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John Chayka on the Leafs’ blue line: “People forget we lost Chris Tanev last season… For my money, one of the best–if not the…
GM John Chayka joined Real Kyper Bourne to discuss the Maple Leafs’ 1-1-0 start, the role of data in player evaluation, the Kirill Marchenko trade, his confidence in the defense corps, and the development of Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan. After a busy week, a huge trade, and the opening few games, have you [ ] The post John Chayka on the Leafs blue line: People forget we lost Chris Tanev last season For my money, one of the best if not the best defensive defensemen in the game appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Gavin McKenna's weight is on the verge of derailing his rookie season
Gavin McKenna came into the NHL season as one of the lightest players in the league and it's becoming a concern if he wants to call himself the best.
Easton Cowan Not Moving Up The Lineup, Despite Hot Start for Maple Leafs
With all the fuss about newcomers Kirill Marchenko, Gavin McKenna and Sergei Bobrovsky, and the usual hype around Auston Matthews, […]
Two young defensemen should be at the top of the Maple Leafs' radar
Alexander Nikishin and Simon Edvinsson are two young defenseman that could reshape the Maple Leafs who should be at the top of John Chayka's target list.
The Toronto Marlies’ 2026-27 season is set to kick off in Rochester: Preview & Projected Lineup
Fifteen weeks after clinching the second championship in franchise history, the Toronto Marlies are back in action with their sights set on a repeat. Unlike after their 2018 championship, much of the roster remains intact. In many ways, it looks stronger thanks to several solid additions, most recently Miles Wood. I covered the rest of [ ] The post The Toronto Marlies 2026-27 season is set to kick off in Rochester: Preview Projected Lineup appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Blue Jackets now have yet another big extension to worry about
As if it hasn't been a difficult enough year already for the Columbus Blue Jackets and GM Don Waddell. Now, this week's shocking, history-making $43M signing of Tristan Luneau by the Anaheim Ducks has put the pressure on Waddell once again. Elliotte Friedman noted on The Fan Hockey Show on Friday that the Luneau extension will mean some pretty big bucks for pending restricted free agent Denton Mateychuk. Someone texted me another name last night that that is going to be really good for, is Denton Mateychuk. That just made Columbus's job a bit harder. Of course, it's not just the Luneau deal that applies here for Mateychuk. Luneau had just 14 games of NHL experience. A more realistic comp than the $7.2M AAV that the Ducks' D-man got, could be Zeev Buium, who secured a long-term, $9.38M AAV extension from the Vancouver Canucks this summer. As for Mateychuk, the 22-year-old has a spot this season lining up alongside Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski. In the Blue Jackets' opening game of the season on Thursday night, a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres, Mateychuk logged over 27 minutes of ice time. Last year, he registered 31 points and a plus/minus rating of +12 in 75 games, along with 92 blocked shots. A big payday is coming. And the longer the Blue Jackets wait, the higher that price tag could go. Mateychuk was Columbus's first-round pick (12th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft. Another contract crisis coming for Blue Jackets? As for Waddell, he has had to put out fire after fire since the end of last season. It started with the Zach Werenski scare; the league's top defenseman from 2025-26 seemed to be looking to get out of town, so Waddell arranged for a tentative trade to the Dallas Stars for Thomas Harley. Werenski, however, vetoed the trade by invoking his full no-movement clause, and he and the GM have since " moved past the situation," and Werenski remains "committed" to Columbus. For now. The Adam Fantilli contract stalemate dominated the month of September, as the team had a diffuclt time coming to terms with the RFA and top-line center. That was resolved a week ago with a six-year, $13.75M AAV deal. All of that, while dealing with summer long Kirill Marchenko situation. The Russian star was going to be a pending UFA, and it was clear he would not be re-signing in Columbus. Waddell waddled out of that crisis as well, pulling off a fine deal, landing Matthew Knies from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Marchenko, on the eve of the regular season. Next up, what will be a massive new extension for Mateychuk, whenever Waddell has the wherewithal to take on that massive task.
John Chayka on the Maple Leafs’ start to the season: “It’s early, but we’ve been able to defend much more effectively than we…
John Chayka joined TSN OverDrive to discuss the Kirill Marchenko trade, the many changes he has made since taking over as Maple Leafs GM, expectations for Gavin McKenna, the defense corps, and managing the goaltenders’ workload. With two veteran goaltenders who are familiar with each other, did you have a specific number of games in [ ] The post John Chayka on the Maple Leafs start to the season: It’s early, but we’ve been able to defend much more effectively than we have in the last few years appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
A New Season, New Features: Introducing MLHS’s Leafs & Marlies Tools
In addition to a site redesign, we’ve rolled out a new collection of interactive tools on MLHS to make it easier to follow the Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies this season, from roster details and player statistics to daily line combinations, game lineup archives, and our new Stat of the Day feature. Stat of the [ ] The post A New Season, New Features: Introducing MLHS’s Leafs Marlies Tools appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Gavin McKenna breaks his silence on why he refused to skate on opening day
Maple Leafs rookie Gavin McKenna revealed the reasoning behind his refusal to skate during Toronto's optional practice ahead of the 2026-27 season opener.
Ex-Leafs Rise Up In Their Debuts
The Toronto Maple Leafs have opened the 2026-27 regular season with a split of back-to-back home games: a 3-2 loss The post Ex-Leafs Rise Up In Their Debuts first appeared on Hockey HotStove .