Head coach John Gruden discusses the Toronto Marlies taking a 2-1 series lead against the Laval Rocket with a 6-2 victory in Game 3. On the team’s performance: It starts right away with us taking advantage of a power play. That carries over to the five-on-five game as well. I thought they set the tone. […]
The post John Gruden on Mats Sundin joining the Leafs’ front office: “His name speaks for itself… We’re excited to work with him as a staff” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
about 5 hours ago
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The worst-kept secret in hockey is now confirmed, as the Toronto Maple Leafs have officially hired Mats Sundin and John Chayka into senior management positions. Chayka will become the 19th General Manager in Leafs history, while Sundin will come on board as the Senior Executive Advisor of Hockey Operations. Regarding the power structure, Elliotte Friedman […]
The post Analysis: Keith Pelley makes big, controversial gamble on John Chayka as Leafs’ new GM/head of hockey ops appeared first on M...
about 8 hours ago
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“We went down early, but we just stuck to our game. The power play came through, as did the PK. That’s just a nice team win, which gives us a lot of confidence to go back home to play in front of our fans.” – William Villeneuve The resiliency of the bounce back of being […]
The post Easton Cowan makes his mark as Toronto Marlies storm back to tie series in Laval appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
about 16 hours ago
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Head coach John Gruden discusses the Toronto Marlies’ 6-2 Game 2 victory over the Laval Rocket, tying the series at 1-1. On Easton Cowan’s highlight-reel end-to-end goal: He has high expectations for himself, and it has been a lot for a young man. He is a winner. Even the way the first period went, for […]
The post John Gruden on Easton Cowan’s end-to-end goal in Game 2 vs. Laval: “A dynamic player who can make big plays in big moments… He’s a winner” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
On the latest 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman provided some updates on the Leafs’ executive search, which appears to be nearing its end with Sundin-Chayka as the probable outcome. Friedman on the rival GM the Leafs sought permission to speak to Friedman: James Mirtle had a line about Toronto being turned down after asking to speak […]
The post Latest from Friedman: Maple Leafs tried to speak to Julien BriseBois; Sundin-Chayka hires still progressing in the “proper direction” appeared first o...
“I thought we played pretty well. They capitalized on two or three of our mistakes and we [have to] live with it. We had some really good scoring chances. I think we just have to stick with it.” – Bo Groulx “We did a lot of good things, and we started well. A lot to […]
The post Despite solid Game 1 effort, a pair of defensive-zone turnovers cost Toronto Marlies in Laval appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
The Toronto Marlies defeated the Rochester Americans 2-1 in the first round to set up a mouth-watering clash with the vaunted Laval Rocket. Regular Season Series For the second straight season, Laval was crowned North Division champions. The Rocket held off the late-charging Syracuse Crunch to retain their title and ensured home advantage against divisional […]
The post Toronto Marlies vs. Laval Rocket: Second Round Playoff Series Preview & Schedule appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
There was a very brief update from Elliotte Friedman about the Leafs’ executive search on his Oilers NOW segment on Tuesday night, but it was a bit of a bombshell: “We are waiting for Mats Sundin’s decision. I believe, if he says yes, it will be a John Chayka-Mats Sundin combination.” The cynical angle on […]
The post Latest from Friedman: If Sundin agrees to Leafs job, Chayka-Sundin will lead the new management group appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Ahead of Wednesday’s Game 1 against the Laval Rocket, Marlies head coach John Gruden discussed Easton Cowan’s desire to make a bigger impact in the second round, the matchup against the Rocket, the status of Matt Benning, and the decision to start Dennis Hildeby in Game 1. Easton Cowan said he feels like he can […]
The post John Gruden on Easton Cowan’s potential impact in Round 2 for the Marlies: “I know he is a gamer… When his back is against the wall, that kid will show up” appeared first...
“We played a lot smarter, stayed above them a lot more, and were able to shut a lot more things down against them.” – Ryan Tverberg “Right out of the gate, the hustle was there. A big goal by Ryyno (Ryan Tverberg) — that line was awesome. The Beast (Dennis Hildeby) was phenomenal.” – Vinni […]
The post Ryan Tverberg scores first playoff goal, Dennis Hildeby a rock between the pipes as Toronto Marlies punch ticket to second round appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Maple Leafs defenseman Troy Stecher joined Overdrive to discuss the team’s disappointing season, the ups and downs of his individual season, the treatment of players in Toronto, and the uncertain future for him and the organization this offseason. What did you make of the Ridly Greig sucker punch, as a player in the league? Stecher: […]
The post Troy Stecher on the perks of being a Maple Leaf: “I’ve played for multiple teams, so I can compare… You are not treated that well across the league ...
