The Toronto Maple Leafs have made some significant changes to their roster. They drafted first overall, brought in a veteran goalie, and got some depth forwards. These changes have brought a new identity to certain areas of the lineup. One main area to look at is the top-six.
How should the lines look with McKenna in the lineup? Should he play alongside Auston Matthews? Or should he play on the wing of veteran John Tavares? Outside of McKenna, there are plenty of other players’ outlooks to consider, given how poorly the team performed last season.
Let’s break down the potential top-six options for the 2026–27 season.
Rolling McKenna with Matthews
The first option could be a fully loaded top-six.
McKenna – Matthews – Nylander
Knies – Tavares – Roslovic
Usually, this is not a look that the Leafs roll with. Nylander is mostly on the second line with Tavares, while Matthews centres the first line. Obviously, the two team up on the power play to bring as much offence as possible, but that is spread out at 5v5. Matthews and Nylander are the best two players on the Leafs, so this could very well provide McKenna with the best chance to succeed. However, one thing is for certain: Matthews definitely needs a new playmaker on his wing. It is not Maccelli (as he signed with the Islanders) or Domi because he is injured (and bad). Either way, both of these forwards were totally awful choices compared to Mitch Marner.
McKenna will be a breath of fresh air for the top-six. He easily has the potential to be the best playmaker on the team and could light it up alongside Matthews and Nylander. Whether this is the first line or not, one thing is for certain: these three will run the first power play unit.
The second line would feature Knies and Tavares, who have some experience together. A new addition would be Roslovic sliding onto that second-line wing. The forward is coming off an inconsistent season with the Edmonton Oilers, where he recorded 21 goals and 36 points. I think he would fit well alongside Knies and Tavares, considering his playmaking and scoring abilities off the rush.
McKenna alongside Tavares
Another option that I think would be a good start is to have McKenna on Tavares’s wing.
Knies – Matthews – Cowan
McKenna – Tavares – Nylander
I really like this second line as each player will complement the others. McKenna is the pure playmaker, Tavares is the two-way centre, while Nylander is the goal scorer. This line has amazing potential. Specifically, I think the idea of having McKenna learn from a player like Tavares would really help his development. Even though he is not the captain of the Leafs anymore, Tavares is still the main leader. He is one of the oldest and most experienced guys who can be a role model for McKenna.
I think that this is the line that the team should start with. They can always load up a line of McKenna, Matthews, and Nylander at a crucial time for offence. Otherwise, I think this is the way to go.
A Matthews line with Knies and Cowan on the wings could very well be the first line on opening night. It is already known that Knies can work with Matthews, and Cowan will be ready for a full-time NHL top-six role.
Run both young guns on the same line?
Another interesting option would be to have McKenna and Cowan on the same line.
McKenna – Matthews – Cowan
Knies – Tavares – Nylander
The first line combines the talent of McKenna, Cowan, and Matthews. I believe this line would be amazing to watch, but it has the potential for complete disaster. Cowan is coming off his first professional hockey season, while McKenna is just getting started. No doubt having both of the kids on the same line would produce a lot of excitement, but mistakes are bound to happen. McKenna would be the primary playmaker, with Matthews carrying a lot of the scoring potential. I doubt this top line would get a long-term look, but it would be interesting to see.
Give Roslovic a chance?
McKenna – Matthews – Roslovic
Knies – Tavares – Nylander
A final option could be providing Roslovic with a chance to prove himself. This would include a first line of McKenna, Matthews, and Roslovic. I do think that this line would have good chemistry, but I do not think it is the best option. Roslovic is solid, but he is extremely inconsistent. This line could be a top choice if Roslovic is on a hot streak and the team wants to maximize his scoring chances. The main problem with running this line is that it will push Cowan down to the third line.
The second line of Knies with Tavares and Nylander is a bit of a no-brainer. This is an excellent second line that ranks among the best in the league.
Which top-six lineup do you think the Leafs should roll with to start?
Who can argue with the line combination examples provided here?
We simply do not know how things will shake out. What we do know is that the Leafs have just 3 right shooting forwards in Nylander, Roslovic and Sissons with the latter not expected to play in the top six. Left shooting Cowan has played a lot of right wing, mostly at the Junior level but also took some shifts on the right flank in the NHL and AHL.
There is talk of Chayka not being finished and that the roster we see at the moment is not the finished product. If that is so the obvious team needs are at least one more top nine right shooting winger and the ongoing upgrade to the D corps.
The problem with the first option is Matthews and McKenna (in his rookie season) need a more battle ready and tougher other winger than Nylander. The biggest problems with the top 6 are the only player defensively responsible is Matthews and the only tough player is Knies! As far as playing defensively, Knies got a team worst -30, Tavares 3rd worst at -28 and Roslovic and Nylander aren’t too good defensively. So, one of the top 6 lines will be defensively poor with these 6 players. The second option doesn’t give Matthews anything different than he had last season..unless Cowan is quickly better.