The Maple Leafs’ offseason has already delivered a jolt of optimism, but one of their most intriguing swing pieces isn’t the name everyone is buzzing about.
Yes, Gavin McKenna is the obvious headliner as Toronto’s biggest breakout candidate for the 2026-27 season. But the quieter name worth tracking is defenseman Emil Andrae, a summer addition who could wind up looking like a real find for the Maple Leafs.
Toronto landed Andrae in a multi-player deal with the Philadelphia Flyers earlier this offseason. In that swap, the Maple Leafs sent goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit to Philadelphia for Andrae, goalie Samuel Ersson, and a 2026 third-round pick. Toronto later traded Ersson to the Ottawa Senators.
Andrae was not the splashiest piece of the deal, but his profile makes him hard to ignore. He showed real progress last season with the Flyers, setting career highs with two goals, 11 assists, and 13 points in 61 games. That followed a 2024-25 season in which he put up one goal and seven points in 42 games.
At 24 years old, Andrae is still early in his NHL run, with just 107 games under his belt. The upside is there, and the numbers he posted in the AHL only add to the appeal. In 2024-25, he had 16 points in 25 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and the year before that he finished with 32 points in 61 games for Lehigh Valley.
There’s also a fit factor here. Andrae occasionally had a tough time sticking in the Flyers’ lineup because their blue line was crowded.
A fresh start in Toronto could help him settle in, and based on the Maple Leafs’ current roster, he looks like a strong candidate for a bottom-pairing role. He could also be in the mix for power-play time.
So while McKenna may grab most of the attention, Andrae is the kind of player who can quietly make a lot of noise. The Maple Leafs have reason to be optimistic about what he might do next.
In Other News...
Matthew Knies Deal Already Looks Better For The Leafs
Matthew Knies long-term deal with the Maple Leafs was signed with the usual mix of hope and risk that comes with paying for upside before it has fully matured. Toronto committed six years at a $7.75 million average annual value in 2025, betting that Knies would keep trending into a key top-six piece and that the price would look sensible as the salary cap and comparable contracts kept moving. At the time, it was a notable investment in a player still building his full resume.
Now the market around other young forwards is starting to make that number look even more reasonable. Cutter Gauthier, a restricted free agent with the Anaheim Ducks, is reportedly in negotiations that could land in the $15-17 million AAV range, with Leo Carlssons recent $18 million AAV extension hanging over those talks as a reference point. Knies and Gauthier are different players in different situations, but the broader takeaway for Toronto is hard to miss: a contract that once looked ambitious can start to feel sharp if the next wave of comparables keeps climbing. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Projected Lineup Puts Familiar Faces In A Tough Spot
The Maple Leafs projected 2026-27 lineup offers a snapshot of how much the roster could change after a round of organizational adjustments, with new acquisitions and coaching tweaks reshaping the teams balance up front and on the back end. The exercise is less about where Toronto is today and more about how the club might try to blend scoring punch with more reliable two-way play if the right pieces settle into place.
What makes the projection interesting for Leafs followers is the way it creates pressure points for familiar faces while opening the door for newcomers to carve out meaningful roles. Health and consistency remain part of the conversation, especially in goal, where the team is still trying to sort out how much trust to place in Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz as the position gets redefined around them. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Camp Could Get Complicated Thanks To Two Overlooked Names
Training camp usually starts with the obvious names, the players everyone assumes are already locked in or fighting for the last few spots, but Bo Groulx and Marshall Rifai are the kinds of depth pieces who can quietly make things interesting for the Maple Leafs. Groulx brought good energy and solid play with the Marlies, and he even got a brief look with Toronto last season, which at least puts him on the radar when camp opens.
Rifai is the other name worth tracking because his game is built around physicality and defense, the sort of profile that can stand out if the new coaching staff wants a different look from its bottom-end options. Neither player is a favorite to break through, and neither comes with any guarantee, but both have enough going for them to keep this camp from being as straightforward as it first appears. [Read more 🡒]