There’s a strange quiet around the Toronto Maple Leafs heading into the 2026-27 season, and maybe that’s because it’s the middle of summer and the team is coming off a missed playoff appearance. Still, the lack of buzz feels off.
For the first time in the Auston Matthews era, the whole roster got a full offseason to rest and recover, and that matters for a veteran group. Even if Toronto has only gotten past the First Round twice, those extra weeks of hockey take a real toll on the body. It’s a different kind of wear than what the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes are dealing with, but it still makes the recovery process a lot tougher.
That’s why a healthy opening night could mean a lot. With five full months to reset, Matthews, Matthew Knies and Chris Tanev should all be ready to go, even if Tanev may not benefit quite as much as the others. At their best, those players make Toronto a much harder team to face every night.
The top of the lineup already looks steady. John Tavares and William Nylander are expected to keep doing what they do, producing between 25 and 40 goals and showing up every night.
That second line is in place. The bigger story is how much the rest of the roster has changed, and how little attention that seems to be getting.
Toronto is also bringing in Gavin McKenna, who looks like the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. The bottom six has been overhauled, with Nick Paul leading that group and veterans Colton Sissons, Jack Roslovic and Brandon Duhaime adding a very different look to the forward depth.
The changes don’t stop there. On the blue line, the Leafs added a top-pairing defenseman in Darren Raddysh.
But the biggest move might be in goal. For the first time since Ed Belfour, Toronto has a Vezina Trophy-winning goalie it can trust night after night.
Sergie Bobrovsky is 37 now, but he’s still the kind of goaltender you want in your corner, and landing the two-time Stanley Cup winner should have created a much bigger reaction.
Maybe the old core of Matthews, Tavares and Nylander makes the team feel familiar. But the rest of the roster looks completely different, and that should be enough to get people fired up for the start of the season. The playoffs ought to be a lock, and if Toronto handles the NHL Trade Deadline the right way, this could turn into one of the more entertaining runs in a while.
In Other News...
Easton Cowan Is Chasing Something Leafs Fans Have Waited To See
Easton Cowan has already built a rare postseason rsum before even settling into the NHL conversation in Toronto. He won the Memorial Cup with the London Knights in 2025, then added the Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies in 2026, giving Leafs fans a glimpse of a prospect who has been around winning from the start.
Now there is a chance for something even stranger, and maybe unprecedented, if the Maple Leafs can finish the job in 2027. A Stanley Cup would give Cowan three straight championships in three different seasons, a run that is notable enough on its own and unusual enough that it is not even clear whether anyone has pulled it off before. [Read more 🡒]
Easton Cowan Suddenly Faces A Brutal Leafs Reality
The Maple Leafs spent the offseason piling up forward depth, and it has already made the picture around Easton Cowan a lot less straightforward. Toronto brought in Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Brandon Duhaime and Teddy Blueger, then added Gavin McKenna in the draft, all while Jack Roslovic is projected to fit into a top-six role. For a young winger trying to force his way into the mix, that kind of added competition changes the math quickly.
Cowan still has a path, but it may hinge on what he does in training camp and how quickly he can show he belongs against a deeper group of NHL options. If the Leafs decide he needs more reps and more confidence before carving out a role, the AHL could be the most realistic next stop. For now, his challenge is less about talent than timing, with Torontos roster leaving very little room to learn on the job. [Read more 🡒]