Head coach John Gruden discusses the Toronto Marlies’ play-in series victory over Rochester. On the team’s series-winning performance: I thought we set the tone early. We were on our toes. We were doing a lot of the right things to give us success. We started with a lot of zone time in the offensive zone, and […]
The post John Gruden on the Marlies leaning on both goalies in their series win over Rochester: “It’s a complete luxury for us to have” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
“We didn’t do a very good job executing our game plan. When you’re connected and willing to simplify things, everything happens naturally. But if you want to go off script, do it your way and freelance, not much gets done. It’s a good lesson for them, but they should already know this. This is playoff […]
The post Winner-takes-all Game 3 set for Sunday after Toronto Marlies go “off script” in shutout loss to Rochester appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
On Friday’s 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman cleared the air on the Leafs’ ongoing interview process and the current finalists for the role of head of hockey operations. John Chayka and Scott White are the Maple Leafs’ finalists Friedman: I have more clarity since our last pod. I said the finalists were Ryan Martin from the […]
The post Latest from Friedman: John Chayka and Scott White are the Leafs’ finalists for “head of hockey operations” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
The scuttlebutt on the Maple Leafs’ executive search — who is in, who is out, who is the favourite — is completely all over the place now. Given MLSE’s desire to tighten up the abject leakiness surrounding the end of the season through to the beginning of this hiring process, perhaps the idea now is […]
The post Maple Leafs Front Office Candidates, Part 2: Tim Barnes, Jason Spezza, Judd Moldaver & Laurence Gilman appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
“In a best-of-three, we know we can’t afford a bad start, especially against a team that transitions like they do and gets after it. Any mistake that you make, they will be quick to transition. We did a really good job of managing that, establishing some forechecking time, and making them defend. That started right […]
The post Artur Akhtyamov notches first career playoff shutout, Toronto Marlies dominate Rochester in Game 1 appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
After the Toronto Marlies’ 5-0 win over the Rochester Americans in Game 1 of the playoff play-in series, head coach John Gruden discussed a great start to the playoffs, the special teams’ success, the decision to start Artur Akhytamov in goal, and why this year’s playoffs might be different from those in the recent past. […]
The post John Gruden on the Marlies’ potential in the playoffs this spring: “All of the years before, when the Leafs were in the playoffs, we were depleting… This year, ...
The Toronto Marlies missed out on the opportunity to clinch an automatic divisional semi-final berth due to a dip in late-season form. Prior to winning their last three games, the Marlies won one of six, missing the chance to capitalize on Cleveland’s slump as the teams battled it out for third place in the North […]
The post Toronto Marlies vs. Rochester Americans: First Round Playoff Series Preview & Schedule appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
It sounds like the Maple Leafs will announce a new leader at the top of their chain of command sooner rather than later. As we’ve worked through the job and the challenges involved — in particular, off the ice — it’s clear that this is a job that will go much deeper than simply finding […]
The post Maple Leafs Front Office Candidates, Part 1: Scott White, Evan Gold, Mike Gillis & Dean Lombardi appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the field of candidates in the Maple Leafs’ executive search, the arguments for/against Mike Gillis as the next President of Hockey Ops, the names bandied about in the GM conversation, and Mats Sundin and Gary Roberts interviewing for potential front-office roles. Episode Topics Latest […]
The post Feeling out the field of candidates in the Maple Leafs’ executive search – MLHS Podcast Ep. 118 appeared first on Maple Lea...
After the final practice ahead of the series opener against Rochester, Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discussed the team’s playoff preparation, the decision in goal, and the impact of Easton Cowan, Jacob Quillan, Noah Chadwick, Alex Nylander, and Bo Groulx. What did you think of the energy in practice ahead of the playoffs? Gruden: […]
The post John Gruden, ahead of the Marlies’ playoffs, on the growth in Easton Cowan: “You can see he has matured… He’s definitely a confident young ma...
After a disappointing 2025-26 Maple Leafs season, Matthew Knies discussed his name popping up in trade rumours, the reasons for the team’s failure, and his desire to remain in Toronto. Where and why did you think the season went off the rails? Knies: To begin with, I don’t think we put ourselves in a good […]
The post Matthew Knies reflects on the Leafs’ failures defensively in 2025-26: “I wasn’t expecting to have the plus-minus I did” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
“What I like most about [the performance] is the way we played in the second and third periods. I think that should be our standard. You can see a different pace coming out after that first period, and we got the results to show for it. At the end of the day, you can’t control […]
The post Jacob Quillan scores game-winner, Toronto Marlies finish regular season with weekend sweep of Laval appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
After a disappointing 2025-26 Maple Leafs season, goaltender Joseph Woll discussed his individual performance level this year, the reasons for the team’s failure, and his goals for increasing his workload next season. Looking back on missing the start of the season due to personal leave, are you able to share more details now, if you’re […]
The post Joe Woll on the feeling of the Leafs missing the playoffs: “The Game 7 loss last year felt pretty crappy… This is a whole different animal… I do...
Over the past few weeks, as the Maple Leafs’ 2025-26 season painfully wound down, all the attention shifted to who will take control of the franchise. We looked at the Leafs six (!) AGMs at a high level (most of whom should probably go), as well as who the Leafs should try to emulate (hint: […]
The post The Maple Leafs’ top job is too big for “learn as you go” candidates appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .