A few burning questions remain

From who starts in net to where O’Reilly slots into lineup, key concerns need answers

As if it wouldn’t be strange enough to get dealt back to the NHL team that drafted you more than a decade later, consider the parallel universe Maple Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn has found himself inhabiting these last few weeks.

Upon returning to the Leafs dressing room for the first time earlier this month he immediately bumped into Nik Antropov, a former teammate from his rookie year who now works in skills development with the organization.

And after finding a house to rent for his family, he soon learned that Tomas Kaberle, his first NHL defence partner, lived directly across the street.

“We’re literally neighbours,” Schenn said Wednesday. “It’s a small world. Obviously you don’t anticipate that.”

The next reminder of what’s old is new again will arrive in two-plus weeks when the playoffs open with a best-of-seven series against the Tampa Bay Lightning — the team Schenn won the Stanley Cup with in 2020 and 2021, and the team that eliminated the Leafs in the first round last year.

It feels a little like the Twilight Zone.

And as this low-drama regular season winds toward its conclusion in Toronto, the Leafs aren’t even pretending they’re not already thinking about the first-round series to come.

“Of course your mind wanders there,” Schenn said. “The one thing about Tampa is they always find their game and they have so many good core guys who’ve done it before. A veteran group of guys and obviously an unbelievable goalie, so they know what it takes.”

The challenge is undeniably steep. Here’s a look at a few questions facing the Leafs as they ramp up for the playoffs.

Who starts in goal for Game 1?

This has been a hot-button media topic for at least the last month.

It’s perfect talk-radio fodder: There’s no clear right (or wrong) answer and sentiment can shift based on what happened the night before.

The decision will ultimately hinge on how much the coaching staff values Matt Murray’s extensive playoff resumé compared with Ilya Samsonov’s superior form this season. It’s also notable that head coach Sheldon Keefe acknowledged they’re having some discussion about the importance — or not — of home and road splits, which is telling because Samsonov has been downright dominant at Scotiabank Arena and the Lightning series is likely to start in Toronto.

Samsonov started Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Florida and sports an 18-2-3 record and .927 save percentage in games played at home. Murray, by comparison, is 5-2-1 with an .880.

Keefe indicated he’ll likely use the remaining runway in this regular season to give Samsonov some additional road starts while using Murray more at Scotiabank Arena.

It’s a sign no playoff decisions have been made yet and the home/road splits might play a factor in which way they go.

“It’s something that we’re looking at for sure,” Keefe said Wednesday. “I don’t know how applicable it might be beyond the regular season. You get into playoffs and such, everything kind of equalizes in terms of schedule and both teams are going through the same thing and all of that.

“It’s certainly something that has my attention.”

What often gets lost in the goaltending discussion is that the only real decision for the Leafs is who starts the first game against Tampa. From there, they can see what happens and make adjustments as necessary.

Where does Ryan O’Reilly fit?

The good news is the former Conn Smythe winner is nearly ready to return after undergoing surgery on his broken left index finger.

O’Reilly is expected to participate in Friday’s practice with an eye on playing his first game since March 4 at some point next week.

That should give the deadline rental an additional five or six games to get comfortable with his new teammates after previously dressing for eight with the Leafs following a trade from the St. Louis Blues.

Finding the right fit for the man known as Factor should be considered a top priority. Keefe initially deployed him as the No. 2 centre, shifting captain John Tavares to the wing, before later opting to spread the wealth across the top nine by playing O’Reilly as the third-line centre.

Ultimately, the coaching staff will need to determine what look creates the most matchup issues for Tampa. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have been on fire recently while skating with Calle Järnkrok on the top line, but the second unit of Tavares, William Nylander and Alex Kerfoot hasn’t been overly effective.

Reintroducing O’Reilly should be a shot in the arm to the group, especially since the notorious rink rat has been able to keep his conditioning up while waiting for his finger to heal.

“I don’t know if Ryan O’Reilly is still out on the ice right now or not, but I feel like he’s been in his gear for almost three hours here this morning,” Keefe said Wednesday.

The veteran had three goals and five points in eight games since arriving in Toronto.

Have the playoff ghosts been extinguished?

There’s no way to answer this with any level of certainty before the dance begins for real on April 17. But it hardly seemed like a coincidence multiple Leafs players mentioned “confidence” when speaking about what can be gained over the eight regular-season games left on the schedule.

For the core players who have tried and failed to finish off a playoff series multiple times, there is unquestionably a mental hurdle to clear this spring. The stakes are so painstakingly obvious they need not be spelled out.

So, yeah, the Leafs are already thinking about the post-season because how can they not?

“We have a couple areas of our game that we want to work on, so we’re going to chip away at it,” said veteran defenceman Morgan Rielly. “We’re not really too worried about comparing our style of hockey right now versus what it’s going to be in a couple weeks.

“I think it’s more just trying to get yourself ready as an individual and get your team game to a point where you feel confident and good, and you can just go in and start playing.”