Maple Leafs Rumors & News

Sportsnet "Garret Sparks calls it the hardest shot he’s ever seen. David Pastrnak sniping a split-second slapper high from the left circle off a snap tape-to-tape pass from Patrice Bergeron, one of five smartly executed goals the Boston Bruins elite breezed by the Toronto Maple Leafs..." November 12

Maple Leafs Hot Stove "The Hockey Night in Canada panel provided an update on unsigned RFA winger William Nylander at the second intermission of the Leafs vs. Bruins game on Saturday night. Elliotte Friedman reported that the priority remains to reach a contractual agreement that would keep Nylander in..." November 11

Boston Herald "While the Bruins continue to seek secondary scoring, the first line keeps trying to prove they have nothing to worry about. David Pastrnak picked up a hat trick with an assist, Patrice Bergeron contributed a goal and two helpers, and Brad Marchand had two assists as the Bruins skated..." November 11

Sportsnet "The closer we get to Dec. 1, the more trade speculation will ramp up around William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Still without a contract, Nylander is less than a month away from the cut-off date when he either needs to sign a deal or will be ineligible to play..." November 07

Yardbarker "As the Toronto Maple Leafs prepare to take on the Vegas Golden Knights tonight at home, there are still two key pieces out of their lineup. First, Auston Matthews, who while back on the ice in some capacity is still several weeks away from a return to game action, and second, William Nylander..." November 06

NBC Sports Bay Area "Over the course of a 12-year career as an NHL goalie, Sharks goaltending coach Johan Hedberg said he only changed his chest protector twice.  “The one when I retired, there was nothing left,” Hedberg said in a phone interview with NBC Sports California. “[It..." November 05

NHL.com "John Tavares had no idea that the Toronto Maple Leafs are off to their best start on the road in 77 years. Nor can he explain why. "There's not one guy in here that knew about that road record and how long it's been since the franchise has started a season this..." November 04

Sportsnet "The William Nylander saga continues. As the Dec. 1 deadline for the Toronto Maple Leafs to sign the restricted free agent inches closer, the uncertainty of Nylander’s future in Toronto grows. If Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas chooses to pursue a trade involving..." November 04

Sportsnet "One month into the season, fans in Toronto have stopped pinching themselves. It wasn’t just a fever dream. Their team actually did go to the market in July and sign John Tavares, the last centre not named Connor or Sidney to be voted onto an NHL First All-Star Team. For almost a month,..." November 04

Sportsnet "When Sheldon Keefe called Trevor Moore into his office following the Toronto Marlies’ 7-6 shootout loss to the Cleveland Monsters Friday night, the player was concerned. “Kinda thought I was getting in trouble, honestly. He had the video pulled up. We were sitting there in..." November 03

TSN "Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews skated with trainer Jon Geller ahead of the team's practice on Friday for the first time since being diagnosed with a shoulder injury. On Monday, the team said Matthews, who was injured in Saturday's win over the Winnipeg Jets, was..." November 02

Sportsnet "“Roman!” Tuesday morning ahead of their annual road game in Toronto, Dallas Stars defence coach Rick Bowness is beaver-tailing his stick on the ice and rooting on a familiar face accomplishing an unfamiliar feat in a familiar place. Roman Polak has just blasted a..." November 01

TSN "Despite losing Auston Matthews to injury for a month, the Toronto Maple Leafs remain Stanley Cup favourites according to the latest odds released by Bodog. The Leafs, who are off to an 8-4-0 start and are tied for fourth in the NHL with 16 points, have odds of 13/2 to win the Cup...." November 01

Sportsnet "Justin Holl keeps hearing a variation of the same joke. The career minor-leaguer scored a goal in each of his first two NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, so everyone is eager to kid him about keeping "the streak" alive now that he’s finally..." November 01

Pro Hockey Rumors "The calendar is about to turn over to November, and like the seemingly daily updates that have come out for the past few months there is no progress in talks between the Toronto Maple Leafs and restricted free agent William Nylander. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet calls the situation “a..." October 31

Sportsnet "Midway through last season the NHL began streamlining goalie equipment with a target on leg pads and pants. Rather than goalies being allowed to wear inflated equipment that had more to do with filling up the net than protecting the player, the NHL began to enforce “form-fitting”..." October 30

