Dramatic wins, blowout wins, and a first career game-winner for Gavin McKenna. This was a memorable 4-0-0 week for the Maple Leafs, with plenty to talk about.

Now 13 games into the new season with a 7-4-2 record, it’s at least slightly sobering to consider that the Leafs were 7-5-1 through 13 games last season. Like last season, the Leafs picked up three points on the Vegas-Colorado-Utah trip and beat the Oilers in Edmonton. They even had an early dramatic win against the Rangers (in overtime) and beat the Predators. What they haven’t had yet is their easiest stretch of the season, as the Leafs did to start last season — this season, that likely comes in January.

This isn’t to claim this start is fool’s gold; it’s more to say there is a long way to go.

They have clearly injected real talent into the team, and talent will take you a long way. There will be more games this season like the Columbus one, where they are just flat-out more skilled than their opponent, resulting in easy wins. Over an 84-game grind, a team needs those. Last season, it felt like almost everything was difficult for them, even when they were winning games. Even former GM Brad Treliving knew it:

Far too often, even in games that we’ve won, we haven’t won the game. Sometimes we’ve scored more goals.

– Brad Treliving, mid-November 2025

Treliving also called his team vanilla. That’s not the case so far this season. They’ve soundly beaten, and sometimes even routed, a number of teams already. They have been in essentially every game they’ve played. It’s definitely not vanilla.

Now, can they improve the quality of their 5v5 play? They sit 25th in 5v5 shot attempts — which, funny enough, is actually an improvement on last season — but they were at 50 percent or better in three of four games last week, with one lopsided number against Columbus as they shut it down with a big lead. They have been credited with more scoring chances in five of their past seven games. The team can seemingly put together three quality lines now. We can see some positive signs to build on; now it’s a matter of doing it more consistently, which is the hardest part.

The Atlantic Division is a real grind. Every team is .500 or better right now; it’s the only division in the league where this is the case. Five teams have at least a .600 winning percentage; no other division has more than three. It’s deep, and the top teams are high-end. Division games will be highly meaningful, and from now until the end of November, they play only two divisional opponents. This is a stretch to get their game in order, bank points, and buckle up for all those four-point games.

It has been a fun start for the Leafs with a number of exciting developments, but we’re only just getting started.

