There are four games in the next six nights, William Nylander and Scott Laughton are potentially returning soon, and hopefully, Joseph Woll isn’t far behind.
With the first month of the season now behind us, we’ll see if the Leafs can replicate their typically strong November play (they are 1-0 so far).
We will soon begin to break down special teams now that we have a month-long sample to dig into, but in the meantime, let’s jump right into notes ahead of Monday’s game.
Notes
– Can’t say Nick Robertson isn’t taking advantage of his opportunity so far. He has five points in his past four games, including three goals. He’s averaging just under 15 minutes per game in that time and is starting to see a nightly shift or two on the penalty kill in the final portion of a penalty. While he has played on the team for a few years now and has produced like this at times, he’s never really received a chance like this up the lineup for even a stretch as short as a few games.
So far, he’s not giving them much reason to push him back down the lineup. Robertson still hasn’t even played 170 games in the NHL, so there’s still room for growth. His biggest issue has been consistency, so we’ll see how long he can sustain this.
– The Leafs‘ loss in Columbus made for a tough rewatch. Three goals came directly off plays where three different Leafs defensemen had the puck clean on their stick with time only to cough it up (Morgan Rielly, OEL, and Simon Benoit). Rielly and his partner, Philippe Myers, also had a miscommunication for a goal against as well.
October was simply a month of self-inflicted wounds more than anything else, and while there’s so much talk about finding a winger for the top line or whatever else at forward, this team is 28th in goals against per game, and their defense struggles to move the puck. Despite making two big trades to add to the unit (Carlo and McCabe), plus two notable UFA signings in OEL and Tanev, it still looks like something they need to sort out, in particular with a defenseman who can move the puck and lead breakouts cleanly.
– A few weeks ago, we flagged Brandon Carlo‘s difficulty moving pucks cleanly and general struggles, but he quietly put together a nice week for the team and is starting to string together good games. Over the past week, he led all Leafs players in ice time per game at 22:24, nearly two minutes more than the next closest Leaf. His average TOI would’ve been even higher if the Columbus game wasn’t a blowout, which had nothing to do with him. Carlo played 24 minutes in the other two games last week.
With Chris Tanev out, Carlo faces prime matchups, a role he’ll continue to play now that Tanev is injured again. He won’t receive much in the way of headlines or leap off the page with offensive numbers, but Carlo playing big minutes, helping the penalty kill (which has been really good this season, with Carlo playing a big role), and keeping the puck out of the Leafs‘ net represents huge value.
– Max Domi scored a nice goal against Calgary and was rewarded toward the end of the game by moving up the lineup, where he ended up scoring the game-winning goal. This Leafs roster isn’t as set as it has been in years past in terms of established scorers/roles, so it’s important to identify players in-game who are “going” and move things around. The coaches have to be quick to properly identify who is going and who is not.
For Domi, it marked his third goal of October, after not scoring earlier than December in his previous two seasons as a Leaf. Last season, he scored his eight goals across just two months (December and March), going scoreless in the other five months of the season. While the three goals already are nice, his four points total through 12 games would be the lowest production rate of his career if the pace holds the rest of the way.
– To close a one-goal lead against Calgary, the Leafs used a big line of McMann-Matthews-Roy, and both Bobby McMann and Nic Roy won wall battles to get the puck out on separate occasions. We haven’t seen a bunch of these late-game lead-protecting situations yet, so it’s always interesting to see who the coach deploys.
Roy, in particular, is starting to see his role increase substantially. For a player who has averaged over 15 minutes per game in his career, he shockingly did not reach the number once in his first seven games as a Leaf. In the next five, he’s played: 15:11, 16:07, 14:04, 16:54, 16:51. The production isn’t there — just three points so far — but he’s starting to establish himself as trustworthy defensively. He’s also never won even 49% of his faceoffs in a season, but he is up over 52% so far.
– The Leafs, as a whole, are third in the league in faceoff win percentage, which has been the norm now for many years. John Tavares is one of the best faceoff men in the league, and Auston Matthews has established himself in the dot. Roy has traditionally been subpar in this area, but two good faceoff men who are both lefties allow the Leafs to use Roy in the right matchups with a focus on the right circle on his backhand side, where centers traditionally win their faceoffs. In the first period against Philadelphia, in particular, Roy cleaned out Trevor Zegras, going seven-for-seven.
Quotes
“Uh no, they were just checking for offsides.”
