Preview: Maple Leafs send a replacement squad to Detroit to face the Red Wings

When: 7:00 p.m.

By about mid-point of the first preseason game every year, I’m tired of two things: preseason hockey and people carrying on about how meaningless those games are. Too many people utter the words small sample size in ways that annoy me when talking about exhibition play. The gist seems to be that if the player you like is good, then his results are valid, but if the player you like is bad, then it’s a small sample size and it means nothing.

It’s not true that these games mean nothing. They just mean different things to different players. In last night’s thumping of the semi-real Red Wings, I had a strong sense of déjà vu while being really underwhelmed by Morgan Rielly. I’m…