Nick Paul: "Growing up in Mississauga, being a Leafs fan. In over an hour, I had 600 messages and missed calls. Having a Leafs jersey on and pretending to score goals. All of this in a short period of time, it still hasn't settled in. More than anything, it's just excitement."
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Leafs’ Nick Paul willing to do ‘whatever team needs’ heading into first season in Toronto
Jul 4, 2026, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 4, 2026, 00:34 EDT
The Toronto Maple Leafs are bringing another local kid home to play for them next season.
Following the sign-and-trade deal to acquire defenceman Darren Raddysh, who is from Toronto, the Maple Leafs acquired Nick Paul on July 1, adding another talented player to their roster who grew up cheering the Maple Leafs on.
Paul, who grew up in Mississauga, joined Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga to discuss the excitement of joining the Maple Leafs, what role he is looking to bring to his new club, and what it will be like to play with former Atlantic Division rival Sergei Bobrovsky.
“Just growing up in Toronto, and the GTA, and going to a bunch of games,” Paul said. “If you grew up in the GTA, you know exactly what being a Leafs fan is, so to be here and play for them is another level I don’t even know yet. As soon as I realized I’m going to play for the Leafs, goosebumps and memories all kind of hit me at once.”
Paul has spent the past four full seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning after being acquired by the Lightning from the Ottawa Senators halfway through the 2021-22 season. While Paul only totalled 15 points across his 51 games last season, the 31-year-old reached at least 30 points in each of the prior three campaigns.
Even with Paul’s point total being down in 2025-26, he brings the ability to make an impact in a game in a variety of ways. Last season, Paul notched 75 hits and had a faceoff winning percentage of 53.9%. Paul’s ability to do whatever is needed is one of the qualities he looks forward to bringing to his new club.
“I take pride in doing all the little things right, which hopefully leads to the good things, which is scoring, whether it’s goals or assists,” Paul said. “It’s the little things; I’m a big believer in that. If they need me to go throw a hit and switch momentum I’ll do it. Whatever they need, if they need me to snap back a draw, I’m going to try and break that guy’s stick and win that draw. I take pride in big moments, and I try to set myself up as someone a coach can rely on in any situation.”
Another new Maple Leaf heading into next season, who was added on July 1, was Bobrovsky. Almost every hockey fan knows about the rivalry that has developed between Paul and Bobrovsky’s former teams, the Lightning and the Florida Panthers over the past few seasons. Now, teammates, Paul touched on what he’s looking forward to with his new number-one goaltender.
“He’s robbed me multiple times,” Paul said. “I’ve heard nothing but great things. My old roommate and one of my good buddies, Chris Driedger, was a backup with him. He was like dude, you are going to love him. His preparation, the way he sets himself up for practices, games, everything, he’s dialed. He’s one of the best for a reason, so I’m super pumped.”
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