As the 2026-27 season gets closer, the Maple Leafs are carrying plenty of new pieces into camp, and that naturally pushes a few big questions to the front of the line. John Chayka had a busy July, from a strong NHL Draft showing to a roster overhaul in free agency, and now the focus shifts from building the team to figuring out what it actually becomes.
The first issue is the biggest one: can Auston Matthews get back to being Auston Matthews?
His goal totals have fallen hard over the last two seasons, even with injuries playing a role. Matthews missed the rest of the 2025-26 season after knee surgery, and his scoring numbers have slipped from that massive 69-goal season in 2023-24 to 33 in 2024-25 and 27 last season. That’s a long way from the five straight seasons he spent scoring at least 40.
There have been plenty of explanations tossed around for the drop. Some point to former coach Craig Berube’s defensive style, others to a lack of easy access to the scoring areas, the absence of a premier playmaker, or the fact that Matthews was asked to be more responsible defensively even though that was already a strength. The reasons have piled up.
Now he gets a fresh setup under Jim Hiller, who worked the power play under Mike Babcock when Matthews was still early in his career. That familiarity could help.
But the first order of business is simple: he has to be healthy. When Matthews is right, he’s still one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league.
There are signs that the finishing touch hasn’t been as sharp. His shot speed dropped to 88.35 mph last season, down from the 90s in each of the previous two years.
He still generated chances in the dangerous areas, with 169 shots combined from the high-danger area and the middle of the ice, but the conversion just wasn’t there. The revolving door of linemates while the club tried to replace Mitch Marner didn’t help.
Toronto has added some help now, though, with former NTDP teammate Jack Roslovic and first-overall pick Gavin McKenna both giving Matthews more options around him.
Another major question sits on the other end of the ice: can the defense help out Sergei Bobrovsky?
Toronto’s defensive slide last season was ugly. In 2024-25, the Maple Leafs were one of the better shut-down teams in the league.
In 2025-26, they became one of the worst. Injuries were part of the story, but the group in front of the goalie simply didn’t get the job done.
The numbers tell the story. Toronto allowed the second-most goals against per game at 3.60 and the most shots against per game at 32.4.
That kind of profile is a problem, and it can’t repeat if the team wants any chance to stabilize. Bobrovsky comes in with durability and pedigree, but last season was a rough one for him too.
Even with the Florida Panthers dealing with injuries, he had trouble keeping the puck out of the net.
The Leafs have added Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae, which should help with mobility, but the bigger question is how much the rest of the blue line can clean up its own mess. Hiller’s background suggests a team that can transition well, but Toronto needs the defense to stop getting buried in its own end.
Too many turnovers, too much defensive-zone time, and too many failed breakouts made life miserable. If Chayka keeps reshaping the back end to fit the modern game, it could take some pressure off Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz.
Then there’s the question of scoring beyond the stars.
Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares and Matthew Knies are still going to be the main engines offensively, but Toronto hasn’t gotten enough from the middle and lower part of the lineup in recent seasons. Last year, the Maple Leafs had four players finish above 50 points, and no other forward reached 20 goals. Bobby McMann was closest with 19 before he was traded to the Seattle Kraken.
That’s why the additions of Roslovic and Nick Paul matter. Roslovic has put together back-to-back 20-goal seasons and could land in that range again while pushing toward 40 points. Paul missed time with injuries last season, but he’s shown he can be a useful depth scorer for the Tampa Bay Lightning, including seasons where he reached the 20-goal, 40-point level.
Toronto also has young pieces who could change the picture. Easton Cowan is expected to take a step, and McKenna brings creativity and playmaking that should fit in the top six right away. The Maple Leafs have mixed veteran scoring with younger upside, and that was the point of addressing the depth in the first place.
Now comes the part that matters most: whether all of it actually shows up once the games start.
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The Maple Leafs have spent the offseason steadily padding their prospect pool, adding 15 players under 25 through the 2023 draft and a mix of trades and free-agent signings. It is the kind of quiet organizational work that does not grab headlines in the moment, but it can matter a great deal when teams are trying to keep a pipeline of useful, affordable talent moving toward the NHL.
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What stands out most is the role Blueger is ready to embrace. He made it clear he understands where he fits, offering a defensive presence that can help free up Torontos offensive players to do what they do best. For a club looking for more balance deeper in the lineup, that kind of assignment is often easier said than found, and it will be worth watching how quickly he settles into it in a city that expects every addition to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Next Core May Finally Have What Matthews Never Did
The Maple Leafs have spent years built around Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner, but the shape of the roster is changing fast. Marner is gone, Matthews is nearing the end of his current contract and Toronto has already started to pivot toward a different kind of future, one that looks less like a chase for one more swing at the old core and more like a careful handoff to the next one.
Winning the NHL Draft Lottery and taking Gavin McKenna first overall gave that transition a far brighter outline, especially with Easton Cowan and Matthew Knies also in the mix as possible pillars. Management keeps framing the shift as a retool rather than a rebuild, banking on a friendlier salary-cap setup and more experience already in the room, but the real question now is whether this next wave can give Toronto something the previous era never quite had. [Read more 🡒]