The Maple Leafs spent the offseason trying to change the story after last season’s collapse, and October is where the first real answers should arrive.
Toronto finished at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings last season and missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. That kind of ending tends to force a reset, and this one came with a new head coach in Jim Hiller, a new general manager in John Chayka, and a busy roster overhaul.
Chayka added Jack Roslovic, Nick Paul, Brandon Duhaime, and Colton Sissons, then completed a major sign-and-trade for Darren Raddysh. The organization also used the first overall pick on Gavin McKenna, giving the lineup another major piece of firepower.
But the real question isn’t whether the names changed. It’s whether the team will look different when the games start counting.
Three early October tests should help answer that. The first is Auston Matthews. Toronto needs to see him looking explosive again - creating separation, getting into dangerous areas, and producing shots at the rate the Maple Leafs expect from their No. 1 scorer.
McKenna is the second clue. His usage will say plenty about how Toronto views its young core.
If he’s trusted with a meaningful role, that’s a strong sign the Leafs believe he can help drive the season. If he’s tucked into the bottom six, the picture changes.
The third issue is in goal, where Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz are part of the conversation. Toronto needs stability between the pipes, because if that’s in place, the Leafs won’t be forced into the kind of nightly chase that defined too many games last season.
Those three areas line up with the biggest bets Toronto made this summer: Matthews’ health and pace, McKenna’s growth, and certainty in net.
And after 10 games, the record alone won’t be enough to judge them. The deeper test is whether the old problems are still hanging around - the slow starts, the defensive breakdowns, the long losing streaks, the inability to protect leads, and the stars carrying too much of the load.
If those issues disappear, then there’s real substance behind the makeover. If not, it’s just a new coat of paint.
October won’t settle the Maple Leafs’ season. It should, however, tell us whether this team is actually different from the one that fell apart last year.
In Other News...
Bobrovsky Could End The Leafs Goalie Problem They Keep Reliving
Sergei Bobrovsky arrives in Toronto with the kind of resume the Maple Leafs have spent years searching for in goal. He has long carried a starters workload, and the plan now is clear enough: share the crease with Anthony Stolarz while bringing a steadier rhythm to a position that has too often been managed in pieces rather than settled by one reliable presence.
Stolarz brings useful experience as a backup and has typically handled a lighter load, but the real appeal here is the chance to keep the Leafs from cycling through multiple goaltenders over the course of the season. If Bobrovsky can give them the stability they have lacked, it could change the daily conversation around the net and let the rest of the roster build around a more consistent starting point. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Be Running Out Of Easy Options With William Villeneuve
William Villeneuve has put himself in an awkward but encouraging spot for the Maple Leafs. After a three-game NHL look last season, the young defenseman went back to the Marlies and became part of their Calder Cup run, then followed that up with a strong AHL campaign that included 30 points in 61 regular-season games and 23 more in 24 playoff games. For a prospect still trying to carve out a place in a crowded organization, that kind of production only sharpens the question of what comes next.
The problem for Toronto is that the road to more NHL time is not as simple as sending him up and down to see how he handles it. Roster limitations and waiver eligibility now hang over every decision involving Villeneuve, which means the Maple Leafs may have to choose between keeping him around the big club or risking a move that could expose him elsewhere. For a team that likes the player and needs to keep building depth on the back end, the margin for error is getting smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Auston Matthews Looms Over A Crucial Maple Leafs Balancing Act
The Maple Leafs are trying to juggle two realities at once: winning with Auston Matthews in the present while still giving prospects like goaltender Patriks Plumins the runway they need for the future. That balance has become a familiar stress point for Toronto, where every development move is viewed through the lens of whether it helps the team now without compromising what comes next.
Matthews remains the center of the whole operation, since his future in Toronto will hinge not just on what he produces, but on how strongly he believes in the direction the organization is heading. At the same time, Plumins is heading to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as part of his adjustment to North American hockey, a reminder that the Leafs are still building underneath the pressure of keeping their star core intact. [Read more 🡒]