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Memorial Cup-winning coach Jussi Ahokas reveals Leafs never reached out: Leafs Morning Take

Nick Alberga — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:30:06 GMT

After a few days off, the Stanley Cup Final is ready to resume with a pivotal Game 4 in Las Vegas.

Fresh off a thrilling 5-4 double-overtime victory on Saturday, Vegas has an opportunity to seize a commanding 3-1 series lead. Meanwhile, Carolina will look to even the series at two games apiece and turn it into a best-of-three showdown for the Stanley Cup.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Let the intrigue begin.

That’s where the conversation started on the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take as Jay Rosehill returned to the mix.

Meantime, it’s official: the Toronto Marlies will face the Chicago Wolves in the Calder Cup Final after Chicago edged Colorado 4-3 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final. The championship series gets underway Friday night in Chicago.

In a matter of hours, the Maple Leafs could be the only NHL team without a head coach. Peter Laviolette, who had been linked to Toronto, is reportedly headed to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, in a stunning development, it sounds like Edmonton has zeroed in on Mike Babcock. Unsurprisingly, that news has the hockey world buzzing. We broke down both developments and discussed where we think the Leafs’ coaching search could be headed. At this point, it seems like only a handful of candidates remain in the mix. That said, there has been plenty of misdirection throughout this process, so it’s difficult to know exactly what’s real and what’s not.

After that, fresh off leading the Kitchener Rangers to a Memorial Cup championship, Jussi Ahokas stopped by to discuss the keys to building a winning culture. The decorated Finnish bench boss touched on the importance of identity, buy-in, chemistry, and player development, noting that the best teams he’s coached all shared those traits regardless of age group or league. Ahokas also weighed in on projected first overall pick Gavin McKenna, praising his vision, skill, and hockey sense while comparing the hype surrounding him to what he experienced coaching Juraj Slafkovský prior to the 2022 NHL Draft. On the Leafs front, Ahokas revealed that Toronto never reached out to him during its head coaching search despite GM John Chayka recently stating the organization spoke with 55 candidates. Ahokas, who has one year remaining on his contract in Kitchener, admitted that coaching in the NHL remains a long-term goal and suggested the AHL could be a logical next step in his career progression.

At any rate, plenty headed your way on the Wednesday edition of Leafs morning Take. We’ll recap Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, plus dissect anything new with the Leafs.

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Report: Joe Pavelski considered a finalist for Maple Leafs’ head coach vacancy

Alex Hobson — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:00:02 GMT

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been taking their sweet time in naming a new head coach, and an under-the-radar candidate has emerged in recent days.

Between the experienced candidates such as Peter Laviolette (who was hired by the Los Angeles Kings on Monday) and Patrick Roy, there have been a few less experienced candidates, one of them being longtime San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman initially reported an interview between the two sides on Sunday, and on Monday, he doubled down on that report and suggested that the former NHLer will be a finalist for the head coaching job.

“I don’t know what this last group is going to be, what the number [of finalists] is going to be, three, five, whatever it is,” Friedman said on The Fan Hockey Show. “But I think Pavelski is gonna be one of them. Based on what I’ve been told, I’m sure he’s going to be one of them.”

Later that day, ESPN insider Pierre LeBrun backed up Friedman’s report, adding some more clarity to the amount of candidates in their wheelhouse.

“It’s been confirmed to me in the last few minutes that Joe Pavelski is among those five remaining candidates that are scheduled for in person interviews with the Maple Leafs today,” LeBrun told TSN’s Overdrive. “We know Peter Laviolette is out, being the head coach in LA today, but Pavelski is among those five final candidates for the Toronto job, is what I’ve been told.”

As a player, Pavelski is a veteran of 1332 NHL games, recording 1068 points in that time. He’s clearly a respected figure in the hockey world, but a hire like this would come with risks considering he’s never held a head coaching position before. In that same breath, however, that was the deal with Martin St. Louis in Montreal, and that’s turned out pretty well for them so far.

