6 Maple Leafs who stood out during preseason games

McKenna was significantly better in Wednesday’s win, where he was the best player on the ice. He worked tirelessly to create scoring chances, often in conjunction with Tavares. He recorded his first assist of the preseason, getting the puck out of the defensive zone to help spring William Nylander for a 2-on-1, which Tavares tapped home, for a 2-1 lead. During the second period, McKenna set up Darren Raddysh for a dangerous one-timer, and just flubbed a one-timer from Nylander towards the end of his shift.

“I think it gives us all a big confidence boost, you know, having a game like this where you win 6-1 and don’t give up a whole lot defensively,” McKenna said following Wednesday’s victory. “I think that’s huge for our team, huge for myself, and yeah, that’s the way you want to end a preseason game. So, I’m feeling good going into Game 1, I’m just going to keep carrying it through.”

Throughout the preseason, McKenna’s resting speed, elusiveness, spatial sense and playmaking were fully evident. Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller also pointed to McKenna’s straight-line speed as a positive surprise.

“Tonight, and that was the encouraging part, game over game, he was able to create a little bit more space for himself,” Hiller said of McKenna on Wednesday night.

“It’s almost like he made that adjustment naturally. I know he lives with John Tavares, I talked to John, they talked quite a bit on the way home after the last game about what it was like, so I would say he’s got a great mentor there in John, but I know he talks to Willy too, he talks to Auston, there’s lots of guys, so I would say it’s probably going to be a group effort. But the other part of it, and we can talk all about his skill, he was on the forecheck tonight, You know, wasn’t really in the O-zone much last game. He was on the forecheck tonight, he was on the track again. So it seems to me that he’s adjusting pretty well to the game without the puck too.”

Welcome to the McKennaissance, get your popcorn ready.

Sergei Bobrovsky

Bobrovsky wasn’t tested often, but when he was, he rose to the occasion. The future Hall of Fame goaltender allowed one goal on 11 shots, before ceding the crease to Anthony Stolarz on Saturday. It was Wednesday’s game against Ottawa where Bobrovsky really shone.

During the third period, Bobrovsky robbed Tim Stutzle (who scored a sensational goal in the first period off the rush) in front of the net, drawing an ovation at Scotiabank Arena. There’s a quiet aura surrounding Bobrovsky, whose preparation, dedication to the game and commitment to excellence, has clearly resonated with his new teammates.

“The biggest thing for me is stopping the puck,” Bobrovsky said following Tuesday’s practice. “I will try to do my best to give the guys a chance to win every night, and that’s my main focus. And then if I accomplish that, we’re going to go from there.”

Bobrovsky will certainly be Toronto’s opening night starter against Montreal on Tuesday. We’re firmly optimistic that his 2025-26 campaign was an anomaly, and he could be in top form for the Maple Leafs this year.

Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev

Tanev played in 11 games last season, and was frothing to get back onto the ice Saturday. The 36-year-old spoke about his competitive nature following Saturday’s morning skate, but actions speak louder than words, and he was in excellent form against Montreal. He was excellent on the penalty kill, blocking passes and clearing the zone with relative ease. Tanev blocked three shots, while playing 18:10 against Montreal, and Hiller was more than sufficiently impressed.

“He thinks the game from a defenseman’s perspective, he thinks it as well as anybody,” Hiller said of Tanev on Saturday, post-game. “To me, being out as much as he did, I would have never guessed, he played quite a bit of minutes. You see him on the penalty kill, he’s breaking up plays, he’s doing what he does. So yeah, he’s just a really important player for us. It’s great to have him back.”

Tanev worked well in conjunction with Jake McCabe throughout the 6-1 win on Wednesday, although the top pairing wasn’t tested as often as they were on Saturday. It’s been an excellent camp for the veteran defenceman, where his continued health remains a top priority, especially as he’s one of the NHL’s premier shot blockers.

“You know, we certainly missed him last year, his presence on the ice, his presence in the room, his leadership,” McCabe said of Tanev on Wednesday night. “And, you know, he’s as tough as you come. He can pretty much play through anything. And he was trying to come back last year, but I’m glad he got healthy and worked his butt off this summer. It’s nice to have him back.”

It’s difficult to isolate McCabe from Tanev, and their continuity is a key asset for the Maple Leafs. McCabe gets top marks here for scoring Toronto’s opening goal, spurring the offence, and playing with his trademark physicality throughout the preseason. Ahead of Tuesday’s opening game, with a few question marks, Toronto’s top pair is ready for action.

Jack Roslovic

Roslovic earned the first-line right-wing spot, and he was going to be pushed internally by Easton Cowan among others. Hiller highlighted Roslovic’s shot as a key reason why he earned time on the first power play unit over Gavin McKenna and Matthew Knies.

“I think the right shot, he gets a little bit of an advantage there as being the right shot,” Hiller said of Roslovic, following Saturday’s morning skate. “You know, in a perfect world, you’re set up that way on the power play, you have middle, lefty-righty at the bottom, and you have your flanks set up. That doesn’t mean that that’s the only way you can run a successful power play. But I think when you’re asking why is (Roslovic) getting that early opportunity there, I think the handedness helps him out.”

Roslovic is known to be a streaky scorer, with the capability to occasionally take over games. He plays with tremendous pace, but his defensive game often leaves something to be desired. With competition ramping up, Roslovic was outstanding on Wednesday evening, where his pace, opportunism and scoring touch were fully evident. Roslovic gained a secondary assist on Jake McCabe’s opening goal, and worked well in conjunction with Tavares to score a goal of his own on the power play. He was unlucky not to score on a second-period breakaway as well. It was a terrific game for Roslovic, which certainly stands out over his Saturday performance, where he flubbed the puck a few times in the defensive zone.

Henrik Rybinski

We’re not suggesting Rybinski will make the opening night roster, or that he’s going to meaningfully push the incumbents. Rybinski scored twice in as many games for Toronto’s B-squad, which certainly has to count for something. He was actively involved at the net-front in both contests and pushed himself into the dirty areas of the ice to help spur some offence.

Rybinski posted 10 goals and 30 points in 59 games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears, where he spent the past four seasons. The 25-year-old winger could be a useful player at the AHL level, and if his scoring streak continues through the opening stages of the season, he could be an unlikely, ascending call-up option if the Maple Leafs run into significant injury trouble, as they did last season.