The Toronto Maple Leafs head into 2026-27 with plenty of reasons to feel better about themselves after a disappointing 2025-26 season, and Gavin McKenna’s arrival as the first overall pick in this year’s draft is the biggest one. But the excitement won’t just come from the rookie. A long list of veterans is lining up for major career markers, and several of them should hit those numbers before the season is over.
John Tavares is first in line for a pair of eye-catching achievements. The 35-year-old had 71 points last season and now sits at 1,185 career points, putting him within striking distance of 1,200. He’s also 34 games away from 1,300 in his career, a club that only 76 players in NHL history have reached in the regular season.
Morgan Rielly is on the verge of a major personal celebration as well. The 32-year-old has spent his entire 951-game career in Toronto since being selected fifth overall in 2012, and he needs just 49 more games to reach 1,000. That would bring the silver stick that comes with the milestone.
Auston Matthews also has a couple of landmarks sitting right in front of him. After a frustrating season in which he managed 27 goals and 53 points in 60 games, he’s back to full health and has a new head coach in Jim Hiller. Matthews is 11 games away from 700 in his career and 20 points shy of 800, with both milestones likely to arrive early in the season.
William Nylander is chasing the same numbers in reverse. He’s nine points from 700 and 50 games from 800, and if he gets there, he’ll become just the 12th player ever to log 800 games in a Maple Leafs sweater. He currently ranks 13th in franchise history for games played with 777, behind Tie Domi.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is another veteran approaching a big number. Entering his third season with the Maple Leafs, the Swedish defenceman is 63 games from 1,200 in his regular-season career. His recent run of durability makes that target feel reachable, even though health will still need to cooperate.
Chris Tanev is in a similar spot, only with a bigger question mark attached after a tough 2025-26 campaign that saw him limited to 11 games because of multiple injuries. If he stays healthy, the 36-year-old will move past 900 games in his career, and he needs just 22 more to get there. He has also suited up for the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Dallas Stars.
Max Domi is nearing another notable mark of his own. The 31-year-old is 14 points away from 500 in his career, a milestone that should come early if he finds his rhythm in 2026-27. His Toronto tenure has had its rough patches, but the total still reflects a solid NHL body of work.
Jack Roslovic, the newest name on the list, brings two milestones with him to Toronto. The 29-year-old signed a two-year, $8 million deal and is just four games away from 600 in his career and four points from 300. After posting 22 goals and 36 points in 2025-26, both marks should come quickly.
For the Maple Leafs, the appeal is obvious: these are the kinds of milestones that should keep showing up all season long. Injuries can always change the picture, but if health holds, there should be a steady stream of celebrations in Toronto.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Blue Line Question Has Put One Trade Target In Focus
Torontos blue line remains a conversation point as the club looks for ways to add more defensive stability behind its top defenders, and one name that has come into focus is a right-handed shutdown option from Calgary. With the Flames carrying a crowded defensive group, the idea is simple enough: find a defender who can block shots, play physically and bring a steadier edge to the third pair or deeper depth chart without asking for offensive flair.
The appeal is easy to understand from the Leafs side, especially with a player whose game is built around reliability and tough minutes. The wrinkle, of course, is fitting another defenseman into an already tight roster picture, which means any serious pursuit would come with cap gymnastics attached. For a team still weighing how much room it can create and where the biggest needs really are, the interest makes sense even if the path to getting it done does not look especially clean. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Just Got An Atlantic Division Opening They Needed
Brad Marchands offseason has already created a potential ripple in the Atlantic Division, and the Maple Leafs have a reason to pay close attention. Florida has not officially confirmed the exact nature of the issue, but the expectation is that Marchand underwent surgery and could miss the start of the season, a development that matters for a Panthers team Toronto will see again in December.
For the Leafs, any early-season absence from a player of Marchands caliber could alter how the division race begins, especially against a Florida club that has been a direct obstacle in recent years. Even if this does not change the long view of the standings, it gives Toronto a cleaner opening to bank points while one of the Easts most irritating playoff veterans works his way back. [Read more 🡒]
Darryl Sittler Owns A Leafs Feat That May Never Fall
Darryl Sittlers place in Maple Leafs lore already feels secure, but one mark on his resume stands alone in a way that still stops people cold: the most points in a single game by a Toronto player, and in NHL history. On Feb. 7, 1976, he put up 10 points against the Boston Bruins, piling up six goals and four assists in a night that has lived on for nearly half a century as one of the sports most untouchable performances.
What makes the feat linger is not just its scale, but how the game around it has changed since then. Scoring rates have shifted, goaltending has gotten sharper, and the kind of all-out offensive eruption Sittler produced has become harder to imagine, let alone duplicate. For Leafs fans, it is one of those records that does more than survive the passage of time - it quietly reminds every new generation just how exceptional one night in Boston really was. [Read more 🡒]