The Senators are still dealing with the fallout from Brady Tkachuk’s departure, and the tension hasn’t faded inside the room. Thomas Chabot said he wasn’t happy when Tkachuk left Ottawa to join his brother in Florida, a comment that lands even harder after Tkachuk spent last season insisting he was “fully committed” to the team and city.
Drake Batherson echoed the same basic sentiment, though in softer terms, making it clear this wasn’t a one-man fix for the locker room. Ottawa is now looking at a leadership battle that could include Chabot, Batherson, Tim Stützle and Jake Sanderson.
That loss cuts two ways for the Senators. They’re not just missing the edge and physical bite Tkachuk brought on the ice.
They’re also moving into a version of the team without the daily drama that came with him. The first real measuring-stick moment comes October 21st, when Tkachuk plays in Ottawa for the first time since the move.
The reaction is already written in ink: fans have said they plan to boo, and some have gone even further, calling him a “traitor.”
In Montreal, the Arber Xhekaj situation remains unresolved, and the uncertainty is only growing. The Canadiens still haven’t signed him, and there’s even talk that he could be shifted from defense to forward because he doesn’t have a firm hold on a blue-line job.
Not everyone around the team sees that as a simple solution. Tony Marinaro believes management may be more willing than the coaching staff to use Xhekaj in a fourth-line energy role.
Jimmy Murphy went a step further, saying Xhekaj’s future in Montreal is genuinely up in the air and that, if a deal gets done, it likely won’t be anything longer than a two-year “show me” contract.
Murphy also said roster movement could start as soon as this week, with teams preparing for a busy stretch of trades. That puts Xhekaj in the mix, even if no one is sure where he fits. Both Murphy and Marinaro think Montreal’s bigger need might actually be on the wing.
And in Toronto, one prospect is starting to separate himself from the pack. Miroslav Holinka, a fifth-round pick in 2024, has become a name worth tracking in the Maple Leafs system.
The Czech forward barely played in junior before nearly scoring at a point-per-game pace in his first WHL season, then took another jump with 80 points in year two and 11 more in the playoffs. He also got a brief look with the Marlies, recording an assist in his first pro game before Toronto sent him home to rest rather than push him through a Calder Cup run.
Holinka is heading into his first full pro season with a lot going for him. He’s 6-foot-2, nearly 200 pounds, and can play both center and wing.
With the Maple Leafs thin on forward depth in the system, he’s the kind of player who could climb quickly if the offense keeps coming. If injuries hit, he may be the surprise call-up waiting in the wings.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs May Regret Letting A Defense Prospect Help Tampa Bay
Nathan Mayes is getting another look in a new uniform, and it is the kind of move that can make a team like the Maple Leafs wonder if it gave up on a defense prospect a little too soon. Drafted by Toronto, Mayes has landed on Tampa Bays Prospect Showcase roster, putting him in front of the Lightnings staff without Tampa having to spend a draft asset to get a closer evaluation.
Toronto did not offer Mayes an entry-level contract, which opened the door for Tampa Bay to take a longer look at what he might become after his development in the WHL. The Lightning are now sorting out whether there is a path for him to help at the AHL or NHL level, and for the Leafs, it is another reminder that a prospects next step can sometimes happen somewhere else. [Read more 🡒]
Fraser Minten Just Made The Leafs Trade Debate Even Worse
Fraser Mintens rise in Boston has turned into one more uncomfortable reminder for the Maple Leafs, who moved the young center during the 2024-25 season and have watched him settle in quickly on the other side of the rivalry. After spending his first full NHL season with the Bruins last year, Minten has now put himself in line for a major long-term commitment, the kind of development that always sends a fresh wave through the debate over what Toronto gave up.
The Bruins have signed Minten to a seven-year extension beginning in the 2027-28 season, a deal worth $50.4 million with a $7.2 million cap hit. For Toronto, the timing only sharpens the old question about whether the organization moved on too soon from a player who looks like a core piece in Boston, and it gives Leafs fans another reason to revisit a trade that already felt like it carried plenty of risk. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Just Found A Rare Way To Buy More Prospect Time
Toronto has stumbled into one of the quieter advantages a team can get in the prospect pipeline: time. Cooper Williams, the Maple Leafs fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, has committed to North Dakota for the 2027-28 season, giving the organization a longer runway to watch his development while he stays unsigned and outside the clubs 50-contract limit.
For a front office trying to manage both urgency and patience, that matters. The Leafs will hold Williams rights until June 1, 2030, which means they can keep tabs on his progress through college without burning a valuable slot on the roster paperwork side. It is not the kind of headline that changes a depth chart today, but it is exactly the sort of small-business roster efficiency teams spend years trying to find. [Read more 🡒]