The Maple Leafs left Seattle with a 5-4 loss, but the night still gave Toronto a couple of things to track closely. Gavin McKenna scored twice on the power play, and the second goal hinted at something that could matter down the line: a growing understanding with Auston Matthews. At the same time, Sergei Bobrovsky’s rough stretch in net has pushed the goaltending conversation into focus as the team heads to Vancouver.
McKenna’s two-goal performance was the clearest positive out of an otherwise frustrating result. Both goals came with the man advantage, and the second one stood out because of the way it connected with Matthews.
When Matthews gets the puck in a dangerous spot, defenders have to respect the shot, and that can open just enough room for a quick feed. McKenna showed he can get his shot off before that window closes.
That kind of play is what makes the pairing intriguing. Scoring on the power play is hard enough in the NHL with defenders collapsing and sticks everywhere.
McKenna showed he could handle that pressure, while Matthews showed why he remains dangerous even when he isn’t the one finishing the chance. It wasn’t just two players scoring on the same sequence.
It looked more like the start of something that could make each of them better.
It is still early, though, and one game does not make chemistry. Opponents will pay closer attention to McKenna as he becomes a bigger part of Toronto’s offense. Even so, the Leafs need more threats on the power play, and this combination offers a real possibility if McKenna keeps finding open ice and Matthews keeps creating passing lanes.
The other issue is in goal, where Bobrovsky has struggled through a difficult stretch. The bigger question now is how long Toronto waits before turning to Anthony Stolarz for another look.
It’s not about giving up on a veteran goaltender after a rough run. It’s about deciding when patience stops helping and when a different look might give the team a better chance.
A start for Stolarz would not have to be read as a permanent shift. Sometimes a change in net is simply a reset, a way to see whether a different goalie can settle things down for a night.
If Stolarz plays well, that gives the coaching staff something to weigh. If Bobrovsky gets the next chance and answers with a strong outing, that would quiet the discussion, at least for the time being.
Toronto can’t afford to drift while waiting for things to sort themselves out. The Leafs need reliable goaltending, and they need to make decisions based on what is happening now.
Vancouver gives them another chance to do that evaluation. Whether Bobrovsky gets the nod or Stolarz steps in, Toronto needs the best option available.
So as the Maple Leafs move on, the focus is pretty clear. Can McKenna keep building on a night that suggested more with Matthews? And can the team find the kind of goaltending stability that keeps it from having to dig out of games?
Neither one demands a dramatic answer immediately. McKenna deserves room to grow, and Bobrovsky deserves the chance to work through a rough patch.
But Toronto needs results, and the encouraging part is that McKenna has given the team something worth watching. Now the Maple Leafs have to turn those flashes into something steadier.
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Given his contract and the kind of game he plays, Joshua fits the profile of a player other clubs could circle if the Maple Leafs look for a way to open up cap room. Teams that want some size and bite in the bottom six could see him as a useful add, and the league has already started to connect him to a few possible destinations. For Toronto, the question is whether a player with that appeal is also the one most likely to be moved. [Read more 🡒]
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What stands out now is the tone inside the room, where the emphasis has clearly moved toward a team-first environment. Successes are being shared, mistakes are being acknowledged, and the response to setbacks feels more direct than deflective, which is exactly the kind of cultural change the Leafs have spent years trying to build. Cowan's postgame self-critique after the loss to Calgary fit that pattern, and it left the impression that this group is starting to measure itself differently. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Let Another Winnable Game Slip As Line Questions Grow
After a 5-4 loss to Seattle, Jim Hiller was left parsing another game the Maple Leafs felt was there for the taking, with a late goal deciding the outcome and a handful of costly mistakes adding up along the way. Hiller also had to assess Sergei Bobrovskys night in net while trying to keep the focus on the bigger picture, especially with the team still working through the ripple effects of injuries to John Tavares and Kirill Marchenko.
The lineup shuffling has become part of the nightly conversation, and Hiller acknowledged the challenge of finding the right combinations while the roster stays in flux. He pointed to the teams effort and the penalties that hurt momentum, a familiar frustration for a group still trying to turn competitive stretches into points before the margin for error gets even thinner. [Read more 🡒]