Maple Leafs October Report Cards: Rating Every Player’s Start

Guess who's back, back again? Healthier, lighter, mentally refreshed, and back to elite-of-the-elite production, Matthews has been the Leafs' offensive engine. He's playing 20+ minutes on average with stronger play-driving and assertiveness in his puck battles, along with elite finishing and high-end playmaking. Two four-point nights in three games, against Nashville and Colorado, highlighted his white-hot month. He added two three-point games against San Jose and Seattle. The bet on his chemistry with Jack Roslovic has panned out as well as hoped so far, as the line has held its own (or better) against anybody, even when neither Nylander nor Marchenko has been the third member. The biggest piece of that success is Matthews' return to dominant form. It's hard to poke holes in a 58-goal, 126-point pace. A tough night in Calgary led to an immediate expression of personal accountability. The captain's leadership, production, and physical fitness have all been on the money so far.

A major addition so far, whose pace and chemistry with Matthews have made the top line credible no matter who has played on the left. His speed opens up the ice, and he has shown impressive playmaking ability to go along with his reliable finishing. His current six-game point streak reflects his sustained five-on-five offensive value in the early going. As of November 1st, his 16 points led all NHL players on new teams this season and put him inside the league's top 30 in points overall. He's tied for 11th in the NHL (with teammate William Nylander) in even-strength points. Can he buck his reputation as an early-season hero who cools off as the hockey ramps up?

A substantial sophomore step forward, tempered by a difficult final week of the opening month. Improved skating, bursting confidence, and his work rate away from the puck earned him more prominent assignments. He has finished well on his looks (18.2 SH%), along with some excellent passing sequences. The Calgary and Vancouver games featured poor puck decisions and reduced ice time. He must recognize when a simple play/bailout is enough. His character is never in question, as he always digs in and responds the right way after setbacks. Overall, Cowan has been a major positive development/storyline in the early going, as he has been among the Leafs' best forwards on more nights than not.

He's technically slightly below even at five-on-five, but it's largely not been his own doing, one tough road trip aside. He's shown he is a dynamic puck transporter, a multi-faceted offensive threat, and a bigger power-play weapon than in years past on a more talented PP unit than in Columbus. He can help elevate any line with his skating, puck carrying, and playmaking. Shifting more into the middle/net front has unlocked additional power-play scoring. The injury interrupted a strong overall opening month; it was not always plain sailing, but considering he was thrown into a new team/city on the eve of the season, the early returns on the blockbuster trade and major contract extension are promising.

A valuable Swiss-Army knife of sorts, Sissons has broken 15 minutes a night on average, eighth among Leaf forwards. The offense and line-driving ability are limited, but he's been a major asset on the PK and in the faceoff circle (60+%), and he has helped the team's speed and forechecking. He's pacing for 11 goals and 26 points in 84 games after producing just 11 points in 66 games in Vegas last season. Putting aside debates about his contract and whether there might have been better uses of the money available in FA, he's helping the Leafs and delivering in his role.

Effective in a defined energy role, helping the fourth line become a useful source of momentum at five-on-five since he, Blueger, and MacEwen gelled. The forechecking, wall work, and penalty killing have stood out. He's playing two-plus minutes per game on the Leafs' elite PK, and the team has won his minutes at five-on-five: five for, four against. Almost all of his production came in one game against NYR (three points), but a five-goal, 21-point pace over 84 while edging his five-on-five minutes and contributing to a high-end PK would check the boxes for a successful first season in Toronto.

A surprise inclusion in the opening-night roster whose value wasn't immediately obvious, but whose size, physicality, and much-improved skating (especially impressive given his 2025-26 season was wiped out by a major knee injury) have helped the Leafs form a credible "identity" line alongside Blueger and Duhaime. He won't score at a 17-goal pace prorated over 84 games this season (his current pace after 10 appearances), but can he continue to help the Leafs generate positive momentum in games and chip in enough offense to firm up his claim to an everyday lineup spot as the long season grinds on? The 30-year-old hasn't played more than 45 games in a pro season in several years.

The reliably elite offense raises his rating floor, but uneven defensive efforts and below-water five-on-five results reduce the overall mark. The two-goal season opener against Montreal, the two-goal game against Edmonton, and the five-point game in Colorado were signature Nylander performances. The team needs a little more away from the puck from one of its now-veteran leaders. No one is asking for a Selke nomination, but nights like the one in Seattle -- where he finds his legs with the puck but is disengaged without it -- need to be fewer and farther between. The Leafs need to win Nylander's five-on-five minutes, which generally aren't against the other team's top players, if they're going anywhere this year.