The Maple Leafs will continue their search process this week. With in-person interviews scheduled for the final few candidates this week, it’s possible we could hear a verdict on the search within the next week or two.

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Where would Gavin McKenna rank among the past 10 first overall NHL Draft picks?

Arun Srinivasan — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 13:30:43 GMT

As the 2026 NHL Draft rapidly approaches, it appears that the Toronto Maple Leafs will select Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick. Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka told reporters at the NHL Scouting Combine that the team would likely hold onto the pick, while considering an upper tier of 5-6 players for the first overall slot. McKenna expressed mutual appreciation for the Leafs, after Chayka visited the Penn State forward in his hometown.

It’s been ten years since the Maple Leafs selected Auston Matthews with the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The landscape of the league has changed dramatically since, and it’s worth exploring what to realistically expect from McKenna during his rookie campaign. Here’s where McKenna would rank among the last 10 first overall picks.

1. Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks (2024)

Celebrini is already one of the best players in the world, after posting an 115-point campaign with the San Jose Sharks. After becoming the youngest player ever to win the Hobey Baker Award at Boston University, Celebrini took the NHL by storm immediately, and was Canada’s second-best player at the Olympics this winter. Although Celebrini was billed as a prospect with few holes in their game, few would’ve expected him to rise to superstardom this quickly. Perhaps the brightest young player in the league, Celebrini is the primary reason why the Sharks are considered the NHL’s most promising upstart entering next fall.

2. Matthew Schaefer, New York Islanders (2025)

Schaefer posted the best rookie campaign ever by a defenceman, and his transformative skating kept the Islanders in the playoff race until the final two weeks of the season. He’s already considered one of the NHL’s best defenceman and earned down-ballot votes for the Norris Trophy, while winning the Calder Trophy unanimously. Schaefer was among the final cuts for Canada’s Olympic team as well. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Schaefer start winning the Norris as early as next season, while galvanizing the Islanders as their franchise player.

3. Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks (2023)

Bedard hasn’t met the astronomical hype cast upon him prior to joining the NHL, but he’s the face of the Blackhawks. Although he hasn’t been given much support, Bedard has posted three consecutive 60-point plus seasons, while showing glimpses of his all-world potential. Bedard has a wicked release and many expect him to take another leap during his fourth season. Although Bedard entered the league with more fanfare than any prospect on this list, Celebrini and Schaefer’s superior starts to their respective careers drop Chicago’s star pivot down to the third spot.

4. Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres (2018)

It took a few seasons, but Dahlin has been one of the NHL’s best defencemen for the past five seasons, earning three All-Star selections, while being named as a finalist for the Norris Trophy this year. Buffalo’s captain is a tremendous two-way force who can take over games and control play with relative ease. Now, the rest of his Sabres teammates are beginning to catch up, as the team captured the Atlantic Division title, before faltering in the second round. Dahlin could rise up this list in the next few years, as he firmly enters the prime of his career.

5. Gavin McKenna (2026)

McKenna has been in the public spotlight for five years as a prodigious offensive talent. He’s the near-consensus favourite to go first overall this year, and the dynamic winger is intent on joining the Maple Leafs. Although he’s a flawed prospect with significant holes in his defensive game, McKenna’s offensive output has drawn comparisons to Nikita Kucherov and Patrick Kane. If he comes anywhere close to approximating his pro comparisons, he’ll become a deity in Toronto.

6. Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils (2019)

Hughes is one of the NHL’s most gifted offensive talents, peaking with a 99-point campaign in 2023. He’s an outstanding skater who can control games with his pace, playmaking and instincts. Although he’s a top-25 player in the NHL by most accounts, while becoming one of the faces of USA Hockey, it’s now a matter of whether Hughes can lead the Devils to sustained team success as their core matures into their prime years.

7. Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils (2017)

Hischier is one of the NHL’s best two-way forwards, and is always in contention for the Selke Trophy. He will consistently produce 65 points per year while locking down the other team’s top players. Hischier has become a model of consistency for the Devils, but like Hughes, it’s now a matter of Hischier and Hughes driving the team towards a deep playoff run or two.

8. Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal Canadiens (2022)

Slafkovsky shed the preemptive ‘bust’ labels and is beginning to show off the full arsenal of his skill set. He’s stapled on Montreal’s top line alongside Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki and operates as a true power forward, cleaning up pucks at the net-front, while running over opponents. Slafkovksy has a freakish set of tools, and he’s beginning to learn how to use them with greater consistency. We wouldn’t be altogether surprised if he takes a massive leap in the next year or two, mirroring the rise of the Canadiens overall.

9. Owen Power, Buffalo Sabres (2021)

Power is a decent top-pairing defenceman for the Sabres, and while he’s still just 23 years old, it looks unlikely that he’ll become a star. He’s a useful player with a cannon of a shot and strong skating, but Dahlin is the clear leader of Buffalo’s defence corps. It’s not an outright miss but there are better players from the 2021 class, including Dallas’s Wyatt Johnston and Utah’s Dylan Guenther, among others.

10. Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers (2020)

Lafreniere is coming off a 57-point campaign, tied for his career-high. He hasn’t produced anywhere close to the level that he displayed in major junior, while the Rangers have been seemingly content to use him as a high-end second-line forward. Lafreniere will show flashes of his tremendous skill set, but he hasn’t met the expectations that came with him being billed as a prodigious scorer. This is essentially the floor for McKenna.

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Report: Oilers consulting with NHLPA ahead of possibly hiring former Leafs head coach Mike Babcock

Dylan Nazareth — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 11:00:22 GMT

After the Los Angeles Kings hired Peter Laviolette on Monday, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers are the only two teams remaining with a head coach vacancy following the 2025-26 season.

Per TSN‘s Darren Dreger, the Edmonton Oilers are currently looking into hiring former Leafs head coach Mike Babcock as their new bench boss, but are first consulting with the NHLPA to see if there are objections. Babcock last served as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2023, but resigned amid allegations he was invading players’ privacy. According to Dreger, “further investigation may be required” on the incident before Babcock is brought in. NHL Network‘s David Pagnotta later reported that the team has already consulted with core players, including Connor McDavid, on the possibility of hiring Babcock.

Months after being hired as Blue Jackets head coach, and prior to the start of the 2023-24 season, allegations that Babcock forced players to let him go through their phones arose, among other privacy violations. Given the controversy, Babcock stepped down as head coach before the preseason began.

Babcock previously served as Maple Leafs head coach from 2015-2019. He was hired in May of 2015, after 10 seasons behind the bench with the Detroit Red Wings, including a Stanley Cup win. From 2017 to 2019 he led the young Leafs core to its first consecutive playoff appearances in over a decade, though the Leafs fell in the first round all three times. Babcock was fired 23 games into the 2019-20 season, amidst a poor start to the year and allegations that he had created a toxic environment in the Leafs locker room. One notable example was that in the 2016-17 season, he reportedly asked Mitch Marner to rank his teammates’ effort level, then shared that list with the players he ranked lower. After his dismissal from the Leafs, numerous other reports emerged with similar stories.

Edmonton’s head coach position has been vacant since the team fired Kris Knoblauch in May. Knoblauch led the team to back-to-back Cup Final finishes in his first two years behind the bench, but saw poorer results this season, culminating in a first-round loss to the Anaheim Ducks. TSN‘s Pierre LeBrun later reported that if Babcock gets hired in Edmonton, it “wouldn’t surprise” him to see Babcock’s former assistant coach with the Leafs DJ Smith join him behind the bench.