– Auston Matthews, when asked if Craig Berube had a message for the team during a timeout against Columbus to review a goal against
“Yeah, for sure. Just, you know, “Let’s go here.” I didn’t think… We were kind of on our heels a little bit to start that period.
I called a timeout to take a closer look at that goal. It was really close — too close to challenge.”
– Craig Berube, when asked if he had a message for the team during a timeout against Columbus to review a goal against
It was strange to hear very different interpretations of what was happening behind the Leafs’ bench early on in their game against Columbus. You can argue Auston Matthews was being dismissive publicly about what the team talks about on the bench, but we can all see the video of Berube walking up and down, laying into his team after yet another slow start to a game. Berube essentially confirmed what all of us saw with our own eyes, too.
It’s difficult to picture how these two are on the same page, and that’s kind of important when one is the head coach and the other is the captain. This is not to suggest that there’s real friction between the two; it’s more that they don’t exactly appear to be united or singing the same tune. A lot of Matthews’ struggles have been attributed to an injury dating back to last season, but he simply hasn’t been as dominant since Berube has taken over the team. The coach uses Matthews as a high-end matchup center, and he plays a very conservative brand of hockey with lots of dump and chase.
“I think we just have to simplify and get back to what was working for us. Last year, we were a great defending team. We are just trying to get back to that.
It is a quick fix. We just have to work hard, simplify the game, and play above them… We are just too eager to play offense right now, and everyone is getting below the goal line. We are getting beaten up the ice.
We have to play structured, have a good F3 who is always above, and not allow the rushes. It’s the main focus.”
– Matthew Knies on the areas for improvement defensively
The Leafs’ game against the Flyers was a positive step toward cleaning up their neutral zone and rush defense play. The Flyers were credited with one odd-man rush through two periods, and the Leafs didn’t give up much in that regard in the third period, either.
As Matthew Knies notes, the Leafs were getting burned by too many players cheating the game for offense. Columbus scored a series of goals either assisted on by Leafs defensemen or via odd-man rushes caused by no Leaf covering high properly. The team needs to build on the win in Philadelphia now.
“I live with him a lot, so to be able to share that moment with him is awesome. I want to play beside him — just an unreal guy and an even better player. What a feeling to do it for your hometown team. I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else, that’s for sure.”
– Easton Cowan on celebrating his first career goal with John Tavares
I thought it was really cool to see John Tavares celebrate Easton Cowan’s first career goal so euphorically. The goal made it 4-1, and it was a game after Tavares became the 49th player ever to hit the 500-goal mark, but there Tavares was, excitedly leaping to celebrate Cowan scoring. It’s a little thing, but a big thing that helps bring the youngest player on the team into the group.
Tweets of the Week
Goal No. 5⃣️0⃣️0⃣️ for Johnny T!
Congrats to the @MapleLeafs forward, who is only the 5th among active players to reach the mark 👏 pic.twitter.com/Bs2Vx5Uzpx
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) October 30, 2025
It’s a shame it happened in the context of a 6-2 game on the road, but this is an incredible accomplishment by John Tavares, one worthy of recognition and applause.
Saturday Headlines: Kampf takes a break from Marlies as he ponders his future; Stecher; Parekhhttps://t.co/GJdTFHGBhI
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 2, 2025
David Kampf did not join the Toronto Marlies on their road trip over the weekend, and Elliotte Friedman reported in this segment that he’s not happy (which is obvious). Friedman then floated the notion of contract termination, noting examples of Filip Zadina, Brandon Saad, and Conor Sheary, who all terminated their contracts to get back into the NHL/better situations.
The first part is understandable. Kampf should be upset; he’s an NHL center. But he also went on waivers, and nobody wanted him for free. There is no incentive for the Leafs to either retain salary or attach an asset to get rid of him. It’s a cruel byproduct of the business, but it is what it is.
Contract termination, though, would really be something. It’s essentially a get-out-of-jail-free card for the Leafs were it to happen, and it would free up an additional $1.25M in cap space this season, as well as free up the $2.4M contract for next summer.
Matthews 6th of the Season vs Flyers
🔊 @Bonsie1951 @Jim_Ralph pic.twitter.com/VzI4R9niHq
— Maple Leafs Hotstove (@LeafsNews) November 1, 2025
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about Auston Matthews‘ struggles so far this season — rightfully so, as he needs to drive this team — but we should acknowledge this, too. The goal by Matthews was his first where he genuinely beat a goalie at five-on-five this season, and it was a vintage Matthews goal. He ripped it crisply and cleanly by the goalie, and what I liked about it more than anything is how he demanded the puck before he scored. You could see him bang his stick firmly on the ice, and there was some emotion after the goal went in, too.
