The Toronto Maple Leafs did plenty of shopping this offseason, and the hope is that at least a few of the new faces end up looking like bargains once the games start mattering.
That kind of turnover usually comes with pressure, especially after a disappointing 2025-26 season. Toronto needed a reset, and the front office gave the roster one. Now the interesting part is figuring out which additions can actually move the needle.
Jack Roslovic is the easiest place to start. The Maple Leafs brought him in on a two-year, $8 million contract, and the fit is obvious enough on paper: more skill, more depth scoring, more offense beyond the top names.
Roslovic just put up 21 goals and 36 points in 69 games with the Edmonton Oilers, and before that he had 22 goals and 39 points in 81 games for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2024-25. Those are the kinds of numbers that make a team think it can squeeze out even more.
Toronto can also point to his past time alongside Auston Matthews with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, which gives this move a little extra intrigue. If that old chemistry shows up again, Roslovic could easily end up being one of the better-value pickups of the summer.
Nick Paul is the other name that jumps off the page. Toronto landed him in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning, sending Dennis Hildeby, a 2027 fourth-round pick, and a 2028 third-round pick the other way.
That is real cost, but Paul has the kind of track record that makes the deal worth watching closely. He had a rough 2025-26 season, finishing with seven goals and 15 points in 51 games.
Still, the year before he scored 22 goals and totaled 41 points in 76 games, and in 2023-24 he posted 24 goals and 46 points in 82 games. If he gets back to that level while bringing his usual two-way game, Toronto may look back on this as a very strong move.
Emil Andrae is a little different, but he belongs in the same conversation. He struggled to establish himself with the Philadelphia Flyers, yet a fresh start in Toronto gives him a chance to change the story. There’s still room for him to improve, and if that happens, the Maple Leafs’ decision to bring him in will look sharp.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Quietly Added A Goalie Prospect Fans Barely Know
The Marlies latest round of AHL-only signings included a name most Maple Leafs fans probably have not spent much time on yet: Russian goaltender Timofei Obvintsev. Drafted by Toronto in 2024, he arrives with a thin pro resume, but also with a clear developmental lane as the organization looks to stock the crease at the minor-league level and keep another project moving forward.
Obvintsevs path has not been especially smooth so far, with limited game action in Russian leagues because of injuries and competition for minutes. Now he is in position to battle for a backup role with the Marlies, and there is a chance he also sees time in the ECHL to get the kind of reps that were harder to come by overseas. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Still Have A Depth Question Heading Into Camp
Several NHL clubs have already dipped into the professional try-out market ahead of training camp, and that naturally has the Maple Leafs watching the same lane. With roster spots still in flux, Toronto could be in the mix for a PTO or two of its own, especially as teams sort out the bottom of the lineup and look for players who can help immediately without a long-term commitment.
Among the names floating as possibilities are defenseman Nick Blankenburg, who has NHL experience with the Predators and Avalanche, and versatile center Curtis Lazar, a veteran of several NHL stops. Nothing has been signed yet, and the Leafs have also had recent roster changes under general manager John Chayka, so this feels like one of those late-summer questions that could linger right up to camp. [Read more 🡒]
Auston Matthews Just Became The Leafs Exception That Really Matters
Connor Hellebuycks public confirmation that he asked out of Winnipeg adds another name to the growing list of prominent Team USA players whose team situations have turned uneasy lately. For the Maple Leafs, though, the more relevant comparison is the one that does not exist: Auston Matthews has not made any such request, and he remains under contract in Toronto through the 2027-28 season.
That difference matters because the closer a star gets to the end of a deal, the louder the speculation usually gets, and Matthews is still several seasons from that point. For now, the Leafs can file him in the category that counts most, a major exception in a league where trade chatter seems to follow elite players everywhere else, even if the real test of his future is still waiting down the road. [Read more 🡒]