Overview
- After missing the playoffs and firing GM Brad Treliving and coach Craig Berube, Toronto installed John Chayka as GM, Jim Hiller as head coach, and returned Mats Sundin as a senior advisor to reshape the front office and coaching ranks.
- Chayka spent the summer adding targeted pieces to address tactical gaps, signing goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky for crease stability and acquiring right-shot defenseman Darren Raddysh to improve the power play.
- The Leafs also stocked depth with Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Jack Roslovic, Emil Andrae and used their draft lottery win to select Gavin McKenna first overall to bolster short- and long-term plans.
- Training camp is now under way with new players reporting a welcoming locker-room vibe and the team scheduled to play an exhibition against Montreal on Sept. 19 as it tests chemistry and systems.
- Chayka stresses ownership did not order a wholesale purge and says results will be decided on the ice, meaning Toronto must show measurable improvement in goaltending, power-play balance and lineup cohesion to meet expectations.