The Toronto Maple Leafs opened their preseason schedule on Saturday with a pair of split-squad games against the Montreal Canadiens. NHL teams now face a new, condensed preseason and training camp schedule due to the lengthened 84-game regular season in 2026-27.
The Maple Leafs had many positive takeaways despite a 4-1 home loss in Toronto and a 4-3 overtime loss in Montreal. Conversely, new coach Jim Hiller has many key teachable moments for his players. Here is the good, bad, and ugly from the Leafs' opening preseason action.
Healthy Matthews and Elite McKenna Vision Lead the Positives
The Good
1. Auston Matthews looked free and healthy
As TSN rinkside analyst Mike Johnson pointed out, the Maple Leafs' captain reached a skating speed of 35 km/h during an in-game rush, something he only did twice during the 2025-26 season. Matthews looked fast, and he had six shots on net.
2. Gavin McKenna's Vision
Prized first overall pick Gavin McKenna had the puck a lot. His playmaking and vision were evident. In the first period, the Leafs' Bo Groulx just missed a goal-mouth tap-in after a great look from McKenna. The Maple Leafs' rookie also showed nice vision later in the game when setting up housemate John Tavares. It's easy to see how McKenna's sublime setup skills will benefit the Leafs, and particularly Matthews, as he adjusts to the NHL.
3. Darren Raddysh's Shot
It was a double deflection own goal, but Raddysh took a feed from Matthews and scored on a power play. The heavy shot broke the stick blade of Canadiens' Josh Anderson, then accidentally deflected off defenseman Mike Matheson into the Habs' net. Regardless of the ugliness, a threatening power-play point shot is something the Leafs have long lacked.
4. Colton Sissons' Goal
It came on a net drive in the Maple Leafs' overtime loss in Montreal. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson took a wrist shot through a Habs player looking for a deflection. Sissons did just that, redirecting it behind Montreal netminder Jakub Dobes for a power-play goal. Getting goals from the revamped bottom-six is a major question mark for the Leafs this season. They need these types of contributions to continue into the regular season.
5. Marshall Rifai's Fight
After the Leafs failed to respond to Radko Gudas' dirty hit on Matthews, which ended his 2025-26 season, defenseman Marshall Rifai set the tone for the start of 2026-27. Rifai felt Florian Xhekaj was taking liberties with the Leafs' stars Matthews and William Nylander. He stood up for his teammates by taking on Xhekaj.
Missed Scoring Opportunities and McKenna Growing Pains Cause for Concern
The Bad
1. Lack of Finish
Despite having chances, Matthews did not score. Kaapo Kahkonen robbed Matthews on a second-period power play. Matthews' health is most important. Surely, the goals will come as he works off the rust.
McKenna had a glorious 2-on-1 chance with Nylander during the second period of the Leafs' 4-1 home loss. His look-away wrist shot did not fool Canadiens' goalie Samuel Montembault. TSN analyst Jeff O'Neill encouraged McKenna to forget about trick shots that may have worked in junior or college hockey, saying they won't fool NHL goaltenders.
Raddysh scored, but he needs to shoot more. He had zero shots on goal on the Leafs' five other power plays. The Maple Leafs need to find ways to get him more shots with the man advantage.
2. The Power Play
The Maple Leafs squandered a 4-on-3 power-play opportunity before the Canadiens' Cole Caufield deposited the overtime winner. In the Toronto home loss, the Leafs scored just one power-play goal on six opportunities.
Leafs' Game Management Needs to Improve
The Ugly
1. Giveaways/Line Changes
In the 4-3 overtime loss, the Maple Leafs had 19 giveaways. Montreal only had 7. A terrible line change on Caufield's winner allowed the Canadiens to quickly transition up the ice and score the winner before the Leafs knew what happened. Toronto left too many points on the table in 2025-26 in games that went beyond regulation. That needs to be cleaned up moving forward.
2. McKenna penalty
It's a teaching point, but McKenna took an offensive zone penalty early in the first period in Toronto. It came immediately after a scoring opportunity. It's the kind of infraction that stalls momentum and makes coaches cringe. He needs to learn not to be reactive with his stick in the moment.
This pair of preseason opening-night losses won't define the Maple Leafs' season, but they provide Hiller and his coaching staff with a clear roadmap for the days ahead. While McKenna's elite vision and a healthy, dominant Matthews offer plenty of reasons for optimism, sloppy penalties, missed scoring chances, and costly mistakes prove there is rust to shake off. The Leafs will need to tighten up their game quickly as roster cuts loom and the intensity of training camp ramps up.
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