Toronto Maple Leafs 2025-26 NHL Season Preview
Hello everybody and welcome into another season preview show here at the Hawkers YouTube channel. I’m your host Matthew Zour and we are up to the Toronto Maple Leafs and I’ve got as always uh Peter Barraini who usually comes on and does these previews as you know also with me on Prospect Corner. But how’s it going Peter? It’s going great. Yeah, anytime we get to these season previews, you know that hockeyy’s just around the corner and yeah, it’s kickoff is about to just happen right now. So I’m really excited that hockey season is approaching. for sure. Especially after the ridiculously long off seasonason, it seems like longer and that they added a month or something. We didn’t even know about it. Added a month and the games are starting a little bit earlier. So, there we go. So, yeah, preeason should be here soon and that’s great. And we got some hockey to talk about finally. Um, so let’s uh preview the Toronto Maple Leafs season here and uh of course no Mitch Marner uh going into this season which is a big story which we’ll probably talk probably talk about who’s going to replace his offense but uh let’s well let’s start there because the forwards that were brought in might help do that. So you got Nicholas Wah who came in that trade to for the rights I guess for Marner. Michelle was added as well from the Utah Mammoth. Dakota Joshua from the Canucks and Michael Bazetta who was a free agent signing signing yes played with the Montreal Canadians last season. So lots of new faces up front um depending on where their roles are. But who do you think about these new additions uh to the forward group? Yeah, I mean again like you mentioned the big biggest news of the offseason was the loss of Mitch Martner. I mean, that is a big blow. No matter how you feel about Mitch Martin if you’re a Maple Leaf fan, you you can say that, you know, yeah, he wasn’t playing performer, but it’s hard to replace 102 point winger. I’ve been saying that a lot on every single show, every opportunity that I get that yeah, he needs to step it up. He hasn’t, but his production is, you know, insurmountable. You know, it is tough to replace. So the hope is that you know with these new additions like Juan Machali Joshua the possibility of Jack Roselovic is still out there. They’re still rumored to be in on him. They haven’t put pen to paper yet or Roselvic hasn’t picked a team yet. So there’s a possibility of that. But at for the time being right now, those three players are basically the main stays or the ones that you’re looking to try and get a combination of points that can meet the standard that Mitch Marner had. Not saying that all them need to be 100 points or like Machelli needs to be an 80 90 point guy, but if you’re looking at like 30 to 40 points for Nick W, which he’s been steady over his whole entire career. He had 30 last season, 40 the year before. You know, you don’t know if Dakota Joshua is going to get back to that point where he was a 18 goal, 30 point guy. The hope is that’s going to be the case, but he did have a down year. Health was a little was a problem as we know that he recovered from testicular cancer. So, there’s that. And then, you know, the bad season that Matias Machelli have had, but also the fact that, you know, he was fantastic two seasons before. Could a change of scenery help him with that? So yeah, that is the main thing right now where you’re hoping to get balance from those three guys throughout the lineup where Machelli could be in that top six. Nicholas W is going to be up the middle of the ice and Dakota Joshua is probably going to be a main stay on that third line. So if you’re able to get at least, you know, 20 to 30 points for Joshua, 30 to 40 for Wah if he’s able to still maintain that and let’s hope that Machelli could be a 60point guy, that would be a big step forward. And there’s kind of like that loss of production from MNER that’s like kind of close but not really at 102 points. And then there’s also the fact that you’re hoping that Matthew N could be or that he can elevate his game. You’re hoping that William Knander could be that next 100 point guy on the wing as well. Whether he moves up to the top line or not, that’s still to be determined or if he’s going to stay with John Travars because he has chemistry there. We’ll see what happens. But yeah, you’re looking at a lot of those new faces to come in and get that balance throughout the lineup as opposed to just relying on one guy. For sure. I mean, you’re not going to expect any of these guys to do what Marner did. I mean, that’s just unrealistic. Uh, Machelli, I mean, he has a lot of potential still. Like, I really was impressed with his that season where he was Yeah, he was in the rookie, I think he was in the Calder Trophy conversation. Yeah, he was one of the runnings for the CER trophy and even when his playing the AHL, he was really standing out in a big way. So, this isn’t a fluke or like a player that’s just getting lucky or like everything’s coming down to earth. This is a guy that has a lot of potential. Yeah. And he’s really young still, too. So, I mean, I think he’s he’s definitely got more of a ceiling than what he’s shown. Just had a bad season last year. So, and Joshua, I agree. I think I was I was a little I was a little disappointed