“We got our team back. They found their confidence. They found their mojo. And I knew they would. We’ve said it all year and all playoffs long: When their backs are against the wall, it brings out the best in them. I guess that is a good trait to have when your team is on […]
The post Artur Akhtyamov & Ryan Tverberg stay hot, Toronto Marlies force Game 5 with best effort of the series vs. Cleveland appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discusses his team’s 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Monsters in Game 4 of the North Division final. On the team finding a higher level to its play in a do-or-die game, after two straight losses: It definitely hasn’t happened in this series other than the third period of the […]
The post John Gruden on the Marlies bouncing back to force a winner-takes-all Game 5 vs. Cleveland: “We got our team back” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
“They haven’t seen our best game yet, and that’s on us as a whole group. We have spurts, and we have shifts, but we just can’t string them together right now. It comes down to us wanting it a little bit more and playing more physical.” – Logan Shaw We were on our heels for […]
The post Toronto Marlies face elimination on Friday night after feeble shutout defeat to Cleveland appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Now serving as the General Manager for Team Canada at the World Championships, Brad Treliving joined TSN Overdrive to discuss John Tavares shifting to the wing in the tournament, Morgan Rielly’s future, and where it went wrong in Toronto in the lead-up to his firing last March. John Tavares has been playing some left-wing in […]
The post Former Leafs GM Brad Treliving on Morgan Rielly’s future: “Who knows what the future holds, but sometimes, a change is good for everybody, right?” appeared ...
After Tuesday’s practice, Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discussed splitting the two road games in Cleveland, areas for improvement for Game 3, Ben Danford’s first two playoff appearances, and the team’s strength in net. Over the first two games of the series, it seemed like there were maybe 25 minutes of playing the way […]
The post John Gruden on Ben Danford’s two playoff appearances for the Marlies: “He is not afraid of the moment” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
According to Elliotte Friedman, the Toronto Maple Leafs are “legitimately” interested in University of Denver head coach David Carle. Carle, long viewed as one of the best hockey coaches outside of the NHL, has been considered for pro jobs the past couple of offseasons but has remained in Denver. It remains to be seen if […]
The post A deep dive on David Carle amid reports of serious interest from the Maple Leafs appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
“We were watching and didn’t respond very well to [allowing the first goal]. We were shooting ourselves in the foot. We have to be more direct in our first 10 minutes because you could see it coming again. It looked like a very familiar script from the last time we played them. You can only […]
The post Despite more heroics from Artur Akhtyamov, Toronto Marlies slump to Game 2 defeat in Cleveland appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
The Maple Leafs’ house cleaning continues. On Sunday, the club announced that AGMs Brandon Pridham and Derek Clancey will depart the organization. pic.twitter.com/A6RrDs7uEM — Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 17, 2026 These moves hardly come as a surprise. New GMs almost always clear out the old regime and bring in “their” guys. A month and […]
The post Maple Leafs’ front-office house cleaning continues: Brandon Pridham and Derek Clancey depart the organization appeared first on Maple...
“Well, I loved the last 25 minutes. We were a completely different team, again, and the guys know it. But credit to them: knowing that when we are not at our best, we find a way to understand what it will take. We just flipped it. We flipped the switch.” – John Gruden “He has […]
The post Artur Akhtyamov holds team in it, Toronto Marlies score five unanswered to down Cleveland in Game 1 appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
We are almost through the second round of the NHL playoffs, the Maple Leafs have a new GM in place, and against all odds, Toronto won the draft lottery. As always, there’s a lot happening in Leafland, even though the team hasn’t played a game in a month. Let’s jump into some long-weekend thoughts on […]
The post Five Thoughts: A word of caution on trading down from the Leafs’ #1 pick, the Matthew Knies trade speculation, the Marlies & more appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discusses his team’s 5-2 victory over the Cleveland Monsters in Game 1 of the North Division final. On the team’s performance in Game 1: Well, I loved the last 25 minutes. We were a completely different team, again, and the guys know it. But credit to them: knowing that […]
The post John Gruden on another comeback win for the Marlies in Game 1 vs. Cleveland: “I can’t explain it… All I know is that this group is resilient, and we won’t go away easily” ap...
In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the dismissal of Craig Berube, the field of candidates to replace him, and Auston Matthews’ future in Toronto amid rampant speculation. Episode Topics John Chayka making the correct (if obvious) call to fire Craig Berube and team ownership/Keith Pelley signing off on it (0:45) […]
The post Craig Berube OUT, Coaching Candidates, and Matthews’ Future – MLHS Podcast Ep. 120 appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
The Toronto Marlies advanced to the North Division Final via the most challenging route possible. After defeating the Rochester Americans 2-1 in the play-in round, they upset the regular-season division champs, Laval, in five games. Now, the Cleveland Monsters stand between the Marlies and the Conference Final. Regular Season Series These two teams battled it […]
The post Toronto Marlies vs. Cleveland Monsters: Third Round Playoff Series Preview & Schedule appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotst...
