As per Renaud Lavoie, the Toronto Maple Leafs will open the season against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre:
First Canadiens game: January 19 vs Maple Leafs in Montreal.
— Renaud Lavoie (@RenLavoieRDS) January 9, 2013
The rest of the schedule is still to come after the CBA's Memorandum of Understanding is ratified but Bob McKenzie has the format that the 48 game season will take:
Each team plays: 4 games vs. two Divisional opponents (8); 5 games vs. two divisional opponents (10); 3 games vs 10 Conference rivals (30).
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 8, 2013
If the Leafs are lucky it will mean that they only play Boston and Buffalo four times and Montreal and Ottawa five times. Either way, it's better than the original rumour which would have seen the Leafs play each divisional team seven times.
The other highlight of the move was that apparently the CBC was the impetus for Leafs-Habs on opening night as it had originally looked like it was going to be the Bruins opening the season in Montreal:
Hearing but not confirmed with teams or NHL that Habs and Bruins could kick season off in Montreal. Again not confirmed! Great idea though!
— Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) January 8, 2013
People in Bruins org were told it would be Mtl... Wouldn't shock me if cbc insisted on #Leafs
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) January 9, 2013
Welp...schedule just changed for Bruins. CBC might've been factor RT @renlavoierds 1st Canadiens game: January 19 vs Maple Leafs in Montreal
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) January 9, 2013
Good to know that carrying the League's television revenues for so many years has at least bought the CBC a little juice with the schedule makers. The Raptors play in Toronto on the 20th so the Leafs' home opener will likely be Tuesday night.
Update: so there might be a desire by the league to keep the old schedule that I forgot about which may lead to the Leafs' next game being at 1pm on a Monday? I hope that's wrong since they already adjusted the schedule once but it is a US holiday...
The Maple Leafs were supposed to play the Bruins at 1pm in Boston on JAN 21st from the old sched, so don't be surprised if they keep that.
— Josh Rimer (@JoshRimerHockey) January 9, 2013