The McKenna era in Toronto has started roughly in line with realistic expectations: High-end offensive promise and power-play impact, with clear signs of the defensive, physicality, and puck-management learning curves, as expected of an 18-year-old. His skating and finishing have jumped off the page more than advertised, and paired with his skill, vision, and deception, the overall toolkit should take him far in this league. He’s hovering around 43 percent of shot attempts and 42.5 in expected goals while getting outscored 10-5 at 5v5. He’s not ready to take on the 200-foot responsibility of a true top-six role for a team hoping to win right now, which is completely fine. That 13-14-minute range is plenty of time to keep developing, and he’s seeing prime offensive opportunities.

The McKenna-Tavares-Nylander experiment was dubious in theory and even worse in practice. Still, Tavares was productive before injury, and his absence has exposed the shortage of dependable scoring centers in the organization. He was producing at a point-per-game rate before the unfortunate injury. Tavares-Nylander were way underwater at five-on-five before Tavares' absence (6-2 for the opposition), and Tavares started the Buffalo game on the wing next to Nick Paul before the injury. Finding the right five-on-five fit and deployment upon his return is key; Tavares' limitations are well known, but his strength and skill on the puck down low and his finishing ability remain major assets.

A dependable role player whose penalty-killing and fourth-line work have provided real utility. He anticipates and takes away passing lanes well shorthanded. His line’s forecheck and cycle game improved markedly as October progressed, with Blueger supplying the responsible F3. He's not been a beast in the dot but is winning more faceoffs than he's losing. The team has been outscored by an 8-7 margin at five-on-five with Blueger on the ice, but that is respectable enough given the defensive-zone tilt to his usage. His four points came in two two-point games: vs. NYR and vs. his former team in Vancouver (empty-netter). A touch more offense, and avoiding the 10+ game droughts like the one he battled through to start the season, would be nice.

A useful, adaptable addition who has helped cover Tavares’ absence, with clear limits as a second-line center. Size, penalty killing, board work, and positional flexibility provide value. His extra effort helped create the late-game winner against the Rangers, but he has just two goals -- one deflected in off his body, and the other was an empty-netter. He's struggled in the faceoff circle, and the Leafs need a little more finish from him; two point-blank looks in Calgary weren't converted when it might've made a difference in the game. The five-on-five results will need to improve, and once Marchenko and Tavares return, the Leafs will need to find the right fit to get more out of Paul as far as winning his five-on-five minutes and chipping in more offensively, be it on the LW or at C.

The 31-year-old journeyman is hungry to make the most of his first NHL opportunity since April 2025 -- he has already fought twice since his Oct. 19 recall, and he leads the team in hits and blocks per 60. The issue is that the overall puck/possession play and production have been lacking, outside of one garbage-time goal against the Oilers at the end of a 7-2 win. The line alongside Sissons and McKenna is simply a stopgap measure (and a debatable one at that) for now. The fourth line has gelled and will likely remain together for the foreseeable future, and when Tavares and/or Marchenko return, the spot Lettieri is occupying will no longer be there. He's a warm-body fill-in who hasn't yet done anything to suggest he could remain in the lineup if/when the Leafs get healthy.

This was written before the waiver news: Groulx hasn't supplied enough offensively or in general to keep a regular lineup spot after claiming an opening-day roster spot through his showing/production last season, a decent camp, and his waiver status. He has at least filled a small-minute depth role as needed without getting buried; he has yet to be on the ice for a five-on-five goal against (one goal for). But it's been so "vanilla" that the argument for trying out different Marlies options has gotten stronger and stronger even before Kirill Marchenko and John Tavares return from injury. He is already sitting in favour of Vinni Lettieri, so his time to show something has likely run out (update: it has, at least for now -- he was placed on waivers on Monday).

Stecher further cemented his fan-favourite status this past month (shout-out to Troy's Boys), as he has exceeded expectations again with his heart-on-the-sleeve contributions -- excellent penalty killing, scrappy defending, and a few bits of timely offense. His ability to elevate his game in the spurts when the team needs it most has been particularly valuable during Tanev’s injury absence. His two goals, including the dramatic late winner against the Rangers, lead a team very shy on goals from defensemen. 19:30 in ice time is a little higher than ideal in the long run, but given that plenty of people tabbed him as the 7D behind Emil Andrae entering camp, Troy Stecher has once again proven it's a bad idea to bet against Troy Stecher. If Tanev can remain healthy, a big PK role + manageable five-on-five responsibilities on a solid bottom pairing next to OEL is a workload Stecher should settle into capably.

The warts will always be there defensively, as far as his defensive-zone coverage, gaps, and decision-making, but he has limited the damage defensively most nights while sitting at break-even at five-on-five. He's averaging 19.5 minutes a game and has 11 points in 16 games (all assists) despite just one coming on the power play, where he's been permanently overtaken by Darren Raddysh and will remain on PP2 so long as Raddysh is healthy. If he can help facilitate offense at a 50+ point pace (currently on pace for 58, without a goal yet) while coming out ahead at five-on-five, it will be a successful enough season for a player many assumed had played his last game as a Leaf last April. The fit next to Raddysh wasn't ideal, but you could reasonably envision a path to achieving those season goals on a pairing with either Tanev or Stecher.

