There have been some bright spots for the Toronto Maple Leafs to start the 2026-27 season. Auston Matthews looks dominant again, Gavin McKenna’s transition has gone pretty well despite a questionable lineup decision, and William Nylander appears on track to pace the club offensively.
But nine games in, the old problem is still staring them in the face: the puck keeps going into their net far too often.
That has been the defining issue for Toronto already this season, and the early evidence suggests not much has changed from last year. The Leafs still look scattered in their own zone, and that has already cost them leads and points.
Last season’s numbers told the same story. Toronto gave up the second-most goals in the league with 295 and finished at 3.60 against per game. This year, despite sitting 10th in the league in goals for, they also rank near the bottom with 31 goals against.
There is at least one clear strength. The penalty kill has been excellent at 96.4 per cent.
But at five-on-five, the problems remain familiar. Over their last six games, they have allowed four goals in five of them, and the shot suppression numbers are not helping either.
Toronto has given up the eighth-most shot attempts at five-on-five with 412, and they are tied for the second-most goals against with 25.
The team made changes on the back end in the offseason with hopes of becoming more mobile, but the results so far have not matched that idea. The breakout game looks cleaner, and there is more activation in transition, but the Leafs continue to pay for forcing plays, turning pucks over and spending too much time trapped in their own end.
That showed up again in a few games that laid the whole issue bare. Toronto blew a 3-0 lead against the Vegas Golden Knights.
They were a mess defensively against the Utah Mammoth in what stood out as their worst performance at the back. Then there was the 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres, another game that slipped away after the Leafs let things unravel.
Head coach Jim Hiller and the players have said they need to tighten things up, but the same breakdowns keep showing up. Defending the rush remains a major issue, and opponents are finding far too much easy access into the Toronto zone. There has been little resistance in the neutral zone, and when the Leafs do step up, they often leave themselves vulnerable to quick moves, clean entries and dangerous space behind them.
Two goals in particular captured the problem.
On the Mammoth goal that opened the scoring, Daniil But beat Morgan Rielly after Rielly backed off, then stepped up too late and left himself open to a move between the legs. Anthony Stolarz also gave up the short side, but the sequence started with Rielly’s hesitation and lack of execution.
Against Vegas, Brett Howden’s goal came after Toronto was caught flat-footed on a quick breakout. Mitch Marner was left alone at the blueline and had time to send the puck into the middle, where poor coverage made the finish easy.
The Leafs can still clean this up. Nine games is not a full-season verdict.
But right now, the story looks painfully familiar: too many rush chances against, too many easy entries, and too many mistakes that end up in their net. If that does not change, the same defensive flaws could drag them down again.
In Other News...
Leafs Fans Have A New Draft What-If To Debate
The 2026 draft already gave Maple Leafs fans plenty to chew on when Toronto went first overall with Gavin McKenna, a selection that immediately shaped the way the class will be remembered in this market. San Jose followed by taking Ivar Stenberg second, and with both players off to promising starts, the contrast has only made the Leafs decision feel bigger in hindsight than it did on draft night.
Stenberg has been turning heads with the Sharks, which naturally invites the sort of alternate-history debate Toronto fans never seem to tire of. The part that keeps the conversation alive is how he now views his own draft process with the Leafs, a detail that adds another layer to the what-if scenario without changing the fact that Toronto still landed the player it clearly wanted at the top of the board. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Suddenly Face More Urgency In Dylan Larkin Situation
The Maple Leafs continue to search for ways to shore up the blue line, but one name appears to be staying off the table: Easton Cowan. Toronto is reportedly reluctant to include the promising prospect in any major deal for defensive help, a sign the organization still sees him as a key piece of its future even as it explores upgrades around the roster.
There is also some immediate uncertainty up front, with William Nylander missing the morning skate because of an illness and now listed as a game-time decision for the matchup with San Jose. Around the league, the trade market is beginning to stir again, with Montreal exploring a possible Rickard Rakell deal and Pittsburgh open to moving veteran players, developments that could add urgency for Detroit as it weighs what comes next with captain Dylan Larkin. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Blue Line Problem Just Became Harder To Solve
The Maple Leafs have been hunting for help on the blue line, but the search is running into a familiar NHL problem: the kind of defenseman they need is hard to find and even harder to pry loose. With an aging defensive core and a clear need to steady things long term, Toronto has been weighing whether the answer has to come through the trade market or whether the fix will come more gradually through the development pipeline.
Darren Dregers latest read on the situation only sharpens the challenge for the Leafs, who are trying to identify a real difference-maker rather than just another body for the back end. If the market does not offer that kind of player right now, Toronto may have to lean more heavily on younger defenders and the draft to rebuild the group over time, which leaves the front office with a much less immediate path to solving one of its biggest roster questions. [Read more 🡒]