when they traded him, but I get it. Uh they needed the cap space and all that, but he’s he’s one of my favorite players. So, I mean, I think I think he’s a guy that can definitely get back to that that level. uh being that physical presence and scoring at 15 20 goals. I mean, I can see it. I And he he might even have a chance to maybe go into the top six at some point, which is what he did with the Conucks. He was kind of put in in positions where maybe to add a bit to the top uh to the top players because of his energy and forchecking. So, I mean, and he just fits with Craig Buru’s, you know, way of playing, right? And he of course coached him when he was really I believe it was in his first season. So with the Blues. Yeah. With the Blues. So I mean there’s a bit of a connection there too. Absolutely. Yeah. And I was just about to make that point as well. All four of those players and even Pisetta too. I don’t I mean you’re not looking at him being a much of an offensive factor, but he’s going to probably replace what Ryan Reeves brought with that physicality and the intensity. But all these players fit the mold of what the Maple Leafs want to do. be more competitive, be more accountable, strong on both sides of the puck, but always showing that intensity and drive in the offensive zone. Michelli, he never slows down. Dakota Josh was very physical and Wah has that two-way play. So, they all bring that element or something to the team that could make them successful. Yeah, for sure. And it’s going to be interesting to see where they all slot in in training camp, too. All right. Well, speaking of that, I mean, for the rest of the forwards, you did mention a couple things there. I what do you see as big storylines or burning questions going into training camp now or into the season? Of course, Marner’s a big one. Yeah. What other ones we looking at? That’s an obvious one. Everyone knows that’s a big burning question going in. Yeah. I mean, I I just basically summed that up with the last point, too. So, yeah, we all know we all know what like how how you’re going to play Sim Marty. We’ve already established that. I think going in a couple big ones that to me stand out is basically one is the goalending in the sense that are Stallars and Joseph Wall going to replicate the success that they have had last season and that’s not to say that they can’t they definitely can and Stallars was basically shown you know with his training video and everything like that on social media and his goalie coach basically said that he has unfinished business table or unfinished business on the table. So you know that his mindset you know where he’s at and they’re looking at trying extending him right now too. So that’s a big plus. So both him and Wall had stretches where they were absolutely fantastic, but they also dealt with injuries and that was the first season where they were absolutely truly starters for the first time in their careers and they were going with that 1A1B. I’m that tandem absolutely worked. They both fed off each other. They were supporting each other the whole entire way. So I really think that if they’re able to replicate the success that they’ve had last season this time around, that’s going to be a huge plus because we know how well Solar is a net. He’s big. He covers up most of that. I mean, he if he didn’t get injured in that Florida series, I think he would have vaulted this team a little forward and into the Eastern Conference Finals, possibly a little bit further. Joseph Wall, he’s cool, calm, collective, some shaky moments, but you know, when he’s relied on like he did again against the Florida Panthers, shaky at times, but when they needed him to make a save, he needed he made a save. Um, minus the game seven because that was all on the team in front of him as well. couple again probably a couple shaky goals here and there but the whole team as a whole did not show up in game seven. Second one is going to be how big of an opportunity or the battle for that top spot that Marner had. Is it going to be Matias Machelli? Is he going to be able to break free of being a second third line kind of player and get topline minutes? It’s possible but you know he’s kind of not necessarily played shelter minutes but he’s been lower in the lineup but he has been successful. Can he elevate his play to play alongside, you know, you could essentially call or make the top line the you the Arizona connection because of Machelli’s time with Arizona? Both Matthews and Ny are from Arizona. So, you know, why not have that connection right there? Um, you’re looking at Max Doi. Is he able to replic or not replicate, but you know, elevate his play as well and be the playmaker alongside N and Matthews? Doi has had good success playing alongside Matthews. We’ll see if that can happen as well. Is it going to be William Knander? Like I mentioned before, you know, this is a guy that’s knocking on the door of like a 100 points every single season and he’s had multiple back-to-back 40 goal seasons. So, this guy’s itching to get more of an opportunity and work his way further up the lineup and be a legit top I mean leg I mean be viewed as a topline winger in the NHL. I mean, he already is, but he could vault his status a little bit more. So, that top right-wing battle is going to be interesting to