Maple Leafs season preview: Tavares acquisition has Toronto thinking Cup

The 2018-19 NHL season begins Wednesday. NHL.com is taking a look at the five keys, the inside scoop on roster questions, and the projected lines for all 31 teams. Today, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Coach:Mike Babcock (fourth season)
Last season:49-26-7; third place in Atlantic Division, lost to Boston Bruins in Eastern Conference First Round
RELATED: [Complete Season Preview coverage]

5 KEYS

1. Andersen's workload

Goaltender Frederik Andersen set a Maple Leafs record for wins in a season when he went 38-21-5 with a 2.81 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and five shutouts in 2017-18. But he was 3-3 with a 3.76 GAA and .896 save percentage in the seven-game loss to the Bruins. His 66 games played last season may have led to postseason fatigue, but Andersen claims he thrives on the workload. He'll need to, especially when the postseason comes along.

2. Peace between Babcock, Matthews

A visit by Babcock to the Arizona home of Auston Matthews appears to have alleviated any issues the 21-year-old center may have had with a lack of time on the first power-play unit last season. Matthews will play on an intimidating top unit that includes John Tavares, Nazem Kadri, Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly, and should score more than the five power-play goals he had last season.

3. Pressure on Tavares

Tavares signed a seven-year, $77 million contract as a free agent on July 1, and there likely will be more scrutiny on him than there was with the New York Islanders. How Tavares handles the pressure of playing in Toronto for a team that hasn't won the Stanley Cup since 1967 will help determine how far the Maple Leafs go. Big things are expected from the center this season.

4. How will defense hold up?

The Maple Leafs don't have a No. 1 defenseman who can eat up minutes and take over a game like Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning or Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings. Rielly is on the cusp after scoring 52 points (six goals, 46 assists), but his 21:36 of ice time per game last season was down from each of his past two seasons. There are questions about the depth of the defense; how much more does 37-year-old Ron Hainsey have left in the tank?
"I am probably more bullish on our defense than others … The key for us is that we are continuing to make plays from the backend and can move the pucks to our forwards. I think all of the guys have the ability to do that," general manager Kyle Dubas said.

5. Win the division

Dubas said finishing first in the Atlantic Division is the No. 1 goal and it's easy to see why. If the Maple Leafs can do that, they likely will avoid playing the Bruins or Lightning, the other expected top teams in the division, in the first round. The Lightning won the division last season and played the New Jersey Devils in the first round; the Maple Leafs, who finished third, lost to the second-place Bruins in seven games.

ROSTER RUNDOWN

Making the cut

The most highly contested battle at training camp has been for the No. 6 spot on defense. Connor Carrick, 24, Andreas Borgman, 23, Justin Holl, 26, Calle Rosen, 24, and Igor Ozhiganov, 25 were given ample opportunity to snap up the job but each of them struggled at times. It won't be an easy decision for Babcock.

Most intriguing addition

Forward Par Lindholm, 26, finished fourth in scoring in the Swedish Elite League last season with 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 49 games for Skelleftea. That production could be a big boost to a fourth line that features speedy wings Andreas Johansson and Kasperi Kapanen.

Biggest potential surprise

Tyler Ennis came to camp trying to make the roster after scoring 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 73 games with the Minnesota Wild last season. Babcock put the 28-year-old forward on a line with Matthews and Patrick Marleau and they found chemistry early in camp. That spot was occupied by
William Nylander
last season, but he's a restricted free agent who has yet to sign.

Ready to break through

Johnsson, 23, was named MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs with 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 16 games for the champion Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. The speedy wing had three points (two goals, one assist) in nine games for the Maple Leafs last season and appears poised to become a regular in 2018-19.

PROJECTED LINEUP

Patrick Marleau -- Auston Matthews -- Tyler Ennis
Zach Hyman -- John Tavares -- Mitchell Marner
Connor Brown -- Nazem Kadri -- Josh Leivo
Andreas Johnsson -- Par Lindholm -- Kasperi Kapanen
Morgan Rielly -- Ron Hainsey
Jake Gardiner -- Nikita Zaitsev
Travis Dermott -- Connor Carrick
Frederik Andersen
Curtis McElhinney