The Toronto Maple Leafs gear up for another year of intense action and excitement as training camp officially opens Wednesday. Despite the bulk of the roster spots being locked up already, there will still be a few spots available up for grabs to help foster some competition during the upcoming preseason.
Each year, the Maple Leafs usually has some surprising standouts that perform beyond expectations during camp to give themselves a legitimate shot at making the Opening Night lineup. As a result, let’s take a look at 3 Leafs candidates that could surprise at this year’s training camp to potentially crack Toronto’s 2025-26 main roster.
Philippe Myers, D
Philippe Myers was actually signed earlier last season by the Leafs to act as valuable depth at defense for the team. However, with injuries to their back end over the course of the 2024-25 NHL season, Toronto ended up having to use that very depth prominently in the end. Myers would manage to suit up for a whopping 36 games for the Maple Leafs, posting two goals and three assists and 15 PIMs. More importantly, with his towering stature and strong built, he helped provide bone-crushing defense with 76 hits along with 42 blocked shots while averaging over 16 minutes a night.
Myers impressed the Leafs brass enough such that Toronto gave him a two-year, $1.7 million extension in-season as a result. Look for Myers to be hungry for playing time once again this year and potentially usurp a Leafs player on the bottom defensive pair with a strong training camp.
Michael Pezzetta, F
Not everyone in the NHL will get the unique opportunity to play for their hometown team during their careers. But for Michael Pezzetta, he could get that very distinct chance after signing a two-year, $1.625 million deal with the Leafs this past offseason. Known for his toughness and physical play, Pezzetta was a part of the Montreal Canadiens organization during the past four seasons. After being a mainstay on their fourth line for much of the first three years with the Canadiens, the 27-year-old forward saw his time cut back last year as he put up his worst statistical campaign of his NHL career by recording zero points in 25 games of action while missing a fair chunk of the latter half with a lower-body injury.
With the Leafs, Pezzetta will get a fresh start along with the drive and motivation to play in front of his hometown fans. As a former double-digit goal scorer back in his junior years, look for the Toronto native to channel his scoring prowess and perform at his best this preseason to make the Leafs lineup on Opening Night.
Easton Cowan, F
Finally, we have perhaps the most intriguing future piece in the Leafs organization in top prospect Easton Cowan. Cowan had already shown flashes of his brilliance in previous camps with Toronto. But this season, he will finally have a legitimate shot at making the show with the Maple Leafs if he manages to have a strong showing this time around.
No one would doubt his ability as after all, Cowan had helped the London Knights to two OHL titles the past two years, along with capturing the Memorial Cup and MVP honours this past season. He has put his offensive skills on full display with the Knights the past two years, registering 63 goals and 102 assists for 165 points in just 100 games during the regular season, along with another 73 points in just 35 playoff games. Aiming to be the potential successor to Mitch Marner as the next elite Knight to become a prominent member of the Leafs, look for Cowan to dazzle this preseason and firmly make a statement that his time is now with Toronto.