The dust has settled on a wild opening to free agency this summer, and the Toronto Maple Leafs have almost an entirely new-look roster for the 2026–27 season.
General manager John Chayka has made moves, both in trades and through free agent signings, to help revamp the Toronto Maple Leafs and build a team with depth that is capable of getting back into the playoffs at the first time of asking.
But with so many changes to the roster, how could the Leafs realistically look when the season officially opens in October?
Goaltenders
The Toronto Maple Leafs have not had a genuine, true, established number one goaltender since the days of Frederik Andersen. Some may even argue this goes even further back, to the days of Ed Belfour.
Many have been ‘number one’ on the depth chart, but now the team has a serious true starter in two-time Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky, who signed a three-year, $7 million AAV contract on July 1.
Bobrovsky has two Vezinas to his name and even finished third in voting for the award for his performances in the 2023–24 season, so he is expected to be a solid starter for the Leafs despite turning 38 before the season starts.
Alongside him, stepping into the backup role after sharing starting duties with Joseph Woll over the past two years, is Anthony Stolarz. Stolarz is injury-prone, so having Bobrovsky take a larger share of starts should help manage his health and allow the Leafs to benefit from truly good goaltending.
Stolarz was Bobrovsky’s backup when the Florida Panthers won the Cup in 2023–24, so the Leafs will be hoping that this tandem can recapture their spark from that season and backstop the team to success this year.
| Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Anthony Stolarz |
Defencemen
Plenty could change with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ defence before the season starts, particularly regarding Morgan Rielly’s future with the team.
He is still out there as a potential trade candidate, but if he sticks around, then his position in the lineup is unclear.
He could end up sticking around in the top pairing alongside recent acquisition Darren Raddysh, or he could be moved further down the pack, with minutes spread more evenly to give the team flexibility.
The hope will be to have a healthy Chris Tanev this year, which would be a significant boost for the team after a difficult defensive performance last year.
If not, trade acquisition Emil Andrae will be bumped up in the lineup and given more middle pairing minutes after impressing in that role with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Leafs could rotate defensive pairings to find the best chemistry and maintain a healthier group throughout the season, so sticking to set pairings isn’t likely to happen unless one or two groups truly establish themselves as ideal partners.
This group could still change, and that could create even more interesting possibilities.
| Jake McCabe | Darren Raddysh |
| Morgan Rielly | Troy Stecher |
| Oliver Ekman-Larsson | Chris Tanev |
| Emil Andrae |
Forwards
The forward group had the biggest overhaul of all this offseason, with Chayka moving off RFAs Nick Robertson and Matias Maccelli before adding five new players who will slot into the lineup immediately and provide strength, depth, and flexibility in the bottom and middle six this season.
Chayka went heavy on signing players capable of playing centre, providing options through the middle in Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, and Nick Paul.
Should an injury occur to any of them, there is another player to step into their spot and provide adequate cover, something the team lacked last season. All three aforementioned players are fairly strong in the faceoff circle, with Sissons (53.9%) and Paul (52.2%) posting impressive career averages, while Blueger (49.9%) is the weakest of the three.
With the bottom-six filled with strong penalty killers and players who excel in the defensive zone, it should allow the top-six players to play more of an offence-focused style and put them in more goalscoring opportunities.
The top-six could see either wing rotated, with Gavin McKenna and Matthew Knies on the left and William Nylander and Jack Roslovic on the right. Chemistry and form will largely determine which players line up alongside Auston Matthews or John Tavares in the top six, but the depth is there to ensure the Leafs’ top performers can succeed.
Like the defence, the Toronto Maple Leafs have flexibility on offence and could easily mix and match lines throughout the season, depending on their opponents or general needs at the time.
At the very least, the offence looks significantly different from last season, and with so many new faces, it will be intriguing to see how new head coach Jim Hiller can get them performing to the standard expected.
| Gavin McKenna | Auston Matthews | William Nylander |
| Matthew Knies | John Tavares | Jack Roslovic |
| Nick Paul | Colton Sissons | Easton Cowan |
| Dakota Joshua | Teddy Blueger | Brandon Duhaime |
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