev-Joey Anderson
Morgan Reilly-Travis Dermott
Carl Dahlstrom-Justin Holl
Kristians Rubins-Brennan Menell
Teemu Kivihalme-William Villeneuve
Jack Campbell
Petr Mrazek
tkoshan@postmedia.com