Following his introductory press conference on May 4, where the entire hockey world was watching with microscopic detail, Toronto Maple Leafs senior executive advisor to hockey operations Mats Sundin outlined where the game was heading in scrums with reporters.

“I think the whole game, it’s evolving even faster now,” Sundin declared. “You look at Anaheim-Edmonton, basically Edmonton had a tough time keeping up with the young guys. So it’s a fast game, and you need, if there’s one thing that’s important in today’s hockey, it’s skating, right? Whether you’re a defenceman or forward and watching the Minnesota-Colorado game last night, it’s a high pace and same goes for the defence.”

There has been clear alignment in this philosophy throughout the new Maple Leafs’ brain trust. John Chayka certainly actualized these ideals throughout Canada Day, and this was the goal from the outset. Chayka traded Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Emil Andrae, Samuel Ersson (traded almost immediately to the Ottawa Senators for a fifth-round pick) and a third-round pick. Andrae is the centrepiece of the return for the Maple Leafs, and he signed a two-year extension at a team-friendly $1.55 million per season. The 24-year-old is mobile, breaks the puck out and provided the Maple Leafs with a different look on the blue line. It was merely the first step in Chayka’s overhaul of the roster, where he’s used the optimization concepts of flexibility and optionality to inform his first draft class and free agency cohort.

“He’s a player I’ve watched for a number of years now,” Chayka said of Andrae on June 16. “He’s a smart, competitive player, helps us break the puck out more efficiently, a good puck-mover that can join the rush and support offence as well.”

Toronto underwent a 30-point decline last season, an outright disaster of a campaign. For the first time during the Auston Matthews era, the team was unappealing to watch on a nightly basis, a slow, plodding team that displayed minimal interest in executing head coach Craig Berube’s tactics. And that was before Berube effectively punted on the season, tossing out line combinations at random throughout April. Chayka did well to clear plenty of cap space ahead of July 1, to create the roster he envisioned: a Maple Leafs team that could beat teams with pace and skill, with clearly designated specialists within the bottom-six. Of course, Toronto are still armed with the resources to land a superstar, while remaining entirely flexible for the 2028 offseason bonanza, where Connor McDavid could be heading home.

Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller will oversee a much faster roster, by design. Brandon Duhaime graded out in the 92nd percentile of maximum skating speed per NHL Edge. Colton Sissons, who provides Toronto with penalty killing certainty, ranks in the 84th percentile. Jack Roslovic, a streaky scorer, capable of 20 goals per season, appears to be the 1st-line right wing at the time of this filing (although Easton Cowan or William Nylander could slot in, depending on how Hiller wants to balance his lines) and he flies on the ice.

Gavin McKenna was an easy choice to be selected first overall, and he also injects the Maple Leafs with plenty of pace. I watched McKenna extensively throughout development camp, where his pace, resting speed and processing speed allow him to generate offence at an elite level, and he’ll be a ready-made left-winger for Auston Matthews on the top line. Toronto was extremely lucky to win the draft lottery, but that’s academic now. McKenna is now part of the revamped Maple Leafs’ roster, and he’s the franchise’s most important player, an 18-year-old phenom that likens himself to Patrick Kane on the ice.

Chayka and Sundin clearly realized that a plodding playing style, based on a cynical interpretation of what playoff toughness constitutes, wouldn’t work in 2026-27. Toronto will be exceptionally fast to play against, while its revamped, skilled top-six will be afforded the room, offensive zone starts and creativity to generate offence without concern. There is speed throughout the lineup, while Sergei Bobrovsky provides the Maple Leafs with championship pedigree, star power and aura, while looking to prove the naysayers wrong after posting a .877 save percentage with the Florida Panthers last season. Toronto is equipped for a return to the playoffs, while Chayka and Sundin have outlined where the game is going, with a clear emphasis on pace across the board.