Notes

John Gruden, Toronto Marlies head coach
Photo: Toronto Marlies
  • After Jim Hiller left the Toronto Maple Leafs, he joined the New York Islanders as an assistant coach alongside current Leafs assistant coach John Gruden. When that Islanders team went to back-to-back conference finals, they leaned heavily on their fourth line of Matt Martin, Casey Cizikas, and Cal Clutterbuck, which they called the identity line. Last season with the Marlies, Gruden replicated the concept with Michael Pezzetta and Marc Johnstone, whom he often used to swing momentum (at the start of periods, when they needed a spark, etc.). Now, Hiller and Gruden are reunited in the NHL and, for the moment, they have found something with a similarly built line.
  • A few times now, Hiller has said the team needs to take cues from the fourth line because of their forechecking and hustle. That line has really bought into what they are and are thriving as a result. In the Leafs’ four games this past week, Blueger and Duhaime, in particular, were eighth and ninth, respectively, in both time on ice per game and even-strength time on ice per game. They are really leaning into the line and its utility.
  • The fourth line has played just under 40 minutes together with MacEwen on the right wing, has an offensive-zone faceoff percentage of 35.29 (six offensive-zone faceoffs, 11 defensive, 30 in the neutral zone), is up 3-0 in goals, has owned over 63 percent of shot attempts, and has recorded an even higher expected-goals share at 73.43 percent. They’ve done it through meat-and-potatoes hockey: forechecking, cycling pucks to the point, and going to the net.
  • Kirill Marchenko scored his fourth power-play goal of the season last week. Over the previous two seasons, he scored eight power-play goals over 155 games. Columbus simply doesn’t have much talent, even though Zach Werenski is obviously amazing, so Marchenko spent a lot of time on the half-wall. With the Leafs, he’s roaming around a lot more and spending more time at the net. All four of his power-play goals so far have come right at the crease — driving the net on a Matthews rebound, collecting his own rebound, and two down-low plays in alone against Buffalo and Ottawa.
  • We are seeing similar success with Matthews, who isn’t exclusively on the half-wall anymore and already has seven power-play points in just 13 games after notching just 12 in 60 games last season. They are all rotating closer to the net, where pretty much all of them need to be to be genuinely dangerous, except William Nylander, who can score goals as he did against the Oilers semi-regularly.
  • After the Rangers tied it late in the third period, the Leafs went to work. Yes, they scored the late dramatic winner, but they could have scored several times before one went in. Jack Roslovic had a great chance off the rush; OEL was teed up for a one-timer, but his stick broke; off an offensive-zone faceoff, Raddysh, McCabe, and Nylander all put shots on net. Ultimately, they were rewarded with the Stecher goal.
  • In the first few weeks of the season, the Leafs really struggled to handle momentum swings, and it turned into long stretches of the ice tilted against them, like the entire third period against the Senators. They brushed off the Rangers’ tying goal and kept plugging away really well. They also handled Edmonton really well after the Oilers cut it to 3-1. The Oilers put one shot in six minutes to start the third period before the Leafs extended their lead to 4-1 on the power play.
  • It’s a shame Marshall Rifai got hurt. He played a really nice game against Columbus, logging over 19 minutes and scoring a goal. He has size and speed, which, paired with his physicality, bring a bit of a different element to the defense unit. But now he’s out week to week. Last season, he got hurt in preseason and needed wrist surgery, delaying the start of his season until December. It’s a shame. He received his current two-year deal from the Leafs all the way back in 2024 because they believed he was knocking on the door, and whenever he shows signs of breaking through, he runs into injury issues.

Quotes

Jim Hiller, Maple Leafs head coach
Jim Hiller, Maple Leafs head coach

“We weren’t sure. Mac came off a big injury last year, so we weren’t quite sure where he would go.

Certainly, with Dewey and Bluegs, that was part of the plan John (Chayka) had, I think, and some penalty killers, too, to add some specific role players.

The three of them have looked really, really good together and really give us something. I don’t know what you want to call it, but it’s something.”

— Jim Hiller on whether he originally envisioned MacEwen, Duhaime, and Blueger playing together

It was interesting that Hiller immediately flagged Zack MacEwen’s major injury last season, noting they weren’t sure what to expect from him. The relative success and usefulness of Brandon Duhaime and Teddy Blueger don’t really come as a surprise. Both Duhaime and Blueger were flagged as players of interest in our UFA series teeing up free agency: bottom-six forwards of interest and centermen of interest.

MacEwen, however, has been a pleasant surprise that I’ll happily eat some crow on. What happened here? As Hiller mentioned, he came off a significant injury in what was really a mess of a year for him. He got jumped and speedbagged by Arber Xhekaj in a preseason game to the extent that Ottawa traded him immediately after and acquired a much better fighter. MacEwen was traded to New Jersey, where he played only three games, and in the third game, he tore his ACL and was out for the year.

What’s particularly impressive is that his skating is better than ever. His max skating speed is in the 83rd percentile this season, and in the last week, he has torched Albert Smits, Braden Schneider, and Jake Walman wide. NHL Edge data shows he hasn’t produced speed bursts like this in the NHL since January 6, 2024 (!). He hasn’t skated this fast in basically two years, and now he’s doing it while returning from a torn ACL.

MacEwen is a willing fighter — he fought Erik Gudbranson last week without hesitation after a bit of a cheap hit against Blueger, which was great — even though he’s not a particularly great fighter. He’s realistically not in the heavyweight class in the league. He can’t just exclusively be a fighter, but right now his speed is popping off, and it’s making him legitimately useful.

On the other wing is Duhaime, who has always been a really good skater. Two fast wingers who are both big and hit everything in sight are a great starting point for any fourth line in the league.