The Score "Things might feel a bit claustrophobic for Maple Leafs fans right now, but rest assured - the sky is not falling. Auston Matthews, the club's best forward through 11 games and an early candidate for both the Hart and Art Ross trophies, will be out for at least four weeks. Though..." October 29

NHL.com "The NHL has named MGM Resorts the first official sports betting partner of the League. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, joined by MGM Resorts Chairman & CEO Jim Murren, made the announcement Monday. "The new sports betting landscape presents a unique opportunity..." October 29

Toronto Sun "The Maple Leafs are going to have to get by without Auston Matthews. For quite a while. The Leafs announced on Monday morning that the 21-year-old superstar will be out of the lineup a minimum of four weeks with a shoulder injury, suffered on Saturday night against the..." October 29

TSN "The Toronto Maple Leafs were dealt a blow Monday when it was announced centre Auston Matthews will miss four weeks with a shoulder injury, and it doesn't appear the return of William Nylander to provide relief is imminent for the club. Speaking Monday on TSN..." October 29

The Score "Auston Matthews' projected four-week absence is a tough pill to swallow for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but there's a small silver lining in the wake of his shoulder injury, with the 21-year-old confirming on Monday that it won't require surgery. Winnipeg..." October 29

Pension Plan Puppets "Auston Matthews was hurt on this play in front of the net: October 28

Sportsnet "Mike Babcock has specific targets in mind for what has increasingly emerged as a hot-button issue among Toronto Maple Leafs fans and critics (a Venn diagram that typically resembles a perfect circle): how to divide ice time for his centremen. The main point of contention is that..." October 27

The Score "When it comes to hair cuts and facial hair, Kasperi Kapanen doesn't exactly trust Patrik Laine. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward recounted an amusing exchange he had with the Winnipeg Jets star when they faced each other earlier in the week. "He told me to go get my..." October 27

Washington Post "Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has started to wear an extra undershirt to protect himself. Even with Braden Holtby’s Washington Capitals teammates toning down the power of their shots in practices, he’s started to feel the sting of pucks in ways he hasn’t..." October 24

Sportsnet "John Tavares will face his old team back where it all began. The New York Islanders announced on Wednesday that their Feb. 28 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs will take place at Nassau Coliseum rather than Barclays Center, where it had been originally..." October 24

Sportsnet "Nylander, who has remained in Europe over the course of negotiations, has said in the past that he is looking for long-term extension to stay with the club. As Kypreos indicated Tuesday, the deal could be for as many as six years. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston wrote Sunday that a..." October 23

Sportsnet "arret Sparks peels off his new, formfitting chest protector after Tuesday’s practice and, bare from the waist up, points to tender spot on his upper arm, just below his right shoulder, where he’d been pinged by a high shot from one of his teammates. "Just because I..." October 23

The Score "The group representing ex-NHL players is "all-in" on endorsing cannabis as a pain relief option for its members. That is, if future research can prove the drug’s supposed healing capabilities. "I think science has to prove it first. If science proves it,..." October 23

Pro Hockey Rumors "While the mutual preference of both the Maple Leafs and winger William Nylander would be to get a long-term deal done, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that this no longer appears to be an option.  He notes that there isn’t an AAV that is high enough for..." October 22

Sportsnet "Rewind to the early days of William Nylander v. Toronto Maple Leafs and there were four potential outcomes on the table. You had: A) Nylander signs a short-term contract with Toronto. B) Nylander signs a long-term contract with Toronto. C) Toronto trades Nylander.October 21

TSN "Before third-year pro Mitch Marner evolved into an integral piece of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ offence, he was an 19-year-old rookie just finding his way. Tyler Bozak helped him to do it. When Marner arrived with the Leafs before the 2016-17 season, Bozak was one of the..." October 20

Sportsnet "With Nick Ritchie signing a three-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks earlier this week, William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs is now the NHL’s only remaining unsigned restricted free agent. Nylander is currently practising with Dornbirner EC of Austria’s top tier..." October 20

Sportsnet ""I’m ready," said Nazem Kadri. "I’m ready." Ready to reprise his role as the Toronto Maple Leafs nullifier. Of even greater importance is the fact head coach Mike Babcock appears ready to once again deploy Kadri as his primary matchup..." October 19