Maple Leafs coaching candidate Peter Laviolette hired by Kings

Michael Mazzei — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 19:10:47 GMT

One of the candidates in consideration to be the next head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs is off the board as Peter Laviolette has been hired by the Los Angeles Kings, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Peter Laviolette will be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Kings

Edmonton and Toronto were also interested

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 8, 2026

TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported that it is a three-year deal for L.A.’s new coach, while multiple insiders noted that the Leafs and Edmonton Oilers were among the other teams that expressed interest in Laviolette’s services.

Laviolette first emerged as a potential candidate when he made an appearance on Leafs Morning Take on May 14, where he publicly expressed interest in taking over the vacancy left behind by Craig Berube. Despite hailing from Franklin, Massachusetts, Laviolette compared being the coach of the Leafs to being the coach of the Dallas Cowboys or New York Yankees. That, combined with his enthusiasm for the core’s ability to bounce back next season, is why he was intrigued to be considered for the position, along with others looking for work.

On June 3, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that Laviolette and Patrick Roy were set to conduct an interview with the Leafs. It’s unclear what the Leafs thought of his interview, but he was nonetheless given serious consideration to have been publicly confirmed to have spoken with management.

Laviolette boasts one of the most decorated resumes in hockey, with a Stanley Cup victory and 846 career wins. He’s widely respected across the league, and his hyper-competitive nature could have galvanized a Maple Leafs team that habitually underperforms relative to their talent.

Meanwhile, GM John Chayka told reporters at the draft combine that the team has spoken with as many as 55 people during the first round of interviews, while adding there is no timeline on when they will make the hire. Friedman stated that the Maple Leafs held 15-16 Zoom meetings, with Joe Pavelski among those scheduled to meet with the Leafs during the next phase of their search for the new head coach.

While we are no closer to knowing who exactly the next Leafs coach will be, we now know that Laviolette is out of the running and is instead off to Southern California.

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Bruce Boudreau backs Marlies bench boss John Gruden for Leafs job: Leafs Morning Take

Nick Alberga — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:30:09 GMT

Mitch Marner and his Vegas Golden Knights are now just two wins away from capturing the Stanley Cup.

The much-maligned former Maple Leaf erupted for a hat trick and an assist as Vegas outlasted Carolina 5-4 in double overtime in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead. At this point, Marner has emerged as the clear frontrunner for the Conn Smythe Trophy. He’s been nothing short of sensational throughout the playoffs.

That’s where the conversation started on the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take as Bruce Boudreau filled in for Jay Rosehill in the co-host chair. The Golden Knights continue to be a revelation under John Tortorella. Even though the series is only 2-1, it feels like Vegas is firmly in the driver’s seat. They’re a deep, relentless team, and Carolina seems to be playing catch-up right now. Boudreau also weighed in on the goaltending situation, drawing on his experience coaching Frederik Andersen. As “Gabby” pointed out, consistency has been a recurring issue throughout Andersen’s career, and at the moment, he’s struggling. In fact, Boudreau said he would turn to Brandon Bussi—who relieved Andersen and finished Game 3—for Tuesday night’s pivotal Game 4.

Meantime, for the first time since 2018, the Toronto Marlies are headed to the Calder Cup Final. Alex Nylander scored the overtime winner in Game 6 as Toronto edged Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2-1 to clinch the Eastern Conference Final in six games. It’s been an impressive run for the Marlies, who now sit four wins away from capturing the Calder Cup. Toronto will face either Chicago or Colorado in the championship series. Those two teams square off tonight in a winner-take-all Game 7 of the Western Conference Final.

After that, we shifted our attention to the Leafs’ coaching search. We had some fun with John Chayka stating that the organization has spoken with roughly 55 different candidates throughout the process. Meanwhile, over the weekend, Joe Pavelski—who is currently coaching minor hockey—emerged as a potential interview candidate. Clearly, the Maple Leafs are leaving no stone unturned as they look to get this hire right. That said, Boudreau isn’t sold on the idea. Naturally, many have pointed to the success of Montreal’s Martin St. Louis as a comparable path. However, as Boudreau noted, St. Louis needed a few seasons to find his footing behind an NHL bench. The takeaway? While Pavelski is an intriguing name, he’s far from a sure thing.

