They completely re tooled their bottom 6 and upgraded their goaltending situation. A few over pays but Chayka did what he set out to do
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Maple Leafs fans share their thoughts on a busy Day 1 of NHL free agency
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Jul 2, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 2, 2026, 13:34 EDT
The Toronto Maple Leafs had quite the hectic day to begin free agent frenzy, and the team now looks vastly different from how it looked at the end of last season.
They made five free agent signings and completed two trades, all in an effort to shore up their forward depth and solidify the crease. Toronto signed Sergei Bobrovsky, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Jack Roslovic, Brandon Duhaime and Zack MacEwen as free agents, while acquiring Nick Paul from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Dennis Hildeby and two draft picks, and trading Nick Robertson to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round pick.
There is still plenty left to do for GM John Chayka in his efforts to retool the roster, and perhaps there could be some more fireworks on the trade front as guys like Morgan Rielly could be on the move. But it’s clear that the team is in a much better state now and should have a better chance at bouncing back into a playoff spot than they did prior to July 1st.
We asked you on social media to share your thoughts on a busy opening day in free agency for the Leafs, and here are the highlights:
The consensus among Leafs fans is that they are pleased with the work that Chayka got done and feel he made the team a lot better. Whether or not the contracts handed out age well remains to be seen, though it helps that they were no longer than three years each.
It's a minor gamble. He's either truly over-the-hill, or this turns into when the Leafs picked up Belfour back in the 2000s.
Bobrovsky is the biggest acquision of the day just on name brand alone, and it’s hard not to get excited about the addition of a future Hall of Famer. The risks are obvious because of his advanced age and the fact he is coming off a down season, though it is worth noting that the Florida Panthers last year were injured and missing a lot of regulars.
The majority of the moves made today were with the intention of solidifying the forward depth and adding a boost defensively up front. This could go a long way to freeing up the defensive responsibility placed on Auston Matthews and, in turn, potentially lead to a better offensive output. But as mentioned earlier, there’s more needed to be done.
The today leafs did well. But if it was the Trevelling manager he would of screwed up royally
It’s fair to wonder how Brad Treliving would have handled free agent frenzy had he still be GM of the Leafs. Given how much Chayka got done relative to what his predecsssor did the prior year, it’s safe to say that the Leafs are in better hands now than they were before.
Meh Werenski? Nope Boone Jenner? Nope New GM’s a joke
For all the talk about what the Leafs were able to get done, there’s also plenty that they have not. Zach Werenski was mired in trade rumours this week and it appeared that the Leafs were in position to trade for him before opting to commit to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, they probably could benefit from one more top-six forward to solidify the depth whether it’s done via trade or free agency.
Amazing. -filled out bottom 6 -got a cup-winning goaltender - got a scoring winger for Matthews and McKenna -working on moving Rielly for cap and another D
But make no mistake, Chayka put the Leafs in a much better position after the opening day of free agency. There is still plenty left for him to get done, with one of them being find a new home for Rielly. There will come a time when the collective offseason work can be evaluated, but Leafs fans can be pleased with where things stand after Day 1.
We want to hear from you: What are your thoughts on how the Leafs did during Day 1 of free agency?
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