“I really love playing with him. Super, super easy guy to play with, very smart. Can make plays all over the ice, but he’s also defensively very responsible and you can kind of see the maturity that’s grown in his game too.”

– Auston Matthews on linemate Easton Cowan

Cowan’s emergence is really changing the complexion and possibilities with this Leafs roster. The domino effect is pretty significant. It allows them to hunt matchups for Marchenko and Nylander on separate lines and spread out their top producers. He’s also been good enough defensively that they can more comfortably match up Matthews head-to-head, making life easier for every other line. That is compounded by the Tavares injury and their early-season plan of a Cowan-Paul-Sissons matchup line. If Cowan were middling and finding his way like last season, with Tavares out, they’d have to play Marchenko or Nylander on the top line, and there would be much more pressure on McKenna to deliver.

Cowan’s running hot right now, obviously, so we’ll see how he settles in as the grind of the season wears on, but he has been fantastic so far. The only player with more points than Cowan in his draft class this season is Leo Carlsson, who is about half a year older than Cowan and was born the year before him.

“The vibes are great. We got a great group … influx of kids that have a lot of energy and they’re really bringing out the best in everyone. It’s an exciting time to be to be Maple Leaf & the team’s gelling really well.”

– Anthony Stolarz on the mood right now

Ironically, when we compare last season to this season, the Leafs are basically the same in terms of average age of their roster, but there are some obvious differences: an 18-year-old Gavin McKenna and a much more assertive Easton Cowan. Last season, the group felt like a stale veteran team. They struggled for long stretches, and some of their messaging was that the team was a veteran group they trusted to turn it around, rather than one that needed a dose of reality and to play differently. Of course, it helps when management adds a proper top-four defenseman in Darren Raddysh and an actual star player in Kirill Marchenko, while Cowan himself is seemingly turning into one, too.

Tweets

John Chayka, Maple Leafs GM
Photo: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

This is something to monitor, but it’s not an obstacle they can’t work around. Recently, they maneuvered out of their sitting against the 50-contract, although they aren’t out of the woods completely yet. This is a similar hurdle that isn’t insurmountable, but ideally, it should be addressed so the team isn’t handcuffed. Dakota Joshua, Miles Wood, and Max Domi all have term that could be moved to clear space.

This is an incredible achievement. Special teams have been a huge part of the Leafs’ success this season so far, and the theme for both has been the seams. The penalty kill has done an excellent job of not allowing cross-ice passes through the box/diamond. On the flip side, the Leafs’ power play can attack because everyone on the ice is a shooting threat that penalty killers gravitate toward.

Twice last week, Raddysh sucked in penalty killers high in the zone just to dish a pass leading to a goal — one teeing up a Nylander one-timer against Edmonton, and the other ripping a pass low to Marchenko, who spun around a defender and centered it to Matthews for a goal against the Sharks. The Leafs are ripping pucks through seams, and that’s where Gavin McKenna is proving most effective — he can get pucks through traffic to teammates. A completed seam pass can discombobulate defenders and break their structure. The special teams are doing a great job of protecting their own seams and seaming the opponents so far.

Ben Danford had a similar sequence this week as well, but I’m highlighting Landon Sim because he’s lesser-known and plays a style that could translate into an energetic fourth-liner. Mainly, I would like to see him increase his production to a respectable level — he has just one point (a goal) in eight games to date.

Five Things I Think I’d Do

Jake McCabe, Toronto Maple Leafs
Photo: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

1.  I think this was a good week for the McCabe-Raddysh pairing, and the Leafs should keep rolling it. In three games last week (not counting the Columbus game, where McCabe played 4:15), they went up against three of the best players in the league: McDavid, Draisaitl, and Celebrini, and you can even mention a red-hot Alexis Lafrenière, who is tied for third in the league in goals this season. They won those three games 3-1 at 5v5, and shot attempts were a fairly respectable 49-57, essentially sawing off the top competition.