Is he healthy? If yes, Chris Tanev will be winning his five-on-five minutes consistently while capably killing penalties. Of course, he's already missed nine of 16 games, and we watch every shift of his with our collective breath held at this point. The prospect of consistently running out McCabe-Raddysh / Rielly-Tanev / OEL-Stecher as the six-man unit is the best we've felt about the Leafs' defense in a long time, but you're always waiting for the next shoe to drop with Tanev's health. At this point, there is a lot of sense in rolling with these pairings for now with Tanev back in the fold, while trying to keep Tanev's minutes manageable.

The new Leaf is playing even more than expected (23:40) but is handling it reasonably well as far as his defending and puck movement at five-on-five. There have been shaky games, none worse than his Leaf debut against Montreal, but he's largely getting by in tough minutes at five-on-five and adding a dimension to the power play, even if he's yet to score with his vaunted slapshot. The shot itself was probably overplayed in the discourse compared to the importance of providing a legitimate top-four puck-moving defenseman who can facilitate offense and handle tough assignments. Even without a goal yet, he's still on pace for 47 points over 84 as he has nine assists in 16 games. The aim should be to scale back his defensive load a little, if Tanev's health allows for it.

Again facing the toughest assignments at five-on-five while leading the team in shorthanded ice time (3:42/game), McCabe takes on the nastiest minutes of anyone on the team and again lost partner Chris Tanev after just a handful of games this season. This time, we saw the benefits of adding Darren Raddysh; the Leafs were able to reasonably stabilize that pairing/role during Tanev's injury, whereas McCabe largely fell apart last season without #8. McCabe-Raddysh is sitting at 6-6 in goals despite just 33% offensive-zone starts. They might be asking a little too much of the pairing at the present, but they can't overload Tanev, or they know he will break. It's hard to hold McCabe to offensive expectations when he plays such tough minutes, but his current zero-goal, 16-assist pace is well below his production standards set in previous seasons.

It was an underwhelming start from a versatile veteran the Leafs needed and expected more from, particularly during Tanev's injury absence. He battled turnovers and bad penalties (minus-five penalty differential) while generally chasing the play, and he has just one point in 16 games after leading the Leafs' defense in scoring last season. His minutes have dipped below 18 minutes per night on average, and he is below water at five-on-five (10-13), along with the dearth of offense. An offensive regression from 2025-26 was expected with Darren Raddysh arriving on the depth chart and Morgan Rielly staying put in Toronto, but the drop in production has been considerably worse than envisioned so far. The good news is that the pairing with Stecher is showing signs that it can be part of the solution on the blue line, as they are up 6-4 in five-on-five goals together with very strong underlying metrics.

The puck skills and mobility are appealing, and he's courageous for his build, but the size and defensive limitations require significant sheltering, and even then, he has not been able to win his five-on-five minutes (out-scored 5-3). He scored right away in his Leaf debut, but he hasn't found the scoresheet since, while playing just 13:05 per game, as he's been difficult to trust with any serious minutes. He was in the process of getting leapfrogged on the depth chart by Marshall Rifai before the Rifai injury. He's right-handed depth with the ability to take a semi-respectable sheltered shift if injuries strike.

He's played one really bad game in Utah, and he's won the rest of his six starts. He's undeniably inspired more confidence than Bobrovsky when in the net this season, but the Leafs are sticking to their plan in net, which includes carefully managing the injury-prone 32-year-old's workload, including a refusal to send him into games cold in relief thus far. He backstopped the Leafs to their best win of the season in Edmonton. His three assists in six games as a goalie are a testament to his puck-handling ability, which helps the Leafs' breakouts. The temptation to roll with him as the hot hand is strong; we'll see how much more patience the Leafs have in their existing workload plan, and if they're rewarded for that patience with two healthy, capable goalies.

A notorious slow starter, he's allowed fewer than three in only one game out of 10 so far: the 3-1 win over San Jose. That stat on its own is lacking some mitigating context, in that he was quite good in the win against Colorado despite allowing three, the Vegas shootout loss certainly wasn't on him (he was the only reason they grabbed a point), and he gave the Leafs a chance against Montreal, Ottawa, and Calgary. Still, in the aggregate, it hasn't been good enough, as the three wins and .885 save percentage attest to, even if the defense hasn't been strong around him. The Leafs are sticking to their goalie schedule set before the season, refusing to overreact to small samples or individual games, while tightly managing the injury-prone Stolarz's workload. But we're now 16 games in; we'll see if it is the wise approach compared to riding the hot hand more, as the fan base is growing impatient with Bobrovsky and the Atlantic Division is unforgiving.