John Chayka has only been on the job four months, but the pressure is already there. The Maple Leafs’ new general manager has spent his first summer reshaping the roster in a major way, from a coaching change to a front-office trim to the addition of future Hall of Fame goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
He also landed the biggest free-agent defenceman in Darren Raddysh and overhauled the bottom six. Morgan Rielly still wasn’t moved, and the core remains in place, but the message is clear: this is Chayka’s team now.
One more wrinkle makes the coming season even more interesting - none of the Leafs under contract for this year will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.
New coach Jim Hiller inherits the next big challenge: getting Auston Matthews back to his usual offensive standard. Matthews’ defensive-zone usage under Craig Berube has been a factor, and that needs to be dialed back.
The Leafs have brought in Nick Paul, Colton Sissons and Teddy Blueger, all of whom can help absorb some of that work. There’s also a familiar name hovering over the conversation: Gavin McKenna.
Putting McKenna on Matthews’ line looks like the obvious move, even if he’s not Mitch Marner. McKenna can create, and Matthews’ scoring will depend on getting the puck and finding more room.
If McKenna can draw defenders toward him, Matthews should have a clearer runway.
William Nylander doesn’t belong in a bounce-back conversation. Last season was already strong; if he had stayed healthy, the 30-year-old would have had a real shot at his first 100-point season.
He played 65 games and still finished with 79 points, and his production doesn’t seem tied to line placement or coaching preference. Nylander simply gets it done.
The biggest swing of Chayka’s summer may turn out to be Bobrovsky. The three-year deal is a bet that the goalie’s rough final season with the Florida Panthers was a blip, not the beginning of a decline.
If Bobrovsky doesn’t rebound, the Leafs are left with no real alternative in Anthony Stolarz. That’s the kind of bet that can define a season.
Toronto’s path back to the playoffs won’t be straightforward, even if teams like the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins slip a bit. The Atlantic Division doesn’t offer much breathing room.
The Panthers remain a threat in the East, especially with Brady Tkachuk now part of their group. The Washington Capitals should be back in the postseason mix.
Peter DeBoer takes over the New York Islanders late and should be ready to hit the ground running. Sheldon Keefe and the New Jersey Devils also have something to prove.
The Leafs open the regular season at home against the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 29, and the margin for error is thin from the start.
Toronto also badly missed Chris Tanev last season, when the veteran defenceman managed just 11 games. His health, knowledge and calm would make a real difference, but he can’t be the only fix.
Jake McCabe would benefit from getting back with his old partner. Oliver Ekman-Larsson needs to build on a season that included Olympic duty for Sweden.
And Hiller’s defensive demands, the kind he used with the Los Angeles Kings, won’t fall only on the blue line. All five skaters on the ice will have to buy in if the Leafs want to clean things up.
In Other News...
Brad Marchand Is Already Stirring Drama Around The Brady Tkachuk Trade
With Brady Tkachuk now in Florida, the Senators are moving into a new era and one of the biggest decisions on the horizon is who will wear the captains letter next. Tim Stutzle has emerged as a finalist, and the conversation got an extra jolt when Brad Marchand, now with the Panthers, weighed in on social media in a way that quickly turned a routine leadership debate into a little more noise than Ottawa probably wanted.
Stutzle brushed it off, saying he does not care and still respects Marchand as a player, while Drake Batherson also got a look at the exchange and called it typical Marchand. For the Senators, the bigger issue is still internal and far more important than an outside chirp, but the teams next captain is being chosen under a brighter spotlight now, and Marchand managed to make sure of that without even putting on a Senators jersey. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Just Opened A Roster Debate Fans Wont Ignore
Eeli Tolvanen is off the board after signing a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Rangers, and that only sharpens the conversation around what Ottawa is trying to build up front. The Senators have already added William Eklund to their forward group, a move that leans further into skill, but Tolvanen would have offered a different layer with his physical edge, finishing touch and ability to move around the lineup.
For Ottawa, the appeal was never just about another scorer. Tolvanen could have fit alongside the teams more creative forwards while also bringing value on the penalty kill, which is the kind of two-way utility contenders tend to covet. Instead, the Senators are left to weigh whether they have enough of that mix already, or whether the spot Tolvanen filled in New York is exactly the sort of opening they still need to address. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Face Two Huge Decisions After Brady Tkachuks Exit
With Brady Tkachuk now gone, Ottawas front office is working through a pair of franchise-shaping issues at once, and both are tied to the clubs next chapter. One is the contract status of Drake Batherson, an important piece who remains in negotiations with the Senators, with the new NHL CBA deadline adding another layer to how long a deal can be.
The other centers on the dressing room leadership void left behind by Tkachuks move to Florida. Tim Stutzle and Thomas Chabot are among the top candidates to wear the captains C, and the decision would say plenty about where the Senators believe their identity is headed. How Ottawa handles both matters will go a long way toward defining the team beyond this season. [Read more 🡒]