The Leafs Nation - News, Roster, Scores, Schedule
Total reads
29
This week
2
Rank
#385 of 460
Published
543 posts
Last 12 weeks
Most read posts
Featured on Sportsblogs
Run this blog? Add the badge to your site to show readers you're featured — it links back to this page.
Latest Entries
Instant Reaction: Maple Leafs trade power for pace in Kirill Marchenko-Matthew Knies blockbuster
A day before the season opener, minutes before the 5 PM deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets engineered a genuine franchise-altering trade. Toronto acquired Kirill Marchenko, Miles Wood and Elvis Merzlikins in exchange for Matthew Knies, Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae and the Seattle Kraken’s 2027 2nd-round pick, via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Upon…
Maple Leafs acquire Kirill Marchenko from Blue Jackets for Matthew Knies in 6-player blockbuster
The Toronto Maple Leafs have completed a blockbuster trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on the eve of the new NHL season. The full trade has the Maple Leafs sending Matthew Knies, Emil Andrae, Steven Lorentz, and a 2027 second-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for forward Kirill Marchenko, goaltender Elvis Merzlikins,…
Maple Leafs acquire Kirill Marchenko from Blue Jackets for Matthew Knies in 6-player blockbuster
The Toronto Maple Leafs have completed a blockbuster trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on the eve of the new NHL season. The Maple Leafs sent Matthew Knies and two other pieces to the Blue Jackets for a package including Kirill Marchenko, Elvis Merzlikins, and one other piece. According to Elliotte Friedman, Marchenko is expected…
John Chayka expresses belief that Matthew Knies’ game will turn corner when new season begins
The Toronto Maple Leafs wrapped up their final practice of preseason on Monday, a little over 24 hours before they’re set to take on the Montreal Canadiens at home for the season opener. This past offseason, spearheaded by new general manager John Chayka, brought tons of change both on and off the ice to a…
Bruce Boudreau predicts 60-plus points for Gavin McKenna: Leafs Morning Take
Hard to believe it, but we’re now just one sleep away from the start of another NHL season. Final preparations are underway for the new-look Maple Leafs as they get set to host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena. That’s where the conversation started on Monday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take, as…
Gavin McKenna says he will have 14 friends and family in attendance for NHL debut vs. Canadiens
The beginning of Gavin McKenna’s National Hockey League career is one night away. The Toronto Maple Leafs will open their 2026-27 regular season against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night as they try to embark on a more successful campaign after last year’s disappointment. The Canadiens enter the campaign with sky-high expectations following their unexpected trip…
Zack MacEwen among notables in Maple Leafs’ projected opening night lineup
There are few surprises ahead of Tuesday’s season opener, but Zack MacEwen appears to have made the opening night roster for the Toronto Maple Leafs. MacEwen was placed on the right wing of the fourth line during Tuesday’s practice, with Brandon Duhaime on the left and Teddy Blueger at centre. There were no other major…
Auston Matthews outlines changes to Maple Leafs’ playstyle under Jim Hiller
Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is feeling good about life right now with the start of the 2026-27 campaign fast approaching. He and the team are fresh off their trip to Arizona for some bonding time and a visit to the family of Matthew Mayich. Matthews felt the guys opened up a bit more…
John Tavares is antsy for Maple Leafs hockey to return after offseason that was ‘way too long for us’
The Toronto Maple Leafs are back from the longest offseason they’ve had since the beginning of the Auston Matthews era. Maybe it felt that way because the Toronto Blue Jays weren’t anything worth watching this summer, but it was also quite literally the longest one. It was the first time since 2015-16 that the team…
What does a successful 2026-27 season look like for Nick Blankenburg?
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a smart add when they were able to get defenceman Nick Blankenburg signed to a PTO at the start of training camp. He had quietly been proving himself as a reliable third-pairing guy who can play a solid two-way game, be slotted at either side, and can be utilized on…
Will the NHL’s worst goaltending duo doom an analytically-sound Senators team?
It’s been a recurring theme of our divisional previews: the NHL often is dictated by goaltending and man, did the Ottawa Senators suffer in this department last season! Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson are the NHL’s worst goaltending duo (our friends at the Daily Faceoff flagship ranked Ottawa’s pair in 20th place, for what it’s…
What does a successful 2026-27 season look like for John Tavares?
