It's hard to imagine a better start to the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp. Auston Matthews, the team's franchise centerpiece, put any lingering concerns about his health to rest by saying he's "feeling really good" as the new season begins.
Meanwhile, general manager Brad Treliving delivered more encouraging news, expressing confidence that the club "can find something that'll work" to get a new deal done with goaltender Anthony Stolarz.
With two of the team's most important players in a good place physically and contractually, there's plenty of reason for optimism as the post-Mitch Marner era begins.
It's the best possible news the Leafs could receive as they begin another year in search of postseason glory. Here's why the Maple Leafs and their fans should be excited.
Auston Matthews feeling healthy, finally
Last September, Matthews started training camp unhealthy and continued to struggle with a mysterious injury throughout the 2024-2025 season. It included a trip to Germany to look for solutions.
He missed fifteen games, and for many of the contests he did play, he was not his dominant self. The result was a career-low 33 goals. He followed up his subpar regular season with only three goals in thirteen playoff games. After the Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs, Matthews stated that "physically, it was a tough season."
Matthews, commenting that he's "feeling really good," is great news for the Maple Leafs. He's the team's best player and the NHL's best goal-scorer when he is at the top of his game.
Also encouraging for the Leafs is Matthews' recent goal-scoring pattern. After hitting the sixty-goal mark in 2021-2022, the Maple Leafs' captain had a dip in production (for his high standards) to forty goals in 2022-2023. Next came the franchise-record sixty-nine goals in the 2023-2024 season.
After a thirty-three-goal, injury-plagued 2024-2025, a healthy, highly motivated Matthews appears ready for a bounce-back season. Being in good physical condition is a necessity to make it happen.
Anthony Stolarz signing a contract extension soon?
Stolarz had a breakout season in his first year wearing a Leafs uniform. He reached a career-high in wins and games played and led the NHL in save percentage. He and partner Joseph Woll formed arguably the league's top goaltending tandem.
A mid-season injury and a questionable hit from the Florida Panthers' Sam Bennett that knocked him out of the Leafs' second-round series were the only stains on his first year in Toronto.
Woll is about to begin the first year of his three-year extension with the Maple Leafs, so resigning Stolarz has become a top priority for Treliving. Signing him to an extension solidifies the Leafs' goaltending for years to come and would give Toronto depth in goal that few teams could match.
Treliving's comments to open Leafs' training camp suggest talks with Stolarz are in a good place. This is noteworthy news for the Maple Leafs as the big goaltender has become one of the team's most important players.
With Matthews healthy and ready for a return to dominance, and Treliving working to keep Stolarz in the fold, the Maple Leafs are starting training camp in a great place. These two early developments are the best possible news as the team begins a new era.