TORONTO — Despite the departure of Mitch Marner — the best talent to swap NHL sweaters over the off-season — the Toronto Maple Leafs will arrive at next week’s training camp confident that they are still among the division’s deepest squads.
GM Brad Treliving got recommitments from third-year stud Matthew Knies and second-line centre John Tavares, then began building a legit third line with the acquisitions of Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua.
Marner’s absence creates opportunity for others on the top line, top power-play unit and top penalty-kill unit. Expect three different players to fill those roles.
Coach Craig Berube has no choice but to roll with a more balanced lineup. He won a Stanley Cup with one.
Still, the Leafs will be in tough to repeat as Atlantic’s top regular-season dog. And while their cost-effective goaltending tandem and veteran defence corps all return intact, the offence will fall under scrutiny.
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Salary cap space: $1.92 million
GM: Brad Treliving
Head coach: Craig Berube
Assistant coaches: Derek Lalonde, Mike Van Ryn, Marc Savard
Unsigned players: None
Key new additions: Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy, Henry Thrun, Michael Pezzetta
WHAT WE’LL LEARN DURING PRE-SEASON
How does Auston Matthews look?
One source close to the captain tells us the banged-up Auston Matthews was operating at only “34 per cent” in 2024-25, when his year-over-year goal total dropped by 36, his points by 29, and his games played by 14.
Whispers behind the scenes promise a bounce-back for the three-time Rocket champ, and a bid for his first scoring trophy sans favourite setup man Marner.
Yet it was during 2024’s training camp that Matthews suffered his lingering back injury. So, we’re curious to see if the No. 1 centre has regained his all-world form. He must.
Who fills out Matthews and John Tavares’s wings?
Treliving made some smart depth additions in the off-season, but he was denied top UFA target Brad Marchand and never found a bona fide top-six winger.
Bet on Matthews and left winger Knies to anchor Line 1 and Tavares and William Nylander to relink on Line 2. (Berube prefers his forwards in pairs.) How the remaining jobs shake out, however, will be a work in progress.
Pass-first Max Domi has enjoyed stretches of success with Matthews. Newcomer Matias Maccelli, too, can thrive in the O-zone. Alternatively, Berube could want a peek at straight-line wingers Bobby McMann (who hit 20 goals) or Joshua (who once hit 18) up top to see if they can disrupt and create space for the stars.
Which forwards get pushed down or out?
If May taught us anything, it’s that work will not be guaranteed for veterans Calle Järnkrok and David Kämpf. Ending last season on a troublesome scoring drought, McMann still has much to prove. And we’ll cut-and-paste this sentence from our past five training camp previews: Nick Robertson must fight for a lineup spot.
Toss in an eager — and ELC cheap! — Easton Cowan into the mix, and the race to impress Berube enough to get the nod for opening night should get as chaotic as a Mario Kart final lap.
Does Cowan end up grooming his skills with the Marlies? (Not his preference.) Does a veteran or two end up on the waiver wire? Can punchy local Michael Pezzetta win over fans and staff via passion and pace?
Plenty of fight for minutes on the fringes await.
ONE BOLD PREDICTION
A trade is coming for Robertson … finally.
The Maple Leafs have an obvious glut of bottom-six forwards. And the undersized sniper’s return to the press box with the season was on the line — compounded by a second round of testing RFA negotiations and a second one-year “commitment” — makes it evident that he’s not a great fit.
Berube hardly sounds encouraging that Robertson will earn an everyday role, particularly with the influx of a couple hard-nosed additions up front and hopes that Maccelli can fill the role of darting playmaker.
Toronto could use the cap space and draft or prospect capital. Robertson could use a fresh start and some power-play minutes.
PROJECTED LINES
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Max Domi
Matias Maccelli – John Tavares – William Nylander
Dakota Joshua – Nicolas Roy – Bobby McMann
Steven Lorentz – Scott Laughton – Calle Järnkrok
Jake McCabe – Chris Tanev
Morgan Rielly – Brandon Carlo
Simon Benoit – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Anthony Stolarz
Joseph Woll