Ever since he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the summer of 2018, John Tavares has been everything the Leafs could have asked for and more. He’s routinely floated around the 70-point mark, he served as captain for the first half of his contract, and above all else, he’s been a consummate pro the…
Around the NHL: Dylan Larkin linked to Wild, Bruins; Oilers/Canadiens potential trade partners
Welcome back to our final Around the NHL before the 2026-27 season begins. Rosters are due at 5:00 PM eastern time on Monday, and this year is setting up to be a very entertaining one, on and off the ice. There’s been a ton of storylines to follow throughout training camps, as some teams are…
Will the Sabres replace Alex Tuch’s volume in the aggregate?
It’s not necessarily fun to take the Moneyball route with the Buffalo Sabres, but we’d like to see them repeat last year’s surprise run to the second round of the playoffs, again. Buffalo finally broke its playoff drought, led by a standout season from Rasmus Dahlin, while Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch drove the NHL’s…
Matthew Knies’ consistent production under microscope of new coaching staff
Matthew Knies didn’t necessarily have an outstanding training camp, or showing during two preseason contests, and frankly, the pressure is on entering the 2026-27 season. Knies didn’t seem as comfortable as we’ve seen in year’s past, and yes, let’s not overreact on just two preseason games, but the fact of the matter is he can…
Maple Leafs sign defenceman Nick Blankenburg to 1-year contract worth $1.4M
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenceman Nick Blankenburg to a one-year contract, the team confirmed on Sunday. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed by the team, but Blankenburg reportedly signed a pact worth $1.4 million, according to PuckPedia. Blankenburg was originally signed to a professional tryout (PTO) after a breakout season split…
Maple Leafs rally behind Matthew Mayich during team trip to Arizona
It seems that the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ decision to travel to Arizona instead of Muskoka for their annual team bonding trip this year carries a greater meaning than a simple change of scenery. Upon landing in the desert, the Maple Leafs paid a trip to visit Arizona State defenceman Matthew Mayich in the hospital. Mayich,…
Time and Space: How Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller is emphasizing creative entries and pace
Jim Hiller was appointed as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs on June 17, and there’s still a pressing question at hand: how will Hiller’s tactics deviate from Craig Berube’s, and how does he want his team to play, where there are renewed postseason expectations for his group? We’ll start with Hiller’s direct response,…
A begrudgingly positive review of the 2026-27 Montreal Canadiens
It may be viewed as a poisonous opinion for a Toronto Maple Leafs beat writer to hold, so consider the following a begrudgingly positive review of the 2026-27 Montreal Canadiens. The changing of the guard took place last season, and while the Canadiens were expertly dispatched by the Carolina Hurricanes, they will be back for…
Andrei Vasilevskiy may be the razor-thin difference in heated Atlantic Division competition
This isn’t a particularly novel thought, but it’s worth a reminder: Andrei Vasilevskiy is the lone constant in a position inherently subject to random variation. He is the perpetual answer and in conjunction with Nikita Kucherov, the primary reason why the Tampa Bay Lightning have remainder a contender for the past decade and change in…
Top 5 Maple Leafs trade candidates heading into 2026-27
The 2026-27 NHL season is upon us, and it’s exciting times around the Toronto Maple Leafs. John Chayka had himself a stellar first offseason as general manager, significantly changing the makeup of the roster, while setting the team up to go all-in the next two seasons to try and win a Stanley Cup. Chayka’s been…
What does a successful 2026-27 season look like for William Nylander?
William Nylander enters the 2026-27 season as a core piece to the success of the Toronto Maple Leafs. After a frustrating season in which Nylander only appeared in 65 games, his lowest total in six years, the veteran forward welcomes a familiar face in Jim Hiller behind the bench, in what many feel could be…
Projected 2027 No. 1 pick Landon DuPont outlines reasons behind jump to NCAA
With the recently implemented rule change to junior hockey, young players now have more control than ever as they decide on the best path to getting them to their eventual goal of being a National Hockey League player. As seen last season, a handful of Canadian Hockey League players made the jump to the NCAA…
Report: Maple Leafs among teams interested in Kirill Marchenko
The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly one of a handful of teams showing interest in Columbus Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. “Toronto, I think has really tried to keep their interest secret, but it’s kind of seeped out,” Friedman said during Friday’s edition of 32 Thoughts The Podcast. Friedman listed…
Steven Lorentz, the right length to preseason, and a look forward: Leaflets
It looks like the opening night lineup for the Toronto Maple Leafs is pretty much set. There will be some salary cap creativity that will take place before Nick Blankenburg can officially be signed to the team. There will likely be a paper transaction involving Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan to maximize Domi’s LTIR space…
Displaying items 1-25 of 543 in total