Toronto Maple Leafs: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Maple Leafs Relying on Veterans Finding Fountain of Youth in 2026-27

The Toronto Maple Leafs are almost a month away from kicking off their 2026-27 season after a summer of upheaval, both on and off the ice. June’s first overall pick Gavin McKenna and second-year forward Easton Cowan represent the next generation of Leafs who hope to, and need to, make an impact this season.

Features

The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Plūminš, Bowen, Crocker, Ralph & New Era

There are a couple of interesting Toronto Maple Leafs stories worth looking at today, and neither one is really about Auston Matthews, William Nylander or the big names at the top of the roster.

Colton Sissons News / TheLeafsnation / August 22

Colton Sissons reflects on ‘special experience’ of joining Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking for redemption as the disappointment of the 2025-26 regular season hangs over their heads. With a new management group

Toronto Maple Leafs News / The Hockey Writers / August 22

The Maple Leafs Are Spending $32 Million on the Players Nobody Talks About

There’s an interesting thing hiding in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ salary numbers right now. Everybody looks at Auston Matthews at $13.25 million and William Nylander at $11.5 million and sees the obvious problem.

San Jose Sharks 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

Toronto Maple Leafs News / TheLeafsnation / August 22

3 Maple Leafs with the most to prove at training camp

The Toronto Maple Leafs are entering the 2026-27 season with about as new-look of a team as they’ve had in the Auston Matthews era, in every facet. They have a new general manager, a new coach, a new top defenceman, a new starting goaltender, and a shiny first overall pick looking to make an immediate impact.

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.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Pension Plan Puppets / August 22

2026 T25U25 Week 2 Summary

With the T25 fully underway, we revealed 22 through 18. 2026 T25U25: Patriks Plumins is #22 The first goalie to make an appearance in our rankings is one of the new guys.

Morgan Rielly News / TheLeafsnation / August 22

Rielly staying, Leaf milestones, and the contract limit: Leaflets

We are getting dangerously close to the time when interesting things start happening with the NHL. By next week we might even be hearing about captain’s skates and starting the conversations about which players are in the best shape of their lives.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Professor Press Box / August 21

The Maple Leafs Finally Have Something They Haven’t Had in Years

The Toronto Maple Leafs' power play has been one of those things that can make you shake your head. When it was working, it was almost unfair. When it wasn't, it often seemed as though everyone knew exactly what was coming next.

Easton Cowan News / TheLeafsnation / August 21

Easton Cowan eager to prove that he’s ready for 2nd-year breakout with Leafs

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan is pumped to get the 2026-27 season rolling to prove to the hockey world that he and his team will improve. While the previous campaign was a trying one for the Leafs as a whole, one of the few bright spots was seeing Cowan’s progression as the year progressed.

Zach Olsen News / Pension Plan Puppets / August 21

2026 T25U25: Zac Olsen is #18

Everyone loves that player archetype that's the hard working, fast skating, hard hitting winger that does the dirty work on his line and pitches in on offense by acting like a wrecking ball.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / TheLeafsnation / August 21

What are the Maple Leafs’ five most valuable assets at this current moment?

We’re a month away from the start of the 2026-27 NHL season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs drastically overhauled its roster at every level. Toronto was aided with some lottery luck, winning the rights to select Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

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.

John Chayka News / Professor Press Box / August 21

Maple Leafs Fans Are Starting to Believe in John Chayka

The Toronto Maple Leafs ranked 24th in the NHL in front-office confidence last year, but they have moved up to 21st this season. That isn't exactly a ringing endorsement, but it does suggest something has changed around the organization.

Noah Chadwick News / TheLeafsnation / August 21

2026-27 TLN Maple Leafs prospect rankings: #7 Noah Chadwick

The TLN Maple Leafs prospect rankings were compiled by a panel of six TLN writers, each ranking our top 20 prospects to form a consensus group ranking.

