The Maple Leafs held a practice at the Ford Performance Centre on Tuesday.

The Maple Leafs are still looking to find the right mix in their forward group as they get set to open the post Mitch Marner era against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.

“Our goaltending is strong,” general manager Brad Treliving said. “Our defence is strong. Up front is where there are probably a few more question marks in terms of where everyone fits, finding their roles, and finding chemistry.”

The Leafs used the cap space created by Marner’s departure to add centre Nicolas Roy as well as wingers Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli. The hope is a deeper group up front will help offset the loss of the 102-point winger.

The very early returns have been mixed as the Leafs went 0-2-1 in the three pre-season games in which a majority of their NHL regulars dressed.

Meanwhile, a lower-body injury sustained by veteran centre Scott Laughton, who is listed as week-to-week, led coach Craig Berube to juggle three of his four lines right at the end of training camp.

“I think we’re still a work in progress,” acknowledged Treliving, who remains interested in adding another top-six forward.

Maccelli, who is looking to bounce back after being a healthy scratch down the stretch in Utah last season, will get the first look in Marner’s old spot on the top line beside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.

“He’s shifty,” said Matthews. “Really smart, like a really smart hockey player, and a guy that I find is pretty easy to play with. I feel like he’s got a really good mind for the game and [is good at] getting into different areas that he likes to be. I think he kind of knows where I like to be, so just trying to work off each other a little bit.”

Maccelli picked up an assist on a Matthews goal in the one pre-season game they played together.

The initial plan was for Max Domi to start beside Matthews and Knies, but he will now shift to the centre of the third line between Joshua and Nick Robertson.

The fourth line features Roy between Steven Lorentz and Calle Jarnkrok.

The second line – John Tavares between Bobby McMann and William Nylander – has remained together since the start of training camp.

The Leafs are facing a stiff challenge as they aim to finish first in the Atlantic Division for a second straight season.

“I think it’s the hardest division in hockey,” Treliving said, pointing out that the last six Stanley Cup Finals have included either the Florida Panthers or Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators also made the playoffs last spring.

“Every night, it’s a beast,” Treliving said. “We’ve got our hands full.”

After taking the eventual champion Panthers to Game 7 in a second-round series last season, is it Stanely Cup or bust for the Leafs?

“We’re just getting ready for Wednesday,” Treliving said with a laugh.

Treliving likes flexibility of Leafs’ forward lines but admits they’re ‘still a work in progress’ Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving likes the flexibility and depth of Toronto’s forward group, but admits that it’s ‘still a work in progress’ as they try to find the best fits for the new additions. Treliving calls the Atlantic ‘the hardest division in hockey’ and knows the Leafs will have their hands full this year.

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The status of top prospect Easton Cowan remains unclear.

“Today he’s not on the roster,” Treliving said of the 20-year-old winger. “And then we’ll see what happens tomorrow, right? Easton has had a really good camp. I think he’s right there ready to play for us. We want to manage it appropriately. If he’s going to be playing with us here, great. But if he’s not, I want him playing, right? So we’ll manage it here the next little bit. You know, we’ll get through today and see what tomorrow brings.”

After skating as the 13th forward at Monday morning’s practice, Cowan was not included on the team’s opening-day roster, which was submitted to the league in the afternoon. Instead, the team called up Jacob Quillan as part of some cap-related maneuvering.

Further to the #leafs keeping Jacob Quillan on the season-opening roster while assigning Easton Cowan to the AHL:

This sets them up to put Marshall Rifai on LTIR tomorrow and create a good LTIR capture, should they need it this season

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 6, 2025

Cowan did not skate with the Leafs or AHL Marlies on Tuesday, but joined Quillan for a skills session run by the team’s player development staff.

“We have a plan for him,” Berube said. “I know you guys talked to Brad already about that. We’ve got a plan for him. That’s about all I’m going to say about that right now.”

Berube did indulge a follow-up question from your humble correspondent, who wondered if the coach foresaw playing opportunities with the Leafs for Cowan.

“Well, yeah, it can present itself for sure,” Berube said. “He had a good camp. I liked him in camp. We all liked him in camp. He’s a player that’s going to help the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Cowan suited up in five of six pre-season games. He only produced two assists, but earned consistent praise from the coach for his motor and for focusing on the details of the game.

“I think he should feel great,” Matthews said. “He’s made such big strides in a couple of years here and I thought he looked really great in camp, all camp. I thought he put on a really good show. He looks physically strong. I think he’s matured a lot just as a guy and as a player as well and I think it showed throughout the whole camp. I know there’s tough decisions to be made, but I think he should definitely be proud of what he accomplished during camp and the way he handled everything.”

It would not be a surprise to see Cowan called up on Wednesday.

‘We have a plan for him’: Berube confident Cowan will help the Maple Leafs Easton Cowan had a strong training camp with the Maple Leafs but was sent down to the AHL on Monday. Leafs GM Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube have a plan in place for Cowan, and captain Auston Matthews said the 20-year-old forward should be proud of what he showed over the last few weeks.

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Cowan’s path to playing time may be further complicated by the arrival of Sammy Blais, who was claimed off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.

Blais skated as the 13th forward at Tuesday’s practice, but is expected to make his Leafs debut soon.

“He had a good camp in Montreal,” Berube said. “We’ve got to get him up to date on how we play and our systems and things like that because they’ll be different than Montreal, but I don’t believe it’s going to take that long.”

Blais played for Berube in the AHL and then again in St. Louis where they won a Stanley Cup together. The 6-foot-2, 206-pound winger made a big impression on the veteran bench boss.

“I really liked him,” said Berube, who noted Blais scored 26 goals for him in the minors. “He’s a heavy, heavy hitter, and he hits people hard. He’s strong on the forecheck. He’s got no fear in him.”

