The Battle of Ontario always seems to be a hot ticket, even if the teams involved aren't exactly considered powerhouses.
However, when the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators get their seasons underway on Wednesday night (7 p.m. ET) at Canadian Tire Centre in the nation's capital, both teams will bring a renewed sense of optimism to the 2016-17 campaign.
Top pick Auston Matthews will make is debut for the Leafs, who enter their centennial season, while the Senators will have a new coach behind the bench in Guy Boucher.
Leafs ans got an introduction to Matthews when he competed for the wildly popular Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey in September and during his pre-season appearances for Toronto.
The 19-year-old centre showed a glimpse of what he can bring to the table with a highlight-reel goal against Sweden.
And his first goal in a Leafs uniform.
Auston Matthews scores first goal with Toronto Maple Leafs0:15
Mitch Marner also cracked Toronto's opening-day roster and should see some ice time.
The Leafs turned the page on its goaltending situation by shipping Jonathan Bernier to the Ducks in exchange for backstop Frederik Andersen, who will be tasked with keeping things under control as the team's No. 1 option.
Andersen, whom the Leafs signed to a five-year, $25-million US contract after acquiring him in a June 20 trade with Anaheim, had been nursing a suspected shoulder injury suffered in an Olympic qualifier for Denmark last month.
New man behind Sen's bench
Boucher, who steps in as the seventh coach in nine seasons for Ottawa, will have to make his debut without the services of Curtis Lazar. The 21-year-old forward missed most of training camp due to illness, so the team felt he would benefit from a conditioning stint in the AHL.
Boucher also acknowledged that having Clarke MacArthur sidelined with a concussion is a huge loss for his team.
But the Senators made an effort to bolster their offence this summer by acquiring Derick Brassard from the Rangers. The native of Hull, Que., scored 27 goals and tallied 58 points for New York in 2015-16.
Brassard, 29, told the Ottawa Sun that it is a dream to come true to play at home and he is prepared for life in a tough hockey market.
"Every hockey player in this league has pressure," said Brassard.
"I think I learned a lot from playing in New York and having a ton of pressure there. I'm someone who loves the game and I love being at the rink with teammates, trying to get better. I love what I do. There's nothing better than having pressure. It brings the best out of you."
Craig Anderson will get the call in net for Ottawa.
Leafs kick off centennial season against revitalized Senators
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