The NHL Draft is now just 18 days away, and our biggest takeaway from the Draft Combine in Buffalo is that it’s becoming increasingly likely the Maple Leafs will select Gavin McKenna first overall. Ultimately, that shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, but with draft day fast approaching, it’s all starting to feel very real. Anything can happen between now and then, but based on the way John Chayka and Mark Leach spoke throughout the week, all signs seem to point toward McKenna being the choice at No. 1.

Before wrapping up the show, Boudreau also weighed in on Dylan Larkin’s trade request out of Detroit, along with all the fallout from last week’s Matthew Knies trade speculation.

At any rate, Rosie will be back in the mix for Tuesday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take. We’ll preview Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final and take an early look at the Calder Cup Final. Plus, fresh off leading the Kitchener Rangers to a Memorial Cup championship, head coach Jussi Ahokas will stop by the show.

Around the NHL: Canadiens working on Gallagher trade, Islanders listening to offers for Mathew Barzal

Jeremy Tingly — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:15:18 GMT

Welcome back to another edition of Around the NHL, as Mitch Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights carry a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 on Tuesday night.

Marner put on a show in Game 3, scoring the fastest hat-trick in Stanley Cup Final history, and he’s the favourite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy at this juncture.

Outside of the Stanley Cup Final, Gavin McKenna has impressed a ton of people at the NHL Scouting Combine, he’s done a great job to get his body ready to make the jump to the NHL, and his interview with the Maple Leafs left John Chayka really impressed.

The trade market has heated up in a major way over the last couple of weeks, as many insiders feel with the salary cap jumping up $8.5 million, this summer is going to be very trade heavy, and it’s all going to start in a couple of weeks from the NHL Draft in Buffalo.

Let’s jump into all the rumblings, here’s the very latest from around the NHL:

Canadiens trying to facilitate Brendan Gallagher trade

Brendan Gallagher made one thing very clear once the Montreal Canadiens were eliminated, he’s going to be moving on this offseason.

Gallagher was a healthy scratch towards the end of the season, and during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, only played in three of Montreal’s 19 postseason games. During the regular season, Gallagher averaged a career-low 12:21 of ice-time per game, and recorded seven goals and 23 points in 77 games.

The pesky forward has one year left on his contract at $6.5 million AAV, and his no-movement clause has changed to a six-team no-trade list. Gallagher went as far to say that Vancouver would be a great place to play during last media scrum, and according to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, Gallagher’s agent and the Canadiens are working together to try and facilitate a deal.

“I think they’re going to explore moving him first, and if that’s an avenue that they can pursue and go in that direction, I think they’d rather do that than go the buyout route,” stated Pagnotta on a recent episode of Daily Faceoff Live.

“It’s an option, but I don’t think they want to execute it. I think they’d rather go the trade avenue and go from there. We know we mentioned Vancouver, and that would be a good spot for him. We’ll see if the Canucks reciprocate in terms of interest. We know what they’re doing, we know they’re going through a rebuild, and Jake DeBrusk is, as far as I know, still wanting to go to a contender and doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild.”

DeBrusk has been on the trade block throughout last season and considering the Canadiens tried to acquire Matthew Knies, it makes sense for them to add a power-forward on left wing. Montreal will need to add something to this trade package in order to get the Canucks to budge, but certainly keep an eye on these two teams leading into the NHL Draft.

New York Islanders listening to Mat Barzal trade offers

The New York Islanders could look very different next season, as general manager Mathieu Darche is reportedly listening to trade offers on Matthew Barzal.

Barzal had a decent season this past year, posting 72 points in 81 games, averaging just over 20 minute of ice-time per game. He’s signed through the 2031 season at $9.1 million AAV, and owns a 22-team no-trade clause. Barzal’s only been a point-per-game player twice in his career, so perhaps the Islanders feel it’s time to shift their resources and re-tool on the fly.

