Maple Leafs News & Analysis

Maple Leafs defence pairings for 2026-27 hinge on Darren Raddysh's partner. Jake McCabe is the right answer, even at the cost of the Tanev pair.

Toronto's third letter has sat empty since Marner left. The William Nylander alternate captain case costs Jim Hiller nothing and is long overdue.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson led all Maple Leafs defencemen in scoring last season on a $3.5M cap hit — and is now being discussed as a cap casualty. That is backwards.

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 Maple Leafs milestones of 2026-27: Rielly's 1,000th game, Nylander's 300th goal, Tavares at 1,200 games and Matthews chasing 800 points.

The Cale Makar contract is the richest in NHL history at $20.4 million a season. Here is what the $20M deal costs the Maple Leafs' blue line and cap plan.

Toronto's Maple Leafs core four on defence costs $25 million against the cap. A breakdown of the roles, the term, and where the Raddysh contract could go wrong.

Morgan Rielly praised John Chayka's direct approach. It marks a real shift in how the Maple Leafs handle players — and a bill that comes due by February.

The Morgan Rielly trade talk is done for the summer. Speaking in Brampton, the Leafs defenceman said he expects to start his 14th season in Toronto.

A Quinn Hughes contract near $20 million would reset the NHL defence market. What that means for Darren Raddysh, Morgan Rielly and the Leafs' blue line.

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?

NHL no-move clauses ran the 2026 trade market. Tkachuk, Larkin and Werenski all proved it — and John Chayka built Toronto's summer around that reality.

The Zach Werenski trade veto is settled: the Norris winner says he never asked out of Columbus, and Toronto's top-four defence hole stays open into camp.

The Morgan Rielly trade market is stuck: Toronto won't pay a sweetener, Rielly hasn't waived his no-move clause, and the cap problem has an easier answer.

The Quinn Hughes contract extension is still unsigned in Minnesota. Why the reported holdup matters to Toronto — and why the Leafs cannot win that market.

The Maple Leafs two-year window is written into the cap sheet and the traded first-round picks. Here is what Chayka can still do before camp.

Toronto's toughest contracts total roughly $15 million for a fourth-line centre, a fourth-line winger and a 32-year-old defenceman. That is the whole margin.

The NHL salary cap floor sits at $76.9 million and about ten clubs must still spend to reach it — the leverage the cap-strapped Maple Leafs have waited for.