Jim Hiller’s message in Toronto is straightforward: win the puck, then get moving.
Two days into camp, the Maple Leafs’ new approach has already taken shape. Hiller wants the team’s skilled players to keep doing what they do best with the puck, but he also wants everyone to earn it back when they don’t have it. That means backchecking, closing gaps, and battling for loose pucks instead of assuming someone else will handle the dirty work.
And once Toronto gets possession, Hiller wants speed. He’s pushing for quick decisions, immediate puck movement, and no wasted time that lets the other team reset. It’s a basic formula, but one that could fit a group that has talent and, by Hiller’s view, needs more collective effort.
In Florida, the Panthers still have eyes on Connor Hellebuyck, but the original trade framework is no longer sitting in their pocket.
Reports say Florida once had a sizable package built around Evan Rodrigues, two first-round picks, and another roster player. But those picks were later used to land Brady Tkachuk, and the Devils moved Rodrigues, which changed the equation. The Panthers chose Tkachuk over Hellebuyck, though the goalie may still be in play.
That possibility matters because Florida’s current situation in net is murky. With Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov gone, the team’s addition of Jacob Markstrom may not be enough. Hellebuyck’s own situation in Winnipeg has also become more complicated after he was suspended for missing training camp following his trade request.
Darnell Nurse’s move to San Jose comes with a clean slate, even if the path there was messy.
Nurse pushed back on the idea that he was unhappy in Edmonton or had lost his love for the game. Still, the nonstop trade chatter and the attention tied to his contract eventually led him to ask for a fresh start. When other options fell through, the Sharks became the destination.
He said his years in Edmonton gave him a lot to remember - friendships, experiences, and good moments - but he felt it was time to move on. Now he’s looking ahead to joining a young Sharks group and being part of what comes next. His first game against the Oilers in San Jose will come on January 13, when Edmonton visits.
In Other News...
Gavin McKennas First Leafs Game Is Raising An Immediate Concern
Gavin McKenna is about to get his first preseason look with the Maple Leafs, and the early conversation around him has already moved beyond his skating and skill. The detail drawing attention is his listed weight, which comes in about 10 pounds below what was recorded at the NHL Draft Combine, a shift fans noticed right away as they started circling his first game in blue and white.
For Toronto, the question is less about a number on a chart and more about how his frame plays in actual NHL competition. The league has plenty of examples of smaller players finding success by leaning on pace, balance and quick decision-making, and McKenna fits that broader discussion as he begins his Leafs preseason path. There is no official sign of any health issue, but the size talk is going to follow him until he shows what he can do on the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Matthews Gave Leafs Fans One Reason To Exhale In Montreal
A split-squad preseason night in Montreal did not provide the kind of clean result the Maple Leafs wanted, with Toronto dropping both games and leaning on a few individual performances to find any real positives. Auston Matthews offered the biggest one, flashing the kind of speed that had been missing at times last season and setting up a goal in a showing that suggested he is starting to look more like himself again.
Darren Raddysh scored Torontos lone goal, while rookie Gavin McKenna gave the club a glimpse of his playmaking touch even if the night included a penalty. For a Leafs team still sorting out its early preseason shape, the game was less about the scoreboard than the different levels of comfort shown by key veterans and younger pieces trying to carve out a role. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Fringe Forward Made An Early Statement In Montreal
Michael Pezzetta wasted little time making his presence felt in Montreal while skating with the Maple Leafs B-team in a game filled with fringe players and prospects. In the kind of preseason setting where jobs are being sorted out one shift at a time, he dropped the gloves with Canadiens forward Lucas Condotta and was ejected shortly after, a reminder that these games can still carry plenty of bite even without the regulars on the ice elsewhere.
The moment fit the tone of a roster battle more than a tune-up, with every involved player trying to leave an impression before camp decisions get tougher. Pezzettas early exit came before teammate Teddy Blueger also fought in the same game, adding another layer of edge to a matchup that had already turned physical and given the Leafs another bit of evidence about who is willing to make noise in a depth role. [Read more 🡒]