The Maple Leafs may be built around what happens this season, but their long-term picture is getting a decent vote of confidence from one of the NHL’s top prospect voices.
In a recent ranking from The Athletic, Corey Pronman sorted all 32 teams by the quality of their Under-23 pipeline, and Toronto landed 12th. That puts the Leafs in the above-average tier - not elite, not empty, but clearly a group with something to work with.
The top name in the system is Gavin McKenna, and that alone changes the conversation. After drafting first overall, Toronto suddenly has the kind of young centerpiece that gets people around the league talking a little differently about the future.
McKenna was ranked as the organization’s best young player and projected as a future top-of-the-lineup piece. From there, the list gets more interesting than a lot of people probably expected.
Norwegian center Tinus Luc Koblar checked in second. The 2025 second-round pick is coming off a solid run in the SHL for a player his age, and then really turned heads at the World Juniors, where he stood out as the best player on a team that wasn’t very good. At 6-foot-4 and with puck skills, he brings a profile that’s easy to dream on.
Mans Gudmansson came in third, even ahead of Easton Cowan. The 2026 third-round pick is viewed as a high-end defensive stopper - the kind of player who makes life miserable for opponents and is already moving through the European development path, which should give him a chance to face grown men earlier than someone like Ben Danford, who fits a similar mold.
Cowan still deserves his share of credit, even if he was fourth on Pronman’s list. At 20, he’s already shown skill and bite in the NHL, and he’s been an elite AHL player too. Even if his eventual role is more depth scoring than headline act, he looks like the kind of player who can still swing important games with timely goals.
For a fan base that hasn’t had many chances to feel good about the prospect cupboard in a while, Toronto’s ranking is at least a sign that the pipeline isn’t barren. The Leafs have some real young pieces to point to, and the national view of that future is stronger than it usually is.
In Other News...
Canadiens Goalie Battle Is Putting Serious Pressure On One Familiar Name
The Canadiens goaltending picture is starting to take shape, and for the Maple Leafs it is one more reminder of how quickly the margins can shift in a division where every roster decision gets magnified. Montreal appears to be leaning toward Jakub Dobes as its starter with Jacob Fowler behind him, a setup that leaves Sam Montembeault in a precarious spot because of waiver concerns, and it is the kind of internal squeeze Toronto knows well when it comes to balancing talent, timing and roster flexibility.
For the Leafs, the bigger roster conversation is still centered on Morgan Rielly, whose game is being reassessed as the team looks for ways to keep his offense in play without asking him to carry the same defensive burden. The next phase could determine whether he settles into a different sort of role, one that better fits the roster around him, or whether Toronto eventually has to make an even tougher call if that adjustment does not produce the kind of fit the club wants. [Read more 🡒]
Morgan Rielly Trade Talk Just Got A Crucial New Measuring Stick
The veteran defense market is getting a useful reference point in Detroit, where Justin Faulks situation has become one to watch. The Red Wings brought him in at last years trade deadline, but with turnover on the roster and younger players like Axel Sandin-Pellikka pushing into the picture, his place in the long-term plan is less certain than it once looked.
For the Maple Leafs, that matters because Toronto has been monitoring Faulks market as a way to gauge what a veteran blue-liner with a meaningful cap hit can bring back. Morgan Rielly sits in a different category entirely, with four years left on his deal and a no-movement clause, so any conversation around him is more complicated than a simple like-for-like comparison. Still, if Faulk draws real interest, it could sharpen the Leafs view of just how difficult it would be to move a defenseman on Riellys terms. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Need To Rethink 3 Big Training Camp Assumptions
Training camp has a way of hardening opinions before anyone has actually seen the lineup in motion, and the Maple Leafs are already carrying a few assumptions into September. John Tavares is often discussed as if his game has slipped badly with age, while Gavin McKenna is being treated like a player who has to be launched straight onto the top line, and Easton Cowan is still mostly viewed through the lens of a winger rather than anything else.
A closer look suggests Toronto may want to slow down on all three judgments. NHL tracking data points to Tavares being less cumbersome than the public narrative says, McKenna could have more room to grow into a role instead of being rushed into the spotlight, and Cowan might be worth a look down the middle if the Leafs want to explore different options. None of that settles the camp questions, but it does make the early roster debates a little more interesting than the usual guesswork. [Read more 🡒]