see. Um, other ones is basically what’s going to happen with Isawan. Is he going to be too good for the NHL or is he going to start off in the AHL? I think that’s the biggest one. I do feel like he has not a lot to prove, but kind of a chip on his shoulder coming into camp this year where maybe he had an okay one that last season, but coming off an another OHL championship, coming off a Memorial Cup win and being named MVP, he’s got a lot going for him right now. And I think he goes into camp playing like his like he knows how and not play any other way. I think he’s going to be successful and he could stick with the team on the back end. Is this going to be a bounceback year for Morgan Riley because we’ve seen how inconsistent he can be as well? Um you know there’s there at times he’s looking like the puck mover that they need but at times he’s very sheltered, very hesitant in within his own zone and even in the offensive zone as well. So you’re looking to see him break out and be a little bit more impactful overall. I think with the the defense that you have with Tanv, McCabe, Oliver, Lararsson, Benois, those guys, they know their job, but you need a little bit more from Morgan Riley this time because there was rumors about, you know, trying to wave his no move clause. Are you going to try and get a better puck move, someone a little bit younger, a little bit more confident? You don’t know what you’re going to get. I know he has a no move clause, but if he wants to stay and he’s been around with this team for a long time, he they’re going to have to get a little bit more out of him. So, I wanted to see a little bit more confidence with Riley heading into the season because he’s a veteran defender on this team. I just want to see a little bit more as well. Yeah. I mean, I don’t think he’s getting traded. Like, there’s been that thing thrown around. It’s like he wants to stay. He’s not going anywhere. No movement clause is something that’ll be there. He has to wave it. Um, and it seems like he likes being in Toronto. I don’t think he’s going to do that. So, yeah. Um, and he’s still a really good defenseman. He’s Yeah, I think the defense is pretty good. I mean, we talked about not really any new additions. Henry Thun, I mean, he’s more of a depth guy, right? Yeah. Um, and Matt Benning, again, a depth guy. Do you see those two guys really making any any difference in the on the blue line or just more depth? I mean, with Benning, it’s still going to be more depth, but the Henry Thrun acquisition was a really, really big surprise because I was not anticipating a big at that kind of a big return of a roster player. Although, he was kind of like middle of the pack with the San Jose Sharks, but I was not expecting a roster player in return for Ryan Ree. I’m you’re looking at like six seventh round pick like you know probably B level AHL kind of player but you got a legitimate serviceable top six defender that’s already that’s still very young still scratching the surface still has a lot of potential and his mindset hasn’t changed. I know that there were a couple of interviews a few years back or a couple seasons ago where you know he wants to make himself a top pairing defender. He’s got a long way to go, but you know, you see the progression that he’s taken overall. I mean, he’s only 24 years old. He’s gotten that experience in the NHL, and maybe he just needs to change his scenery. The Maple Leafs are definitely crowded on that last spot because now you have uh you still have Riley, you still have McCabe, you still have Oel. So, there’s already three spots gone, but Thrron could be that kind of defender where maybe he could play on his on his off wing or or his offside if he is comfortable. Um, he could be that sixth or seventh or basically six seventh defender that could come in and out of the lineup. Uh, if OEL is a little bit banged up, Benois isn’t himself. You at least have another younger defender defensive option on the back end. And I still think there’s a lot of potential with him. I think he could come in with a lot of basically a lot to prove and I think he’s going to try and prove himself. I don’t know exactly if he’s going to further himself up or push his way up into the lineup, but this is a guy that does have a lot of potential with his mobility, smarts on both sides of the puck. He’s very competitive. He’s in your face at times. So, I aside from Benning, I really do think that Thron has maybe a bit more of an edge. And let’s not face it or let’s not sugar coat it. Brun’s numbers, even his underlying numbers weren’t that great because San Jose as a whole, the last two seasons were not that great. But maybe he has that chance to thrive on a better team. And you know, the Maple Leafs, you can never have too many defenders, but I think he does provide a little bit more offensive upside kind of the way in the sense that maybe Jake McCabe does where he can still jump in, has a bullet up from the point, take those uh opportunities with the shooting lanes and opportunities. So yeah, I I I really think highly of Thund. I think he could be a little bit more impactful than Benning at this point, but we’ll see what happens. I I do think that that was an underrated move and a really good acquisition. Yeah, I I didn’t anticipate anything coming from Reeves. I thought