The Toronto Maple Leafs have closed the book on a long-running part of their medical staff, parting ways with team physician Dr. Noah Forman after 20 years.
According to the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons, the split comes as turnover continues inside the organization and the new Sport Performance Department takes shape with a fresh set of faces. Forman had been with the Leafs since 2005 and, even through the early summer purge in the front office, remained in the mix while the team brought in a new Sport Performance Department.
That made him one of the few true constants around the club. Over two decades, Forman worked through coaching changes, roster churn, shifts in the medical staff and plenty of other moving parts while staying a steady presence in Toronto. In the end, though, the latest wave of change reached him too.
The Leafs’ website now lists Dr. David Lawrence as the Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician, filling the role Forman held. Lawrence’s background includes work with the Toronto Blue Jays, along with involvement in the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
His University of Toronto profile also notes a special interest in injury prevention and sport-related concussions, two areas that matter plenty in hockey. It may take him some time to settle in and figure out where his focus needs to land this season, but his sports medicine résumé suggests he won’t be walking in blind.
For Toronto, the medical overhaul keeps rolling. Forman’s departure removes someone who knew the team’s injury history and risks inside and out, and now the Leafs will lean on Lawrence to become the next trusted voice in that room.
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For the Maple Leafs, the real issue is less about McKennas next shift than what happens if those bonuses start getting earned and carried forward on the cap. Toronto will have to manage that money carefully in the seasons ahead, especially with Auston Matthews contract year looming in 2027-28, and how much room the club has to absorb McKennas incentives could become a quiet but significant part of its planning. [Read more 🡒]