The Maple Leafs ended the first week of preseason with some great news, locking in Anthony Stolarz to a four-year deal worth $3.75 million per season.
While the long-term outlook in net is in good shape and most of the debate concerns the Leafs‘ 12th forward (the first 11 are written in permanent marker) or the sixth defenseman (the top five are equally locked in), let’s not bury the lede.
Earlier in the week, the Leafs announced an indefinite leave of absence for Joseph Woll. The organization promptly signed James Reimer to a PTO and locked in Anthony Stolarz to the aforementioned contract. Publicly, I’m sure the Leafs would downplay both moves and suggest they’re unrelated to Woll’s situation (“We wanted Stolarz to stay all along, and Reimer provides veteran insurance regardless!”). Still, it doesn’t really pass the smell test.
Let’s make no real mistake, especially after losing a star regular-season forward; goaltending is arguably the strength of this team. It’s certainly the club’s backbone and perhaps the main reason the Maple Leafs won the Atlantic Division in 2024-25.
The Leafs finished second in five-on-five save percentage and were among the worst teams in the league territorially. They were seventh in the league in goals per game and counterattacked with regularity, as they played some version of rope-a-dope hockey for long stretches of the season. A team can only do this successfully if its goaltending is really strong. In the Leafs’ case, it was.
The Leafs’ goaltending success was rooted in its tandem approach. Both Woll and Stolarz missed time last season; it’s easy to forget, but Woll played 42 games to lead the team in starts, followed by Stolarz’s 34 games. While Stolarz can clearly hold the fort for a stretch of time, the 34 games he played last season represent a career high. It’s difficult to ascertain how long the Leafs can trust him to hold up; ideally, they won’t ask him to carry a massive workload.
There is a reason the Leafs paid Stolarz $3.75 million per season on an extension, and there is a reason why Stolarz was quick to sign it. He hasn’t been able to handle a proper starter’s workload, which both sides are well aware of.
Last season, Joseph Woll was hurt in training camp, and the team started the season with a tandem of Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby (which they survived, with ease). This fall’s situation has a bit of a different feel, though.
Woll played his first game on October 24 last season, so he missed just eight games in total. The equivalent would be roughly four weeks from now, and Woll hasn’t been on the ice since the start of training camp. He would need to return in the next few weeks and then take a week or so to practice and ramp up to meet roughly the same timeline.
Maybe by American Thanksgiving, Woll is wearing a Leafs jersey, platooning with Stolarz, and it’s all a big nothing burger. But if Woll is out for an extended period of time, it’s a big issue for a team that relies heavily on its goaltending tandem.
Woll-Stolarz is legitimately one of the best tandems in the NHL, and while James Reimer is a decent veteran stopgap and Dennis Hildeby is a promising young goalie, Woll played half the season, was solid, and stole the Leafs games against top teams like the Oilers, Stars, and Avalanche last season (among others). The gap is notable.
Indeed, Woll’s absence matters. The fact that it’s indefinite, without even a hint of a known return date, is notable. If Woll is out for a significant chunk of the season, it would alter my outlook for the team and where I would reasonably project the team to finish in 2025-26.
There are a lot of stories and some minor battles to watch in the Leafs’ camp and preseason so far, but in terms of forecasting the team’s season, Woll’s situation is the big development to date, and we don’t really have a clue what’s going on yet.
Notes
– I feel like we need to make this caveat every single season, but it’s worth reminding that the first week of preseason is smoke and mirrors. I cannot stress enough how little the real NHLers care about trying or winning the games. They are getting touches, finding their rhythm, making/taking contact, etc.
The preseason games so far could not have been clearer evidence of this. Whatever team has dressed more regulars (especially their stars) has lost each of the Leafs’ four preseason games. It’s no coincidence.
That said, for the younger players or Marlies, there is a lot of noise to sort through and stay mindful of in week one. In week two, we start to see real NHL lineups and something more closely resembling regular-season NHL hockey. The Leafs only play twice this week as well; at least one of those games will be a lot more telling than what we’ve watched so far.
There are a few roster battles worth flagging, though.
