The Toronto Maple Leafs are gearing up for an extremely important season coming up. And we've now seen a glimpse into how the team's intriguing goaltending rotation will look to begin the campaign.

The Maple Leafs open the season on the road in Montreal on Wednesday against the Canadiens. Former Ottawa Senators goaltender Matt Murray will be in between the pipes for this game.

Then, the Maple Leafs take on the Washington Capitals for their home opener on Thursday. Toronto will turn to former Capitals netminder Ilya Samsonov for this game.

The obvious storyline here involves Samsonov facing the team that drafted him. However, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said previous affiliation didn't factor in.

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“No, it didn't. It's just a matter of we really wanted Murray to get the first game and get rolling that way,” Keefe said. “‘Sammy' has been terrific. I thought both goalies in practice today were really, really strong right from their goalie session and then into practice. I thought those guys, in my mind at least, made a statement in the practice with how they competed and how they were solid in the net.”

Both Murray and Samsonov are entering their first seasons with the Maple Leafs. Murray was acquired via trade from the Senators in a cap dump. He previously spent time with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he dominated during a back-to-back Stanley Cup run in the mid-2010s.

The Capitals drafted Samsonov in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft. The Russian netminder played in the Kontinental Hockey League prior to being drafted. He signed a one-year contract in Toronto after the Capitals elected not to extend a qualifying offer to the 25-year-old in the offseason.