Editor in Leaf

The Toronto Maple Leafs are entering the 2026-27 season as one of the NHL's most interesting teams to watch. This is because they not only added multiple new players to their roster through free agency and trades but also landed Gavin McKenna with this year's first-overall pick. The Maple Leafs also have some players to keep an eye on who have the potential to have career years. Due to this, let's look at three players who could end up hitting new career highs during the 2026-27 season.

It's not every day that you hear positive remarks about former Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, but an Edmonton Oilers superstar is clearly excited to be coached by him. There's no denying that Babcock helped the development of the Leafs as he took a last-place team to the playoffs in one year, but at what cost? With mind-tricks and a true hatability, Babcock does not seem like a guy that many players would want on their side every night.

The arrival of Gavin McKenna was one of the most unexpected windfalls the Toronto Maple Leafs have ever experienced. And it’s the sort of situation that could completely change the narrative around captain Auston Matthews. Unlike the controlled demolition that led to Matthews in 2016, McKenna was more of a serendipitous situation. The Leafs tanked last season, with the fall being so precipitous that it netted the first-overall selection.

Daily Faceoff's The Sheet host Jeff Marek recently sat down with NHL.com's Dan Rosen to dissect the Toronto Maple Leafs offseason and forecast the team's future. Like many prognosticators, they are not sure what to expect in the 2026-27 season. Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka had a very busy first offseason in Toronto, trying to improve the team after missing the playoffs in 2025-26.

The topic of NHL expansion has gained plenty of momentum in recent weeks. The possibility of another team in Texas seems like the likeliest outcome. But could there be a scenario in which the NHL lands another team in Canada? Specifically, could that team be somewhere in the Greater Toronto Area? Before moving forward, let’s be clear. There is no inkling that the NHL is moving towards landing another team in Canada, let alone in Southern Ontario.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have apparently found the person who will take over one of the most recognizable jobs in Canadian sports broadcasting. According to a report from YYZ Sports Media, longtime voice of the AHL's Toronto Marlies, Todd Crocker, is set to replace Joe Bowen as the Maple Leafs' radio play-by-play voice following Bowen's retirement.

Brad Marchand is not taking a summer off from what he loves to do: Be a little pest and poke at his peers. He has grown quite a reputation over his 17-year career as one of the NHL's top agitators while also being extremely talented and good at everything else about hockey, too. Especially when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Marchand has become an expert at doing a little bit of weasel work to the centre of the hockey universe.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a head coach search that lasted months and months. We were getting little bite-sized pieces of information about who they were interviewing before eventually hiring Jim Hiller to be the team's 42nd head coach in franchise history. Joe Pavelski was one of the names that popped up and it was shocking, and then it was even more shocking when he was named a finalist for the job after not ever coaching a game of professional hockey.

The main storyline for the Toronto Maple Leafs this summer has been Morgan Rielly. Specifically, his permanence on the club ahead of training camp signals that he’s not going anywhere, at least not anytime soon. While there’s a chance the Leafs could still move the team’s longest-tenured player, it’s a safe bet he’ll be starting the season in Toronto. And it’s Rielly's presence on the Maple Leafs' blueline that largely keeps the defense corps essentially intact.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had quite a busy offseason. They have many new players on their roster to watch heading into this upcoming season, and they are hoping to bounce back from their nightmare 2025-26 season. While the Maple Leafs have many new faces on their roster, they would be smart to invite at least one more player to their training camp on a professional tryout (PTO) agreement. Adding another forward on a PTO, in particular, is something the Maple Leafs need to consider.