We’re on the eve of the Maple Leafs’ home/season opener, and as always, storylines abound in Leafland.
Earlier today, we weighed the decision-making around Eason Cowan’s development path to start the season. Let’s now jump into some final preseason notes and thoughts on the opening-night lineup decisions.
Notes
– The Leafs‘ NHL rosters went 0-2-1 in preseason, while their “B” squads went 2-0-1. The Leafs aren’t an incredibly old team by any means — they are the 12th oldest to start the season — but they are a veteran squad. And veterans really do not care about the preseason.
In their last exhibition game as a full NHL lineup in Toronto against Montreal, all the penalties seemed to kill the game. Before the penalty calls in the first period, William Nylander went on a breakaway on the second shift, the Leafs drew a penalty and immediately scored on the power play, Steven Lorentz went on a 2v1, Matthew Knies missed on a breakaway, Bobby McMann torched Erik Gustafsson and broke in alone, and Nicolas Roy‘s line generated a dominant cycle shift that led to Roy walking in all alone against the goalie. They created a ton of chances. Once the penalty parade began, the game sort of drifted away. There was a lot to like about the first period, though.
– In the last playoff run, by my count, the Leafs‘ power play scored five goals where they won the faceoff and immediately funnelled pucks and traffic to the net. They did it again with their top power play unit against Detroit last Thursday. It’s clearly a staple in their power-play plan: win the draw, fire a low shot through traffic, and drive the net, sowing chaos for the penalty kill. It’s working for them.
– The Leafs‘ final preseason game against Detroit was yet another game where Nick Robertson played on the left wing and scored down the left off the rush. He was their best player overall. Will he ever play real NHL games on the left?
– Also playing the left was Simon Benoit, which was a bit confusing to see. The Leafs have made a point of noting the benefits of OEL on the left and their desire to squeeze more offensive juice out of OEL on the left side, where he’s in the strongest position to create offense. That means Benoit will need to play the right, as Craig Berube has alluded to, but in his second preseason game, Benoit was back to the left. Is it the end of the world? No, but why deny Benoit additional reps on the right side if that’s the plan, especially against an NHL lineup?
– Benoit took a penalty late in the game that led to the Red Wings tying it up. After Dylan Larkin got away with a slash, Benoit retaliated; for a veteran who has already made the team, you can see why he’d take exception and respond rather than skate away in a meaningless preseason game. Not only did the Red Wings tie it, but Larkin scored and made a point to stare down Benoit in the box. The Leafs play Detroit twice in the opening week; we’ll see what kind of memory Benoit has.
– We will break it down further as the season progresses, but the penalty killing showed notable changes, particularly in its pressure. The Leafs’ defensemen went out to challenge the half-wall rather than the forwards constantly following the puck and chasing from the top down. They were far more focused on their lanes and shifting to more of a hybrid diamond, which isn’t surprising given the Derek Lalonde hire. In today’s NHL, the name of the game on the penalty kill is mitigating seam passes.
– At five-on-five, though, the Leafs looked much the same in preseason. We’ll see if that continues, but the breakouts are the area to monitor in the coming weeks. Can they exit their zone cleanly and get through the neutral zone with speed, or are they dumping the puck off the glass with regularity? Once the puck is in the offensive zone, the Leafs can cycle it pretty well and create offense, but they need to successfully gain the offensive zone more frequently.
Quotes
Living with him, you pick up a lot of things and realize, ‘I’m not doing it right. There are small things I’m missing that could give me an edge, make me a better player.’ I learned a ton from him. He’s been huge for our locker room, for leadership, for setting an example for the young guys, for being vocal, and for taking on a lot of responsibility. He carries a lot of weight, and that has been invaluable. He was a huge influence on me succeeding in my first two years, and honestly, one of the most welcoming and professional people I’ve ever met.”
– Matthew Knies on living with John Tavares as a rookie
We don’t get a public view of this stuff, but it speaks to what John Tavares means to this group and the organization.
“He is part of this team and is a big part of this team. That was never not said. He is in here, and we know what he can do. He has speed, he is tenacious, he plays hard, and he can shoot a puck in the net.
I thought he had a good camp. I really did.”
– Craig Berube, before the Leafs’ last preseason game against Detroit
I think some of the public perception of the Leafs’ feelings about Nick Robertson isn’t really aligned with the Leafs brass’s true views. Those are pretty definitive words from Berube in response to a simple question about Robertson’s camp/preseason, and this was before Robertson was the team’s best player against Detroit.
Robertson played a career-high 69 games last season, scored a career-high 15 goals, and averaged a career-high 12 minutes per game under Berube last season. Yes, he was once again scratched in the playoffs, but there were some signs of growth.
I think Robertson’s best path to a more significant role is to add a pest element to his game to pair with his goal scoring. It’s hard to picture him ever becoming truly strong defensively. But if he plays with energy and can be annoying for opponents — he even laid a pretty big hit on Moritz Seider in the preseason finale — it’s a path a lot of smaller players have taken to solidify themselves in the league. Players like Brad Marchand and Conor Garland come to mind; they aren’t perfect comparisons, but some similarities can be drawn upon.
“The information I had Saturday is that Treliving isn’t shopping Robertson or Calle Jarnkrok. He likes the idea of having that depth.”
– Darren Dreger on TSN radio
It makes sense to hang onto both Robertson and Calle Jarnkrok at this point. Robertson was seventh on the team in goals last season, and Jarnkrok is a good penalty killer who is one of only three right-shot forwards on the team. Neither player is perfect, of course, but they both bring unique elements to the roster that can help them win games in the regular season. And winning regular-season games is the name of the game right now.
