Home Analysis McKenna shines, Maple Leafs check the boxes in split-squad sweep of Ottawa:...

mckenna-maple-leafs-pre-season — Photo: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

McKenna shines, Maple Leafs check the boxes in split-squad sweep of Ottawa: Player Notes & Analysis

Sep 24, 2026

And just like that, the Maple Leafs’ preseason is over in the blink of an eye.

As we always say, there are too many factors at play in preseason to take the results at face value. But in terms of what you want from a preseason finale, the Leafs’ two games checked just about every box.

Two wins, 10 goals scored, and only three allowed. Players contributed throughout the lineup, whether offensively, defensively, on special teams, and/or physically. The one real blemish was Nick Paul leaving the Toronto game in the first period. Hopefully, it was precautionary, and he’s okay for the opener in just under a week.

After the first split-squad games, the Leafs needed to show marked improvement, and they did. Yes, the Toronto group faced a fairly mediocre Ottawa squad, but they could only play the team in front of them, and they dominated it. In Ottawa, a lineup largely made up of Marlies ground out a win but were full marks for their checking all over the ice. They were by no means dominated and squeaked out a win; they played the Senators even and frustrated them with sound positioning and checking.

You want the team to feel good about themselves heading into the regular season. It doesn’t guarantee a hot start, but it’s better than the alternative.

Let’s get into the notes.

Leafs in Toronto: 6-1 Win

The headliner was Gavin McKenna, and for good reason. It felt like he was dangerous every time he touched the ice. What stood out most was how well he held pucks along the wall, shielded off defenders, and created space to operate. McKenna isn’t particularly big or heavy, so you wonder how that part of his game will translate. He wasn’t facing Ottawa’s top defensemen, obviously, but he held off checkers and spun into space. He drew one penalty and probably should have drawn three. After Paul left the game, McKenna spent some time with Auston Matthews, and they almost instantly tilted the ice and started working give-and-gos. We’ll see what happens when the real games begin, but his skating and size weren’t problems here. He was actively beating defenders and would seemingly decide where he wanted to go with the puck… and then would simply go there. McKenna is already clearly good. If part of the coaching staff’s thinking, as it was for the previous staff last year, is that they need to split Matthews and William Nylander to drive offense on both lines, I’m not sure that’s true anymore. McKenna can probably help drive a line with Tavares.
With Nylander also on the line, the line dominated, as expected. Whether this group can handle a team of tonight’s calibre of opponent was never the question. It can probably do this to at least the bottom third of the league. The question is how it fares against tighter, more physical defensive teams: Florida, Boston, and even Buffalo now, with all the length in its lineup.
The Leafs coaching staff clearly likes the Matthews–Jack Roslovic combination. It took a period or so, but the two started clicking in this game. Both scored, and each assisted on the other’s goal (Roslovic’s came on the power play). Roslovic also missed a breakaway off a set play from a defensive-zone faceoff. I’m firmly in I’ll believe it when I see it territory with Roslovic on the top line, but his speed is noticeable, and he appears to know how to work off Matthews. Unlike someone such as Max Domi, he won’t automatically defer to him, either. Roslovic is a legitimate 20-goal scorer. If the shot is there, he’ll take it.
Every Leafs defenseman played between 19:01 (Troy Stecher) and 20:51 (Darren Raddysh). Raddysh is a good addition, but this is still a defense by committee, and there is enough depth and quality for that approach to feasibly work. Having Chris Tanev back is paramount; he makes everything cleaner. A few times, he beat Ottawa’s pressure with little bump passes into the middle, relieving pressure before a defensive-zone shift could really develop. Jake McCabe is calmer beside Tanev, too, and tries to do less—in a good way. Raddysh was caught flat-footed against Tim Stützle, and while he isn’t a bad defender by any means, Tanev is the player you’d most want out there against someone like Stützle.
Raddysh joined the attack frequently in this game, even with Morgan Rielly as his partner. I understand why that pairing concerns people, but I didn’t see a problem with it in this game. The concern is whether they both get caught up ice. The idea that Raddysh will sit back because Rielly is to his left, though? No chance. His shot gets plenty of attention, but he’s also adept at reading when to drive the center lane in an offensive-zone sequence. Tavares narrowly missed him on a backdoor play at five-on-five, and McKenna set him up coming downhill from behind the net for a shot he wired wide. He’s a welcome weapon.
There isn’t a ton to say about Tavares, Nylander, or even Matthews. They’re veterans playing preseason games, and all three made some really nice plays. It was good to see Matthews rifle one into the net after being a little snakebitten in the first game. He also won over 71 percent of his faceoffs. He dominated, looked healthy, and appeared to be in a much better place than he was during last season’s absolute mess.
I really like Easton Cowan, but he had an up-and-down preseason. He made a great play on a two-on-one to set up a goal and looked good on the penalty kill, including when he picked off a backdoor pass. His motor is never in question. Some of his puck management is, though. You can tell he wants to make plays, but he’s playing with two meat-and-potatoes guys in Paul and Colton Sissons. I really liked that line in the first period, but Cowan will need to be smart with the puck in that role and with those linemates.
Matthew Knies really fought it in this one. He didn’t record a point, managed just one shot in a blowout, and wasn’t particularly dangerous. I liked him best after Paul got hurt, when he took a few shifts with Cowan and Sissons. Knies is at his best as a physical forechecker and net-front presence who creates space. Right now, he seems to be looking for skill plays instead of playing a simple, hard power-forward game. His name has come up a lot lately in the rumour mill, and his game has been picked apart, but he’s a good player with a unique skill set. He needs to relax and get back to basics. When you’re that big and that skilled, go to the dirty areas and good things will happen for you.
I like Bo Groulx. He can do a little bit of everything: play center, chip in offensively—he has a proper NHL shot—and kill penalties. Sending him down wouldn’t bother me too much, as he shouldn’t be in the opening-night top 12. Losing him on waivers would be frustrating, though. At this point, I’d sooner waive Dakota Joshua. He hasn’t played all preseason, and there’s almost no chance he gets claimed. Even if he did, it would clear over $3 million off the books this season and next. Groulx had a tough assignment centering Michael Pezzetta and Zack MacEwen, but he battled and helped make it a reasonable line, all things considered.
Sergei Bobrovsky was very good again. He’s looked sharp in both preseason appearances, which is a great sign.