they were just going to get rid of him for nothing or that future considerations types the thing, right? Which seems to happen with the those types of guys. But yeah, Thrren could maybe surprise and be a bigger addition than everyone kind of thinks. So, we’ll see how that goes. All right, let’s talk about the division because uh it is a very interesting one. Of course, the Maple Leafs won the division last season. I I I don’t know if that’s where they are anymore. Where do they stack up in this division? Because of course, the Panthers didn’t make any changes. They’re bringing back that Stanley Cup champion of the last two seasons. Um although you can’t really look at that because they have done it without winning divisions. So yeah, that might not be a big thing. Um but where do you think the Maple Leafs kind of look in this division here? Yeah, I I mean the Atlantic is still going to be a bloodbath. I mean it’s still going to be very cutthroat division is a very cutthroat division because of how competitive it is. Um, I mean, I I don’t think Toronto is going to be in the running for the division this year compared to last season because of I mean, they h they’ve have made changes possibly for the better, but you’re still losing Mitch Martner. That could still hamper a lot of things, but I do still see them in that top two spot. I like if maybe not the first one, they could definitely still hold down home a home ice advantage with the number two spot. Uh, you got to give Florida the advantage because they’re the reigning Standing Cup champs back toback. Like you mentioned, they brought everybody back on their roster. I don’t know how, but at least they won’t be able to circumvent the Cap this time around like some of the other teams. I digress. Um, but aside from Florida, you know, you not a whole lot that the Tampa Bay Lightning has done. Boston, I think they’re still going to be at the bottom of the barrel right now. And the big wild cards are, can Ottawa and Montreal take a bigger step forward? Can they push Tampa Bay down where maybe it’s going to be Florida Toronto as your one two respect respectively and then you know Ottawa and Montreal and then you’re looking at another battle of Ontario slash you know Mont Toronto Montreal battle like it was in the good old days you know with the original six and everything like that. So yeah I I I and and I haven’t even talked about Detroit too. I still think that, you know, goalending is still a question mark with Detroit. Buffalo, who knows what’s going to happen because they could start the season 10, one and one, be in a playoff spot, and then falter after that because that’s been the MO of them the last few seasons. So, who knows which Buffalo Sabres you’re going to get. But I do think that, you know, Toronto is still going to be a top two team. first place. Highly doubt it, but I do see them as the sec like one of those second or even third possibly as well. Uh depending on how well they uh play overall as a team because the defense should still hold up. Goalending as well, but the lack of goals may be a bit of a problem as well. Is Austin Matthews going to be healthy? That’s another thing to look at. Um, yeah, I I still for sure two, possibly three, maybe not one, but you know, they’re still going to be in that playoff spot. Yeah, it’s going to be, like I say, it’ll all depend on how they kind of replace Mitch Mner. Are they going to take a big step back offensively, which might happen? Um, and I mean, that could have maybe winning a lot more 2-1 games rather than those higher scoring games. And that’s where you’re relying on your goalending, which yeah, I mean, Stallars and Wall are pretty good. tandem if both are healthy like you mentioned. I mean the health of both of them are going to be it’s going to be a big thing throughout the season because Stlar started off so well. Yeah. And then he got hurt got hurt. I mean it looked like they were going to finally have a really good tandem for the first time in a long time and hopefully Stallars can stay healthy because he did look pretty good at the beginning of the season there. So yeah, we’ll see how it all goes. All right, let’s go to our quick buy round. These are all quick questions here. Um, biggest one and this is probably we’ve mentioned it already. Biggest storyline or a question mark going into this season. Actually, I was supposed to mention this with the forwards as well as a boring questions, but I didn’t. So, I’m going to save it for now. And that’s Austin Matthew’s health. I mean, this is a 60 goal scorer that we have seen in the past and then he had his lowest goal total last season with 33. And that’s not Austin Matthew Standard. We’re we’re used to seeing him push 50 55 60 70 even. Um you know there he did sustain an injury at the be beginning of camp and I think that was lingering throughout the whole entire season where he was good at times at spurts. At times it really showed where he wasn’t the best. The shot wasn’t there. The accuracy was a little bit off. The power was a little bit lagging. But right now, seeing him train, seeing the video, seeing everything, seeing him say that he’s all good to go for camp this time around, I hope that’s all behind him. But I we need to see the results. And and I’m sorry, 33 goals for a bad season for Austin