Keep in mind the Leafs led for long stretches in each of those games. It’s not like the Leafs were losing and pressing, which would naturally boost those numbers. They were winning and defending, and they held serve against elite players. It’s one week, but it was a good week. Keep it rolling and see how it develops for now.

2.  I think I’m not particularly bothered by Gavin McKenna’s ice time right now. In four games last week, he averaged 11:40 per night (and still put up three points in four games). Ideally, you would like that number a little higher, in the 13-14 range, but that’s not prohibitive. He’s still getting top power-play time, and at 5v5, he shouldn’t be in the top six. If we’re being honest, there isn’t a single player above him whom he’s pushing for minutes at 5v5 currently.

His linemates are a concern, but the lineup is what it is for the time being. The other three lines are humming, and it’s completely justifiable to keep them together. The Leafs also haven’t been chasing the game, either. This is in “monitor it” territory, but it’s not really a concern as of right now.

3.  I think I would be considering different Marlies as options to play on the third line, though. So far, they have tried Bo Groulx and Vinni Lettieri, who both lit it up in the AHL. It was fair to try both, and in fairness, the third line had their best game yet against the Oilers, so they deserve the opportunity to build on it next game. But if this kind of just middles along, they will need to continue experimenting.

John Tavares got hurt on October 15, and the timeline provided was up to six weeks, which would place it around November 26. If it’s how it’s looked overall since Tavares went down, they can’t run it for another 4.5 weeks. Brendan Brisson is off to a scorching start with 13 points in 9 games (seven goals), while Luke Haymes has seven points in eight games, and I like Haymes’ game and his tools (NHL size, can skate, etc.). Aatu Raty was recently acquired and has shown some NHL utility (elite faceoff man, good shot). Dakota Joshua is on a conditioning assignment with the Marlies (though he hasn’t looked particularly good). I’d explore a bunch of options and hope something sticks until Tavares returns.

Notably, the Marchenko-Paul-Nylander line has scored just one goal in nearly 50 minutes together, and they have been out-attempted despite over 70 percent offensive-zone starts. They have been fine because they aren’t giving up anything the other way, but at some point, they will actually need to start scoring, or else the coaching staff can scramble both of these lines.

4.  I think I’d just alternate the goalies this week — Bobrovsky against Calgary, then Stolarz against Seattle, and Bobrovsky again against Vancouver before they return home. It still makes sense to alternate them and keep them both fresh right now. The following week, they return home and play only twice, too—Tuesday and Saturday. That gives them ample time to rest up and keep working through the season.

5.  I think we have to start thinking about this Leafs team as a fast team and the advantages it could create for them. I made this point on the podcast last week but wanted to note it here as well: In 2017, the Penguins won the Cup with a defense of Ron Hainsey, Ian Cole, Olli Maatta, Justin Schultz, Trevor Daley, and Brian Dumoulin — some solid defensemen, to be sure, but not exactly a fleet-of-foot, skilled unit. They chipped a lot of pucks off the wall and created foot races at the far blue line for their wingers to hunt down.

The Leafs’ winger group of Cowan, Roslovic, Nylander, Marchenko, McKenna, Duhaime, and even MacEwen are all fast. Lettieri can skate as well, and even Sissons is a plus skater if he’s on the flank. The Leafs’ first two goals against the Oilers came from forwards blowing the zone and high flips out of the zone. MacEwen’s goal was also an example of a winger simply flying down the ice. Duhaime’s goal against the Rangers was a high flip out to center that they pressured, created a turnover, and scored on. Easton Cowan scored on a 2v1 off a stretch pass against Columbus as well (shorthanded, to boot!).

Naturally, you would prefer clean breakouts where they string together a series of passes on the tape and move cleanly out of the zone and up ice. That is always the best-case scenario, and this is not a plea to mindlessly dump it off the glass all the time. But with the Leafs’ speed, it’s viable to send it and let the above-mentioned players hunt down pucks. Give them 40/60 pucks down ice, and I think they win back a surprising amount, which should make opposing defensemen back up a little and open up cleaner breakouts. They have burners on the wing of every single line.

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