– Matt Benning played a full game alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson in Toronto after playing 22:45 in Montreal, where he picked up two points. We flagged Benning’s name heading into camp because he has been a solid NHLer in the past — he’s played 464 NHL games — and it was injuries, not his play, that pushed him out of the league last season.
So far, Benning looks healthy and steady. He only played 15:46 in the second game with the Leafs (when the team dressed a full defense unit), but Tanev only played marginally more than him (15:52) as the Leafs trailed for most of the game. Benning made a few crisp breakout passes cleanly on the tape in the game, and he defended well down low.
Benning is a no-frills player, but the competition is a Benoit-OEL pairing that struggled to get out of their zone and was outscored in the playoffs. Now, the coaching staff wants OEL on the left and Benoit on the right, to boot. A natural right-shot defenseman in Benning is a lot more seamless. I wouldn’t mind another look at him in the spot next week.
– The other option is Philippe Myers, who played in Montreal and led the Leafs in ice time at 24:54, picking up an assist along the way. Myers has been steady in the preseason, building on last season. He’s simple, physical, and plays within his limitations. It might come down to who the coaching staff views as a better penalty killer, if this is indeed the final battle. Myers’ size helps him shorthanded. Both Benning and Myers were on for the Laine power-play tally, but David Kampf was the true culprit on the goal.
– The Leafs dressed Michael Pezzetta in three preseason games so far. In the first game, after Marshall Rifai took a big run at a Senators player, Pezzetta joined in the scrum and popped Ridly Greig pretty good. In the next game against Montreal, Easton Cowan was boarded from behind, and there was no response against the perpetrator, although Pezzetta did return the favour against a different Montreal player.
In the next game in Toronto, Stolarz took a glove to the head on a rush where Montreal crashed the net. It wasn’t malicious, but it can’t happen. Even beyond those above-mentioned sequences, Pezzetta hasn’t exactly caused a ruckus. In Toronto, against the Canadiens, he played a team-low 8:53.
There is chatter about Pezzetta making the roster, given his specific role, but anything beyond the 14th forward is difficult to picture. He hasn’t exactly made this decision difficult to date.
– Nick Robertson has produced — as you would expect — in preseason. He didn’t collect an official assist on Tavares’ goal against Montreal, but he created the entire sequence by flying through the neutral zone, forechecking hard, and creating the turnover. He should have drawn a penalty on the sequence as well, and he did draw a penalty later on in the game anyway.
Robertson also scored in his first preseason game. It’s not quite the five-goals-in-five-games of last fall’s preseason, but I am not sure what the expectations are. Robertson helps create offense, clearly. The little things get him in trouble, such as in the second period against Montreal, following a long sequence where the Leafs were hemmed in their end; Robertson possessed the puck a few feet away from the center ice line, and instead of gaining center and putting it in deep for a change, he dumped it for an icing. At 24, and with over 150 games in the league, Robertson should know better. But there’s no denying that he finds ways to produce.
– I thought Henry Thrun was much better in his second game in Montreal, and it was interesting to watch him play the right as a left shot. He’s a smooth skater who has some puck-moving ability and creativity to his game. He moved around well through the bumper on the Lorentz power-play goal.
– Bobby McMann and Matias Maccelli worked really well off each other, which adds up; it’s a playmaker and a shooter. McMann has put together a really good preseason after a poor one last fall led to a healthy scratch on opening night. Maccelli was far more assertive playing with McMann than with Matthews and Knies, which might speak to the benefit of building Maccelli up down the lineup rather than shoveling him right to the top line, with all the expectations that come with it.
Quotes
“We want to play like last year quite a bit. We want to look like we did last year.
We are a direct team. We want to play good defense. We’ve got to check and make sure we are defensively sound, giving our goalies good looks to make saves.
Offensively, we want to be direct. We want to shoot pucks, get to the net, and score some dirty goals. I don’t see a whole lot changing.
I think we are still lacking in playing direct through the neutral zone, getting behind people, and going to work. You have to keep working on it. We have been working on it practice, but in the games, they still want to make plays and handle the puck. I get that; they want to get their touches.”