It’s one goal in November, so I don’t want to make a mountain out of a molehill, but it was nice to see. We’ll see if it’s the start of something now, in a month where Matthews and the Leafs traditionally heat up.
Five Things I Think I’d Do
1. With William Nylander and Scott Laughton both potentially returning shortly — not to mention Steven Lorentz — I think the Leafs forwards group is a difficult puzzle to figure out. In part, it’s because I have liked quite a few things up at forward all of a sudden.
Auston Matthews has played just over 36 minutes with Nick Robertson so far, and the pair is up 3-0 in their minutes. It’s a small sample, but if nothing else, Robertson has a motor to forecheck and he will absolutely bury if he gets the puck in a good spot. Other than the top four forwards, Robertson is probably the best pure finisher on the team.
Easton Cowan just played his best game alongside John Tavares, scoring his first career goal on a night where he and Tavares created a ton together and showed some natural chemistry. In two games, Sammy Blais has two points, four shots on net, 10 hits (including some hits that actually hurt), and has set up a few nice passing plays as well. Even Calle Jarnkrok played 2:43 on the PK against Philly and came on to protect the lead late, scoring the empty netter. Jarnkrok’s four goals are tied for second on the team.
Those four skaters have been their top bubble players so far, and all are deserving of at least dressing for the next game.
2. I think the forward jam naturally creates a bit of a conundrum knowing that it sends the wrong message to sit players who are playing well and contributing. One player who hasn’t been producing is Bobby McMann, who is pointless in his last eight games and has just 10 shots on net, playing largely in the top six to boot. That screams, “Go watch a game up top and reset.”
After McMann, though, it’s a difficult conversation. Dakota Joshua has been up and down but has been really good on the PK and has started to form some chemistry with Nic Roy of late. Max Domi produced a big two-goal game earlier last week and has also been playing center when he should probably be playing wing. Everyone else is clearly not sitting.
Realistically, one of Blais or Jarnkrok is likely sitting, and it probably shades toward Blais because Jarnkrok is a legitimately good penalty killer, but players who are playing well need to play. There shouldn’t be a replay of a few weeks ago when Jarnkrok scored score goals in four games before sitting out as a healthy scratch.
If Nylander is back first, I’d just swap Nylander in for McMann straight up, keeping all the other lines the same. If it’s Laughton, I’d play him between Blais and Jarnkrok and move Domi up to play with Tavares and Cowan. Ultimately, I think Berube can try a lot of interesting options at forward right now, but it’s important to reward players as the foundation.
3. I think defense is a much different story with the Chris Tanev injury now. He was placed on IR — not LTIR, which is noteworthy — but he’ll miss some time. The next man up on defense so far has been Philippe Myers, who is a decent penalty killer and a right-handed shot, two attributes they’d like to keep in their lineup with Tanev out.
Where it gets interesting: The Leafs’ four best defensemen now are McCabe, Rielly, Carlo, and OEL. If they want their four best to make up the top four, it leaves a third pairing of Benoit – Myers, which really struggled last season and I see no reason why they’d be another better together moving forward (two defensemen who don’t move the puck well). Is the solution, then, to split them up, and run something like Rielly-Carlo, Benoit-McCabe, and OEL-Myers?
If Myers is next man up, this is probably what they should do, but I can’t shake the idea that they should have the four best defensemen in the top four (Rielly-Carlo, OEL-McCabe). We know that OEL is better on the left, and we know that Benoit-McCabe can work, so it’s not a dire situation if that’s how they start. However, ideally, I’d like to see a puck mover with Benoit and a veteran top-four unit. Otherwise, the top six includes three defensemen who don’t move the puck particularly well.
4. I think we’re pretty close to the point where it’s time for personnel changes on the power play. The simple one is Oliver Ekman-Larsson for Morgan Rielly, as Rielly is missing too many routine passes and doesn’t appear to have much chemistry with Matthews on the half-wall. Otherwise, they may need to simply split into two units and make it an internal competition. They can’t be this bad. The team won’t survive it.
5. I think this is the first week where we will really find out a lot about this group. Pittsburgh is off to a great start to the season, and so is Utah. Those are their next two opponents followed by a tough back-to-back against Boston and Carolina, two teams that always give the Leafs trouble. We’re going to find out a lot about this team this week.
