McKennas first game lol
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Maple Leafs fans pick their most anticipated games of the 2026-27 season
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Jul 18, 2026, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 17, 2026, 23:10 EDT
The Toronto Maple Leafs released their 2026-27 regular-season schedule on Wednesday, and there are plenty of games that have fans excited.
Opening Night is always a standout as it is the dawn of the regular season, but plenty of others have gotten people’s attention. Whether it be the first encounter against the Florida Panthers, the first matchup between Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, or any rivalry night, there will be plenty of games that fans will want to suck their teeth into when those particular games come up on the calendar.
We asked you on social media which game you are most looking forward to, and here are the highlights!
The start of the regular season is always going to get some extra attention for obvious reasons, but this year’s edition holds additional weight because it will mark the beginning of McKenna’s NHL career. Playing against the Leafs’ forever rivals in the Montreal Canadiens first is bound to make this one worth tuning in for.
October 3rd would be the first Saturday night for the Leafs when they host the Ottawa Senators. The Battle of Ontario is always a good time, though this one holds some extra intrigue because this will be the first time that Daniel Alfredsson is on the other side of the rivalry.
I’ll be at the Leafs game on a Saturday night Halloween game for our boys BC homecoming! Leafs nation out west will show him there really is levels to this shit
Anytime the Leafs play against the Canucks, it is always a good game regardless of where the two teams are in the standings. Vancouver is likely going to be in for another difficult season despite having plenty of intriguing players, but there is a good chance the encounter in Vancouver that McLeafs is describing will have a larger percentage of Leafs fans than usual.
The Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid matchup is always appointment viewing, and this one will be no different. The extra layer of intrigue is that this will be the first time Mike Babcock faces off against his former team nearly seven years after he was fired partway through the 2019-20 season.
We have already mentioned Opening Night, but one game between the Leafs and Habs that should be interesting to watch is on Boxing Day in Montreal. This will be the first time in ages that the NHL has a game that close to Christmas, and they picked a great one between the forever rivals.
The VGK & ‘Benedict Arnold’ Marner visit ScotiaBank for another warm welcome on a Saturday night Dec.12 .
There won’t be as many fireworks as in the first matchup in Toronto back in January, but Leafs fans will always pay extra attention when Mitch Marner is back in town. For the sake of the fanbase who were let down the first time, here’s hoping the Leafs put on a better showing in the second go-around.
All of them
— Jim (@whosyourtwindad.bsky.social) 2026-07-16T18:52:44.682Z
Let’s be real: just being able to watch a Leafs game is exciting regardless of the opponent. September 29th can’t come fast enough!
We want to hear from you: which Leafs game during the 2026-27 regular season are you looking forward to the most?
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Toronto Maple LeafsTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$106,752,382
$106,752,382
Projected Cap Space
-$2,752,382
$6,747,618
Current Cap Space
-$2,752,382
$6,747,618
Active Players
23/23
24/23
Draft Picks
Round
'26
'27
1
1
1
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1
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