Matthews. I mean, come on, that’s still pretty damn impressive. Um, obviously, we would like to see 50 55. I think that’s going to be the case. I think he could push that again this year if he is healthy, but his health is going to be the biggest one going forward for Toronto. So that’s my biggest storyline and question mark so far. Yeah. And and that’s the big I mean yeah Austin Matthews I think it’s because well the bad thing is why he’s expected and why it’s bad season because he’s everyone knows he could do a lot better and 30 goals. I think a lot of Forbes would be like I’ll take that. Absolutely. But not for Matthews. I’m sorry that’s a bad All right. Who do you got for breakout stars uh this season? I mean, I’d say N is probably already broken out, so I guess he doesn’t fall into that. But who who do you think is going to break out? I’m going to cheat a little and say that N breaks out a little bit more compared to what we saw last year. I I was so I had a prediction that he would hit 3030, 30 goals and 60 points. So close. He was 28 and 28 or 20. Yeah, he was 28 goals, 28 assists, and just two points back of of 60 points. So, I’m thinking that he has that connection with Matthews. He knows what his role is going to be. We saw him pop off in the playoffs again in big moments. I think he’s going to hit 70 points. I think he elevates his play from what we saw last year. And every single season with N, we saw steady progression. We saw with like 30 points, close to 60, I think he surpasses that. I think he’s gonna have another breakout season and be one of those elite power forwards in this game right now because we saw how well he could stand up to anybody right now. Shove them down, be physical, attack the net. Um, so I’m banking on him breaking out and terms of other players, it’s a little tough because you know what the expectations are for some, but I’m hoping that we could see a little bit more goal production from Max Doi. I mean, he’s only had eight last season, nine the season before with Toronto. He’s already two seasons in. I want to see him be a little bit more selfish. I know he’s a playmaker, but I hope that he and I I mean, overall his stats over his year, he only had like 70 points one time, but or actually he cracked 70 points twice if I’m not mistaken. No, it was once. Looking at the wrong category. um if he’s able to just maybe surpass 50 55 points with the Maple Leafs and maybe hit double digit goals, I think that’ll be a really great season for him. I it feels like at times even the coaching staff last year and Buru said that he needs to shoot the puck more. If we see a little bit that a little bit more of that, I think that’s going to be really great for him. And I think that it’s tough to say break out for a veteran player like Doy, but I still feel like he has a little bit more to give with the Maple Leafs. Yeah. So, I’m hoping that this is the season that we still see a little bit more from Doi and I hope the goal still start to pop off a little bit more. Yeah. Break out with the Maple Leafs. He’s broken out in with other teams. I But yeah, return to that would be a good thing right now. and and nice. I do agree. I think he could break out even more. I I think he has a potential to be a 40 goal scorer at some point. So, and especially if like you know they’re missing now that playmaker on the top line. Machelli can return to his playmaking because he he had a lot of assists in season. So, if he can become that playmaking winger on that line, who knows? We might might see an a Marner light maybe with him. All right. someone that needs to bounce back at the most uh this season. Um I could go a lot of directions with this one. I’m going to mainly pinpoint out the bottom part of the roster and I’m going to say a mix of Kelly Yarn Croak and David Camp because their spots are like kind of on edge right now. Camp I we know David Camp is a is a defensive specialist, but it feels like there are times where he’s getting too much hemmed in in his own zone. he’s not breaking out as cleanly when the puck is on a stick or when the his line is on the ice. They’re a bit of a non-factor. So, I think you’d like him to bounce back in terms of the role that he’s supposed to be in. Um, I think definitely Morgan Riley, I I know we talked about how he needs to have a bounceback performance. Um, fans are a little bit frustrated with the lack of, you know, hesitancy with the shooting. Um, yeah, I just feel like he again his confidence needs to be back to where it was previously before where if you would like to see him hit double digits in goals instead of just single, that’s going to be very ideal for him, but even within his own zone, kind of gets uh out of position quite a bit. Um, I really feel like that this I mean not not necessarily a make or break season because he’s already under contract. He’s here for life. He has the right to wave his no move clubs. He’s not going anywhere. But I feel like fans want to see more of Morgan Riley or like the playoff Morgan Riley that we have seen so much in the past where he’s a game breaker in the regular season as well. So, u those are two players that I feel like really need to bounce back for. One for job security for one player, but the other just performance overall and consistency. Yeah, I agree with those two for sure. All