As the Toronto Maple Leafs get closer to opening night, the roster squeeze is turning into the week’s biggest storyline. According to a new Puck Pedia tool, 11 players are projected to land on waivers this week as the team trims its camp roster.
That’s the reality of this part of the calendar: training camp and the preseason always force tough calls, and for players on the bubble, waivers can become the last brutal step before the season starts. There’s also the uncertainty that hangs over every move, since teams can never know for sure whether one of their players will be claimed.
Among the names projected to be exposed, a few stand out more than the rest. Villeneuve, Rifai, and Myers are the most notable, especially in Myers’ case after he spent last season on the roster. Villeneuve’s situation is especially frustrating for fans who have wanted to see him get NHL time for years.
The rest of the list looks more predictable given how crowded the Maple Leafs’ roster is at the moment.
The timing of the decisions should start to sharpen on Wednesday, when Toronto faces the Ottawa Senators in another split-squad game. That matchup is expected to help the Leafs settle more of their roster picture, with waivers potentially following on Thursday or Friday. There’s still a chance some players are placed there before then.
It’s a significant stretch for Toronto, and with the club trying to bounce back after last year, every roster move matters a little more. For John Chayka, it’s one of his first major tests, and it’s shaping up to be a fascinating week for the franchise.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Fans Just Got A Surprising Report About Keith Pelley
A surprising bit of front-office chatter surfaced around Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment this week, with a report from Steve Simmons saying there is a plan in place to eventually replace CEO Keith Pelley with Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro. The idea, according to unnamed sources in the report, would be to shift Pelley into a media-related role while Shapiro would move into a senior post overseeing the Blue Jays, Maple Leafs and Raptors.
For Leafs fans, the significance goes beyond corporate housekeeping because any change at the top of MLSE tends to ripple through the entire organization. The report has not been officially confirmed by MLSE, which leaves plenty unresolved for now, but it is the kind of behind-the-scenes development that can shape the direction of the franchise long before it shows up on the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Are Finally Paying For A Decade Of Draft Failures
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Now, under GM John Chayka, Toronto has started trying to correct the imbalance by going back to the top of the board and selecting Gavin McKenna first overall. It is the kind of reset that can look tidy on paper, but the Leafs are still waiting to learn whether this new approach can restore the organizational foundation that years of short-term thinking eroded. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Fans Can Already See Jim Hiller Changing This Teams Identity
Jim Hiller has not wasted any time putting his imprint on the Maple Leafs, and the shift is already visible in practice. Since taking over for Craig Berube, Hiller has pushed a more aggressive, offense-first approach, with drills centered on quicker transitions and a faster pace designed to create more scoring chances. For a team that has long been judged on whether it can produce enough at the top end, the change in tone has been hard to miss.
The contrast with Berubes more defensive, grinding style gives this camp a different feel, and it is one Leafs fans can spot right away. The hope is simple enough: if Toronto can move the puck faster and play with more speed, the offense should open up in a way it did not always under the previous setup. Whether that translates once the games count is the real question, but the early message from Hiller is clear enough. [Read more 🡒]