There’s been several teams linked to interest already, including the Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks. The Kings lost Anze Kopitar to retirement, so they have a huge hole to fill down the middle of their lineup. The Ducks are an interesting team as they have Mason McTavish on the trade block, meanwhile the Sharks are looking to add this offseason, and have a wealth of young talent they could dangle in trade talks.

As for the Maple Leafs, they don’t make a ton of sense as a Barzal suitor, and don’t be shocked to see the Islanders move the speedy forward to the Western Conference.

Quick hits from around the NHL

Milan Lucic announced his retirement on Sunday after 17 seasons.
Detroit Red Wings continue to listen to Dylan Larkin trade offers after news broke last week that he’s requested a trade. Minnesota, New Jersey, and Vegas are the early heavy favourites for Larkin’s destination.
Chris MacFarland has taken over in Nashville, and his retool this summer could include moving Jonathan Marchessault.
Andrei Vasilevskiy won the Vezina Trophy after he was pranked by the Tampa Bay Lightning and local police.
Connor McDavid was surprised on the golf course by his family after winning his fifth Ted Lindsay Award.
Besides Gallagher, don’t be surprised to see the Canadiens move goaltender Samuel Montembeault this offseason.
Goaltender Connor Ingram will hit the free-agent market and could be an option for Ottawa.

10 best Canadian players drafted in Maple Leafs history

Alex Hobson — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:00:10 GMT

Now that we’ve officially shut the door on the month of May, it’s time to go full throttle on NHL Draft content. This content wouldn’t hit the same if the Toronto Maple Leafs were going in without a pick until the third round, like they were supposed to as of a month ago, but now that they’ve got the first overall pick, everybody is invested.

With that out of the way, we’re going to be going country to country and examining the best players from those countries to ever be drafted by the Leafs, kicking off with Canada today. For the purpose of limiting meaningless arguments, we’re not going to rank these players. They’re simply arranged by the era they played in.

Darryl Sittler (C, 1st round, 8th overall in 1970 NHL Draft)

	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Maple Leafs career	844	389	527	916

Honestly, if we were ranking these players, there’d be a legitimate argument for Sittler to be number one, anyway. He’s second all-time in scoring for the franchise, he hit 40 goals four times and 30 goals eight times, has two 100-point seasons under his belt, and he holds the NHL record for most points in a single game with a six-goal, four-assist, ten-point performance against the Boston Bruins in 1976. Pretty solid career.

Lanny McDonald (RW, 1st round, 4th overall in 1973 NHL Draft)

	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Maple Leafs career	477	219	240	415

If nothing else, Lanny McDonald is the runaway winner for the best Maple Leafs moustache of all time (sorry Wendel Clark and Auston Matthews). In addition to the generational lip duster, he had a pretty solid career on the ice with the Leafs. He didn’t play enough games to get him into the Leafs’ top-1o scoring list, but hit the 40-goal mark three times as a Leaf before getting traded to the Colorado Rockies following a dispute between then-general manager Punch Imlach and captain Darryl Sittler.

Ian Turnbull (D, 1st round, 15th overall in 1973 NHL Draft)

	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Maple Leafs career	580	112	302	414

Turnbull was the second first round pick from the Maple Leafs in this draft, making for a pretty successful draft performance from their scouts. Turnbull spent eight seasons with the Maple Leafs, hitting the 60-point mark four times including his career-high 79 points in 1976-77. He currently sits fifth all-time on the Maple Leafs’ scoring list by a defenceman, and second in goals by a defenceman, behind only Borje Salming.

Mike Palmateer (G, 5th round, 85th overall in 1974 NHL Draft)

	Record	Goals Against Average	Save Percentage
Maple Leafs career	149-138-52	3.53	.888

Funny, you look at those numbers in 2026 and you’d think whoever owned them had grounds to be put on waivers. But back in the late-1970s, these were good numbers. Palmateer gave the Leafs four years before being traded to the Washington Capitals after a dispute with, you guessed it, Punch Imlach. He spent two seasons with the Capitals before returning to the Leafs for two years. Knee injuries ultimately ended his career early, but he worked as a scout for the Maple Leafs from 2001-2016.

