In recognition of the 2025-26 National Hockey League season, we offer 26 Maple Leafs thoughts and takes as training camps across the league open this week.
We present these randomly and not necessarily in order of importance.
1. The Leafs’ Atlantic Division title run will end at one. Not only should the Florida Panthers be the favourite to win the Stanley Cup for the third year in a row (a feat not accomplished since the New York Islanders won four Cups from 1980 to 1983), we’re picking them to win the division. The Panthers’ experience and depth are unequalled. They return intact. The Leafs don’t have regular-season Mitch Marner anymore.
2. That’s not to say the Leafs will have trouble making the playoffs. There’s enough to fight for second or third in the division. After finishing fourth last year, the Ottawa Senators represent the best chance among the other Atlantic clubs to move into the top three in the division.
3. Auston Matthews, provided he has good health, will become the Leafs’ franchise leader in goals around Christmastime. The captain has 401 goals in his NHL career and needs 20 to pass Mats Sundin for the team mark. The Leafs have 36 games before Christmas. By season’s end, Matthews will move into fourth on the Leafs’ franchise points list. He’s in sixth with 727 and in shouting distance of catching Marner (741 points) and Borje Salming (768). Dave Keon is third with 858.
4. After what Matthew Knies did in 2024-25, scoring 29 goals and finishing second among Leafs forwards with 182 hits, is there any question about further growth? Absolutely not. Sit back and enjoy watching the 22-year-old continue to develop into a top-notch power forward.
5. It’s imperative that veteran defenceman Morgan Rielly rebounds after a bumpy 2024-25. With Marner gone, put him back on the No. 1 power-play unit. If Rielly, the longest-serving current Leafs player, needs to regain some confidence, perhaps it can come via some top PP time. Still, there should be no shortage of motivation for the 31-year-old. Count on him to be better.
6. Of the four Leafs looking at unrestricted free agency next summer — goalie Anthony Stolarz and forwards Calle Jarnkrok, Scott Laughton and Bobby McMann — Stolarz has to be at the top of the to-do list. A nice raise (from his average annual value of $2.5 million US) awaits after Stolarz led the NHL in save percentage last season.
7. William Nylander is coming off a career-high 45 goals, despite scoring just three times in the final 10 games. He’s capable of scoring 50, even if his probable centre, John Tavares, is not getting any younger.
8. Hope that Max Domi or Matias Maccelli or whoever it might be, works out on Matthews’ right. Keeping the scoring spread out a bit (leaving Nylander on the second line) would be prudent. The pairs of Matthews/Knies and Tavares/Nylander seem rather obvious.
9. Domi had 33 points in 74 games a year ago and Maccelli had 18 in 55 with Utah. Is either a true long-term answer with Matthews? There’s a reason why, in a perfect world, general manager Brad Treliving would have loved to have added a legitimate top-six forward.
10. If Easton Cowan doesn’t win a job in camp, don’t fret. Developing with the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League won’t be a detriment. One way or another, it’s not going to be long before Cowan is making an impact at Scotiabank Arena.
11. Other than Cowan, there is no rookie who will challenge for a job in training camp. Is it because of the Leafs’ NHL depth or the lack of blue-chip prospects? Both.
12. Can Tavares approach 38 goals, which was his total of last season? It’s possible. Yes, the ex-captain will turn 35 on Saturday, but few pay greater attention to detail and preparation than Tavares does. Like Nylander, who has not missed a game since 2021-22, Tavares is durable, having played in all but 14 games in the past four seasons.
13. There’s no reason for the Leafs to sign forward Dillon Dube. Period.
14. We’re a little surprised Treliving didn’t add some veteran insurance in goal after Matt Murray signed with Seattle. Dennis Hildeby has done good things with the Marlies, but his NHL experience amounts to six games. An injury to Stolarz or Joseph Woll wouldn’t be good. Probably best not to consider what could happen if both are hurt at the same time.
15. If Stolarz and Woll avoid injuries, the Leafs should have either the best one-two punch in net in the NHL or awfully close to it.
16. Laughton and defenceman Brandon Carlo both should benefit after having a camp under coach Craig Berube. Of the two, Carlo made a smoother transition in Toronto following the trade deadline last March. Laughton probably will be the first to say he has a lot more to give than what we saw in his first look in a Leafs uniform.
17. Nicolas Roy is everything you want in a third-line centre. He’s big, responsible and has some touch.
18. Don’t sleep on incoming winger Dakota Joshua. As he indicated on Monday, he’s eager to forget about 2024-25. While the expectation is that Joshua will start on the fourth line, keep in mind that he scored 18 goals with the Vancouver Canucks two years ago. That’s not fourth-line material.
19. It’s going to be strange, at least initially, to not see Brendan Shanahan at the rink. Fired in May, the former team president was a fixture at practices and morning skates. Putting the playoff failures on his watch aside, we imagine his experience will be missed in the day-to-day happenings in the front office.
20. If you’re Nick Robertson, are you looking at the depth chart and wondering how you fit in? And, if so, how do you nail down a spot? Will his best be good enough?
21. If we had to make a bet, we would put money on Treliving trading a veteran forward before the start of the regular season. And we’d make a second bet that it would be one of David Kampf, Jarnkrok or Robertson.
22. For the defence pairs of Jake McCabe-Chris Tanev, Rielly-Carlo and Simon Benoit-Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the pre-season should be about settling into a groove. Henry Thrun, acquired in the trade with San Jose that sent Ryan Reaves out West, and Philippe Myers are next in line, but the top six will be tough to crack.
23. Tanev’s influence on the team in his first season probably was greater than what the Leafs had anticipated and that’s taking nothing away from the respect that the 35-year-old has throughout the NHL. It goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway) that Tanev’s importance can’t wane. His steady hand in the D zone is crucial for the Leafs.
24. If you’re not satisfied with the Leafs roster now, remember that Treliving has left himself some wiggle room under the cap (approximately $1.9 million as camp starts) and could add as the season progresses. By no means is the GM financially backed into a corner.
25. McMann didn’t score 20 goals through 63 games by accident. That he didn’t score in the final 11 games of the regular season nor in 13 playoff games should be a source of inspiration for him. It’s on him to channel that properly.
26. In his first season with the Vegas Golden Knights, Marner will have his second 100-point year in the NHL after he put up 102 points in what was his last season in Toronto. We can’t say with certainty Marner will help lead Vegas to a Cup, however, given that he was part of the collective failure to make a similar impact here for the past decade.
X: @koshtorontosun