The Toronto Maple Leafs have landed in a strange little jersey standoff, and it comes down to one number: 72.
Gavin McKenna and Sergei Bobrovsky both arrive with that digit attached to their game, but only one of them can wear it in Toronto. McKenna used 72 with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL and again at Penn State in the NCAA. Bobrovsky has made it part of his NHL identity, too, wearing it while helping the Florida Panthers win back-to-back Stanley Cups.
For a player with a superstitious streak, that’s the kind of overlap that can get awkward fast. But McKenna already sounds willing to step aside if Bobrovsky wants to keep the number. He told reporters that Bobrovsky’s NHL track record should give the veteran the edge if he wants 72.
Bobrovsky has worn 72 for most of his NHL career. The only real exception came at the start, when he was with the Philadelphia Flyers and used No. 35 instead.
The Maple Leafs can’t simply solve the problem by sending one of them to No. 27, either. That number is retired.
So the team has a decision to make, and it’s probably not a long-term one. McKenna is expected to be in Toronto longer than Bobrovsky, which leaves the possibility that the rookie eventually gets his number back down the line.
For now, though, one of them is going to have to give. One way or another, there’ll almost certainly be a 72.
Which player it is remains to be seen.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Finally Addressed The Matthew Knies Trade Rumors
Matthew Knies has been the kind of name that naturally draws trade chatter when the Maple Leafs are looking for ways to reshape the roster, but Torontos front office has now made clear how it views the young forward. Assistant general manager Ryan Hardy addressed the rumors and framed Knies as more than just a useful piece, pointing to his versatility and the way he fits the kind of lineup Toronto wants to ice when the games get tighter.
Hardy also stressed that Knies is the sort of player who can move around the lineup, including alongside Auston Matthews, and still handle different situations without losing his value. Coming off a full season in which he played 79 games and heading into the second year of a six-year contract, Knies looks like the type of player the Maple Leafs would rather build around than entertain offers for, even if the speculation around him has not gone away. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Lose Hometown Blue Line Target As Bigger Move Stalls
Mario Ferraro was one of the more logical blue-line fits for a Maple Leafs team that has been hunting for ways to reshape its roster without blowing up the core. The Toronto connection made sense, too, given the hometown angle and the kind of steady defensive piece the Leafs have been trying to line up as they work through their cap picture.
Instead, the market moved on. Ferraro has landed a three-year deal with Winnipeg worth about $12 million, and Toronto is left still staring at the same larger obstacle it had to clear before making a run at him. Morgan Rielly remains the name at the center of that cap conversation, and until the Leafs find a way through it, the rest of their roster plans are going to keep waiting in line. [Read more 🡒]
These Maple Leafs Signings Suddenly Feel Like Part Of Something Bigger
The Maple Leafs free agency work has started to look less like a series of isolated depth bets and more like a deliberate push toward a heavier, more dependable bottom six. Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger and Nick Paul all fit the same broad idea: players who can handle defensive minutes, bring size, and give Toronto more options when the lineup gets tight over a long season.
What makes the signings interesting is the uncertainty around how they all fit together. There is a sense that management has a larger roster blueprint in mind, and maybe even a move or two still to come, but the exact shape of that plan is not yet clear. For now, the Leafs have added a cluster of similar players and left the bigger question hanging: how many of them can actually be in the lineup at once, and in what roles? [Read more 🡒]