Tiger Williams (LW, 2nd round, 31st overall in 1974 NHL Draft)

	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Maple Leafs career	407	109	132	241

If Lanny McDonald is the owner of best moustache in Maple Leafs history, then Tiger Williams is the owner of the best celebration in history. Of course, I’m referring to the famous ‘ride the stick’ celebration, which technically didn’t happen while he was a Leaf, but it happened against them. Williams doesn’t have the craziest stat sheet from his time in Toronto, but he was a productive player for a few years and helped bring an even more productive player to Toronto when he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Rick Vaive. For that and the celebration alone, he deserves to be on this list.

Wendel Clark (LW, 1st round, 1st overall in 1985 NHL Draft)

	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Maple Leafs career	608	260	181	441

Ah, good ol’ Wendel. He isn’t atop any scoring leaderboards in Toronto, and he never won a Cup with them (like most of their alumni), but you want to talk about a universally agreed-upon fan favourite, Wendel Clark is your guy. A Saskatchewan boy with a full blown moustache on draft day who could score, pass, hit, and fight, Clark exemplified what it means to be a Leaf. So much so that he was somebody they had to part with to bring in Mats Sundin, who would eventually become the Leafs’ all-time leading scorer.

Vincent Damphousse (LW, 1st round, 6th overall in 1986 NHL Draft)

	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Maple Leafs career	394	118	211	329

The Toronto Maple Leafs taking a Quebecois prospect like Vincent Damphousse was a bold move at the time (back when everybody believed every French player was headed for Montreal), and while he would end up there eventually, he had a successful Leafs tenure first. His career high in points was 94, back in 1989-90, and he was eventually traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a package including goaltender Grant Fuhr and forward Glenn Anderson, before winning the 1993 Stanley Cup with his hometown Canadiens.

Nazem Kadri (C, 1st round, 7th overall in 2008 NHL Draft)

	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Maple Leafs career	561	161	196	357

After a loooong stretch without many great Canadian draft picks by the Maple Leafs, we finally get back to the homeland with the selection of Nazem Kadri in 2008. Kadri might not have had any insane offensive seasons for the Maple Leafs, but he was a heart and soul player and, in hindsight, would have been a perfect second-line centre behind Auston Matthews (with all due respect to John Tavares). The trade that sent him to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Tyson Barrie and Alex Kerfoot is officially one of the worst in team history.

Morgan Rielly (D, 1st round, 5th overall in 2012)

	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Maple Leafs career	951	98	451	549

If you can give Brian Burke credit for anything, he once said that the Leafs believed Morgan Rielly was the best player in the 2012 draft class. He wasn’t, but when you look at who was drafted above him, he was onto something. Unfortunately, the task of being the number-one defenceman for a pressure-packed market like Toronto has been on Rielly’s back for years now, and he’s been under fire as much as he’s been celebrated. Regardless of what you think of him, he’s been a soldier and an excellent ambassador for the community, regardless of what happens with him this offseason.

Mitch Marner (RW, 1st round, 4th overall in 2015)

	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Maple Leafs career	738	245	576	821

Had to save the best for last, huh? I won’t spend any time recapping Marner’s Leafs tenure here. If you’ve turned on a TV during the current playoffs at all, you already know about it. Marner’s divorce with the Leafs was messy, but he’s still one of the most productive players they’ve ever drafted. He’s fourth all-time in assists by a Leaf and sixth-all time in points, regardless of what can be said about his playoff performance in Toronto.

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Alex Nylander scores in overtime, Marlies advance to Calder Cup Final

Michael Coyle — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:00:37 GMT

The Toronto Marlies punched their ticket to the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Final on Sunday night.

