Things have finally quieted down around the Toronto Maple Leafs over the weekend. This follows a massive houseclearing of 14 front office staff members and the high-profile additions of Daniel Alfredsson and John Gruden to Jim Hiller’s coaching staff. With those moves in the rearview, the Leafs have slowly but surely rounded into the deep summer portion of the NHL offseason. As always, our man David Alter has been on hand to delve into the details.
Is John Chayka done tweaking this roster? That remains to be seen. High-stakes questions still linger over whether Morgan Rielly will remain a Maple Leaf by the time training camp opens, though the persistent trade rumors surrounding Matthew Knies appear to have calmed down for now.
With the current roster locked in place, we can begin to project how Toronto will look on opening night.
The Top Six
Nick Paul – Auston Matthews – Jack Roslovic
Auston Matthews is a surefire bet to reprise his role as the club’s top center, but a primary objective for Hiller’s staff this season will be unlocking even more of his offensive upside. While aligning him with rookie sensation Gavin McKenna on the left side is a tempting thought, throwing a first-year player into that spot from day one carries immense risk. After all, Matthews himself began his NHL career on the third line before elevating his role.
Because Matthews and Knies struggled to find sustained chemistry last season, it makes sense to insulate the captain with a defensively sound, veteran presence like Nick Paul. On the right side, newly signed forward Jack Roslovic brings familiarity from his time playing with Matthews in the US National Development Program. Roslovic has shown a solid offensive touch in the regular season, making a Paul–Matthews–Roslovic trio a highly logical look to start the year.
John Tavares – William Nylander – Matthew Knies
The Leafs will likely look to keep the established duo of John Tavares and William Nylander together on the second line. The lone question mark here is who occupies the wing, and this looks like the ideal opportunity to skate Knies in a top-six role where his physical edge can complement the duo’s skill.
The Bottom Six
Gavin McKenna – Colton Sissons – Easton Cowan
The third line is where the math gets tricky. Colton Sissons is the roster’s natural fit at third-line center. Sheltering Gavin McKenna on his wing to let him adapt to the pace of NHL hockey makes sense on paper, but executing that plan alongside a second-year player like Easton Cowan means relying heavily on two rookies in your middle six. Expect Hiller to start with a McKenna–Sissons–Cowan look, with the flexibility to elevate McKenna alongside Matthews if the rookie adjusts quickly, subsequently dropping Paul down to stabilize the third unit.
Dakota Joshua – Teddy Blueger – Brandon Duhaime
The fourth line is the easiest projection on the board. Barring a late-summer trade involving Dakota Joshua, a trio featuring Joshua on the left, Teddy Blueger down the middle, and Brandon Duhaime on the right gives Toronto a definitive, identity-driven shutdown line that they can rely on immediately.
Defensive Pairings & Goaltending
Morgan Rielly – Darren Raddysh
Jake McCabe – Chris Tanev
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Troy Stecher
The blue line projections remain complicated by Morgan Rielly’s presence on the roster. As it stands, the Leafs could opt to slide Rielly next to newly signed defenseman Darren Raddysh on the top pair. That allows Toronto to load up a heavy second pair featuring Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev, assuming Tanev returns to full health. A steady veteran bottom pair of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Troy Stecher rounds out the group. If management ultimately moves Rielly before October, it opens a massive opportunity for 24-year-old Emil
In net, the hierarchy is clear. Sergei Bobrovsky arrives as the undisputed starter with the expectation of a 50-plus game workload, leaving Anthony Stolarz in the clear backup slot.
The Bottom Line
Expect heavy experimentation early. With training camp shortened significantly to accommodate the new 84-game regular season schedule and a late-September start date, the first few weeks of October will essentially serve as an extended preseason while the coaching staff searches for chemistry.