‘Vibes are excessive’: Why these Maple Leafs needs to be enjoyable — and higher

TORONTO — Training-camp rust was nonetheless clinging to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ skates as Auston Matthews discovered himself fielding a long-view query about lottery prize Gavin McKenna, an 18-year-old of tantalizing potential and nil skilled video games performed.

Matthews, busy rewriting the 109-year-old franchise’s report e-book earlier than his thirtieth birthday, was requested if Toronto’s subsequent No. 1–total draftee is destined to grow to be the face of the franchise. 

Will the Maple Leafs in the future be McKenna’s crew?

“Absolutely. I think that time will eventually come,” replied Matthews. Then the captain flashed that sardonic smile, the one that desires to pump the brakes on a reporter’s premise. 

“I think that’s looking a little bit into the future, as you guys love to do. But he’s got a great head on his shoulders. He’s extremely humble, confident in himself. He’s going to continue to learn, continue to grow and get better each and every day.” 

Yes, McKenna is one thing particular. Fast and sensible. Hands of David Blaine. Feet of Fred Astaire. The Maple Leafs plumbed nice luck after they have been down on theirs, once more. 

But Matthews has lived by all this anticipation and hype. And he needs to ship a transparent message to McKenna, his teammates, and all you followers and critics who will watch with nice curiosity as the story of the 2026-27 Toronto Maple Leafs is written. 

Channel your energy of curiosity.

Because, for the primary time in a very long time, the common season means one thing in these elements. So many issues feel and appear completely different round what Lightning coach Jon Cooper memorably known as “the same cast of characters.” Finally. Joyfully.

For too many Septembers, Matthews, Morgan Rielly, William Nylander, John Tavares, and the high-expectations Leafs would reconvene after post-season catastrophe. Another spherical of heartbreak and consensus underperformance when it actually issues. 

No one hoists the Stanley Cup in November, so these camps felt like the start of a six-month slog of costume rehearsals earlier than the true present started.

But what was as soon as the NHL’s longest energetic playoff streak (9 years) exploded to shambles within the nice tire fireplace of 2025-26. Personnel was gutted from the entrance workplace, the bench, and just about each different division on the ol’ org chart. A pair goalies bought traded. Eleven(!) new roster gamers have been recruited.

Lightened baggage and cleaner slates.

“Vibes are high,” Rielly enthuses.

This is what you get once you freefall from prime 5 to backside 5 and get (precisely) labelled as essentially the most disappointing crew in hockey. When your defence is porous and your tradition smells putrid. When the sum is a lot lower than the elements, it’s time to discover a complete new equation.

Alas, from haplessness springs hope. Can’t get any worse, proper?

“It’s interesting,” says Jake McCabe, a uncommon Leaf who performed each wonderful and wholesome final season. Before getting traded north in 2022, the veteran spent 9 years toiling for crummy groups in Buffalo and Chicago. He is in a reflective temper. “You know, it took me 500 video games of lacking the playoffs in my profession — till I bought right here (and made them). So, final yr was a reminder of not taking issues with no consideration. 

“Auston and Mo and John and Will, it’s expected to make the playoffs — which is how it should be. But you can’t take it for granted.” 

To a person, the Leafs management group is fast to credit score new GM John Chayka’s low season aggression. 

McKenna is the most effective form of fluke, the standard of top-six, playmaking winger that not often hits the open market and that executives can seldom afford to commerce for.

In comes Darren Raddysh, the most effective offensive defenceman obtainable in free company and a 22-goal, 70-point right-shot level bomb that would pound the Leafs power-play again to elite.

Top-six scoring dynamo Kirill Marchenko, the Blue Jackets’ main goal-getter three years working, is an improve in pace and (for one season solely) cap hit from energy ahead Matthew Knies. He has the potential to spark a debate and create a spotlight each time he hops the boards.

Jack Roslovic is an intriguing flyer, what along with his historical past of chemistry bursts alongside the elite and longstanding friendship with Matthews. He’s additionally right here after issues didn’t work out along with his earlier 5 groups.

We see a remodelled, veteran bottom-six (Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Brandon Duhaime, Teddy Blueger, Zack McEwen) with a number of centre choices and a number of pre-season preventing majors.

And, looky right here, a Hall of Fame–sure, two-time Cup-winning goaltender who routinely stays wholesome sufficient for an actual starter’s workload. Sergei Bobrovsky, 38, ain’t younger. But for the primary time in 4 summers, he’s had a five-plus months to relaxation and practice. If just one Atlantic energy bounces again to contender standing, Bobrovsky needs it to be his new one.

“He’s been all the way and won it,” Nylander says. “So, that’s something that you want to bring here.”

“Someone we’ve seen a lot of over the years, and someone that’s stolen games, frankly, and been the best part of that team,” McCabe provides of the ex-Panther. 

“So, just a ton of great pieces that we’ve added, a lot of great people that we’ve added. These last two weeks have been kind of seamless with these new guys, and I hope they feel the same, because it’s an exciting group. Love the optimism.”

A powerful supply of that optimism when the puck drops towards divisional favorite Montreal Tuesday received’t be in uniform.

Jim Hiller, Chayka’s shock selection for coach, envisions a swarming possession assault that frees his blue-chip forwards to flex their inventive muscle and props Rielly and Raddysh in place to push offence. Hiller has been gentle on criticism, however that’s straightforward to do once you haven’t misplaced a recreation but.

“Very positive,” says Chris Tanev, one in every of a number of wholesome and essential bounce-back candidates on the roster. “Not a ton of yelling or screaming.”

Bag skates and punishing battle drills have been supplanted by rush offence and diligent backtracking. 

“We want to be a fast, hard-skating team,” declares Matthews, who seems on top of things for a man coming off knee surgical procedure and two years of wonky-backitis.

The Maple Leafs — growing older and towards it; refreshed and desperate to rebound — don’t need to dwell on the previous. Nor do they want to gaze into their McKenna-led future.

They are right here and now, watching portals to 2 divergent multiverses. This season is their sliding-doors second. 

Do sufficient of the piling query marks — a GM and coach employed amongst raised eyebrows; a celebrity whose 69-goal greatest self is drifting to the rearview; a past-prime D corps that disenchanted; a marquee defenceman with one nice yr, and one other whom they tried to commerce; a goalie they’re paying until age 40; a phenom who would require persistence and progress — lead to affirmative solutions? Will they rally again to relevance?

Or does well being and age and unfamiliarity and a deep division and a dangerous, run-and-gun play model undo Hiller and Chayka’s greatest laid plans? 

If that’s the case, Matthews (UFA 2028) could also be handing the mantle to McKenna before anybody on this city needs him to.

But that’s an issue for tomorrow’s Maple Leafs, if it turns into one in any respect. 

Today’s Leafs nonetheless have an opportunity to leap by the sunnier multiverse, one with a 50-goal sniper, the most effective setup man for the reason that final one ducked out, and the true No. 1 goalie and power-play quarterback they’ve been in search of for years.

Our solely assure: This version of the crew would be the most enjoyable and engaging since … effectively, since Matthews was about McKenna’s age.

“It is exciting when you bring in some new faces,” Matthews says. “There is at all times a degree of pleasure when there’s change, and we now have skilled fairly a little bit of it this yr. But I believe it has been quite a lot of good change.

“Everybody seems excited, on the same page, and ready to get going and hit the ground running.”

Don’t fret the end line simply but. 

Take one step at a time. Enjoy the race.

It’s been a minute since Leafs Nation may do this.