Maple Leafs News & Analysis

Bruce Boudreau says the Maple Leafs defence will keep Toronto out of the playoffs. We test the claim against the ages, the 84-game grind and Hiller's plan.

The Auston Matthews penalty kill role should end in 2026-27. Jim Hiller has the specialists, the 84-game grind, and every reason to cut it to zero.

The Maple Leafs October schedule: a four-game homestand, then a brutal western swing. Toronto has 11 back-to-backs but only five games against tired teams.

Maple Leafs goals against hit 299 in 2025-26 while the penalty kill ranked fifth. Where the defence actually broke, and what Jim Hiller has to fix.

Which Maple Leafs training camp roster spots are actually open? Two top-six wings, the 3C job, a third pair — and a cap crunch up front.

Auston Matthews Hart Trophy odds put him seventh for 2026-27. After a Grade 3 MCL tear and 60 games, that ranking prices in health he hasn't shown yet.

Maple Leafs starting goalie 2026-27: Bobrovsky's $7M deal says one thing, Stolarz's .926 season says another. Why Toronto's crease is genuinely unresolved.

John Tavares is the Maple Leafs' best value contract at $4.39M. His 2026-27 role under Jim Hiller, and how the Gavin McKenna handoff lines up.

Auston Matthews skating in drills at Arizona State is the first footage since March knee surgery. What it proves, and what it does not.

Jim Hiller Maple Leafs training camp opens with the exact installation problem the Kings solved before firing him. Chayka bought the system; the room has to buy in.

The Max Domi role question has no clean answer: five new bottom-six forwards, a $3.75M cap hit Toronto needs on LTIR, and no line for him to skate on.

Matthew Knies 30 goals is a seven-goal step, not a leap. Why it is the cleanest test of whether John Chayka built the Maple Leafs roster correctly.

The Darren Raddysh power play case rests on volume: 115 slap shots and 212 shots on goal last season. Why that, not his 22 goals, is Toronto's real upgrade.

Auston Matthews 40 goals in 2026-27? His down-year rate already projects to 37 over 84 games. Health, not scoring touch, is the real question.

The clearest Auston Matthews injury update all summer came from his chiropractor. Toronto's silence on its captain's knee is a problem, and it is fixable.

Can William Nylander score 50 goals in 2026-27? The math needs his best-ever rate plus full health. Our projection lands at 43, and explains the gap.

A Trevor Moore trade would reunite the ex-Leaf with Jim Hiller. The hockey fit is genuine — but Toronto is over the cap with no roster spot to give him.

The Morgan Rielly role, not the trade, is now Toronto's live question. Raddysh has the power play and McCabe the tough minutes. Where does $7.5 million fit?