Now that we’ve officially entered the month of September, that means hockey returns this month. As we slowly inch closer to the start of the 2025-26 NHL training camp, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a ton of roster decisions to make. This could be one of the biggest training camps and pre-seasons that fans of the team have seen since the start of the Auston Matthews era in 2016.
The Maple Leafs enter their first training camp without Mitch Marner, after he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights this past offseason. Which opens up a top-six opportunity alongside Matthews and Matthew Knies. Along with that, there are some new faces that will be joining the Maple Leafs at camp, which should bring in some competition for the limited spots on the opening night roster.
Because of that, I’m going to look at each individual group starting with the forwards and preview what they could look like on opening night against the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 8 at Scotiabank Arena.
Top-Six Forward Group
Line 1: Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Matias Maccelli
Line 2: Bobby McMann – John Tavares – William Nylander
As mentioned above, without Marner there is a glaring hole on the wing alongside Matthews and Knies. The biggest question is who is going to fill it. They acquired Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth, who is known as a playmaker and has shown glimpses of top-six point production in the past. Many members of the fanbase wondered if he would be the replacement based on his passing ability. During the 2023-24 season, Maccelli had 40 assists in 82 games. If he can click well with the top line, then he could potentially reach 50 assists and help get Matthews back to a 50-60 goal scorer.
If Maccelli doesn’t work out on the top line, there is a chance that Easton Cowan could crack the lineup out of camp and slot there. If not, Max Domi and William Nylander could be two viable options alongside Matthews on the team’s top line.
For the second line, it would be ideal to keep the John Tavares and Nylander duo together. They have worked very well together over the past two seasons and unless Nylander is moving up to the top line, there really isn’t a need to split them up. In terms of the third member of their line, there are a few options. Bobby McMann, Nicholas Robertson, and the aforementioned Cowan and Maccelli are all…
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