Toronto Maple Leafs: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Matthews Finally Escapes Maple Leafs Pressure, and Other Players Are Calling It Out

Every now and then, a comment hits harder than it should. That’s what happened when Craig Button said out loud what a lot of players have whispered for years: that Toronto can be a toxic environment for the very people expected to lift the place to glory.

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

5 Realistic Trade Destinations for Maple Leafs’ Bobby McMann at the 2026 Trade Deadline

As the 2026 Trade Deadline approaches, the Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to be sellers after a tough 2025-26 campaign. They will likely be looking to shift their focus to the 2026-27 campaign and hoping they can get back to the playoffs next season, and could have some valuable trade chips to cash in on.

Bobby McMann News / Last Word On Sports / February 24

NHL Rumours: Why Toronto Maple Leafs May Not Trade Forward

Welcome back to NHL Rumours here at Last Word On Hockey. In this edition, the newest batch of chatter has brought some interesting insight into the future of impending unrestricted free agent Bobby McMann and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Borya Valis News / TheLeafsnation / February 24

Maple Leafs prospect checkpoint: How has Borya Valis fared through 5 months of 2025-26?

They always say that if you’re a junior hockey player that doesn’t get drafted to the NHL, your story isn’t necessarily over. Plenty of undrafted CHL players have made it out of the league and made a name for themselves, just look at Mark Giordano, who finished his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and currently works with the Toronto Marlies.

Jack Hughes News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'Most NHL goals by an American' quiz

How many of the American-born NHL players with the most goals in a single season can you name in five minutes?

The 'Multiple 50-goal NHL seasons' quiz

The 'Team USA Four Nations Face-Off roster' quiz

The 'Active 100-point NHL seasons' quiz

Toronto Maple Leafs News / TheLeafsnation / February 24

What a successful trade deadline looks like for the Maple Leafs

The NHL roster freeze is officially over with the Olympics now in the rearview mirror. While some fans (and hopefully not Toronto Maple Leafs executives)

NHL News / Yardbarker

The 25 best NHL teams who didn't win the Stanley Cup

In the lore of the NHL, it's the Stanley Cup-winning teams that are remembered the most from seasons past. Yet, when looking back on the best of the best

Jacob Quillan News / Maple Leafs Hotstove / February 23

Late Jacob Quillan goal rescues point after Toronto Marlies forfeit another third-period lead in Cleveland

“I thought it was a step in the right direction. We got one point, and we’ll move on from this. We didn’t really give them much, but unfortunately, a couple of our mistakes were catastrophic, and there wasn’t much Dennis [Hildeby] could do about them.

Auston Matthews News / Professor Press Box / February 23

Auston Matthews Gold Medal Game Reveals a Surprise

For anyone who’s questioned Auston Matthews under pressure, the U.S.-Canada Olympic gold medal game was a masterclass in how he leads. Forget the flashy goals or highlight-reel stuff — Matthews had one job that was way harder: shutting down Connor McDavid.

NHL News / Athlon Sports / February 23

Maple Leafs, NHL Teams Face Issues After USA’s Olympic Win

The 2026 Winter Olympics gold-medal game between the United States and Canada was played on Sunday in Italy, with players on both sides belonging to different NHL franchises.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / 6IX ON ICE / February 23

Maple Leafs Fan Therapy vol. 15: Team Canada’s loss hurts a ton

We can’t have nice things. Arguably, the worst possible outcome happened today. The Americans won the Olympic Gold Medal in overtime over Canada. Not a single person who watched the game today would say the Americans deserved to win, and yet they did. Team Canada lost, and Auston Matthews beat them.

Auston Matthews News / Yardbarker / February 23

Will Matthews use Team USA experience to improve Maple Leafs legacy?

Will Auston Matthews use Team USA experience to improve Maple Leafs legacy?

Matthews has finally won something of significance.