right, Ty, let’s go to X factors. Now, this can be situation or player, wherever you want to go with this one. uh Maple Leaf power play because there are times where it was really hot and it got really really cold. I think with the change in mindset right now where you don’t have Mner as the point man, I think it could open up a lot of options for you because I know that if Matias Machelli is going to be on your first power play unit, I think it’s a little bit more ideal where you have him on the half and along the boards than you would let’s say William Knander who could be that shooting threat from the point because we know how powerful shot he has. So if Knander replaces Mner, even as that draw pass, which I absolutely hate the draw pass on the power play, at least Knander has a speed to burst in. You never saw that with Mner. And then with Machelli on the half wall, it’ll set it will set things up very well when you could pass a download to Matthew N in the bumper spot for Tavvar, how he’s excelled in there quickly across the scenes where he could connect with Matthews. Who knows what can happen. So I think that if you put Machali or even Max Doi who can still make a really solid pass on that top unit and have Knander as the point man with the shot him setup as well think that could work out big uh for that power play but a lot I still think that the PK is going to be big as well. um just mainly because you didn’t really have a whole change of personnel except for maybe up front with Mner, but you still have guys that could play on the penalty kill where you have the speed of Machelli, you have guys like Lurance that already know what they’re doing. Um I think they’re going to be you won’t get as much production in terms of short shorthanded qualities or quality chances, but you may get some here and there, but maybe not not a whole lot compared to last season. But I still think the defense is going to be solid because you do have Tanv who just basically eats rubber night in night out. You do have Mabe as well. Oliver Ecman Larson as well because of his breakout ability. So you have a the defense is very steady. I just got to see how the Fords will react to the change on the PK as well. Yeah, it definitely I think that well Marner being off the power play is going to change a lot. So we’ll see what how they kind of adjust how it all goes. All right, let’s shift to prospects your wheelhouse there. So you see anyone surprising like we’re not expecting because I mean Maple Leafs don’t have a strong prospect pool and Eastern Cowan wouldn’t really be a surprise if he makes the team. I do you see anyone else kind of fitting in uh maybe into that category up front? Highly unlikely. I think Cowan is the only option. But then again in terms of like anybody else the Maple Leafs don’t have Alex Steves anymore. He signed with the Bruins. They don’t have Fraser Minton. They don’t have Nikita Greben. They don’t have a lot of call-ups. They’ve dipped into the collegiate free agent pool where they did sign Luke Haynes who has a lot of upside. Looked good in a small sample with the Marlies last season. And he’s one prospect that, you know, I’m basically not not telling people to watch, but you should keep an eye on him this season because of how well he’s translated to the pro level quickly. And I think with the transition in the roster where they don’t have a lot of veterans, they’re going to rely uh on their younger players, um Haynes is definitely one guy to watch, but I think a lot of the forwards are still out of the question in terms of like making the roster aside from Cowan. They’re going to have the callups. You’re going to have probably Jacob Quillin who did get who did get one game last year. But aside from that, um not a whole lot of prospects that could easily make the jump as much as Cowan on defense. Again, not a whole lot. You’re going to have like the possible call-ups like Marshall Rifi. You’re going to have probably Cade Weber. I’m I’m hoping that we could see a little bit more push from William Villanovv. Like he’s bounced back where he’s had three or he put together a strong season last year, but it kind of feels like he’s still going to be AHL bound for his whole career. But he does bring an element with his offensive mindedness and puck moving abilities on the back end. But is it going to be enough uh for him to crack the roster? I doubt it. I would love to see it. I’m rooting for him because of the steps that he’s taken. But even overall, a lot of the a lot of the prospects that you’re going to see, they’re going to be all calloffs or like emergency bases kind of thing. If there’s an injury, get some game times, but then head on back down. They’re not going to be sticking up with the club. Cowin is the only option, but then again, you know, aside from him, they really don’t have a whole lot. You’re banking on Noah Chadwick possibly uh eventually, but he needs some seasoning as well. So, um, yeah, I wish I could give a good answer, but unfortunately I can with the prospects. Yeah, there’s no one that could surprise and do it, I don’t think. Yeah. Um, but other prospects though, I mean, I know you wrote an article about prospects to watch, I believe, for the Maple Leafs. So, who do you who should everyone be watching this season? Um, I mean, obviously Luke