NHL.com "Connor McDavid didn't necessarily agree with Sidney Crosby calling him the best player in the NHL, but the Edmonton Oilers center was appreciative of the praise from the Pittsburgh Penguins captain. "It means a lot, obviously, especially coming from him," the Oilers..." October 19

Sportsnet "William Nylander has started practising with Austrian team Dornbirner EC while waiting out his contract impasse with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sportsnet has learned. The 22-year-old winger was on the ice with the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga team on Wednesday and Thursday and is expected..." October 18

Ottawa Citizen "The Maple Leafs substituted measuring sticks for hockey sticks on Thursday as they prepared to meet a team they hope to become. “They have what we want,” summarized Toronto head coach Mike Babcock after the morning skate. Top centres Sidney Crosby and Evgeni..." October 18

USA Today "When Wayne Gretzky set the NHL scoring record of 92 goals in a season in 1981-82, there was considerable buzz during the year about how many goals he might score. During Brett Hull’s 86-goal season in 1990-91, USA TODAY published a story about whether it was possible for a player to..." October 18

Sportsnet "William Nylander’s drawn out contract negotiation with the Toronto Maple Leafs has put Kasperi Kapanen in a prime position. Looking to break into the NHL on a full-time basis for the first time, Kapanen could be seen slotting in alongside Nazem Kadri on the third line with the..." October 17

Sportsnet "Fairly or not, we have an image of the GMs who sit in the executive boxes at NHL games. They’re Old School, as their average age (53.9 years) would suggest. At the high end, there’s the Islanders’ 75-year-old Lou Lamoriello. Almost to a one, they’re defined by their..." October 17

Pro Hockey Rumors "In all war-time negotiations, both sides usually like to find a neutral meeting place for any peace negotiations to limit the leverage for one group or the other. It’s apparently no different in contract talks, as Lance Hornby of Postmedia reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs..." October 17

TSN "Frederik Andersen’s status for Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins remains up in the air after the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie left Tuesday's practice early. “It's progressing slowly," Andersen said after the workout. "In the..." October 17

Sportsnet "Hey Mark Scheifele. You played with Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid on Team North America at the World Cup, and you’ve faced them both in the NHL. Is Matthews really a better player than McDavid, like the folks in Toronto are saying? "No." Care..." October 16

NHL.com "Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly and Carolina Hurricanes right wing Sebastian Aho have been named the NHL's "Three Stars" for the week ending Oct. 14.   FIRST STAR - PATRICE BERGERON, C, BOSTON..." October 15

The Score "Drew Doughty famously negotiated his eight-year, $88-million extension with the Los Angeles Kings in the offseason without the help of an agent, and he apparently picked a solid tactic to land a deal to his liking. Last offseason, the London, Ontario native admitted his interest in..." October 15

Sportsnet "Nazem Kadri calls it “bulletin-board material.” It wasn’t too long after Saturday’s 4-2 victory in Washington before he saw Lars Eller’s thoughts on the Toronto Maple Leafs land in his social media feed with a bang. Eller said Toronto’s..." October 15

Pro Hockey Rumors "A few weeks ago the Toronto Maple Leafs had plenty of goaltending depth, and a tough decision to make. They ended up placing both Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard on waivers in order to keep Garret Sparks, but lost both goaltenders in the process when the Carolina..." October 15

Sportsnet "It was an off-hand comment made by Auston Matthews, probably not inclined to help push William Nylander into the corner. But it did. And when the Toronto Maple Leafs centre suggested he was not at all bothered by the notion of an in-season negotiation of a new contract,..." October 15

NHL.com "Morgan Rielly is no Bobby Orr. But could he be like Duncan Keith? Yes, Rielly is off to one of the best starts by a defenseman in NHL history. He has 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in six games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and ranks second in the League in scoring behind teammate..." October 14

Pro Hockey Rumors "While the Toronto Maple Leafs were busy extending their hot start with a win over the Washington Capitals—thanks to Auston Matthews’ tenth goal of the season—William Nylander was still waiting for his chance to play this season, continuing negotiations with the team over his..." October 14