– Craig Berube, on the team’s identity for this year
This answer surprised me quite a bit. Not that I’m expecting Berube to spell out any gameplan tweaks, but plain and simple, the Leafs need to possess the puck more. They didn’t have it close to enough last year — we’ve talked about it a million times — and if they want to look like they did last season, well… they won’t possess the puck very much then. It’s not like anyone within the organization has come out and truly acknowledged the need to be better in this department. Time will tell, I guess.
“He gives us more opportunities to be able to create offense. We told him that we are going to be a little bit heavier. We will get those pucks in the corners, and you just use your offensive instincts to find the right spots. We’ll try to get you the puck.
You saw some plays last game where he is finding that open ice. He had a few grade-As right in the slot. If he continues to do that, the goals and points will come. He is going to get some confidence. Look out then.”
– Steven Lorentz on current linemate Easton Cowan’s offensive contributions to his line
This has become an interesting line; Lorentz and Laughton are two veterans who clearly know their roles, and Cowan adds the offensive flair and unpredictability (in a good way, not a clueless way) to the mix. There are two players to fetch the puck and work the walls, and a skilled player who has some freedom to essentially roam, thanks to the two diggers who provide the heavy lifting. We’ll see how they handle the second week of preseason.
“There are a lot of bodies here right now. We have some young guys pushing as well. Ultimately, it comes down to performance. As we said to the team, over the three weeks, we are looking for who can help us win and who will thrive in the role we need them to play.
That is really where our focus is: Where does everybody fit? Who do they fit best with? Who is performing best?”
– Brad Treliving, when asked about all the bodies the Leafs have at camp this year
I found this pretty interesting. For all the talk about a lot of bodies, players pushing, performance, moving players around, and so on… we’re really not seeing a ton of it. Eight forwards have been locked into four pairs pretty much since the beginning, which — by default — leaves a spot open on each line, or four in total.
Domi, McMann, and Maccelli will fill the top three spots, but we can quibble with who exactly will slot where (although this seems pretty clear as well, to be honest). Basically, a fourth-line spot at forward is up for grabs. It’s not like we’ve seen a Knies-Matthews-Nylander loaded-up line, or flipping Knies and Nylander altogether, or Laughton moving up the lineup. It has been pretty rigid.
On defense, it’s even more locked in, and the only reason there is a glimmer of an opening is because Simon Benoit has been hurt. Otherwise, we know the top six. The top four are completely locked in, and so is OEL on the left. If Benoit were healthy, I’d wager that there would be no competition at all.
At forward, if Domi wasn’t hurt to start, would we have even seen Maccelli take reps on the top line?
There is a fine line between experimenting and settling the lineup, but we haven’t seen much creativity or player movement of note.
Tweets of the Week
The @MapleLeafs have signed G James Reimer to a Professional Tryout (PTO).
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) September 26, 2025
All things considered, James Reimer put together a decent run of play on what was (once again) a pretty mediocre Sabres team. He posted a .901 save percentage in Buffalo, the highest mark on the team for the season, and he also (rather quietly) went on a seven-game winning streak with the Sabres.
Reimer is clearly comfortable in Toronto and excited to be back, and he showed toward the end of last season that he can still contribute in some fashion. Neither Matt Murray nor Dennis Hildeby could give the Leafs even .880 goaltending last season, and the Leafs were much better defensively than the Sabres.
As a veteran third-string hedge, assuming they sign him, Reimer is a solid option to hold the fort. If they need him to fill the role of a full-time backup for a significant chunk of time… Well, that might be a different story at 37.
Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz were one of the best tandems in 2024-25. And they are signed at a combined Cap Hit of less than $7.42m until summer 2028
Brad Treliving 👏#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/xKLsh7qCzV
— Benchrates (@benchrates) September 28, 2025
Brad Treliving deserves credit, as the Leafs continue to sign deals at much lower value than expected. Anthony Stolarz, John Tavares, and Jake McCabe are all signed for lower than expected AAVs. We’ve been hearing for years that other teams achieve more buy-in from their players, who take less to help their team win; three of the Leafs’ four most recent prominent veterans — all of whom had the chance to go to the open market — took less to stay and try to win in Toronto.
I wouldn’t suggest Matthew Knies took a discount of any kind, but it was a drama-free contract negotiation.
Strange new world!