Hayes uh with the Marlies. I think that, you know, he did deal with an injury, but with the IQ awareness and this and the pace that he plays with where he’s able to cut through defenders, it is phenomenal. I mean, obviously Cowan wherever he plays, whether it’s NHL, I mean, if he cracks the NHL and he plays past 50 games, great. But overall, I think another season of watching Ben Danford, you know, emulate the style of Chris Tanv. I think he’s got I mean, the Ashawa Generals are probably eyeing for a championship this year. London’s taking a step back. So hopefully this is Ashawa’s time and Damper is going to lead them with his uh play on the ice as well and his defensive mindset. But even over uh other other names, I want I want to see how well Tenis Lu Koblar who was a very surprising second round pick. Um if he’s going to get some SHL time, that’s going to be very big for his development. He’s got the big body, he’s got the size, he’s very difficult to move in front of the net, and he kind of provides that Matthew Nice element in tight where he’s very successful. Uh, but the biggest one is going to be Victor Johansson for me. I mean, just two seasons ago, I mean, when we were in Vegas, we were like a lot of the Leaf uh writers we were talking were like, who is this guy? We search up on like his stats and everything. not a whole lot, like eight, nine points, 143 pounds. But the steps that he has taken to round out his game, be a little bit more offensively driven, add a little bit more weight and muscle as he mentioned, you know, eating a lot more snacks and pizza and everything like that. And he had a really, really tremendous showing at the road junior summer showcase. I mean I mean it is a small meaningless tournament but for him to pop off and be one of the top defenders for Sweden with the likes of Sasha Bomedian and uh Axel Sandine Pelica that is or I not sure if it was Axel but maybe Leo Selene Wenius. I’m going to have to double check on that. I’ll circle back to that in a bit. But he was one of the top three defenders on that team and if he could carve a spot or roster spot on Sweden’s defense that’s going to be big. if he could take another step into the SHL or even, you know, tear it up another season with his age group, great. But I feel like a lot of more eyes should be on Victor Johansson because the potential is starting to show right now. Yeah. And that’s that’s something that I mean, especially with the Maple Leafs with their prospect pool, it’s like any of these guys hitting is big um because they never have really high picks, right? So, yeah. Yeah, definitely a guy to watch coming up this season for sure. All right. Uh, this one could be an easy one because um, I mean, maybe not. Uh, who who do you think is going to lead the team uh, forward-wise and scoring and defense? You could break it down by goals and points if you want if they’re going to be different players. Uh, just to circle back, it was Oel and Wenius for, you know, the first one. Okay, so back on track. Um, I feel like we are going to see 100 point season from Neander. I feel like he is going to lead the team. uh he like he just seems to like not get phased by the media the you know the talk around him or anything like that. He goes out and he plays his game and he we have seen steady progression for him where he takes control shifts um you know catching defenders off guard with his breakaway speed you know not being noticed by the defenders and he’s walking in all alone. I think he has another step forward for him this season. Um, yeah. I mean, you know, aside from Mitch Martner, he was the second best point producer for the Maple Leafs last year with 84. The assist took a bit of a down, like a bit of a turn uh the other way, but the goals total went up. You know, he again, like I said, three straight 40 goal seasons. 45 was a career best. Um, I feel like we see 100 point season from Knander. I feel like Matthews is going to lead the team in goals as well. I think we’ll see a bit more assists from Knander where it’s going to be close to that, you know, 40 50 mark uh for Knander in terms of goals and assists. Matthews, I think we see 50 55 goals. I think he leaves that category where maybe he’s knocking on possibly 80 90 points as well. Um I and like I said, I think I think we see progression from Matthew N. I think we still see steady consistency with John Tvar where he’s going to be 35 goals at least. Um 40 assists where he’s going to be in that 75 to 80 point mark again. Again, he’s aging like fine wine where you know you a couple seasons ago people were writing him off that you know he’s done you know trade him then he signs a team friendly contract. everyone is jumping on board with him that he’s putting the team first forward right now and he’s you know producing at a level where maybe it’s not going to be 11 point 11 million but with the cap hit or with the cap that he’s had that he’s going to have right now it’s definitely going to be valuable with the production that he’s going to get. So I think you’re looking at obviously the big guys leading the way but I think Neander is going to be the big the big guy this time around and he’s going to hit the triple triple point mark. I think so too. You see Morgan Riley, is he leading the defense in points? I don’t know. I I I mean, can’t