Leafs in Ottawa: 4-2 Win

I imagine most people watched the Toronto game, but lost in everything happening that night was a look at what appears to be the Leafs’ opening-night fourth line: Steven Lorentz, Teddy Blueger, and Brandon Duhaime. With the rest of the lineup largely made up of Marlies, those three anchored it as a dependable two-way unit against Ottawa’s NHL players. Lorentz scored, Blueger sealed the win with an empty-netter after the Leafs turned to the line to close out the game—while on a power play, no less—and Duhaime fought. Blueger was second among Leafs forwards in ice time, behind Vinni Lettieri, who played nearly 20 minutes, and was the only Leafs center to win more than half his faceoffs. It might not be a sexy fourth line, but it’s dependable. All three defend well, kill penalties, and know how to check as a unit. We’ll see whether they produce any offense, but they’ll know their role and should be fairly solid in it.
Emil Andrae was much better in this game, logging 19:35. Paired with Philippe Myers, he was more assertive as the primary puck mover. He made a particularly nice outlet pass to spring Blueger on a breakaway and joined the rush on another play for a one-timer from the slot that Ottawa blocked. You can see what the Leafs like in him. It’s a tough numbers game, though: they have three established left-shot defensemen, and Andrae is competing with two right shots for the final spot in the starting six.
Myers was solid, too. He didn’t play on the first split-squad day, which was a little surprising, but he kept things simple and effective here and finished third among Leafs defensemen in ice time at 19:40. It’s easy to dismiss Myers, and I get it—I was highly critical of him last season. But it’s also easy to forget that he was generally solid in spot duty across 36 games the year before. Injuries forced the Leafs to ask more of him last season, and he cratered. In a limited role, he can probably still handle the odd game. He stands out given his stature, and the size gives them a different look. Since he didn’t play on the first split-squad day, I assume he’s already on the outside looking in, but this was a nice showing.
Marshall Rifai led all Leafs skaters with 22:32, and Ben Danford was second at 21:40. Both had solid preseasons and should form the Marlies’ top pairing to start the season. They skate well, stand 6-foot-2, and have long reaches that make them frustrating to play against. Hopefully, Danford keeps developing as a puck handler and playmaker so he becomes more than a purely defensive defenseman. He’s promising, though — mobile, defensively sound right-shot defensemen are valuable.
As usual, Landon Sim made his mark. I was surprised he didn’t play against Montreal. Here, he fought twice, drove Nick Cousins nuts—an added bonus—crashed the net a few times, and was a sparkplug out there. I’m fond of his game and have noted it since last preseason, and he was effective in the same role for the Marlies in the playoffs. He needs to work on getting pucks out along the wall in his own end so he can become a more dependable player. Sim played only 13 regular-season games for the Marlies last year. Can he play a full season, chip in offensively, and perhaps carve out a role on the penalty kill? He knows who he is and what his role is. Now he needs to hone it with the Marlies.
Jacob Quillan made a really nice pass to set up the winner. He also put three shots on net, including a one-timer off the rush after a good sequence with Brendan Brisson. I thought he was underwhelming in his first preseason game, but he was much better here. He’s a decent depth option if injuries strike.
Ryan Tverberg finished that Quillan pass for the winner, capping a nice preseason. He isn’t shy about going to the dirty areas and showed well as a penalty killer across the two games. He was really good for the Marlies in the playoffs, with 14 points in 26 games. After recording 36 points in 63 regular-season games last year, I’m curious whether he can take a big leap this season.
Henrik Rybinski scored in both of his preseason games. He’s headed to the Marlies, but it’s notable that the second year of his two-year deal is a one-way contract. He put himself on the map with a good preseason. Brisson was crafty, too, and you can see why he was once a first-round pick. Both fall into that tweener category: probably not skilled enough for a top-six NHL role and not offering quite enough elsewhere for the bottom six. Depending on who’s in form with the Marlies, though, you can see viable spot-duty options who might chip in the odd goal. First, you’d like to see one of them do what Groulx did last season and dominate the league.
Anthony Stolarz was excellent. I loved that he wanted to go for the empty-net goal at the end—and that he ultimately made the right decision to put the puck off the wall when he had no chance of getting it through traffic. We know Stolarz is an excellent goalie. Hopefully, he can stay healthy.