The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to reshape their roster as the offseason unfolds. In recent days, the team has made a quiet but telling trade, sent signals about a young forward’s future and introduced a new face hungry for a top-six role. None of the moves are blockbusters on their own, but each adds a piece to the puzzle as general manager (GM) Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube look to retool a group that still believes it can contend.
Here’s the latest on what’s happening with the Maple Leafs.
Late Thursday, the Maple Leafs made a move that signals a shift in their roster strategy. The team has traded veteran forward Ryan Reaves to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for 24-year-old defenseman Henry Thrun. For the Sharks, it’s a transparent move to bolster toughness heading into the 2025–26 season. For the Maple Leafs, it’s a chance to add a young, developing blueliner to their organizational depth.
Reaves, a long-time NHL enforcer known more for his physical presence than point production, suited up for 35 games with Toronto this past season, registering just two assists and 28 penalty minutes. While his role in the dressing room was often praised, his on-ice impact was limited. With 1,100 penalty minutes across 912 NHL games, Reaves now heads to San Jose, where his gritty style may have more room to breathe on a rebuilding team.
For the Maple Leafs, Thrun represents a low-risk, potentially valuable addition to their defensive depth chart. At 24, he’s still developing and has already logged 119 NHL games with the Sharks, giving him more experience than many American Hockey League (AHL) options. Thrun is a left-shot defenseman with good size and puck-moving ability, traits the Maple Leafs have shown a preference for under Berube. While his minus-48 rating raises questions, much of that reflects San Jose’s struggles as a team rather than Thrun’s ceiling. He’s unlikely to start the season in Toronto’s top six. Still, he could push for minutes or serve as a reliable injury call-up, especially if the team is looking to keep cap flexibility and competition alive on the blue line.
According to NHL insider Chris Johnston, the Maple Leafs appear likely to hold on to forward Nicholas Robertson, despite ongoing trade rumors and his recent salary arbitration filing. Johnston suggests the team is more inclined to sign the 22-year-old winger to a new deal than to move him, at least for now.
Robertson is coming off a 69-game season in which he scored 15 goals and added seven assists. He played on a one-year deal worth $875K and is now looking for a raise through arbitration. While Robertson hasn’t carved out a permanent top-six role in Toronto, his shooting ability and offensive instincts continue to intrigue the organization. Treliving called him “a good player… still an evolving player” when asked about his future earlier this summer.
Not everyone sees a clear path forward for Robertson in Toronto. Former Maple Leafs defenseman and TSN radio analyst Carlo Colaiacovo recently said he doesn’t think there’s a lineup spot left for him, calling Robertson a “13th forward” and suggesting he might benefit from a change of scenery. But if Toronto opts to keep him, it likely means they still believe in his upside — or haven’t found a trade that makes sense. Either way, Robertson and the Maple Leafs might still be together heading into training camp.
After a tough season with the Utah Hockey Club, new Maple Leafs forward Matias Maccelli is looking to hit the reset button. Acquired on June 30 in exchange for a third-round pick, the 24-year-old Finnish winger sees Toronto as a fresh opportunity — and possibly a place to rediscover the form that once made him one of the NHL’s most promising young forwards.
Maccelli scored just eight goals and 18 points in 55 games last season, a sharp drop from the 106 points he put up in his first two NHL campaigns with Arizona. But he’s not dwelling on the past. '
“It wasn’t the best year for me last year, but I still know that I’m a better player than I was in Arizona,” he said. “I’ve got to show people that again.”
With Mitch Marner’s departure opening up a top-six spot, Maccelli could grab a scoring role alongside Toronto’s elite core. He knows it won’t be handed to him — he’s focused on arriving at camp in peak form and letting the coaches decide — but he’s made it clear: he wants this opportunity.
“If I have a chance to play with Matthews or any of the top guys, that would be super good,” Maccelli said. “I can’t wait to get going.”
With development camp in the rearview and arbitration cases approaching, the Maple Leafs’ front office is focused on shaping the bottom half of the roster. Moves like the Reaves-for-Thrun trade, the wait-and-see stance on Robertson and the gamble on Maccelli all suggest a team trying to maximize value while keeping its core intact.
Training camp will offer clarity — but for now, Toronto seems to be betting on upside, depth and internal competition to round out the lineup. More moves could come, but the next phase is about sorting out who rises — and who gets left behind.
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