Maple Leafs Relying on Veterans Finding Fountain of Youth in 2026-27 – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are almost a month away from kicking off their 2026-27 season after a summer of upheaval, both on and off the ice. June’s first overall pick Gavin McKenna and second-year forward Easton Cowan represent the next generation of Leafs who hope to, and need to, make an impact this season.

Because of how much he’s developed, we forget that Matthew Knies is only 23, and he will continue to get better. Auston Matthews is still only 28, and there is hope and belief that he will rebound from his injury-plagued seasons and rediscover his MVP form.

New general manager John Chayka made a lot of changes, and whether you like them or not, he didn’t bring in a bunch of nobodies. Whether it’s Nick Paul or Colton Sissons, who have both won Stanley Cups in the last six years, or Sergei Bobrovsky, who recently went to three straight championships, winning two of them. Or Darren Raddysh, who had a breakout season offensively.

A lot of the conversation this offseason has been about whether this will work or not, and of course that’s the conversation. This is Toronto, after all. If we’re looking at the names on the roster and the caliber of players they brought in, I really like what the Maple Leafs have done. However, if we move over a column or two, the age of these players is hard to ignore.

30-Something Is the New 20-Something in Toronto

For the sake of the exercise, let’s pretend that Steven Lorentz, Emil Andrae, and Zack MacEwen are in the press box. Out of the 18 players on the ice and the two goaltenders, 14 of them are over the age of 30, and four of the 14 are 35 or older. The other 10 are between 30 and 32. You don’t become a has-been as soon as you turn 30, but your body is turning a chapter, and it’s something to think about.

In addition, Lorentz and MacEwen are both 30 as well, and Max Domi (who will most likely be on the injured reserve to start the season) is 31, which just proves the case even more.

It’s hard to know exactly how much this means. I tend to worry more about injury with these players than their play just falling off a cliff, but both options are in play.

Middle of the Ice Old but Experienced

The middle of the ice is as up there in years as I can remember, but that comes with a lot of valuable experience. Matthews and John Tavares, 35, highlight the top two lines, as usual, while Sissons, 32, and Teddy Blueger, 32, round out the bottom six.

The need for Matthews to score and dominate as he has in the past is well known. Without that, one could argue that the Maple Leafs don’t stand a chance to do anything of substance this season. After him, though, Tavares might be the next important forward on this roster.

For the last few summers, it seems like it’s been a tradition to debate whether or not Tavares’ play will fade along with his foot speed. Yet, every season, he continues to put up numbers. He’s scored 30-plus goals in three of the last four campaigns, and is coming off of 71 points, which is the seventh-highest in his 17-year career.

Maybe he was so productive because someone had to be on a team that was in the middle of the league in goals scored. Regardless, he seems to put up numbers year after year despite everyone waiting for him to turn into a healthy scratch.

“It’s hard to argue with the consistency that John’s had throughout his career,” new vice-president of sports performance Andy O’Brien said of Tavares. “Decline, if there is any, is almost at an immeasurable level. He just seems to be the same every year. Last year you saw him coming in at 30 goals and most people are like: How does he do that? But the people that know him aren’t really surprised by that.”

What sparks a lot of the doubt around Tavares over the last few offseasons is that after him, the quality of the centre position drops considerably. This season, that’s not entirely true, but it’s not untrue, either. Sissons is a defensively reliable player who specializes on the special teams, but should not be relied on offensively. He has three seasons of double-digit goals in his 12-year career, and had six goals and 11 points with the Vegas Golden Knights last season.

Blueger is much the same. To reiterate, I really like these additions. They solidify the bottom half of the roster in a way it hasn’t been in a long time. However, neither of these two guys can jump up to the top six if Matthews or Tavares go down.

Tanev’s Health Is Paramount for the Blue Line

As we laid out before, the majority of this blue line is 30-plus, with the exception of newly acquired Andrae, who is 24. The addition of Raddysh takes the offensive and puck-moving pressure off of Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, both at 5-on-5 and on the power play, and will most likely be on the first unit with one of those two guys. Andrae and Stetcher will probably rotate in and out of the third pair, and Chris Tanev, if healthy, will be slotted beside Jake McCabe in the middle pair.

In a perfect world, that’s a pretty solid D-core. However, Tanev’s health is paramount. The 36-year-old had surgery in March after playing his last game in December. As of now, he is expected to be healthy and ready for training camp. September will be the start of just the second season of a six-year contract, and the Maple Leafs need him to stay in the lineup for almost all of it. He will never burn the goal light out, but his consistency in his own zone is something the Leafs desperately missed last season.

Right now, it just feels like everything has to go right for this group. Whether it’s Rielly or Ekman-Larsson with Raddysh and then the other one with Stetcher or Andrae on the bottom pair, it’s McCabe and Tanev in the middle who are the glue. Any disruption to those two playing together, and it feels like this thing is really fragile.

Rielly is not perfect, but it looks like he’s going to be here. If he’s properly used, it should be OK. Maybe. McCabe does have his own warts, and while Raddysh’s offensive outburst may be a one-and-done, he is more than reliable defensively. In my opinion, it really does come down to Tanev’s health.

Bobrovsky Is Always Available

Lastly, it’s perhaps the most tired subject surrounding this team since July 1. What on earth can we expect from Bobrovsky?

I’ve written about this before, so I’ll be brief. If Chayka and company were going to build a roster that they thought could compete for a playoff spot for this season and next, this signing makes sense considering what the other options were. Joseph Woll has a high ceiling, but has a hard time staying available, as does Anthony Stolarz when he is called on to play more than 27 games. Dennis Hildeby is good but largely unproven.

Yes, Bobrovsky is 37 and is coming off of a brutal season. Not just for him, but for the Florida Panthers in general. However, the one thing that he does better than Woll and Stolarz is staying on the ice. Since 2016-17, he has started fewer than 50 games just three times, with two of those being in the shortened 2019-20 (49 starts) and 2020-21 seasons (30).

The third season was 2022-23, when he also started 49 games. You can doubt whether or not he can still play at a Vezina Trophy- and Stanley Cup-winning caliber. What you can’t doubt is his ability to start 50-plus games, even at his age.

“I just don’t see Bob as somebody who is declining physically,” O’Brien said. “I see him as a guy who’s capable of playing into his 40s.”

With that said, if he does decline physically, the wheels of 2026-27 could spin right off. Stolarz has always played well when his workload is managed; I’m not worried about that. But if he has to play every night for two months because Bob got hurt, I will be worried.

Toronto’s Age May Be a House of Cards

By now, my opinion on the quality of this roster is pretty clear. All in all, I’m into it. It’s the age that gives me significant pause. More so than anything else that may be concerning. According to Elite Prospects, Toronto has the fifth-oldest roster in the NHL with an average age of 29.92 years.

The Panthers, Golden Knights, and Colorado Avalanche are ahead of the Leafs, while the Minnesota Wild, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Dallas Stars rank seventh, eighth, and ninth in the top 10. All six of those teams are Stanley Cup contenders. So, maybe I’m making too big of a deal out of this.

Regardless of whether I am or not, as much as I like this roster, there are little to no reinforcements. This is it. If one or two guys get injured for any significant amount of time, this whole thing could blow up. That doesn’t mean it will happen, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the season unfolds.