“He kind of knows the way I play and he kind of likes that,” said Blais, 29. “I know what he expects from me so I think it makes it a little easier. I’m just excited to show that I can still play in this league.”

Blais did not play in the NHL last season, but posted 40 points in 51 AHL games before helping the Abbotsford Canucks win the Calder Cup.

“I think I found my game back a little bit, like not just physically, but offensively, too,” the native of Montmagny, Que. said. “So I had a lot of fun last year, and I think my confidence went up a lot last year.”

“If you look back, he was a real good player in St. Louis,” Treliving said. “Went to New York, went through a major injury with his knee and sort of had to rebuild himself. He’s a player that had spent last year in the American League and was a big part of that team’s success, winning the Calder Cup. We had good reports. Our staff had seen him a lot over his career, but specifically last year. He had a good camp in Montreal. He gives us some depth and [has] a history with the coach, so a player we knew.”

‘Heavy hitter’ Blais eager to prove he’s still an impact player: ‘He’s got no fear in him’ The Maple Leafs scooped Sammy Blais up off waivers from the Canadiens on Monday, reuniting the 29-year-old forward with coach Craig Berube who he played for in St. Louis. Blais is determined to prove he can still be an impact player in the NHL and his new team is happy to have him aboard.

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Joseph Woll remains away from the team on personal leave.

“No updates there,” Treliving said. “We think things are progressing well, but I can’t give you a timeframe right now.”

How is Woll doing?

“He’s doing well,” Treliving said. “Yeah, doing really well.”

Woll’s equipment is hanging in his stall inside the dressing room at the team’s practice facility.

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In light of Woll’s open-ended absence, the Leafs have been looking to fortify their depth in net. James Reimer got into one pre-season game as part of a professional tryout, but was released on Monday after the Leafs claimed Cayden Primeau off of waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes.

“Felt bad for James,” Treliving said. “He really didn’t have a lot of time to get up and go through a camp and get his feet under him. And we felt [better] having somebody that’s been through a camp. We like the background of Cayden. It gives us more depth.”

Primeau is the son of former NHL star and Toronto native Keith Primeau.

“I don’t think my phone stopped blowing up when people found out because I have so many friends and family in Toronto,” the 26-year-old said. “So, you know, they were texting me nonstop.”

Primeau played mostly in the AHL last season posting a .927 save percentage in 26 games with the Laval Rocket. He registered an .836 save percentage in 11 games with the Canadiens.

“I had a great off season,” Primeau said. “I feel stronger and that’s definitely going to translate on the ice.”

The Leafs have three back-to-back sets in October, including one next week.

Dennis Hildeby, who is Toronto’s top goalie prospect, joined the Marlies for practice on Tuesday.

“The other piece with that is Dennis has had a really good camp,” Treliving said of the 24-year-old Swede. “Now, I know we all get excited about opening day rosters, [but] this allows us to have depth at the position. It allows us, if need be, for Dennis to come back and play. It allows him to keep playing. So really at the end of the day we felt it gave us depth of the position with Joe’s absent right now with a goaltender we like.”

Hildeby led the Leafs with a .920 save percentage in three pre-season appearances.

After whirlwind week, Primeau ‘super motivated’ to seize opportunity in Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving was happy to claim goaltender Cayden Primeau off waivers and improve the team’s depth between the pipes with Joseph Woll still out indefinitely. Primeau recaps his whirlwind week and says he’s eager to seize the opportunity available in Toronto’s crease.

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Matthews was asked for his reaction to the Connor McDavid contract extension. The Oilers captain signed a two-year deal with a $12.5-million cap hit on Monday.

McDavid will earn significantly less than market value in the hopes of helping the Oilers build a Stanley Cup winner.

“I think for him it’s all about winning and setting himself up for the best opportunity to do that,” said Matthews, who is represented by the same agent (Judd Moldaver from Wasserman Hockey) as McDavid. “I’m not in those conversations or anything. Obviously, I have a lot of respect for him and I’ve been fortunate to get to know him over the years. In my time around him, you know, that’s the main thing that he obviously wants to do. That’s what everybody wants to do is to win, and he’s as committed as anybody to it.”

McDavid and Matthews are now both due to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2028.

Matthews signed a four-year, $53-million extension ($13.25-million annual average value) in the summer of 2023. Does the Arizona native believe McDavid’s move will put pressure on stars to take less in the future?

“I think everybody’s situation is different,” the Leafs captain said. “Obviously, every team’s situation is different. Cap’s going up. You know, it’s tough to kind of envision what the landscape’s going to look like. But, you know, in the end, I think you always want to try to find a happy medium between what helps the team and puts the team in a good situation as well as yourself. So, I think that’s kind of the way I look toward it.”

‘It gives us a chance’: McDavid tells Rishaug why $12.5M was the right number Fresh off a two-year, $12.5M extension with the Oilers, captain Connor McDavid joins Ryan Rishaug to discuss his new deal, why the numbers made sense and his motivation to get it out of the way before the start of the season.

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Lines at Tuesday’s practice:

Knies – Matthews – Maccelli

McMann – Tavares – Nylander

Joshua – Domi – Robertson

Lorentz – Roy – Jarnkrok

Blais

McCabe – Tanev

Rielly – Carlo

Benoit – Ekman-Larsson

Myers

Stolarz

Primeau

Power play units at practice:

QB: Rielly

Flanks: Matthews, Nylander

Middle: Tavares

Net front: Knies

QB: Ekman-Larsson

Flanks: Domi, Maccelli

Middle: Robertson

Net front: McMann

6-on-5 units at practice:

Rielly, Matthews, Nylander, Maccelli, Tavares, Knies

Ekman-Larsson, McCabe, Nylander, Domi, Robertson, McMann