Toronto Making Fans Believe Again

The Toronto Maple Leafs are doing something that fans have wanted to see for a long time. Win or lose, the current group of players is playing cohesively. They finally look like a team that is playing for each other.

When you add as many new players to a lineup as Toronto did under its new leadership, an adjustment period is needed. That adjustment period seems to be over. Every player looks like they understand their role, and lines are starting to click on a regular basis.

The Maple Leafs’ top stars, led by Auston Matthews and William Nylander, are producing regularly. Toronto’s special teams are at their best in a long time. As of Monday morning, the Maple Leafs own the 5th-best power play (30.2%) and the NHL’s best penalty kill (95.2%).

After Toronto GM John Chayka hired Jim Hiller as the Maple Leafs’ new head coach, the team hired Daniel Alfredsson as an associate coach and John Gruden as an assistant coach. Alfredsson leads the team’s power play, while Gruden leads the penalty kill. It is safe to say that after 11 games, both hires are working out nicely.

Toronto Stars Leading the Way

After a very underwhelming season last year, Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has found his groove again. As of Monday morning, Matthews has 19 points in 13 games. It took him 23 games to reach 19 points last season. Anyone who watched him play last season can also tell that he is skating much better this season as well.

William Nylander has 18 points in 13 games, which is a little off pace from last season, but still decent. He had 23 points at this point last season, but he is on pace to have his first 50-goal season. His career best was 45 goals during the 2024-25 season.

Toronto newcomer Kirill Marchenko has settled in nicely with the Maple Leafs. He has 14 points in 13 games. Marchenko was the main piece in the trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets for Matthew Knies. Speaking of Knies, he only has four points in nine games with Columbus.

Defense is the Weakest Area

Although Toronto is second in the league with 50 goals for, they are also seventh in the league with 40 goals against. Some of that is on the goaltenders (Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz), but too often they are being left out to dry by the defense.

If there is one area the Maple Leafs need to upgrade, it’s their blueline. I don’t expect Chayka to rush into acquiring a defenseman, but there has been plenty of speculation that Toronto is looking for one.

Most teams have a waiting-out period, where they wait to see how their team is doing before making a significant trade. In the NHL, this is usually American Thanksgiving in November. So, it is very likely that somewhere between American Thanksgiving and the NHL Christmas Roster Freeze, Toronto might trade for a defenseman. For now, the team is playing well, and fans are excited to tune in every night.