Toronto Maple Leafs checkup after Week 1

Going into the 2025–26 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot to prove. They lost Mitch Marner in the offseason, which was the biggest move in recent franchise history. Marner was a significant part of the Leafs’ offence, so lots of pressure was put on the forward corps.

Through the first few games, the offence has been alright. The Leafs won their season opener and blew a two-goal lead against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. Let’s take a look at what has gone well and what needs to be improved after week one.

Depth scoring has shown up

Through the first couple of games of the year, depth scoring has been driving the offence. This has been the most positive sight early in the season. Depth scoring has needed to step up after Marner got traded. He was a massive piece of the offence, which previously relied on the core four to drive the team’s scoring. Thankfully, through the first two games of the year, the depth scoring has been outstanding.

Like many other seasons, the Leafs opened up their new season against the rival Montreal Canadiens. Just a minute into the game, Bobby McMann opened the scoring on his first shift of the year. Hopefully, that is the first of many this season for McMann. His opening goal set the tone on opening night; however, a shorthanded goal for Montreal killed the Leafs’ momentum in the first. Zach Bolduc opened up the scoring in the second period, giving Montreal a 2–1 lead. A few minutes later, depth scorer Calle Jarnkrok tied the game at two. This is another great sign to see, as Jarnkrok had a history of poor luck with injuries last season. Long-time Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly scored the game-winning goal in the third period before Auston Matthews and William Nylander scored empty-netters.

The depth scoring continued to be impressive against Detroit on Saturday night, as Jarnkrok, Roy, and Domi scored the three Leafs’ goals. A bit of a concern early on is the lack of scoring from the big three. Matthews, Nylander, and Tavares have yet to score a goal with a goalie in the net. Is this an early sign of a slump without Marner at their side? Hopefully, the big three get things going today against Detroit.

Stolarz is back

Goaltender Anthony Stolarz was one of the top stories for the Maple Leafs’ last season. To that point, he had been a backup for his entire career. Toronto gave him a chance to showcase his full potential, which ended up being a huge blessing. Stolarz posted a 21–8–3 record in his first season as a Leaf, along with a .926 save percentage. The 31-year-old veteran goalie looked to keep this positive play going into the 2025–26 season.

Stolarz looks all like himself through the first two games of the year. He bailed the Leafs out against the Canadiens in game one, and nearly did again in Detroit. Unfortunately, it just was not enough as Lucas Raymond buried the game-winning goal off a sweet feed from Patrick Kane. The performance of Stolarz is at an all-time high as the Leafs’ other goalie, Joseph Woll, is currently away from the team due to a personal matter. As long as Woll is out, Stolarz will be the main guy in the net for the Leafs. His performance may make or break the early parts of the season.