Olympic hockey takeaways: NHL players take tournament to different level

Jack Hughes gives hilarious shout-out to 'great dentists' after Team USA win over Canada

Sidney Crosby breaks silence on missing Olympic final against Team USA

The '2026 Team USA Olympic hockey team' quiz

Auston Matthews News / The Hockey Writers / February 23

Auston Matthews’ Legacy Grows With Gold Medal Win

Say what you want about his play with the Toronto Maple Leafs since his 69-goal season and his playoff disappointments with the team, Auston Matthews is now a champion on the world stage.

Hudson Malinoski News / TheLeafsnation / February 23

Maple Leafs prospect checkpoint: How has Hudson Malinoski fared through 5 months of 2025-26?

The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t need to make a decision yet on former fifth-round draft pick Hudson Malinoski. Selected in 2023, 153rd overall, the Maple

NHL News / TheLeafsnation / February 23

Hughes brothers praise Leafs captain after gold medal win: ‘Auston Matthews is a winner’

It was a tough Sunday morning north of the border, as Canada fell to the United States in overtime of the Olympic gold medal match. But for Toronto Maple Leafs fans, there was a silver lining, seeing Auston Matthews get a taste of winning as he captained his nation to a gold medal.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / TheLeafsnation / February 23

Potential prospect targets for the Maple Leafs at the trade deadline

Despite rattling off three straight wins heading into the NHL’s Olympic break, the Toronto Maple Leafs still find themselves six points out of a playoff spot, with three teams between them and the last wild card spot, and just 25 games left on the schedule.

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The 'Most NHL goals by an American' quiz

The 'Last 40-homer season by MLB team' quiz

The 'Most seasons played by NFL team' quiz

The 'TD-catch leaders by NFL team' quiz

Toronto Maple Leafs News / NHL Trade Talk / February 23

Matthews Just Played Like a Free Man — Should Leafs Worry?

Auston Matthews just captained Team USA to their first men’s hockey gold since 1980, and I swear he looked like a different guy over there in Milano. He wasn’t a different player; to me, he’s always been brilliant.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / NHL Trade Talk / February 22

Even When Auston Matthews Wins, Shots Are Taken at the Maple Leafs

Auston Matthews captained a team to victory. Toronto Maple Leafs fans love the sound of that sentence — except under these circumstances, as their superstar center and Team USA broke Team Canada’s hearts with a 2–1 overtime win in the Gold Medal game at the Winter Olympics on Sunday.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / The Hockey Writers / February 22

Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Holinka, Woll & Ho-Sang

Some days the news cycle is wild; other days it’s just a steady drip of updates that say a lot about where the organization is heading or from its past.

Bobby McMann News / NHL Trade Talk / February 21

Insider Says Maple Leafs Potentially Changing Stance on Bobby McMann Trade

The assumption for months has been that Bobby McMann — one of the top rental trade chips on the market — would be dealt out of Toronto at some point before the March 6 trade deadline, with teams like Edmonton and Colorado, among others, showing strong interest.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Inside The Rink / February 19

Toronto Maple Leafs Get Some Surprises at Practice

The Toronto Maple Leafs had their first practice since before the NHL break for the 2026 Winter Olympics started. With the practice came some updates on the status of the team’s injured players.

Benoit-Olivier Groulx News / Pro Hockey Rumors / February 19

Maple Leafs Recall Bo Groulx

The Maple Leafs announced they’ve recalled center Benoit-Olivier Groulx from AHL Toronto. He’ll join the team for today’s practice with forward Max Domi absent due to personal reasons, in addition to Auston Matthews remaining unavailable as he looks to captain Team USA to a gold medal at the Winter Olympics.

William Villeneuve News / Pro Hockey Rumors / February 18

Maple Leafs Recall William Villeneuve

The Maple Leafs announced they’ve recalled defenseman William Villeneuve from AHL Toronto. He’ll give the Leafs an extra defenseman at practices for the time being while they await Oliver Ekman-Larsson‘s return from representing Sweden at the Olympics.