Training camp has opened for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the early days are already circling around the same central theme: a roster that’s taking shape, but still has a few big decisions hanging in the air before Game 1.
Some of those calls are straightforward on paper and messy in practice. Others are the kind that can reshape how the team looks right out of the gate. From Auston Matthews’ linemates to the makeup of the fourth line, here are the biggest questions Toronto has to answer.
The one everyone wants to know first is who gets the chance to skate with Matthews. Right now, he’s lined up on the first line with Matthew Knies and Jack Roslovic, and there’s logic in letting that group breathe a little.
Roslovic has made it clear he wants the Matthews assignment, and with his chemistry with Knies, it’s no surprise to see that trio together early in camp. Whether it survives all the way through camp is another matter.
The Leafs have other options if they want to shake things up, and Gavin McKenna is one name fans would love to see get a look. If he has a strong camp, Jim Hiller could make the switch, but Roslovic appears to be the first player in line for the job.
The blue line brings its own major choice. Darren Raddysh’s arrival this summer gives Toronto a real top-pairing option on the right side, which immediately raises the question of who goes with him.
One possibility is Morgan Rielly, which would create a pairing loaded with offense and might also help Rielly rediscover the form Toronto wants from him. If that’s the route, Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev could form a more defense-first second pair behind them.
The other path would be to split Raddysh and Rielly up, with McCabe and Tanev each getting one of them.
Easton Cowan is another name worth watching closely. He’s one of the more intriguing young players in camp, and where he lands could say a lot about how the Leafs plan to use him.
Known as a skilled player, Cowan could benefit from time on the third line, where Nick Paul and Colton Sissons would give him a different kind of setup. That kind of role could let him lean into being a pest, get more physical, and use his skill without being asked to drive the offence.
Then there’s the fourth line, which looks like one of camp’s toughest battles. Dakota Joshua, Brendan Duhaime, Teddy Blueger, Steven Lorentz, Zach MacEwen and Bo Groulx are all in the mix for what appears to be three spots.
Toronto has a clear idea of the type of player it wants there: someone who can grind, play physical and make things miserable for the other team. Several of these forwards fit that description, but only three are going to stick.
Early projections point to Joshua, Blueger and Duhaime filling those jobs.
And finally, there’s the biggest question of all: is Matthews back? He arrived at camp healthy, and after day one the real test is what kind of season follows.
After dealing with a knee injury and going through what was arguably one of the worst seasons of his career, he has something to prove. Toronto needs its captain to look like one of the NHL’s elite again and remind everyone he can still score 50-plus goals.
If that happens, the Maple Leafs will look a lot different than they did last season.
In Other News...
Gavin McKennas First Leafs Game Is Raising An Immediate Concern
Gavin McKenna is about to get his first preseason look with the Maple Leafs, and the early conversation around him has already moved beyond his skating and skill. The detail drawing attention is his listed weight, which comes in about 10 pounds below what was recorded at the NHL Draft Combine, a shift fans noticed right away as they started circling his first game in blue and white.
For Toronto, the question is less about a number on a chart and more about how his frame plays in actual NHL competition. The league has plenty of examples of smaller players finding success by leaning on pace, balance and quick decision-making, and McKenna fits that broader discussion as he begins his Leafs preseason path. There is no official sign of any health issue, but the size talk is going to follow him until he shows what he can do on the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Matthews Gave Leafs Fans One Reason To Exhale In Montreal
A split-squad preseason night in Montreal did not provide the kind of clean result the Maple Leafs wanted, with Toronto dropping both games and leaning on a few individual performances to find any real positives. Auston Matthews offered the biggest one, flashing the kind of speed that had been missing at times last season and setting up a goal in a showing that suggested he is starting to look more like himself again.
Darren Raddysh scored Torontos lone goal, while rookie Gavin McKenna gave the club a glimpse of his playmaking touch even if the night included a penalty. For a Leafs team still sorting out its early preseason shape, the game was less about the scoreboard than the different levels of comfort shown by key veterans and younger pieces trying to carve out a role. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Fringe Forward Made An Early Statement In Montreal
Michael Pezzetta wasted little time making his presence felt in Montreal while skating with the Maple Leafs B-team in a game filled with fringe players and prospects. In the kind of preseason setting where jobs are being sorted out one shift at a time, he dropped the gloves with Canadiens forward Lucas Condotta and was ejected shortly after, a reminder that these games can still carry plenty of bite even without the regulars on the ice elsewhere.
The moment fit the tone of a roster battle more than a tune-up, with every involved player trying to leave an impression before camp decisions get tougher. Pezzettas early exit came before teammate Teddy Blueger also fought in the same game, adding another layer of edge to a matchup that had already turned physical and given the Leafs another bit of evidence about who is willing to make noise in a depth role. [Read more 🡒]