Tweets of the Week
Waivers ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/fvpbwVbtrJ
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) October 6, 2025
It’s worth reiterating again that Brad Treliving did a nice job of signing a bunch of “claim-proof” deals, particularly Dakota Mermis, who the Leafs clearly like. The Leafs lost nobody on waivers this preseason, and funny enough, the only player they’ve lost on waivers in Treliving’s tenure to date is Mermis, who made his way back to Toronto anyway.
Under the previous regime, the Leafs led the league in losing players to waiver claims by a significant margin. It’s a small thing, but the depth adds up over the course of the year, and sometimes, a team could even hit on a player later on. In the last five years, one player who stands out as a waiver claim who got away from the Leafs is Michael Amadio.
Maple Leafs F Scott Laughton is considered week-to-week with a lower body injury.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) October 3, 2025
This is a bummer. Scott Laughton was in the midst of a good preseason; he clearly had some jump and confidence back in his game. He’s an effective penalty killer who can add some jam while chipping in offense.
The end of last season didn’t meet expectations — something Laughton himself has acknowledged multiple times — but he appeared to be shaking it off and moving forward. He’s now suffered another setback and won’t begin the regular season with the team.
It’s tough to constantly feel like you’re running uphill, so hopefully, this is the last of the adversity, and Laughton can get his game going upon return.
Highest P/60 from a Rookie in the last 5 seasons:
3.24 — Matt Boldy (2022)
3.14 — Jason Robertson (2021)
3.08 — Michael Bunting (2022)
3.06 — Elias Pettersson (2019)
3.04 — Kirill Kaprizov (2021)
2.93 — Mattias Maccelli (2023)Insanely underrated rookie campaign. pic.twitter.com/rpbQU9hzWv
— Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) September 13, 2023
Matias Maccelli didn’t receive much attention for his rookie season in the league, but he came into the NHL and really established himself as a point producer. He was second in rookie scoring that season despite playing 16 fewer games than first-place Matty Beniers (Beniers only produced eight more points). Among his rookie class, Maccelli is currently eighth in scoring, and four of the players ahead of him have played 100+ more games.
If Easton Cowan isn’t in the starting 12, Maccelli is currently slated to be the Leafs’ second youngest forward.
A lot is riding on it working out in Toronto, and it appears Maccelli will receive a look on the top line immediately. This is realistically the biggest addition the Leafs made this offseason in terms of offensive production. For a team with only three forwards under the age of 25, Maccelli establishing himself as a top-six forward would be a pretty significant boon to their overall outlook.
Five Things I Think I’d Do
1. I think I’m a bit surprised at the level of domino effect the Scott Laughton injury has created for the overall lineup. The Leafs appeared to have their top nine set with Max Domi on the top line, the McMann-Tavares-Nylander line, a Joshua-Roy-Maccelli matchup line, and a fourth line that could chip in defensively and potentially offensively with Lorentz, Laughton, and presumably one of Cowan or Robertson. Once Laughton got hurt, three of the four lines changed.
It’s a long season — and we’ll see some pieces shift around — but I would have been more inclined to simply play David Kampf at 4C to provide similar things defensively and on the penalty kill as Laughton, only with Robertson or Jarnkrok on the right instead of Cowan.
2. Furthermore, I am surprised that we’re seeing the Leafs split up Dakota Joshua and Nic Roy, a checking line duo the brass seemed quite high on. I think I would keep them together and use them as the checking line as intended. They might not produce much of anything offensively unless Maccelli is on their wing, but they can grind and defend well.
I understand rekindling the familiarity of Domi and Robertson, but I don’t view Joshua as an upgrade on McMann; last season, with McMann alongside Domi and Robertson, it wasn’t really a true L3. I think I’d make it an L4 with Lorentz for now, rather than potentially making two expensive fourth lines.
3. I think I agree with the top power-play unit to start. Knies returns in front, with Tavares in the bumper, and Matthews and Nylander on the flanks. I would give Morgan Rielly the first look up top, given he’s done it before successfully and is the highest-paid defenseman on the team (he also led them in scoring last season on the back end).
As for the second unit, it looks like they’ll start with Robertson in the bumper and McMann at the net front. I think I’d have Roy in front, McMann in the bumper, and Maccelli and Domi on the flanks, with OEL up top. Roy has been good in front of the net in Vegas, and McMann is legitimately good in the bumper/has been since his time in the AHL. Maccelli and Domi should receive the first looks on the flanks as both are skilled and paid to produce, while OEL is a veteran PP QB. If Maccelli and Domi are too pass-happy together, Robertson could slot in on the half-wall to replace one.
4. From a deployment standpoint, I think the biggest thing I’d like to see is the Leafs using Roy to free up Auston Matthews more. Matthews will naturally play a bunch against Nick Suzuki on Wednesday night — and rightfully so — but at home, Berube should be able to turn matchups inside out whenever he pleases.
Matthews finished with the second-lowest offensive-zone faceoff percentage of his career last season, and the team needs more from him offensively. They’ve added to their depth to make themselves more well-rounded. The biggest benefit is freeing up Matthews to provide more offensively, which they need him to do. Let’s see it happen now.
5. I think October is a massive month for the Leafs this season. They play eight of their 11 games at home, and only two of those games are played against playoff teams from last year. They need to bank points this month, and it needs to start this week.
