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Bruce Boudreau endorses new Maple Leafs signing Brandon Duhaime

Photo credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

By Michael Coyle

Jul 23, 2026, 14:30 EDT

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While much of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2025-26 regular season could be classified as a failure, the offseason that has followed has given fans, players, and management alike reason to believe that a bounce-back is in order.

The Maple Leafs will return to game action in 68 days at Scotiabank Arena when they host the Montreal Canadiens in an Original Six matchup.

On Wednesday, former National Hockey League head coach Bruce Boudreau joined Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill to discuss what he looked at when the NHL schedule first gets released, what he thinks Brandon Duhaime will bring to the lineup next season, and if he believes this Maple Leafs team has what it takes to return to playoff hockey.

“The first thing I would pay attention to when I got the schedule, when I was coaching, is how we played in the first month,” Boudreau said. “The one thing I didn’t want to do in that first month was play against non-playoff teams from the year before. At that point, they think they are still in it, where sometimes the best teams go, it’s a long season, let’s not worry about it, and it takes them a while to get going.”

On July 1, among many other signings, the Maple Leafs added Duhaime on a three-year contract worth $7.8 million. The 29-year-old forward joins the Maple Leafs after recording nine points across 82 games with the Washington Capitals last season, and is set to bring an energy element to the Maple Leafs’ lineup that appeared to be lacking throughout the course of last season.

“They [the Maple Leafs] are getting a physical and tough player who will stick up for his teammates,” Boudreau said. “I had him in Minnesota as a rookie, and sometimes he’ll struggle with assignments and that hurts him. But there are games where he’ll be really good and others where you go, what the hell is he doing? His consistency is a big thing, but I think he’s a good fourth line player, and he’s going to play hard every night.”

To go along with Duhaime, the Maple Leafs also brought in Darren Raddysh, Colton Sissons, Jack Roslovic, Nick Paul, Teddy Blueger, Emil Andrae, and Sergei Bobrovsky, all while selecting Gavin McKenna with the first overall selection during the 2026 NHL Draft.

The major overhaul of the club’s roster from a season ago, coupled with the type of additions the club made, is what has many hopeful that the 2025-26 season was just an aberration. While many feel this way, Boudreau isn’t sure this team has what it takes to get back into the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

“I really don’t think they will make the playoffs. I just don’t think their defence is good enough yet,” Boudreau said. “It’s old, and with 84 games it’s going to be tough sledding on those guys. [Craig] Berube wanted to have a good defensive team, [Jim] Hiller in Los Angeles had a good defensive team, but these guys got to get the puck to the forwards if they want to score, and I don’t think they can.”

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