Everyone on waivers yesterday cleared https://t.co/so7qgeK2D3 https://t.co/OIrgtmjcSX
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) September 28, 2025
The Leafs — rather quietly — passed three veteran journeymen through waivers over the weekend in Travis Boyd, Vinni Lettieri, and Bo Groulx. I thought all three provided some decent moments in their preseason time, showing why the team can look to them for the occasional game here or there, but also why they aren’t a long-term solution.
In Treliving’s time as GM, he has navigated the waiver wire quite well and has signed several players to contracts that most teams wouldn’t want to claim or add to their books, (and the Leafs can afford). Groulx, in particular, is signed to a two-year deal and is still just 25; he didn’t look out of place alongside NHLers.
Bigger cuts are looming, so we’ll see how Treliving handles them on the waiver wire.
5 Things I Think I’d Do
1. I think the question with Easton Cowan has to first and foremost be about what’s best for his development. Is it playing 10-12 minutes per night on the Leafs’ fourth line while not playing on either power play unit, which is the current situation with the big club? (And no, he won’t start over Maccelli or Domi on the half-wall on the second unit). Or is it playing 20+ per night with the Marlies, seeing top unit power play time, and joining the Leafs once he proves he can dominate the AHL?
I have no doubt that Cowan would show just fine on a line with Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz and chip in some offense as a fun wildcard player. But in the big picture, I don’t really believe this helps him develop into the player the Leafs want him to be. We’ve seen this movie a million times with prospects, and I’m always surprised when it’s still a conversation.
When Knies made the team right away, by comparison, he saw shifts with the top line in the playoffs right out of college, started on a scoring third line, and was on the top line halfway through the season, all while walking in as a physical beast. It’s not really comparable, and I think the Leafs would give Domi and Maccelli very long looks on the top line before even considering Cowan there.
2. I think it’s also worth re-emphasizing that Cowan is only 20 years old. Puck touches and ice time are everything for his development right now. Nobody has ever gone down to the AHL, shown they can dominate the league at age 20, and been worse off for it in their career. The number of players who were rushed to the NHL, barely played, and never met their potential is endless.
It’s fair to question whether Cowan will see enough ice time on the fourth line; my guess is probably not, even if he’d generally show fine to good there. Some will argue that he’ll benefit simply from hanging around the team and practicing, but that’s not how development works. He needs game action and tons of ice time in pro games.
3. I think Nick Robertson would also be completely fine in the fourth-ling wing. Even if he only continues to be what he’s shown — a player who scores in limited ice time — he is fine in the role.
Robertson has shown he can score roughly 15 goals in limited ice time, and if that’s all they get from Robertson as Cowan develops for the first part of the season, it’s more than fine by me. This is a team that dressed Ryan Reaves for 35 games and zero goals, Connor Dewar for 31 games and 0 goals, and Kampf for 59 games and five goals. We can even add Pontus Holmberg’s 68 games and seven goals to the mix. Robertson will outscore all of them combined, and Laughton and Lorentz are solid linemates.
4. With one week left in preseason, I think everything is pretty well set save for who is playing with Laughton and Lorentz (Cowan appears to be the frontrunner), and what’s happening with the third pairing beside Oliver Ekman-Larsson (is Simon Benoit on the right really going to work? We haven’t seen it yet).
Everything else is generally in place for now, and all of it makes sense to me. I’d start Domi on the top line; he has built-in chemistry with Matthews, and it allows Maccelli to wet his feet down the lineup.
The rest of the top nine is locked in, as is the top four defense group. I’d like to see Robertson receive a look on the fourth line and Myers play a game with OEL this week.
5. If Cowan makes the team, someone has to go, and the player who stands out is the one we keep flagging in this space: David Kampf. It’s hard to picture the fit with two other checking centers on the roster in Roy and Laughton, and Kampf is not even seeing penalty killing reps in practice right now. He makes a lot of money and has another year left on his contract. The Leafs might have to place him on waivers and see if another team bites (unlikely).
Even if Cowan doesn’t make the team, I’d think about keeping eight defensemen and waiving Kampf anyway. I’d rather not lose Thrun or Myers just to keep Kampf around as the 14th forward.
