Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev is eager to get to the 2026-27 NHL season, expressing his impressions of Auston Matthews and Gavin McKenna this off-season, gelling with new teammates, and more.
It's hard to gauge what type of success the Toronto Maple Leafs will have in the 2026-27 NHL season. They weren't a very good team last year, but since then, they have made drastic changes to all areas of the franchise.
What's clear is that players are optimistic about this coming year and being a competitive team once again, as they were during their nine-year playoff streak from 2016-17 to 2024-25.
At the NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas, John Tavares was asked if the Leafs are a contending team again after a busy off-season. "I believe so," he told reporters, including TheHockeyNews.com's Michael Traikos.
Maple Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev portrayed a similar message in an interview with TSN's Mark Masters. He recognized the abundance of changes made by GM John Chayka, is eager to get on with the next campaign, and has been impressed with a few of his teammates this summer.
He admitted that the team will need some time to gel and get to know each other a little better. After all, in terms of new players who are projected to make the NHL roster, there are nine new faces on the Leafs.
Those are Gavin McKenna, Colton Sissons, Nick Paul, Jack Roslovic, Brandon Duhaime, Teddy Blueger, Darren Raddysh, Emil Andrae and Sergei Bobrovsky.
"To me, it's just getting to know all the new guys and sort of forming that bond of the team over the next couple of weeks before we actually get going," Tanev said.
Nonetheless, he likes what he sees, highlighting the captain and the youngest guys on the team, too.
"Auston's (Matthews) been back and looks amazing, Gavin and Easton (Cowan) look great," he said.
Tanev has been particularly impressed with Matthews and McKenna based on off-season training and early impressions going into the new campaign.
"He's going to be amazing," Tanev harped about Matthews. "He worked extremely hard this summer and put in all the work he needed to do to be how he always is... one of the best players in the league."
Matthews is coming off his horrific knee injury that he suffered against the Anaheim Ducks on March 12 and ended up requiring surgery. Based on Tanev's perception and Matthews' recovery timeline following surgery, he seems ready for 2026-27.
Another player Tanev had his eye on was the Maple Leafs' first overall pick.
"Extremely smart, sees the ice very well and can make a ton of plays," Tanev said of his first impressions of McKenna. "I think he's going to do amazing, and he's got a great head on his shoulders."
The shutdown defenseman was also asked about veteran goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and what it'll be like to play in front of the two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Vezina Trophy winner.
"It'll be an honor to play in front of Bob," he said. "He's obviously one of the all-time great goalies."
As for Tanev himself, there are questions about his health, as he only featured in 11 games in an injury-plagued season last year, including core-muscle surgery in early March.
Nonetheless, he expects to be a full participant at Maple Leafs training camp after spending several months recovering and getting back up to speed.
"I feel quite good," he said. "I’ve been out there skating and feeling quite good. I think it’s the end of the week or early next week, we have a little chat with the doctors, but up until now, it’s going quite well."
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