Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller appears to have settled, at least for now, on Sergei Bobrovsky in goal for Tuesday night’s matchup with the Nashville Predators.
That call comes as Toronto tries to bounce back from a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night, with a handful of other items on the radar as well. Gavin McKenna is still chasing his first point, Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko will be watched closely again, and Toronto’s perfect penalty kill is also in play.
The goalie question has been the big one, though. Anthony Stolarz has been tied to Toronto’s only win, while Bobrovsky has been viewed as the day-to-day starter. After Monday’s practice, the sense was that the job belongs to Bobrovsky for now.
Against Nashville, the 37-year-old carries an 11-10-2 lifetime record, along with a 3.06 GAA, a .901 SV%, and two shutouts. Those numbers are solid, but they do not exactly scream peak Bobrovsky when matched up with the Predators.
His start with Toronto has been rougher still. Bobrovsky is 0-2-0 this season with a 3.06 GAA and a .887 SV%, a beginning that is far from what anyone around the club would have wanted. There is still time for him to settle in, but the early returns have been uneven.
Stolarz, meanwhile, has earned another look. He has delivered Toronto’s only victory and, in a tiny sample, has posted a 1.03 GAA and a .963 SV%. That kind of start hints at the form he showed in 2024-25.
Toronto is clearly trying to manage his workload so he is not pushed too hard too soon, but the leash on Bobrovsky will not be endless. If he drops another game, the pressure to turn to Stolarz only grows.
If Bobrovsky starts Thursday against Vegas, then Stolarz would seem likely to get the nod Saturday against the Avalanche. And if Toronto heads into Colorado coming off a loss, the case for playing the goalie who has already given them a win gets even stronger.
For now, Hiller has made his lean clear. Bobrovsky looks like the everyday starter. The only question is how long that stays true if the wins do not follow.
In Other News...
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At the same time, the fix is not simple. Toronto has room to work with under the cap, but not enough flexibility to treat this as a quick upgrade, especially with limited trade chips after recent moves. That leaves the front office weighing lineup changes against roster construction, and whether the answer is internal reshuffling, an outside addition, or something more awkward that the Leafs would rather not have to confront for long. [Read more 🡒]
John Tavares Is Forcing A Leafs Decision They Can't Ignore
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For Toronto, the issue is bigger than one players stat line. If Tavares is better suited to a different spot, the Leafs have to sort out what comes next at second-line center and whether help from outside the organization becomes part of the equation. Names are already circulating, and the front office may soon have to decide if it can solve this internally or if a bigger swing is needed. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Head To Nashville With One Frustrating Lineup Question
The Maple Leafs hit the ice Monday in practice ahead of Tuesday nights meeting with the Nashville Predators, and the look of the group remained unchanged despite some obvious concern about how the second line has been functioning. Toronto has leaned on its speed and on a penalty kill that has been a real strength, and that figures to matter against a Nashville power play that can punish teams if they spend too much time chasing the puck.
Jim Hiller still has plenty to sort through, though, especially with the forward groups not yet producing the kind of balance the Leafs want. For now, the club is sticking with the same structure it used in practice, leaving one of the more frustrating lineup questions hanging as the team heads into a road test that could say plenty about where this group is headed. [Read more 🡒]