A new season has opened the door for a new wave of Maple Leafs to grab real minutes, and the roster churn this summer created a handful of clear opportunities. Toronto brought in nine players for its everyday group and watched six others leave, by trade or free agency, leaving the lineup with some very visible openings.
The biggest swing spots may belong to Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan. The two are being talked about in the same breath because both could force their way into the top six early, even if they’re arriving there on different tracks.
McKenna, the first pick of the 2026 NHL Draft, looks like the stronger bet to land next to Auston Matthews, though a spot with John Tavares is also on the table. Cowan, meanwhile, is coming off a rookie year that produced 11 goals and 29 points in 66 games.
He had the usual rookie bumps, but he also showed enough flashes to suggest he belongs. Even when things got messy, he didn’t look overmatched for long.
Cowan’s season wasn’t limited to the NHL, either. He was a major piece for the Toronto Marlies during their Calder Cup run, finishing with eight goals and 18 points in 22 games.
McKenna’s track record is different but just as eye-catching: 79 goals and 244 points in 133 WHL games, then 15 goals and 51 points at Penn State last season. There’s been plenty of discussion about how ready he is for the NHL right now, but the long-term belief is obvious.
The Leafs’ top-end center and wing spots are already spoken for by Matthews, Tavares, Matthew Knies and William Nylander, which is why McKenna and Cowan stand out so much. They’re both more about creating offense than just finishing it, and that skill set gives them a real chance to fit beside Toronto’s established stars.
If they don’t stick immediately, Jack Roslovic and Nick Paul are the names most likely to keep moving around the lineup. But McKenna and Cowan should get the first look.
Roslovic is the next obvious name in line. At 29, he gives Toronto a proven option if the younger forwards need more time or if the club simply wants a steadier hand in the top nine.
He wasn’t used heavily with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl last season, though he did see time with them, and he finished with 21 goals and 39 points in 69 games for the Edmonton Oilers. The year before, he had 22 goals and 39 points in 81 games with the Carolina Hurricanes.
His best offensive season outside that stretch came in 2021-22, when he scored 22 goals and totaled 45 points in 81 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets. On paper, he looks like a fit on a third line with Paul and Colton Sissons, but he also has enough production to be pushed higher if needed.
On defense, Emil Andrae could be one of the more interesting names to watch. Toronto’s extension for Troy Stecher on a two-year deal makes it unlikely that Andrae will be in the lineup every night from the start, but there’s a path for him to become a regular by season’s end.
He has only 107 games under his belt over the last three seasons, so there’s still growth left in his game. Even so, his puck-moving ability is exactly the sort of trait the Leafs needed more of last season.
The blue line itself is already fairly established, but it is also older, and Andrae is the only defenseman on the current roster under 30. That gives the 24-year-old Swede a real opening, whether it comes because of injury, inconsistency, or simply a chance to outplay someone ahead of him.
There are other names worth mentioning, too. Darren Raddysh is in the mix, though he should see a lot of the same kinds of chances he had in Tampa Bay last season.
Paul can slide up and down the lineup if Toronto needs him to. Artur Akhtyamov is another possible riser, even if his three NHL games didn’t go especially well.
His AHL numbers with the Marlies were much stronger: 18-10-4 with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage, followed by a playoff run that included a 15-7 record, a 2.22 GAA, a .923 save percentage and two shutouts.
Akhtyamov’s name comes up because Anthony Stolarz has had health issues over his career, and because Sergei Bobrovsky is 38 and coming off a season that fell short of his usual standard. Bobrovsky could absolutely rebound, but age always leaves some uncertainty in the picture.
Toronto looks different now than it has in recent seasons, personnel-wise, but the core reality hasn’t changed. Matthews, Tavares and Nylander still drive the whole thing, and Bobrovsky remains a key figure in whatever success the Leafs can put together. Still, this is a roster with openings, and that means real chances for players like McKenna, Cowan, Roslovic and Andrae to make a mark in one of the most anticipated Leafs seasons in a while.
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Maple Leafs Blue-Line Plan Changed Over One Price They Wouldn't Pay
Zach Werenski loomed as one of the biggest blue-line swings the Maple Leafs were willing to consider, especially with Toronto reportedly among the clubs he had interest in and the only Canadian team on that list. The Blue Jackets, though, asked for a steep return, with Matthew Knies among the pieces they wanted back, and that quickly pushed the discussion into territory Toronto was not eager to enter.
So the Leafs backed away from the bigger splash and kept their young forward in place, a decision that changed the shape of their defense plans. Instead, Toronto moved in another direction on the back end, settling on Darren Raddysh on a long-term deal and giving the roster a different kind of commitment as the offseason picture took a new turn. [Read more 🡒]
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Morgan Frost of the Flames is among the players drawing attention, while Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell from Pittsburgh are also being mentioned as potential options. Zach Werenski of Columbus is part of the broader picture too, and the way these names are being discussed suggests the Maple Leafs could be monitoring several different paths rather than leaning on a single target, even if no move appears close at this point. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Face A Big Zach Hyman Successor Debate
The buzz around Matthew Knies has only grown as the Maple Leafs keep searching for ways to shape their future, and his name has now surfaced in a hypothetical deal that would send him to Edmonton as a long-term answer for the role Zach Hyman once filled. It is the kind of proposal that forces both teams to weigh present value against future certainty, with Toronto looking at whether moving a young winger of Knies profile could fit a bigger roster plan.
On the Oilers side, the conversation is about how much they would have to pay to land a player they could build around for years, especially in a market where premium winger trades have not come cheaply. The framework being discussed includes multiple pieces and a protected 2028 first-round pick, which shows the kind of price tag these kinds of swings can carry even before anyone decides whether the fit is worth it. [Read more 🡒]