Now that we are in the middle of August, which is the last official month without any NHL hockey, we are just over a month away from the start of NHL training camps. For the Toronto Maple Leafs, this season has a lot of eyes on them after the offseason that they have had. This offseason saw the departure of Mitch Marner, who left in a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, as well as general manager Brad Treliving adding more players that fit his own style of play to the roster. There are still a ton of questions, unfortunately most won’t be answered until the season actually starts. However, there are a few questions that will need the entirety of the season to be answered, so let’s look at three of the biggest Maple Leafs storylines to follow in the 2025-26 NHL season.
Can Stolarz & Woll Repeat Last Season’s Success?
First up, a question that has haunted the Maple Leafs for the past 20 years. Can their goaltending tandem repeat the same success that they had last season? Both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll played well above expectations last season. Stolarz had a 21-8-3 record in 34 games played with a .926 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.14 goals against average (GAA). As for Woll, he had a 27-14-1 record in 42 games played with a .909 SV% and a 2.73 GAA. On an NHL level, Woll ranked tied at 14th in the league in wins, 13th in SV%, and 25th in GAA. Stolarz ranked 30th in wins, first in SV%, and third in GAA. This made them one of, if not the best tandem goalies in the NHL last season.
The Maple Leafs, in terms of team goalie stats, ranked second in wins with 52, third in SV% with .912, and eighth in GAA with a 2.79. However, of those teams in and around them in the ranks, most of them had a main starter that played the majority of games. The Maple Leafs had a shared crease and saw a ton of success with that setup. If they can carry that forward to next season and rank within the top five to 10 in record, GAA, and SV% amongst NHL teams, then Toronto is bound to have success. However, if they do not, and they rank within the 18-25 range in the league, it will be extremely hard for them to carry forward the success that they had last season.
Can Morgan Rielly Have a Bounce-Back Season?
Aside from the aforementioned Marner, Morgan Rielly had to be the most scrutinized player on the Maple Leafs. Since his Norris-trophy caliber season back in…
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