The Toronto Maple Leafs have spent much of the summer reshaping the roster, but the blue line may already have a straightforward answer sitting in front of them.
For now, the cleanest setup starts with Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev. That duo just makes sense.
They defend well, they can handle tough minutes, and they make life miserable for anyone trying to drive the net. Toronto has already seen enough from them to know this is a pair that works.
There’s also a case for McCabe with Darren Raddysh, especially if the Leafs want to ease some of the load on Tanev. But going back to McCabe and Tanev wouldn’t be a mistake either. They have been one of Toronto’s better shutdown pairings, and sometimes the smartest move is leaving a working combination alone.
Morgan Rielly and Darren Raddysh is another pairing that has real appeal. Rielly can move the puck and create offence, while Raddysh brings a steadier, more physical presence beside him. Plenty of people are ready to move on from Rielly, but there’s still reason to see what he can do.
Before last season, Rielly had won his five-on-five minutes for eight straight seasons. He is also younger than Oliver Ekman-Larsson and generally better suited to handling heavy minutes. That still counts for something.
Nobody is asking Rielly to be flawless. Toronto needs him to be reliable, advance the puck and help the Leafs escape trouble when they’re pinned in their own end. He can still do that.
That leaves Ekman-Larsson as the likely fit on the third pair, at least to start. The other spot could come down to Troy Stecher, Emil Andrae or Nick Blankenburg. That’s probably the only part of the defence that still needs to sort itself out.
Toronto still has a game and more than a week of practice to settle things. Someone could still push his way into the mix. But if the Leafs had to line things up today, McCabe with Tanev, Rielly with Raddysh, and Ekman-Larsson with whichever defender wins the last job looks like the sensible path.
It may not be the flashiest defence in the league, but it does look balanced. And after all the changes Toronto has made, balanced might be exactly what this blue line needs.
In Other News...
Leafs Already Have An Early Regret Watching Two Ex-Forwards Shine
Nick Robertson is already making an early impression in Pittsburgh, and it comes against the backdrop of a move that felt overdue in Toronto. The former Maple Leafs winger scored his first goal with the Penguins in a preseason game, a reminder that his speed and finish can still pop when he gets the right runway. For a Leafs club that has spent plenty of time trying to sort out its depth and identity on the wing, seeing a familiar name settle in quickly elsewhere is the kind of small development that gets noticed.
Matias Maccelli has done the same with the Islanders after signing a one-year contract, piling up three points in his preseason debut. He, too, is showing the sort of early chemistry and creativity that made him an intriguing fit before his time with Toronto ended. The Leafs are only in the opening stages of a new season, but watching two former forwards start strong in new uniforms is the sort of reminder that roster decisions can linger far beyond training camp. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Blue Line Battle Just Got More Serious
The Maple Leafs are tightening the screws on their blue line as training camp moves toward opening night, putting defensemen Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis on waivers while they trim the roster ahead of the upcoming NHL season. Mermis saw action in 11 games for Toronto last year, while McWard arrived as a free agent signing this summer, and both had been part of the group fighting for a role in the teams defensive depth.
The move is another sign that the back end is still very much up for grabs, with several players competing for the limited spots available. Toronto still has decisions to make before the lineup is finalized, and these waiver moves suggest the margins are getting thinner by the day for anyone hoping to stick. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Suddenly Have A Familiar Depth Option To Watch
With NHL teams settling rosters ahead of the 2026-27 season, Carl Grundstrm has surfaced as a familiar name for Maple Leafs watchers. The former Toronto forward was placed on waivers, and his path since leaving Toronto has taken him through stops with the Los Angeles Kings and the Philadelphia Flyers, where he appeared in 47 games last season.
For the Leafs, it is the kind of depth situation worth monitoring even without any immediate move attached to it. Grundstrm already knows the organization and has built a resume as a usable bottom-six option, which makes him the sort of player that can linger on the radar whenever clubs start sorting out the edges of their lineups. [Read more 🡒]