Thursday’s FTB has a little bit of everything: a trimmed-down preseason setup, some early AHL schedule news, and a fresh look at what’s going on behind the bench in Toronto.
The preseason note is the easy one to love. Two days, two split-squad games, with start times still to come. That’s the kind of short, weird little exhibition stretch that feels just about right - enough to get a look, not enough to drag on forever.
The AHL also rolled out part of its 2026-27 picture, announcing home openers for all 32 teams. The full schedule is set to be released Thursday. Toronto will open against Hamilton on October 3, while Hamilton’s first home date comes against Toronto on October 9.
The bigger coaching takeaway comes from Alfredsson’s media availability. He confirmed he interviewed for the head-coaching job because his contract in Ottawa was up at the end of June and he wanted more opportunity. Ottawa granted him permission to take that earlier interview.
He also made clear he’ll have a hand in the power play. As Lance Hornby reported, Alfredsson will share some of the key man-advantage responsibilities with Hiller, and that work will be part of the broader offensive plan. The exact breakdown of the new staff’s roles still isn’t settled, but Alfredsson is expected to be involved in one of the most important areas on the ice.
That makes sense given his background. He specialized on the power play during his playing days, and his 428 points on the man advantage rank 48th in NHL history. Ottawa finished eighth in the league during the regular season at 24 percent, while Toronto had its own issues until assistant Marc Savard was fired in December.
Alfredsson also addressed Toronto’s power-play troubles from last season and pointed to a loss of confidence. The piece of the puzzle that stood out in the moment was a low shooting percentage, but the larger issue was a shot rate that never really got where it needed to be. However you slice it, the unit needs work.
And it needs to be one of the league’s best. More importantly, it needs to be.
One name that did not come up in yesterday’s staff announcement was Steve Sullivan, who handled the power play after Savard was fired. There’s speculation he could be headed to the Marlies, but nothing has been confirmed.
Elsewhere in the hockey world, Derek Lalonde has indeed joined the Canadiens’ coaching group, with Eric Engels first reporting the news and TVASports following up. The Marlies also announced Logan Shaw as the 2025-26 recipient of the David Andrews Award of Excellence. Chicago posted an injury update on Connor Bedard, and Frank Seravalli took a shot at Dan in a social-media exchange over offer-sheet talk.
There was also a broader note about how the NHL is changing, with the idea that front offices are becoming less defined by whether someone played and more defined by whether they can think. Jeff Marek put it this way: “It’s less and less about ‘Did you play?’ and more and more about ‘Can you think?"
And that’s the day’s wrap.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Push For Veteran Upgrade As Familiar Cap Tension Builds
After a busy stretch of roster tinkering, the Maple Leafs are still shopping for another top-six forward, with the front office weighing both trade possibilities and free-agent avenues. The search is not limited to one position, either, since Toronto is open to adding a center or a winger as it continues to reshape the group around its established core.
The challenge, as always, is making the math work. Toronto is operating under familiar cap pressure, which means any meaningful addition may depend on moving someone out first, and the club has to be compliant by the start of the season. For now, the Leafs are doing the usual summer balancing act: keeping options open, monitoring veteran names, and trying to find a fit without creating a new roster problem in the process. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Could Turn Anaheims Cap Squeeze Into A Risky Scoring Upgrade
Anaheims latest roster business has created the kind of cap-pressure ripple that always gets watched closely around the league, and Toronto is one of the teams that could be tempted if the price is right. The Ducks just locked up Leo Carlsson on a five-year deal, and with restricted free agent Cutter Gauthier still hanging over their books, they are looking for ways to open space. Frank Vatrano is the veteran name now floating in trade chatter, and his contract has put him squarely into the sort of conversation contenders tend to monitor.
For the Maple Leafs, the appeal is obvious enough: a chance to add scoring help without waiting for the market to sort itself out. The complication is just as obvious, because Toronto would have to create room before taking on Vatranos deal, and that is never a small task for a club already managing a tight cap picture. Even with Anaheim willing to make the move easier, the Leafs would still need to decide how far they want to go to chase a risky offensive upgrade, especially with bigger roster questions still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Ducks Just Faced Their Biggest Young Core Decision Yet
A day of front-office churn added another layer to the Maple Leafs offseason reset, with Hayley Wickenheiser departing after eight years in a variety of roles around the organization. Her exit came as Toronto continued to reshape its hockey operations group, a process that has already included other notable departures and reflects how much change has been flowing through the club behind the scenes.
The Leafs also moved on from director of amateur scouting Mark Leach and senior advisor of player personnel Dave Morrison, underscoring that this is more than a single personnel move. For a team trying to keep its footing while reworking the people in charge of finding and developing talent, the bigger question now is how much more of the old structure is left before the next phase of the overhaul takes hold. [Read more 🡒]