Preseason isn’t about trophies—it’s about reading the tea leaves. And with the Toronto Maple Leafs, three names keep surfacing again and again: Morgan Rielly, Nicolas Roy, and James Reimer. Together, they hint at where this team is headed. One is a top defenceman being asked to shoulder more responsibility, one is a new centreman proving his worth, and one is a long-ago familiar face back in blue and white when the Maple Leafs suddenly need him.
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If you want a snapshot of what matters this September, it’s these three R’s. Rielly, Roy, and Reimer might not define the season by themselves, but right now they’re setting the tone for where this team is going. Call it the preseason’s shorthand: the Three R’s of Toronto hockey.
Surprise One: Rielly Steps Into the Power Play Spotlight
With Mitch Marner gone, Toronto’s power play doesn’t just need adjustments—it needs a new identity. The coaching staff hasn’t been subtle about it. They’ve said it outright: this is Rielly’s show now. That kind of public declaration is rare, and it says everything about how much responsibility is being placed on the 30-year-old defenceman.
The encouraging part is how sharp Rielly has looked so far. He’s been more decisive, quicker to attack, and less predictable when moving the puck. Defensively, he still has the odd lapse, but that’s not the reason he’s in the lineup. The Maple Leafs need him to quarterback their special teams and drive offence from the back end. If he can keep this edge, Toronto won’t feel like it lost Marner—they’ll feel like they’ve reinvented themselves.
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Why Rielly is a surprise: For most of his career, Rielly has been the quiet stabilizer, rarely the one publicly singled out to lead. For the coaching staff to openly declare the power play his responsibility is a shift in tone—and a surprise challenge this late in his career.
Surprise Two: Roy Brings Some Heavy Lifting
Roy isn’t flashy, and he won’t headline SportsCentre, but he’s the kind of player coaches love. Bigger and heavier than David Kämpf, the man he’s effectively replacing, Roy has already shown he can kill plays in the corners, protect pucks down low, and tilt shifts into Toronto’s favour.
Nicolas Roy, Toronto Maple Leafs (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)
In camp and preseason action, since coming from the Vegas Golden Knights, Roy now needs to display the ability to slow things down when needed, drag opponents into the dirty areas, and wear them out. He’s not going to rack up tons of points, but his steady, punishing style gives the Maple Leafs something they’ve lacked—a third-line centre who doesn’t just survive minutes against the other team’s middle six, but thrives in them. By midseason, he might be one of Toronto’s most trusted players.
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Why Roy is a surprise: Roy arrived as a depth piece, expected to slot in quietly. Instead, he’s already looking like a clear upgrade over the kind of players the Maple Leafs have had since Nazem Kadri left a few offseasons ago. He might be pushing for a bigger role than anyone projected when the trade went down.
Surprise Three: Reimer Returns—and Matters
If you’d said a month ago that Reimer would be a story in Toronto again, few would have believed it. Signed to a professional tryout (PTO), he looked like nothing more than a nostalgic depth option. But with Joseph Woll stepping away for personal reasons, Reimer’s return feels important.
Toronto’s October schedule includes three back-to-back sets. Anthony Stolarz can’t shoulder all of it. If Reimer earns a deal—and signs—he could quickly go from camp body to critical stopgap. He’s not the wide-eyed kid who left here a decade ago. He’s seasoned, steady, and still capable of pulling out big saves in bunches. What appeared to be a sentimental reunion might become a vital component of the Maple Leafs’ early-season stability.
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Why Reimer is a surprise: Reimer was brought in on a PTO as insurance, with little expectation of sticking around. The combination of Woll’s absence and Reimer’s steady play over past seasons has turned what looked like a camp cameo into a serious roster consideration.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
September storylines always fade fast once the regular season begins, but the Three R’s—Rielly, Roy, and Reimer—feel more important than the usual camp chatter. Each represents a key area where Toronto needs answers: leadership from the blue line, depth at centre, and reliable goaltending.
If these three hold steady, the Maple Leafs won’t just stumble into October hoping things work out. They’ll open the season looking more balanced, tougher, and ready for the grind than they’ve been in years. The preseason doesn’t hand out trophies, but it does reveal direction. And right now, To(R)onto has a big “R” right in the middle of it.
