The Toronto Maple Leafs go into the 2026-27 NHL season with a tremendous amount of depth, with extra skaters or contributors down in the AHL. John Chayka speaks about what he likes about his roster.
The start of the 2026-27 NHL regular season has nearly arrived, with the Toronto Maple Leafs' season opener coming on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena.
With that, the team's NHL roster is essentially set, with the latest move being defenseman Nick Blankenburg signing a one-year contract with the Leafs for $1.4 million. The 28-year-old earned that contract after joining Toronto's training camp on a PTO.
The Maple Leafs now have eight NHL defensemen in their system. It will be a challenge for the team to distribute ice time for that depth, especially for blueliners like Troy Stecher, Emil Andrae and Blankenburg, who all float around the mix for the sixth or seventh defenseman role.
However, Chayka sees that depth as a real plus for his squad.
"I've never had an NHL head coach say we have too many good quality defensemen," Chayka said after Monday's practice at Scotiabank Arena. "So, just any time we got a chance to get a defenseman that we thought could skate, move the puck, defend, join the rush, facilitate offense.
"We wanted to get as many of those guys as we could. So just more kind of circumstantial in what was available. But whether it's through injuries or performance or, you know, different variables, you know, these things seem to sort themselves out. So we're happy we're not in the other position, looking for guys," he added.
There is a little less of a cluster for Toronto's forward group in terms of extra forwards on the NHL roster. But that doesn't mean the Leafs don't have depth in that position either.
Steven Lorentz, who has played 80 and 71 regular-season games for the Maple Leafs in the past two seasons, respectively, was waived and sent down to the AHL's Toronto Marlies just before the team left for their team-bonding trip to Arizona.
So whatever happens - injuries or players being unavailable - there are options for head coach Jim Hiller.
Center Bo Groulx, who played 13 games for the Maple Leafs in the NHL last season, appears to be locked in as an extra forward. He's practiced with the team consistently leading up to the start of the coming season.
"Bo obviously had a good season last season, came up, but I played well," Chayka said. "Throughout the playoffs, I thought he was a key member of that team. I think we're blessed with a lot of good depth. Credit to Ryan Hardy and John Gruden, and really the leadership group down there.
Chayka and the Maple Leafs' management's trust in some of their depth players doesn't end with Groulx.
"There's a number of guys that are in the system who, you know, we feel completely comfortable with playing NHL games, and Bo at this time is going to get a sample size, hopefully, to show what he can do, but hard-earned, happy for him," he said.
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