The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially relieved Craig Berube of his duties. This was the only logical and appropriate step forward. The Leafs entered the season with the vast majority of the hockey world viewing them as a playoff team, and they didn’t even come close to qualifying. They finished fifth last in the NHL […]
The post John Chayka gets first big decision right; Maple Leafs finally pull trigger on Craig Berube firing appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
After Wednesday’s practice, Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discussed Craig Berube’s dismissal, his interest in the Leafs’ job, and the challenge in the third round against Cleveland. What was your reaction to the news about Craig Berube’s dismissal? Gruden: It is unfortunate. It is part of the business. He was great to work with, […]
The post John Gruden, after the Berube firing, on whether he feels prepared for an NHL opportunity: “That is not part of my aspiration right now” appear...
After the decision to relieve Craig Berube of his head-coaching duties, GM John Chayka discussed the process behind the decision, the start of his search for a new head coach, whether any players were consulted, and the plan to meet with Auston Matthews. Chayka’s Opening Statement Chayka: I just want to start out by thanking […]
The post John Chayka on whether Auston Matthews’ future impacted the decision to fire Craig Berube: “None. Zero.” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
After Tuesday’s practice, Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discussed goaltender Artur Akhtyamov’s strong playoff campaign, his comfort in rotating goalies, William Villeneuve’s productive postseason, and Ben Danford’s readiness to jump into the AHL playoffs. Sometimes, it can be tricky to rotate goalies in the playoffs. So far, it’s working out well. Why do you […]
The post John Gruden on Artur Akhtyamov’s rising profile in the Leafs organization: “I’ve said this since day one — he rem...
After Monday’s practice, Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discussed Ben Danford joining the Marlies’ playoff run, Danford’s acclimation process to pro playoff hockey, Easton Cowan’s second-round performance, and the challenge against the Cleveland Monsters in the third round. Ben Danford has joined the team. What is the plan for him? Gruden: We know what […]
The post John Gruden on the challenge for Ben Danford acclimating to pro playoff hockey with the Marlies: “Good players like that...
“We showed a lot of resiliency, and it was just a full team effort all the way down. We’re ecstatic.” – Vinni Lettieiri “All the credit goes to the players and Artie for making some big saves when he needed to. We didn’t stray away from the process, and that’s a great road win against […]
The post Toronto Marlies upset Laval, advance to division final with come-from-behind Game 5 victory appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discusses his team’s series-clinching 3-2 victory over the Laval Rocket in Game 5. On his team coming from behind twice in the game: I could sense, with the way the game felt and the way it was going, there were some moments when we were taking it over. Even […]
The post John Gruden on the Marlies advancing to the third round after a third-period comeback in Laval: “I knew we were going to get the next one and the one after that” appeared first on Maple...
The Toronto Maple Leafs have won the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery, securing the right to draft first overall in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. In one moment, all the vibes around a franchise in turmoil changed on Tuesday night as the Maple Leafs struck gold with just an 8.5% probability. For a franchise that was […]
The post How the first-overall pick changes the Toronto Maple Leafs’ big picture appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
After the Maple Leafs’ 2025-26 season concluded, Auston Matthews made the following statement about the highly disappointing campaign: This was a tough year and a frustrating year. We didn’t meet the goals or expectations we set out at the start. Ultimately, that is on me. That is on us as players. We’re the ones who […]
The post With Chayka hired and the first-overall pick secured, all the attention turns to Matthews and Berube’s futures appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne, Anthony Petrielli, and (for the first half) Alec Brownscombe discuss the Maple Leafs’ lottery windfall, what it changes for the Leafs moving forward, the player debate at #1 overall, the hiring of John Chayka and Mats Sundin, and much more. Episode Topics Initial reactions to the draft lottery […]
The post Chayka-Sundin era starts with a draft lottery miracle – MLHS Podcast Ep. 119 appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
“They flipped the script on us. They’re a really good team. The close-out one is the hardest. They got to their game early and got that early goal. They got some life. We never recovered from that. We just seemed flat. I’ll look into a couple of things, but we didn’t have our energy… We […]
The post Winner-takes-all Game 5 required after Toronto Marlies fall flat in shutout loss to Laval appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Maple Leafs GM John Chayka joined TSN Overdrive to discuss the draft lottery win, the process of deciding on a first-overall selection, the report of uncertainty on Auston Matthews’ behalf about returning in the Fall, and whether he believes the team can contend next season. Take us through your viewing experience of the draft lottery. […]
The post John Chayka on the resources available to him as Leafs GM: “The directive from Edward Rogers to me is to do whatever it takes to win a Stanley Cu...