The Toronto Maple Leafs have brought Brendan Bonello into the fold as their emergency backup goaltender for the 2026-27 NHL season.
Bonello is 27 and has a little bit of pro experience on his résumé, having appeared in three games for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL, Toronto’s affiliate in that league. Under the new emergency-goalie rules and restrictions, though, he could still have only a small amount of professional action behind him.
He was on the ice for Toronto’s first training camp practice on Wednesday, skating with Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz.
Bonello is no stranger to the emergency role. He previously served as an EBUG for the San Jose Sharks when they were in Toronto.
His hockey background also includes time with the Saginaw Spirit and Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. On top of that, he has been around the Maple Leafs organization before, working as a Marlies backup and also as a practice goaltender who filled in as an extra body.
The move fits a broader trend around the league as NHL teams adapt to the new emergency-goalie setup. Instead of scrambling at the last minute for an amateur goalie on game day, clubs are now keeping their own designated options in place.
The goal of the change is simple: avoid getting caught short in net and reduce the chance of being unable to find help in time. EBUG appearances still don’t happen often, but when they do, teams would rather already have someone lined up.
For Toronto, that means a familiar option is waiting if Sergei Bobrovsky or Anthony Stolarz go down and help can’t be brought in quickly enough.
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The timing comes as the wider hockey world is dealing with plenty of its own news, from the NHL adding 10 new officials for the 2026-27 season to Ryan Reaves announcing his retirement after 962 games. For Toronto, though, this is the kind of background change that can influence how information flows once the season starts to build, even if it will take a while before anyone knows just how much of an effect McNaughtons arrival will have. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Suddenly Have A Goalie Concern Entering Camp
Anthony Stolarz arrives at training camp as the Toronto Maple Leafs' backup behind Sergei Bobrovsky, and the numbers on the roster page are hard to ignore. At 6-foot-6 and 257 pounds, he is built very differently from most NHL goaltenders of similar height, and that physical profile naturally puts a spotlight on how he moves, how he handles the grind, and how prepared he is to stay on the ice.
For a player with an injury history, the concern is not just about size for size's sake, but how that size translates to agility and joint stress over a long season. This camp matters for Stolarz and for the Leafs, too, because it is a chance to sharpen his conditioning before the games count and to ease some of the questions that follow him into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Could Benefit If Connor Hellebuyck's Situation Gets Messier
Connor Hellebuycks standoff with the Winnipeg Jets has already pushed the situation into strange territory, and it has plenty of interested onlookers around the league. After he was suspended for failing to report to training camp, the trade market has not exactly come to Winnipeg with a strong hand, and the offers the Jets have gotten so far have reportedly fallen well short of expectation. For teams with goalie needs, that has turned this into a waiting game, with the Toronto Maple Leafs among the clubs believed to be watching to see whether the price eventually comes down.
The next twist could matter even more for Toronto if Winnipeg decides the trade route is no longer workable. There has been speculation that the Jets could consider terminating Hellebuycks contract, which would change the entire equation and potentially make him available without the usual trade cost attached. For the Maple Leafs, that kind of outcome would be hard to ignore, even if it remains only a possibility for now. [Read more 🡒]