Assessing The Maple Leafs New Look Bottom Six

There is perhaps no team in the NHL that overhauled its bottom-six forward group the way the Toronto Maple Leafs did this offseason. Newly hired general manager John Chayka was bold and aggressive this summer, identifying the third and fourth lines as major areas of concern and quickly conducting a lot of business in a very short period of time. It remains to be seen whether the moves will work out, but there is no doubt that Chayka and company added a very different element to their bottom six forwards, which should lead to a group that is safer to deploy and more predictable from game to game. Whether that is good or bad will play out next season. In the meantime, let’s take a look at what Maple Leafs fans could see.

There is a strong case that the group is much better, as they can now deploy four reliable lines and a reasonably good group of defensive-depth forwards and penalty killers. Some might even argue that Chayka opted to acquire playoff-style players over regular-season additions, but that assertion may be a stretch. Rather than looking for scoring in his depth forwards, Chayka acquired players who could handle defensive assignments, take faceoffs, kill penalties, and hopefully gain the trust of their head coach.

Colton Sissons is very much the prototype for what Chayka was looking for, excelling at faceoffs, killing penalties, and being very reliable defensively. That should allow Toronto’s coaching staff to use him heavily on defensive zone draws and ease some of the burden on Auston Matthews. That, in and of itself, is a big win, but don’t expect much offensively from the 32-year-old Sissons, as he had just six goals and five assists last season in 66 games. And therein lies a problem for the Maple Leafs: they might have created several offensive black holes on their roster.

That brings us to Brandon Duhaime, a physical winger who should be effective on the forecheck and add speed and energy to the fourth line. Duhaime is regularly among the league leaders in hits, but like Sissons, he is limited offensively and won’t find the scoresheet often.

Then there is Teddy Blueger, another center who can excel defensively and kill penalties. Blueger should bring more offense to the lineup than Duhaime and Sissons, which should create some interesting competition for some of the bottom-six center roles. Blueger is best served as a fourth-line center, but he could play 3C minutes in a pinch if injuries become an issue.

Finally, we have Nick Paul, who might be the most intriguing bottom-six player the Maple Leafs acquired. The 31-year-old managed just 15 points in 55 games last season, but topped 40 points in each of the two seasons prior, suggesting he could bounce back and provide the Maple Leafs with depth scoring. It will be fascinating to watch how Toronto head coach Jim Hiller deploys Paul, as he is a bit of a Swiss Army Knife and could play anywhere in the middle six in an offensive or defensive role. Paul is the wild card in Toronto’s new-look bottom six. If he is rolling and playing a strong two-way game, the group will likely be effective. If he struggles like last year, the opposite will likely be true.

There is a lot to like about the Maple Leafs’ bottom six. They should bring more defensive structure and awareness, more effective penalty killing, more experience, and more physicality. It’ll be a tougher group to play against night in and night out.

However, there are still major concerns, such as who will put up offense if there is a significant injury to the top six? Sissons, Blueger, and Duhaime aren’t stepping up to do so, and if Paul does, it really zaps the bottom six offense. There is also the concern that the bottom six won’t be able to drive play and sustain offensive zone time. Sure, they can defend, but one way to maximize your top lines is to throw them on the ice after the third or fourth line has sustained pressure in the offensive zone, so the first line can feast on a tired defensive unit. Toronto might rarely get that advantage with this bottom six group.

Effectively, the Maple Leafs have created a safe bottom six, but one unlikely to frighten too many teams. They should allow for fewer defensive-zone starts for their stars, provide better matchup flexibility and more penalty-killing options, and give Toronto the chance to roll four lines more often than not. They should also improve dramatically on the 2025-26 bottom six, which was inconsistent offensively, had too many players playing above their ideal slotting, had no identity whatsoever, and relied solely on the top six for any energy.

This bottom-six group feels more defined and experienced, and it looks better on paper, which is a good thing, but it is far from the only thing. They’ll be more reliable defensively, but may not be able to provide enough secondary scoring to support Toronto’s talented stars. All of those concerns will be addressed in the upcoming season, but for now it remains a big question mark as to whether this group will score enough to help the Maple Leafs and their top players get back to the playoffs.