With the Toronto Maple Leafs set to open their 2026-27 season on Tuesday, the biggest question now is how the roster will actually look when the puck drops. The preseason is over, the anticipation is building, and there’s plenty of curiosity around how this group will respond after a rough 2025-26 campaign.
There’s real buzz around Gavin McKenna, Auston Matthews appears to be closer to his old 60-goal form, and the additions to the bottom six, along with Sergei Bobrovsky, have given the lineup a different look and a steadier feel overall.
The top six seems largely settled at this point, with McKenna already showing strong chemistry and confidence beside John Tavares. Johnathan Roslovic and Matthews have flashed some of their old connection, while William Nylander has been playing with a noticeably more aggressive edge.
The lower part of the forward group still has some moving pieces. Nick Paul is listed as a placeholder because of an unidentified injury, and Dakota Joshua may not be ready for the start of the season. In the meantime, Groulx had a solid preseason, while MacEwen and Duhaime can help fill the gap.
On the blue line, Toronto’s biggest uncertainty sits in plain sight. The projected pairs are Rielly and Raddysh, McCabe and Tanev, and Ekman-Larsson and Stecher, with Andrae and Blankenburg also in the mix. Blankenburg is expected to sign a one-year contract.
How that Rielly-Raddysh combination holds up over time will be worth watching, and Chris Tanev’s health is another major concern. He appears healthy right now, but as last season showed, that can change fast.
The Leafs will also be without Max Domi for an undetermined period as he continues to recover from complications following offseason surgery.
In goal, Bobrovsky and Stolarz give Toronto a tandem that should at least lighten the load. The hope is that Bobrovsky can help ease the pressure on Stolarz and revive the chemistry that helped them win a Stanley Cup in 2023-24.
Jim Hiller and his new coaching staff will have plenty to sort through as they try to get the most out of this roster. It may take time for everything to come together, but there is still optimism around the group.
And if you ask Gavin McKenna, this might just be the year.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Just Built Deeper Roster Insurance Than Fans Realize
The Maple Leafs quietly turned a roster squeeze into a depth win this week, placing eight players on waivers and sending all of them through to the Toronto Marlies. The group includes Brendan Brisson, Vinni Lettieri, Steven Lorentz, Michael Pezzetta, Henrik Rybinski, Ryan Tverberg, Philippe Myers and Marshall Rifai, giving the organization a fuller reserve of NHL-caliber options than it may have had at this point last season.
For Toronto, the immediate effect is less about the big clubs opening-night picture and more about what it means underneath it. The Marlies suddenly have a far more experienced mix to lean on, while the Maple Leafs can keep a deeper layer of roster insurance close by if injuries or performance issues force changes later on. In a league where early-season attrition can reshape depth charts quickly, that kind of organizational cushion matters more than it first appears. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Roster Shift Opens Door For Marlies Standout To Break Through
Dakota Joshuas core injury is creating an early roster ripple for the Maple Leafs, and it looks like the opening could go to a familiar depth name. With Joshua expected to land on injured reserve or long-term injured reserve, James Mirtle reported that Bo Groulx is likely to start the season with Toronto after coming up from the Marlies.
For a team that is already sorting through changes up front, Joshuas health has added a fresh layer of uncertainty to the bottom six. The bigger question now is not just how long hes out, but what his injury and the clubs recent roster moves mean for his place in the lineup once the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Have A Short-Term Wing Decision To Make
The Blue Jackets putting Miles Wood on waivers put another experienced winger into the conversation for clubs looking to stabilize their depth, and the Maple Leafs are among the teams that can at least take a serious look. Wood has been around the league long enough to know the grind of a full season, and his name lands in Toronto at a time when the roster could use some extra insurance on the wing.
For the Leafs, the appeal is straightforward: he is a veteran option with a track record of NHL minutes and a contract that makes him a more manageable short-term discussion than a splashier addition. The question now is whether Toronto sees enough value in that profile to move quickly, or whether it lets the waiver process play out and waits to see what other answers might emerge. [Read more 🡒]