can’t envision anybody else other than Morgan Riley to lead the defense in terms of points because last season he had 41. The next defender was Oliver Ecan Larson with 29. So, there’s a sizable gap right there. Um, obviously you’re going to probably see, you know, 20 30 points from Mabe. If you can see a little bit more production from Oel, I think he’s got a lot more to give as well. So maybe you could see him hit 30 35 behind Riley. But again, the Maple Leafs defense in terms of production was the lowest or bottom of the league last year. So it’s probably going to be like that again. Um but who knows? You know, maybe Morgan Riley can probably hit 5560. Maybe O can get a little bit more offense going. So we’ll see what happens there. But I do think that Morgan Riley’s definitely going to lead the defense, but it’s still going to be, you know, average compared to other defenders. Yeah, I unfortunately don’t have a 90 point guy. That’d be really hard to but no Quinn Hughes. All right, let’s uh finish the show uh with a bold prediction or hot take for this season. See, I saw this and I I struggled when I saw the the like topic list of bull predictions and hot takes. Um, again, this is kind of tough because last year, last year I would have said the Maple Leafs go past the second round, but then again, they didn’t go past the second round because lo and behold, the Florida Panthers were in the way. And if they had beaten the Florida Panthers, who knows what could have happened. I think they could have gone on a deeper run. Yeah. Can I say the same thing right now for certainty? Probably not. Because Florida came back with the same team. Everyone like Florida’s the top dog. Every the whole entire Atlantic division is going to run through them. and Toronto’s basically chasing again. So, if I had to have a bull prediction, I think Matthews does hit 55 60 goals again. Um, I don’t know if that’s going to be a hot take, but considering that he wasn’t healthy last year, I I’m betting that with a healthy Austin Matthews, that could be the case. I am I I think a safe bet for Matthew N is a 70, but if I’m going really bold, he could probably hit 80 just because of that nefron presence just because he could get a lot more goals in tight. Uh because you got Machelli and or Doi still feeding you pucks as well. Um yeah, I I think if I’m going to go bold, I want to say if I can, I hope he gets a lot more gains and starts because then he could be in legitimate conversation for the VZA. That’s Anthony Stolars being in the vested conversation because he was leading in goals against average. Obviously, he wasn’t going to get a lot. I mean, he got some votes. He didn’t get a whole lot because Connor Halabuk had a heavy workload. If maybe Stallers could get a little bit more games in. Maybe he could be in contention for the award. That could be another bold take where he could be a top three finalist for the VZNA. I don’t know. But from what we saw last year, Anthony Stolars was looking like a Vzna contender and uh pro and probably like a little bit more of a bull take, but maybe he should be on team USA’s radar for goending for the Olympics, but then again with Hellabucker and Swayman kind of tough. It’s very tough. Yeah, I mean he could get on their radar, but you never know. Um but yeah, it’s going to be interesting to see. There’s lots of storylines going on with the Maple Leafs as there is always uh going into a season and I mean especially without Martner now that’s going to be a big thing uh right from training camp who’s going to we won’t know obviously until the end of the season of who does um but like you say we’re not expecting 100 point guy to come out of nowhere because it would be out of nowhere because there’s no one really that you’re could do that 100 points. I don’t know. Don’t think we’ll even know like who’s going to be in the line combos until like the first game of preseason. And as it’s Matthews, nice and insert name whether it is Domi or Machelli or Knander. So yeah, we won’t know until opening night and that may change after that too. Who knows? Yeah, you know, line changes. Line combos always change. But thanks Peter for coming on talking Maple Leaf as the season come gets closer and closer. And make sure you’re checking out everything.com. We got lots of preview content already on the site. Uh lots of previews already on the YouTube channel as well. So check out any of those if you want to do that. Um and of course our Substack newsletters that come out that keeps you up to date on all of our uh pieces over at the hockey writers as well. But until our next preview, we will see you next
Host Matthew Zator welcomes Toronto Maple Leafs writer Peter Baracchini to the show to preview the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season.
They go through everything from the new additions of Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua, Matias Maccelli and Michael Pezzetta to burning questions/storylines surrounding the forwards, defense and goaltending and where the Maple Leafs stack up in the Atlantic Division. They also highlight some potential breakout stars, players that need to bounce back from last season, prospects to watch, X factors, bold predictions, and more.
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1 comment
Oh boy the big one