Fruits of Shanahan era ready to blossom as Maple Leafs trend younger
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. — Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were born about five months apart in 1997, and it’s entirely possible both teenage prospects will be suiting up for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL next season.
The Maple Leafs may be turning 100 years old next year, but the centennial edition of the team is likely to be brimming with youth and inexperience. Toronto could have as many as seven rookies on the roster in the fall, the first real signs the seeds planted in the Brendan Shanahan era are starting to blossom.
“I think we’ll be really exciting,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said last month.
For now, Matthews and Marner have to be content with top billing at the Leafs week-long development camp in Niagara Falls.