For the Toronto Maple Leafs, the 2025-26 training camp feels different. The shadow of the Mitch Marner era has receded, replaced by the glaring floodlights of a new reality. This isn’t just about line combinations and conditioning drills; it’s about forging a new identity. General Manager Brad Treliving and Head Coach Craig Berube have spent the offseason retooling, not rebuilding, betting on a mixture of bounce-back candidates, savvy acquisitions, and ascending talent.
As the players file into the Ford Performance Centre, the questions are plentiful. Who steps up to fill the void? Can key veterans rediscover their elite form? Will the new faces provide the grit and depth that has been so elusive? This camp will provide the first answers. Here are the players with the most to prove and the most to gain as the puck is set to drop on a pivotal season.
Can a Healthy Matthews Reclaim His Throne?
Any conversation about the Maple Leafs begins and ends with Auston Matthews. The narrative heading into this season is one of redemption, though it’s a strange label for a player who still put up a team-leading 78 points. However, for a generational talent who scorched the league with 69 goals just two seasons ago, his 33-goal campaign in 2024-25 felt… human.
The primary culprit was a persistent upper-body injury that robbed his legendary wrist shot of its lethal “zip.” Despite leading the team with 261 shots, the quality wasn’t the same. Now, with a full offseason to heal, the expectation is a resounding return to form. Matthews has been the league’s most prolific goal-scorer since 2019, and a healthy version is the engine that drives this team. The $13.25 million question is simple: can he get back to that 50, 60, or even 70-goal stratosphere? The Leafs’ entire offensive structure and their championship aspirations hinge on the answer. Watching his release and his ability to dominate from the first preseason game will be the most telling barometer of Toronto’s potential.
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Knies’ Ascent and Rielly’s Rebound
While Matthews commands the spotlight, two other core pieces face critical seasons, albeit for different reasons. On the wing, Matthew Knies is no longer a promising rookie; he’s an established top-line power forward coming off an impressive 29-goal, 58-point sophomore campaign. His task isn’t to prove he belongs, but to prove he can reach another level. Knies’s game is built for the modern NHL: a physical, net-front presence who thrives in the greasy areas. His team-leading 100 individual high-danger chances at five-on-five last season underscore his effectiveness. The challenge for Knies is to build on that foundation and evolve into a consistent, point-per-game force who can physically dominate matchups every single night.
On the back end, Morgan Rielly finds himself in the familiar position of being the defensive corps’ offensive lynchpin, but he’s also tabbed as a bounce-back candidate. His 41 points last season, while leading the team’s defencemen, were a step back, accompanied by the worst shots-per-60-minutes rate of his career. The team needs more from its longest-tenured player. A significant storyline to watch is his potential reinstatement to the top power-play unit. After the experiment with a five-forward setup, logic suggests Rielly’s puck-moving prowess from the blue line will be re-integrated. Paired with a steady, defensive partner in Brandon Carlo, Rielly will have the stability and opportunity to reignite his offensive game.
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Can Domi and Maccelli Seize the Top-Six Opportunity?
The departure of Marner leaves a gaping hole on the right wing of the top six, and two intriguing players are poised to compete for those valuable minutes. Max Domi, a known commodity for his playmaking and pugnacity, seems a likely candidate to get a look alongside Matthews. In over 260 minutes of five-on-five ice time together, the Matthews-Domi pairing has been statistically dominant, boasting a 60.18% Corsi For and a staggering 63.41% Goals For percentage. The knock on Domi has always been his pass-first mentality and inconsistent goal production. If he can add a shooter’s mindset to his relentless energy, he could be a perfect, cost-effective fit.
The wild card in this equation is Matias Maccelli. Acquired from the Utah Mammoth, Maccelli is a classic change-of-scenery reclamation project. Two years ago, he was a 57-point player. Last season, he fell out of favour, his production plummeted to just 18 points, and he found himself in the press box. The Leafs brass is betting that talent will win out. Placed in a top-six role with elite linemates—a luxury he was not afforded in Utah—Maccelli has a golden opportunity. With an expiring contract and a massive chip on his shoulder, he represents a low-risk gamble with a potentially massive payoff.
Forging a New Identity in the Trenches
Craig Berube’s coaching philosophy is built on a foundation of relentless forechecking and structured, four-line hockey. To execute that vision, he needs the right personnel in the bottom six. Enter Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy. Joshua’s return to the organization that drafted him in 2014 is a compelling story. His breakout 18-goal season with Vancouver in 2023-24 was derailed last year by a testicular cancer diagnosis and a leg injury. Now healthy, he’s looking for a fresh start under a coach he knows well. He brings a much-needed blend of size, physicality, and secondary scoring that the Leafs have often lacked.
Nicolas Roy, a key piece in the Marner sign-and-trade, is the quintessential modern-day third-line center. He’s a smart, two-way player with Stanley Cup Final experience who can be deployed in heavy defensive matchups against the opponent’s top lines. While he won’t fill the scoresheet, his value lies in his defensive reliability, strong possession game, and ability to chip in offensively. Together, Joshua and Roy represent the kind of difficult-to-play-against depth that wins in the postseason.
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Stolarz Looks to Challenge Woll for Top Spot
For years, goaltending has been Toronto’s Achilles’ heel. The team is hoping the tandem of Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz can finally bring stability. While Woll is pegged as the 1A, Stolarz is not here to simply be a backup. In a contract year and fully recovered from a concussion suffered last season, he has every motivation to push for starts.
His 2024-25 numbers were nothing short of spectacular. Among goalies who played at least 30 games, he posted the league’s best save percentage (.926) and third-best goals-against average (2.14). His five-on-five analytics were even more dominant, leading all qualified goalies in both save percentage (.945) and GAA (1.45). This isn’t just solid goaltending; it’s elite performance. A healthy and motivated Stolarz provides a stellar safety net and, more importantly, legitimate internal competition that could push both goalies to elevate their games. The battle for the crease will be one of the most fascinating storylines of training camp.
This season in Toronto is defined by change, but also by opportunity. The moves made in the offseason have created a roster that, on paper, appears deeper and more stylistically aligned with the coach’s system. But teams on paper don’t win championships. The real test begins now, as these key players step onto the ice to prove that this new-look Maple Leafs team is finally built for the war of attrition that is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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