If the Maple Leafs are serious about taking that next step, the simplest move might be the most obvious one. It might be time to put William Nylander back on Auston Matthews’ left wing full time.
When Matthew Tkachuk talked about Sergei Bobrovsky after the Florida Panthers’ season ended, he said something that caught my attention. It wasn't about statistics.
Neil Glasberg, Founder/President at The Coaches Agency, joined First Up to discuss his involvement in the Maple Leafs’ executive search and the team’s ultimate decision to hire John Chayka as General Manager.
Connor McDavid probably didn't intend to send a message to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was simply answering a question about Gavin McKenna, admitting he hadn't watched enough of the young star to comment on his game.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will always be connected to big conversations. That is what happens when you are one of the most followed teams in sports. It is one of my favourite aspects of covering this Original Six team.
The NHL has had an interesting new millennium. It was a league sans a salary cap when the 2000s started… and then the owners locked the players out for an entire season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a number of significant changes this offseason. They won the first overall pick and selected Gavin McKenna; they hired Jim Hiller as head coach and brought in John Chayka as general manager—both moves that were met with considerable controversy.
One of the biggest questions facing the Toronto Maple Leafs heading into the 2026-27 season remains who will play alongside Auston Matthews. Toronto has changed almost every part of the roster, but the search for the right fit on Matthews’ wing remains unfinished.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a new man in charge as GM in John Chayka, and that was made possible by the search firm they hired which was headed by Neil Glasberg.
Connor McDavid is no stranger to being drafted first overall into a hockey-crazed Canadian market desperate for its next superstar. In 2015, McDavid was that for the Edmonton Oilers, and 11 years later, in 2026, Gavin McKenna is stepping into that same role for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be returning to action in 2026-27 with a completely new look relative to last season, both on and off the ice. They have a new general manager in John Chayka, a new head coach in Jim Hiller, a franchise legend in the front office in Mats Sundin, and Daniel Alfredsson is an assistant coach.
People will talk about the “Mount Rushmore” for a franchise, which is to say the four people, usually four players, that most define the franchise. Not always the four-best players, but the four that evoke the essence of the franchise.
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Tyler Hopkins is being invited to Hockey Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase. He is one of 18 forwards listed on the invitee roster.
One of the interesting things about watching a new general manager take over an NHL organization is that we often learn more from what he does than from what he says.
Now that the free agency window has effectively closed, we can evaluate the Toronto Maple Leafs’ offseason in earnest. And there’s lots to like from John Chayka’s summer haul, along with a series of personnel decisions we disagreed with.
After a flurry of signings on July 1, the market has finally calmed down. Even after the rush, many solid players remain unsigned. The Maple Leafs have already brought in the likes of Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Darren Raddysh, and Sergei Bobrovsky.
Back in Toronto, the Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner fell prey to a bias. While the team handed Auston Matthews a bonus, Marner’s plate was empty. A decade later,
Sometimes the most interesting part of a prospect story isn’t when someone gets it right. It’s when someone looks back and admits they got it wrong. That’s what happened with Scott Wheeler and Easton Cowan.
I have to admit that I’ve grown to become a Wendel Clark fan. He always had that no-nonsense way of talking about the playoffs, but I also think it fits the Maple Leafs perfectly right now as they head into a completely revamped roster and a new season.
If you’re going to trade a top-six winger and try to fill holes on the roster, when is the best time to do it? The answer is always if you can sell high.
When people talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs, the conversation almost always starts with Auston Matthews, William Nylander, or whoever happens to be in the crease.
John Chayka has wasted little time putting his stamp on the Toronto Maple Leafs. In just one offseason, the new general manager has reshaped the roster, changed the front office, and made it clear that Toronto is trying to build a different kind of hockey team.
When you’re building a winner in the NHL, it’s not like you can just buy a bunch of superstars anymore—because paying for individual excellence gets expensive fast.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot to prove in the 2026 season. After all, they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. In case they are looking