Leafs Notebook

Since 2011, Anthony Petrielli has been providing his weekly long-form breakdown of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ games and the big storylines surrounding the team.

Max Domi, Maple Leafs

Leafs Notebook: A formidable second line, a third line that can score, the PK...

Nothing like back-to-back wins before a week off to quiet down the Toronto market.  Much more significant than the wins, though, was the recipe that...
Sheldon Keefe, Maple Leafs bench

Leafs Notebook: The Maple Leafs’ lack of secondary scoring, and Sheldon Keefe’s questionable line...

What a difference a week makes. It was only seven days ago that the Leafs wrapped up their season-high five-game road trip, owned a winning...
Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs Notebook: A 5-2-1 start despite Matthews & Marner’s early mediocrity together at five-on-five

Through nearly 10 percent of the season, the Maple Leafs are sitting with a 5-2-1 record and a plus-five goal differential. Their longest road trip...
Joseph Woll, Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs Notebook: Don’t call it a goalie controversy

This week, we’ll start with the goalie situation. I explicitly call it a "situation" because that’s what it is. What it isn’t, to be clear,...
Sheldon Keefe, Maple Leafs bench

Leafs Notebook: Roster learning curves and early-season adjustments

It’s easy to forget given all of the Maple Leafs’ core players returned this season, but there was a lot of change this summer...
Fraser Minten, Maple Leafs

Leafs Notebook: Scrutinizing the decision to keep Fraser Minten and other thoughts on the...

After a flurry of offseason moves (while keeping the same core) and a training camp that brought some pleasant surprises, the Maple Leafs opening...
Matthew Knies of the Maple Leafs

Breaking down the Maple Leafs preseason performances: Prospects, Marlies, & NHLers

Preseason is thankfully on the back nine, and the real NHL hockey is going to begin shortly. Before then, there will be roster cuts, potential...
Matthew Knies, Maple Leafs

Preseason Storylines: Matthew Knies, Nick Robertson, Pontus Holmberg, and others with something to prove

NHL hockey is finally back, albeit preseason hockey. For most players, it means very little other than getting some touches, getting acquainted with new...
Jake McCabe, Toronto Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs 2023-24 Season Preview, Part 2: Sorting through the defense, coaching staff, and...

In Part 1 of the 2023-24 season preview, we took a look at the forward group, including the center position that is now going...
Toronto Maple Leafs celebrate, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, Mitch Marner

Maple Leafs 2023-24 Season Preview, Part 1: William Nylander’s shift to center, where it...

With the NHL offseason officially over and training camps underway ahead of the 2023-24 season, it’s a good time to take stock of Brad...
Auston Matthews, Leafs legend

What Auston Matthews’ precedent-breaking four-year contract means for the Maple Leafs’ future

In the end, this contract negotiation was all about what Auston Matthews wanted. As an elite player at a premium position and a pending UFA...
Sheldon Keefe, bench shot

The drawbacks of the Maple Leafs running a 20-man roster & other offseason notes

Over the past week or so, we have gained more clarity around the Maple Leafs’ salary cap situation with the announcement of Matt Murray’s...
Calle Jarnkrok, Toronto Maple Leafs

How will the Maple Leafs get under the cap? The buyout + trade scenario...

The Maple Leafs gained some further clarity on their salary cap situation over the weekend when Ilya Samsonov was awarded a one-year, $3.55 million...
Matthew Knies, Maple Leafs vs. Rangers

What are reasonable expectations for Matthew Knies’ rookie season, and where will he fit...

Back in 2016-17, the Toronto Maple Leafs iced a rookie class the likes of which we’ve never seen before and probably won’t witness ever...

The remaining offseason business for the Maple Leafs: On William Nylander’s $10 million ask,...

The NHL offseason has slowed to a crawl, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still business to take care of for the Maple Leafs. The...
Tyler Bertuzzi, Bruins, Maple Leafs

How Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi change the Maple Leafs’ lineup mix, and the...

Day one of NHL free agency was a relatively quiet one for the Maple Leafs, but on day two, Brad Treliving made his mark. In...
Ryan Reaves, Wild, Maple Leafs

Offseason Analysis: The Reaves, Klingberg, and Kampf contracts, and the needs remaining

At the beginning of the 2022-23 season, the Maple Leafs started with the following opening-night lineup: Bunting - Matthews - Marner Nylander - Tavares - Malgin Engvall...
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The “Core Four” Offseason Series: Anticipating Mitch Marner’s next contract and whether the Leafs...

The final player we’re going to discuss in our Core Four Offseason Series is Mitch Marner, who we left for last for a number...
William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs

The “Core Four” Offseason Series: The William Nylander Contract and Trade Scenarios

Part three of the Core Four series takes a look at William Nylander -- the first core player we have discussed in this space...
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs

The “Core Four” Offseason Series: The Auston Matthews Contract

In part one of the “Core Four” Offseason Series we looked at John Tavares, who has a high annual salary that will be difficult...

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