If not for a ping-pong ball bouncing in the perfect spot, it would’ve been a bitter off-season for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Instead, it’s been a summer full of anticipation thanks to first-overall pick Gavin McKenna falling into their laps. McKenna has been a lifeline of sorts for an organization that was staring down a crossroads at the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign. Should they rebuild? Does Auston Matthews want out? The chatter around those topics that were once increasing in volume is barely audible at this point.
Now, the focus is on how great McKenna can be and, maybe more importantly, what he can do for Matthews. The American gold medallist is coming off a pair of injury-filled down seasons, and the hope is that the addition of a talented playmaker like McKenna can re-energize Matthews and help him return to his perch atop the league’s best goal scorers.
McKenna and Matthews should play together immediately
The much-anticipated answer to the question of who McKenna will play with to start this season was answered Thursday, as the rookie began training camp skating on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander. That should be a great spot for McKenna since he gets to play with two high-end offensive players, but many were still disappointed that he isn’t playing with Matthews right out of the gate. You would think the two should have great chemistry, as McKenna is a natural playmaker who could help Matthews find the net more frequently once again after the team lost Mitch Marner.
There is a lot riding on this season for the Maple Leafs, so putting McKenna and Matthews together immediately makes the most sense because they need as many reps as they can get together in a shorter pre-season to start gelling.
Overreaction? Yes
There’s no reason to rush McKenna up to the top unit right away. Matthews and McKenna can still build chemistry on the power play, and that will give McKenna some time to get his feet under him in the NHL before taking on the responsibilities of playing on a No. 1 line. The opposition figures to deploy its top checking line and best defensive pair against the Matthews unit frequently, which would make things more challenging for McKenna to deal he gets acclimated to the NHL. Playing with Tavares and Nylander gives him the best of both worlds, in the sense that he gets to play with great offensive players and the Leafs can still shelter him a bit. McKenna looked dangerous in Toronto’s first pre-season game Saturday night with Tavares and Nylander, displaying confidence with the puck and generating a few chances with his creativity.
Meanwhile, Jack Roslovic, who is starting with Matthews, has a history of coming out strong in the early part of the season before cooling off. For instance, 15 of Roslovic’s 21 goals last season came before the end of January. The year before that, 17 of Roslovic’s 22 goals came prior to the new year. Roslovic essentially becomes like a starting pitcher after he’s gone through the batting order twice. Teams start to figure out how to defend him. The Leafs may as well try to take advantage of it while they can. So, when Roslovic slows down, and McKenna has two or three months of NHL experience under his belt, it may be a better time to unite him with Matthews.
There’s also a risk of giving McKenna too much too soon, both literally and figuratively. If you start McKenna on the top line and he goes through the inevitable growing pains that any 18-year-old rookie will, moving him off Matthews’ line is going to feel like a demotion. Give him a chance to thrive slightly further down the lineup and promote him when the time is right.
Viggo Bjorck should start season with Jets
The Winnipeg Jets could use some positivity right about now. Last season was a disaster, and now their franchise goalie and former Hart Trophy winner wants out. The Connor Hellebuyck drama is grabbing all the headlines at training camp, and it's distracting from the impending season on the ice, which is a fairly critical one. Winnipeg is just two years removed from a Presidents’ Trophy, and last season’s disappointment left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. But there was a silver lining to that futility: the Jets ended up with Viggo Bjorck at eighth overall, and the early returns feel very promising. Bjorck starred at the prospect’s tournament last week, scoring a highlight-reel goal while standing out all over the ice.
The Jets would be wise to keep Bjorck around to start the season and pencil him as a key member of their top six.
Overreaction? No
It makes a lot of sense for the Jets to give Bjorck a look for a few reasons. The first is he fills an immediate need for Winnipeg up front, as the Jets are very thin at centre. After Mark Scheifele, Adam Lowry would fill the two-hole if Bjorck isn’t an option. Lowry is a fine player, but he doesn’t feel like a second-line centre on a team that has playoff aspirations. There has also been a recent example of a pick outside the top five who came in and thrived at the centre position in Pittsburgh Penguins second-year pro Ben Kindel. After being taken 11th overall, the Pens gave Kindel a shot last year, and he never let them take him out of the lineup. Kindel ended up finishing with 17 goals as Pittsburgh surprised many by making the playoffs.
The Jets roster has also become a bit stale, so adding a young, energetic player like Bjorck could be contagious throughout the entire roster. Kindel played a similar role in Pittsburgh as that veteran roster suddenly looked revitalized a year ago. Bjorck could provide an injection of skill to the Winnipeg lineup that would make them more dynamic and tougher to play against. For a team that is looking for some positivity and good vibes heading into 2026-27, the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to giving Bjorck a long look.
Dylan Larkin has played his last game for the Red Wings
The relationship between Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings is hanging by a thread. Larkin requested a trade out of Detroit in June and with nothing materializing on that front, the Red Wings stripped him of the captaincy heading into training camp. The veteran centre also hasn’t taken the ice yet with his teammates due to an upper-body injury suffered while training. Larkin has reportedly only given the Wings a few teams to which he’s willing to be dealt, so player and organization appear to be at a stalemate until things get sorted. It’s hard to see a scenario where Larkin ever puts on a Red Wings sweater ever again.
Overreaction? Yes
While it seems unlikely, it’s at least possible. If there’s any chance, it depends on the new general manager and if there’s any way they can mend the relationship with Larkin. It’s no secret that Larkin and Steve Yzerman weren’t on the best of terms, so maybe a new voice can settle things down and get Larkin to a place where he’s willing to play while he waits for a deal to be made.
If Larkin doesn’t want to expand his list of teams, it may take quite a while for a deal to take shape, and that means he’d have to sit at home waiting. That’s not going to help his trade value, and an interested team may be more willing to make a play for Larkin if they see him excelling on the ice. I’m not saying the Wings can smooth things over entirely with their former captain, but I do think there’s a world where he plays games in Detroit until a deal gets consummated.
Expansion will water down NHL
It feels like it’s a matter of when, not if, that the NHL will expand in the next few years. While nothing is official, talks are ramping up around a team in Houston or Austin, and other places like Atlanta and Phoenix have interest in trying their hand with an NHL franchise again as well. It does make sense that the league would be interested in expanding, as these are major markets and adding teams would generate more revenue for the league. Plus, with seven Canadian teams, the NHL only has 25 American franchises, which is significantly less than the NBA, NFL and MLB. There’s room to grow, but is there enough talent to fill out all these teams and still deliver a quality product on the ice?
Last year we saw two teams make the playoffs in the Western Conference with negative goal differentials, and the Los Angeles Kings claimed the final spot with just 90 points and 22 regulation wins. Adding more teams into the mix runs the risk of watering things down further.
Overreaction? No
This is a legitimate concern. There are a lot of good players outside the NHL right now, but enough to fill potentially another four teams where it feels like expansion is eventually heading? That’s debatable. You could certainly build out rosters with some quality players, although every team having a couple of elite, talented players who are marketable and can help sell tickets feels challenging. Let’s also keep in mind what will happen when a bunch of injuries hit teams across the league in a condensed season when there’s an Olympics or World Cup of Hockey. Teams will have to start calling up players that are further and further away from having NHL talent.
Ultimately, expansion may be a big benefit for the financial health of the league, but it's unlikely that it will make the product on the ice better.
