New Leafs teeming with speed, skill, desire for Stanley Cup

The Maple Leafs' 2018-19 roster isn't unfamiliar to the franchise's fans, although there are more than a few new faces wearing the Blue and White this season. To bring you up-to-speed ahead of Home Opener tomorrow, here's a position-by-position breakdown of who's back, who's new, and what the team will bring to the ice this year.

TAVARES NEW TO ALREADY-STACKED FORWARD GROUP

Forwards
The Leafs targeted the biggest prize on the UFA market this off-season - former Islanders star centre John Tavares - and were successful in their pursuit of the 28-year-old, signing him to a seven-year contract. He'll have a massive impact at both ends of the ice, powering Toronto on offence and improving their defensive end.

But Tavares is joining a Leafs squad that proved last year it had all kinds of offensive firepower: wingers Mitch Marner and Patrick Marleau were major scoresheet contributors, while wingers Zach Hyman and Connor Brown were terrific grinders whose work ethic never was questioned, and winger Josh Leivo could be inserted in the lineup and add offense in a hurry. At centre, Auston Matthews continued his development into one of the game's elite competitors, and Nazem Kadri posted his second consecutive 32-goal season.
All the aforementioned Leafs return this year, and they're joined by newcomers Tyler Ennis (a 28-year-old winger with eight years of NHL experience), Swedish centre Par Lindholm (a 26-year-old with four seasons in the Swedish Elite League under his belt) and three youngsters - wingers Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson, and centre Frederik Gauthier - who had intermittent stretches with the Leafs while playing bigger roles with the Marlies.

TOP FOUR RETURN ON BLUELINE, BUT NEW 'D' FACES PROVIDE DEPTH

Defensemen
Toronto's defence corps also has some new blood, but the top-four blueliners remain the same: Twenty-four-year-old Morgan Rielly is entering his sixth NHL campaign and is coming off a career-best 52-point season; 28-year-old Jake Gardiner is entering his eighth NHL season and put up a career-high 52 points last year; 26-year-old Russian Nikita Zaitsev is starting his third NHL year and registered a career-high 5 goals in just 60 games in 2017-18; and 37-year-old veteran Ron Hainsey is entering his 14th NHL season and was an anchor on Toronto's penalty-kill unit last season.

The new faces on the Leafs' back end - again, at least as far as full-time NHLers go - are the ones providing support in the third pairing. Twenty-one-year-old Travis Dermott had one goal and 13 points in his first 37 NHL games last year, and he impressed and is likely to get more opportunities as his game improves; 26-year-old Justin Holl was a cornerstone member of the Calder-Cup-winning Marlies, and he scored twice in a two-game call-up with the Leafs last season; 26-year-old Martin Marincin returns to the Leafs after spending most of last year with the Marlies; and 25-year-old newcomer Igor Ozhiganov is new to North American hockey after playing the past six years in Russia's Kontinental League.
Like the forward group, the Leafs' defensemen put a premium on puck possession and moving the play rapidly up ice while occasionally jumping into the offensive zone action. Babcock's systems stress smart positional play, and even if the new blueliners aren't familiar with Babcock, they'll know what's expected of them through Marlies bench boss Sheldon Keefe, who kept his systems similar to Babcock's.

ANDERSEN STILL NO. 1 IN NET, BUT SPARKS PROMOTED TO BACKUP

Goaltender
The Leafs' starting goaltender job still belongs to Frederik Andersen, and rightly so - the 29-year-old has been outstanding in his first two years in Toronto, setting a franchise record for wins last year (38) while posting a career-best five shutouts in 66 games. A workhorse who instills a ton of confidence in his teammates, Andersen has got the confidence of Babcock, and that's crucial for any goalie.

Backing up Andersen this season is 25-year-old Garret Sparks, who starred for the Marlies last season, winning an AHL championship and being named the league's top netminder. Sparks has 17 games of NHL experience in 2015-16, but he returns to the NHL a more mature, polished competitor who's still motivated to grow his game and be prepared when called on.
It's fair to expect Andersen will get the bulk of action between the pipes for Toronto, but Sparks proved himself at the AHL level last year and will get every chance to demonstrate he can thrive at the NHL level this season.