Toronto Maple Leafs: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

NHL insider reveals why Morgan Rielly wasn't traded this summer

For all the talk this past summer about the Toronto Maple Leafs finally moving on from Morgan Rielly, we got exactly nada. As camp is set to open, the longest-tenured Leaf remains on the team.

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

What Chayka’s Really Building and Why the Old Model Had to Die

John Chayka’s recent The Athletic interview contains a genuinely interesting idea, and it’s bigger than most people give it credit for. He’s not just building a better roster in Toronto.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / The Hockey Writers / September 15

Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Chayka, Huge Changes & One Big Constant

There’s a pretty good argument that the biggest change to the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer didn’t happen on the ice. The roster looks different. Sergei

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Professor Press Box / September 15

The Maple Leafs’ New Philosophy Is Actually Pretty Simple

There is a temptation, especially around the Toronto Maple Leafs, to make everything more complicated than it really is. Every signing has to mean something.

Macklin Celebrini News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The ''EA NHL,'' covers since 2000' quiz

How many of the players to grace the cover of each EA NHL video game going back to 'NHL 2000?"

The 'First-overall NHL Draft picks' quiz

The 'Conn Smythe Trophy winners' quiz

The 'Most NHL goals all-time' quiz

Auston Matthews News / Maple Leafs Hotstove / September 15

Auston Matthews ahead of the Leafs’ new season: “I’m extremely motivated going into this year to get back to the level I know I can be at”

In a one-on-one with Ryan Leslie, Auston Matthews discussed his recovery from his major injury, his motivation level entering the new season, the team’s significant offseason changes, his early impressions of Gavin McKenna, and his connection to the city of Toronto.

NHL News / Yardbarker

The best and worst NHL free agency deals since 2000

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.

Darren Raddysh News / Maple Leafs Hotstove / September 15

Maple Leafs Training Camp Battles, Part 2: Who partners with Darren Raddysh, who rounds out the top four D, and who claims the final spot?

As we continue our training camp and preseason battle series, we shift our attention to the defense. This unit is usually fairly straightforward, but this season, there is a lot up in the air.

Gavin Mckenna News / Pension Plan Puppets / September 15

2026 T25U25: Gavin McKenna is #1

Gods gifting mere mortals with objects that change the course of their lives forever is a very, very old narrative trope. When someone, for example, thrusts

Brandon Duhaime News / TheLeafsnation / September 15

What does a successful 2026-27 season look like for Brandon Duhaime?

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a lot of additions this offseason, so you would be forgiven if their signing of forward Brandon Duhaime was one that flew under your radar.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / TheLeafsnation / September 15

Maple Leafs prospect Alexander Bilecki receives hefty praise from Kitchener Rangers GM Mike MacKenzie

The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted defenceman Alexander Bilecki with the 60th pick at the 2026 NHL Draft, and don’t be surprised to see the young blueliner become a household name within the organization, much sooner than some expected.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Editor In Leaf / September 15

Maple Leafs have an easy way out of their current cap crunch

The Toronto Maple Leafs, as implausible as it may seem, are actually in a bit of a cap crunch at the moment. PuckPedia lists Toronto at $2.75 million over the cap.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Editor In Leaf / September 14

Young defenseman reveals what a fresh start with the Maple Leafs means

The Toronto Maple Leafs didn't make any big blockbuster move during the offseason, but new general manager John Chayka made dozens of little transactions to improve the team.

NHL News / Yardbarker

The defining figure for every NHL franchise

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 News / NHL Trade Talk / September 14

Why Maple Leafs’ Depth Money Changes Their Trade Deadline

Here’s the part most people skip when they talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs’ roster: the stars get all the headlines, but the real story for trade talk is the money sitting in the middle of the lineup.

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The 'Most yards through two NFL seasons' quiz

The 'Women's U.S. Open champions' quiz

The '4,500-yard, 15-INT NFL seasons' quiz

The 'Most 10-TD catch NFL seasons' quiz

Gavin Mckenna News / NHL Trade Talk / September 14

Can Gavin McKenna Survive Toronto’s Outrageous Expectations?

Hype around top draft picks is impossible to escape. Hockey markets are rabid, and Canadian markets are something else entirely. Going first overall is special, but it comes with a mountain of pressure — especially in a league where projecting teenagers is notoriously difficult.

Ben Danford News / Professor Press Box / September 14

Maybe the Maple Leafs’ Ben Danford Bet Was Smarter Than It Looked

Not long ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Ben Danford 31st overall. At the time, it looked like one of those draft choices that required some explaining.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / TheLeafsnation / September 14

How the new Maple Leafs are embracing familiarity amid summer of radical change

It’s been a summer of radical change for the Toronto Maple Leafs at all levels of the organization. There’s a new management regime in town, led by franchise legend Mats Sundin and 37-year-old general manager John Chayka.

Sergei Bobrovsky News / TheLeafsnation / September 14

Nick Paul is thrilled to be on the same team as Sergei Bobrovsky after years as Battle of Florida rivals

Outside of Gavin McKenna, Nick Paul was probably the most unexpected signing of the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ offseason. While there were rumours connecting the Maple Leafs to both Darren Raddysh (Paul’s Lightning teammate) and former Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, the trade for Paul came out of left field.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / TheLeafsnation / September 14

Leafs’ Sergei Bobrovsky can’t wait to play with Auston Matthews, join the hockey capital of the world

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has accomplished everything one could possibly achieve in the NHL, but he’s still motivated at 37 to return to career-best form.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / The Hockey Writers / September 14

Insider Certain Maple Leafs Blockbuster Trade Was 'Guaranteed' — It Wasn’t

TSN’s hockey insider Darren Dreger was recently a guest on First Up 1050 and offered an interesting take on a rumored blockbuster trade that he believed got extremely close for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / The Hockey Writers / September 14

Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Borgesi, Blankenburg, Andrae & a Smaller Defence?

A theme has developed around the Toronto Maple Leafs this past week: small defencemen. That isn’t the first phrase that comes to mind when looking at the kind of blue line general manager John Chayka appears to be building in Toronto.

Auston Matthews News / NHL Trade Talk / September 14

How Invested Really Is Auston Matthews in the Maple Leafs?

One of the things Toronto Maple Leafs fans are going to be watching very closely this season is whether Auston Matthews has truly bought into what John Chayka is building in Toronto.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Inside The Rink / September 15

Toronto Maple Leafs Weekend Roundup

Toronto Maple Leafs news is back in full swing now that we’re into September. This week, the team has a golf tournament, the start of main roster training camp, and its first pre-season game.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / The Hockey Writers / September 14

Seven Maple Leafs standouts at the 2026 Prospect Challenge

Toronto Maple Leafs hockey is finally back, as the annual Prospect Challenge took place in Gatineau, Quebec. The Maple Leafs’ prospects took on the Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets, losing 4-3 to the Senators in overtime in the first game and winning 6-4 in the second game against the Jets.