In most NHL markets, third-line centers aren’t normally subject to the white-hot glare of the spotlight. But as everyone should know by now, Toronto is a market different than just about every other. And so, it should come as little surprise that new Toronto Maple Leafs third-line center Nicolas Roy was already the focus of the media in the early days of training camp.
The 28-year-old Roy – acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in the trade that sent star right winger Mitch Marner to Nevada – has established himself as a reliable 15-goal, 30-to-40-point contributor. But in Leafs Land, Roy’s every move at both ends of the ice is going to be under the microscope day in and day out.
Roy averaged 15:13 of ice time per game last season – the second straight season Roy’s average time on ice has dropped slightly from a career-high of 16:18 in 2022-23 –but in 71 games this past year, Roy matched his career-best of 15 goals. And his proficiency as a defense-minded center makes him exactly what the Maple Leafs were looking for in trying to change the team’s chemistry, identity and focus in the wake of Marner's departure.
Roy’s relatively modest 2025-26 salary of $3-million shouldn’t fool you into thinking he’s going to escape blame if things don’t go right for him in Blue & White. To be sure, while nobody expects Roy to singlehandedly make people forget about Marner, Roy will catch heat if he can’t help the Leafs go further in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Indeed, Roy will be looked to for a grinding game in his own zone, but in the post-season, Roy’s contributions to Vegas’ Cup-winning run in 2022-23 are going to be a starting point for the expectations on him in Toronto. In that Cup-winning run, Roy posted three goals and 11 points – including one game-winning marker – in 22 playoff games in 2023. He has to have that same kind of impact this season if the Maple Leafs are to go further in the playoffs next spring.
Roy is likely to start the year with fellow Leafs newcomer Dakota Joshua on one side, and either veteran winger Max Domi or first-year-Leaf Matias Maccelli on his other side. Domi and Joshua combined for only 15 goals last season, so it will be crucial for Roy to put up at least as many goals in 2025-26 as he did last year.
It would be terrific if Roy posted 20 goals in his first year as a Leaf, but that’s not realistic. But if he only generates 10 goals, that will put undue pressure on the Maple Leafs’ top-six group of forwards to put up even more offense. And that could wind up hurting Toronto’s chances of getting home-ice advantage and pushing deep into the post-season.
As a Quebec native, Roy understands the passion Canadian fans have for their NHL team. Coming into training camp, he knows the stakes for him and his Leafs team are sky-high, and that Toronto won’t be judged until the playoffs come around. But he’s got 82 games of regular-season action to ramp up his game and be a playoff performer of consequence.
And if Roy can prove the Maple Leafs were right to target him in the Marner trade, he’s going to be loved in a way he never was in Vegas. Roy has a lot of room to stick the landing this season, but on a daily basis, he’s going to experience a level of scrutiny that’s fried the competitive energies of many veterans before him. And adapting to that level of scrutiny is a huge part of the challenge for him as a Leaf.
Roy isn't going to be a superstar in Toronto, but he does need to do his part to get the Leafs to the third round and beyond. Otherwise, his time as a Leaf could prove to be brief.
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