The Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2025–26 NHL season officially started last night at home against the Montreal Canadiens. With Scott Laughton injured and Joseph Woll on a leave of absence, there was some roster shuffling to start the season. Easton Cowan made the roster, but will have to wait for his season debut.
The Leafs received offence throughout their lineup last night in the 5–2 win over the Canadiens. Let’s take a look at the key takeaways from the Leafs’ home opener.
No Mo’ problems
Coming into this season, one of the biggest talking points was the lack of offence from the Leafs’ defencemen. This has been a common theme throughout the Matthews era. On the power play, the Leafs tend to go with five forwards, likely because the Leafs have no threat from the point.
The Leafs’ best offensively gifted defenceman is Morgan Rielly, and it seems he is going to be used more in this capacity, especially on the power play. However, head coach Craig Berube said Rielly needs to shoot the puck if he is to quarterback the top power play unit this season.
Last night, Morgan Rielly looked like he wanted to have the bounce-back season that we all want him to have. He was the best Leafs’ defenceman all night. Rielly picked up an assist on Calle Jarnkrok’s first goal of the season:
However, this play started with Rielly making an offensive rush into the Canadiens’ zone. Rielly also scored the game-winning goal on a beautiful breakaway chance by Matthew Knies:
On the night, Rielly finished with five shots, the highest of any Leaf. Collectively, the defence had 11 shots on goal, were actively joining odd man rushes all night, and were aggressive for offence.
If the Leafs’ coaching staff can unlock the offence from the Leafs’ defence, then it’s another potent weapon heading into this year’s playoffs. Last night was game one of the season, so there are many more games to assess the defence. But out of the gate, it looked promising.
The second line looked dangerous
Heading into the season, I think no one was shocked to see a second line of Bobby McMann–John Tavares–William Nylander starting opening night. McMann did not have a good playoffs last season, only tallying three assists in six games. However, last night, he was arguably the Leafs’ best forward.
McMann used his speed to get the inside lane on the Canadiens’ defenders to drive the net several times last night. He also used his size to get in front of the eyes of Samuel Montembeault for a deflection on the Leafs’ first goal a minute into the season:
Tavares picked up two assists, one on McMann’s goal and on Nylander’s empty net goal. Nylander finished the night with one goal and two assists. This line showed chemistry last season, with McMann scoring 20 goals and Nylander being second in NHL goal scoring. They got off to a good start last night.
New top line woes
The first line featured Matias Maccelli with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies. We saw in preseason that they looked fairly good together, but last night was the first real test. Unfortunately, unlike the preseason, the line didn’t click.
It wasn’t until past the mid-way point in the second period that the line got their first shot on goal. Berube tried Knies and Matthews with Max Domi for a few shifts, as well as Jarnkrok. Clearly, the injury to Laughton has thrown Berube’s plans out the window.
However, Maccelli did pick up his first point as a Leaf on an assist on Rielly’s goal. He also made some excellent passing plays, showcasing his playmaking ability. Domi noticeably shot the puck more, finishing with four shots on the night, tying with Nicholas Robertson for most shots by a Leafs forward.
Matthews scored his first of the season, albeit an empty-netter. Nevertheless, getting those first points at the beginning of the season is crucial in building confidence. It’s the first game of the season, so it’s hard to come to any conclusions about the top line.
Onto the next
With the 5–2 win, the Leafs have won their last 10 home openers. The Leafs received scoring from the top-six, bottom-six, and the defence in last night’s game in an excellent start to the year. The Leafs play next on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings are looking to get off to a good start themselves, desperately trying to avoid going a decade without making the playoffs.