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

The 'Rookie receiving leader by team' quiz

The '35-passing TD NFL seasons' quiz

The 'NFL Playoffs rushing record' quiz

The 'NFL all-time receptions leaders' quiz

Toronto Maple Leafs News / NHL Trade Talk / August 20

Maple Leafs Fans Are Feeling Better for the Future. Should They?

In a review of how confident fans are in their team’s front office, the Toronto Maple Leafs ranked 24th in 2025 but are now 21st. That feels about right.

Morgan Rielly News / NHL Trade Talk / August 20

Did Morgan Rielly Say What Maple Leafs Fans Are Thinking?

Morgan Rielly says he’s “feeling nervous, excited and motivated” heading into next season. Interestingly, that might be a good way to describe how many Toronto Maple Leafs fans are feeling about his return.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / The Hockey Writers / August 20

Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Rielly, Matthews & Big Reasons to Rebound

The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into training camp with something they haven’t had in a while: a genuinely different feeling around the team. John Chayka is the new general manager, Jim Hiller is the new head coach, the roster has been reshaped, and Toronto is coming off a 78-point season that nobody in the organization wants to repeat.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / TheLeafsnation / August 20

5 Maple Leafs appear on The Athletic’s best under-23 players, prospects list

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the 2025-26 regular season with a prospect pool that left much to be desired. Fast-forward to August 2026, largely thanks

Auston Matthews News / Professor Press Box / August 20

Auston Matthews Has Something to Prove Again

There was a time when nobody really needed to have a conversation about where Auston Matthews ranked among the NHL’s best players. You could start making your list and put Matthews somewhere near the top.

Morgan Rielly News / The Hockey Writers / August 20

Maple Leafs’ Rielly Expects to Return Despite Ongoing Trade Rumours

There has been a strong belief this offseason that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be trading Morgan Rielly, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to come to fruition.

Morgan Rielly News / Pro Hockey Rumors / August 20

Morgan Rielly Expects To Stay With Maple Leafs

Morgan Rielly is the Toronto Maple Leafs’ longest tenured player on the current roster. It appears that the title will remain with Rielly, as he’s not expecting to pack his bags anytime soon.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / The Hockey Writers / August 20

3 Maple Leafs Under the Microscope in 2026-27

Missing out on the postseason after making it to the second-round the previous season is never an ideal situation to be in. That was the case for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season where they didn’t meet expectations and had their worst result in the Auston Matthews era.

NHL News / Daily Faceoff / August 19

Ranking the Eastern Conference's biggest winners this summer

Here, we turn our attention to the biggest winners across the league — starting with the East.

Why Maple Leafs fans should be excited about Gavin McKenna's first season

The five most improved NHL teams heading into 2026-27

The 'Last 100-point season by NHL team' quiz

Gavin Mckenna News / Yardbarker / August 19

Why Maple Leafs fans should be excited about Gavin McKenna's first season

Gavin McKenna arrives in Toronto as an elite playmaker who stands out for his vision, natural talent, and a potential not seen on the Maple Leafs since Auston Matthews.

Why hasn't Dylan Larkin been traded?

Ranking the Eastern Conference's biggest winners this summer

Five NHL players who could thrive with their new teams in 2026-27

The five most improved NHL teams heading into 2026-27

The 'First-overall NHL Draft picks' quiz

Auston Matthews News / Trade Talk Sports / August 18

Auston Matthews Not Rated as a Top-10 Center in NHL 27

Auston Matthews had the worst season of his NHL career in 2025-26, and his NHL 27 rating is paying for it. With the new game coming out in less than a month, EA Sports revealed the ten highest-rated forwards at each position on Monday, and Matthews was notably not included in the center ranks.

Toronto Maple Leafs News / Yardbarker / August 17

Former Maple Leafs defenseman calls out Toronto over Morgan Rielly situation

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the franchises most active this offseason, but they still have a pending issue to resolve ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season.

Three chaotic Metropolitan Division storylines for 2026-27 season

Rangers' one-year Braden Schneider extension raises questions

Three keys to a successful Penguins season

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