Alex Nylander scored for the Marlies in overtime to claim a 2-1 victory over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Nylander received a pass off the half wall from Borya Valis, and wove his way through the slot, creating just enough space to unleash a shot along the ice to beat Penguins goaltender Sergei Murashov five-hole to close out the series.

The Penguins opened the scoring on Sunday night when Aidan McDonough beat Marlies goaltender Artur Akhtyamov blocker side seven seconds into a Penguins power play. The goal was McDonough’s fourth of the playoffs after scoring 23 goals during the regular season. Akhtyamov gave the Penguins nothing else, delivering yet another impressive performance during these playoffs. The 24-year-old stopped 39 shots in the win to improve his record to 11-6 during these playoffs and .927 save percentage.

Akhtyamov’s brilliance allowed the Marlies’ offence to find its footing just under halfway through the second period. Trailing 1-0, the Marlies’ line of Easton Cowan, Luke Haymes, and Ryan Tverberg knotted the score with Cowan’s seventh goal of the playoffs.

After Haymes found Tverberg with a pass deep in the Penguins’ zone, Tverberg wasted no time driving the puck to the goal line which resulted in a rebound off Murashov that Cowan was able to bang home. Cowan now has 15 points through these playoffs, and has scored in the two games following his costly turnover that led to Rutger McGroarty’s game-winning tally in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final.

The Marlies are now four wins away from capturing their second Calder Cup in franchise history. After finishing the regular season fourth-place in the North Division, the Marlies have defeated the Rochester Americans, Laval Rocket, Cleveland Monsters, and now Penguins to earn a spot in the finals which seemed like a longshot before the playoffs opened.

“It hasn’t been easy but it’s not supposed to be easy at this time of the year. Our ability as a group, and a lot of credit goes to the older guys that have great leadership qualities, and we have a bunch of younger legs that have followed,” Marlies head coach John Gruden said post-game. “No one was expecting anyone to put on a show but they just played as a team.”

The Marlies will await the result of Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday night between the Colorado Eagles and Chicago Wolves.

Maple Leafs will reportedly interview Joe Pavelski for head coach

Arun Srinivasan — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 13:30:07 GMT

An unconventional, big-ticket name has entered the Toronto Maple Leafs’ search for their next head coach.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that former San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski will get an interview for the job.

“I’m under the impression that Joe Pavelski is going to get an interview for the job,” Pavelski said on Sunday’s edition of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast. “It flies in the face of what I said the other day. I don’t know all the connections here, about how everybody knows everybody. But number one: this is a player who is hugely respected, hugely respected. Number two: what’s one of the stories we heard about the playoffs? Tomas Hertl. Pavelski is watching a game, he sees that Hertl hasn’t scored in 29 games, he says ‘that’s ridiculous!’ calls him, and Hertl breaks the slump. We know that Pavelski is a slump-buster, a motivational genius.”

“I’ve heard Pavelski is legitimately interested, and I’ve heard he will be in that next group of candidates.”

Peter Laviolette and Patrick Roy are also in the running, while David Carle has been ruled out of consideration. Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka told reporters at the NHL Scouting Combine that there’s no timeline to appoint the next head coach.

Friedman also stated that the Maple Leafs held 15-16 Zoom meetings and are in the next phase of their search for the new head coach, while likening Pavelski to Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis. Pavelski doesn’t have any head coaching experience, which was true of St. Louis, prior to accepting the Canadiens’ job.

Pavelski was still in excellent form when he retired following the end of the 2023-24 season. He’s been lauded for his leadership and is a down-ballot candidate for the Hockey Hall of Fame. Pavelski could provide a new voice to a Maple Leafs’ team that is in flux, with a core led. by Auston Matthews and William Nylander, while a newer group of Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan take on increased importance. It would be an unconventional hire, but Pavelski would certainly command the attention and respect of the Maple Leafs’ room, during a year where the team is looking to get back to the playoffs, after missing the postseason for the first time in a decade.