The Toronto Maple Leafs made a slew of changes this summer, particularly to their group of depth forwards. Will the Maple Leafs' bottom-six changes lead to success next year?
When NHL training camp opens in a few weeks, much of the spotlight around the Toronto Maple Leafs will be on the team's high-end players.
First-overall pick Gavin McKenna will be a focal point for media, as will newcomer Darren Raddysh. Not to mention captain Auston Matthews and forwards William Nylander, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies, as per usual.
While the Maple Leafs' stars will ultimately determine how far the team goes, general manager John Chayka has made an effort this summer to build a stronger supporting cast around them.
The biggest changes have been the footsoldier forwards they've added, with the Maple Leafs' bottom-six undergoing a complete makeover.
Chayka addressed his depth concerns with five new forwards: Colton Sissons, Brandon Duhaime, Nick Paul, Teddy Blueger and Jack Roslovic. The status of Maple Leafs veteran Max Domi could impact where they slot in the lineup, but you can’t imagine Chayka wants one of his off-season acquisitions sitting on the sidelines.
The five forward additions have a combined cap hit of $16.5 million, or an average of $3.3-million per player. You can argue that's an expensive outlay when you could get replacement-caliber talent for much cheaper.
But you also can argue that Toronto ostensibly used the cap space created by the departure of star winger Mitch Marner, and by the team-friendly contract extension Tavares signed for, to improve in other areas.
Would you rather Chayka spent every dollar available to him this summer, or held onto the cap space to make major moves during the season? There’s a case to be made for either choice, but the bottom line is that the Maple Leafs are now considerably better on paper than they were at the end of the 2025-26 season.
We haven’t even talked about internal candidates like Steven Lorentz or Bo Groulx, who will both be vying for spots in the lineup. There’s terrific depth now for the Maple Leafs, and the healthy competition for jobs will raise the bar for the entire team.
Chayka’s approach is clear. If he can’t sign or trade for an elite needle-moving forward, he’s going to bolster his depth with proven bottom-six contributors.
The pressure of getting the Maple Leafs back into the playoffs means the front office can’t afford to be complacent. With his high rate of activity in his first few months as GM, it's likely that even this group that Chayka has built won't look the same after next year's trade deadline.
The Maple Leafs will be looking at high-stakes games right out of the gate in a deep Atlantic Division. Considering the long list of injuries that have hindered this group, having great depth can only be a good thing for Toronto.
If they rebound next season, it'll be because they got contributions from throughout the lineup. With so many experienced players raising the standard, there's no reason they shouldn't be in the hunt for a playoff spot.
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