TEAM COMPARISONS
The Canadiens finished a few points away in a three-team race for the Atlantic Division crown in 2025-26 and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final before bowing out to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games. General manager Kent Hughes kept his roster mostly intact, with forward Chris Kreider joining the Club while Brendan Gallagher, Patrik Laine, and Joe Veleno have moved on.
The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, are coming off a difficult season in which they finished one point above last place in the Eastern Conference, but they’re a different group in 2026-27. Just on Monday, Toronto sent forward Matthew Knies to Columbus for Kirill Marchenko. Looking back to the offseason, goaltender Joseph Woll was traded to Philadelphia in the summer and replaced with two-time Stanley Cup champion and two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky. Toronto will also get a first look at 2026 first-overall pick Gavin McKenna, while also adding forwards Nick Paul (currently day-to-day), Jack Roslovic, and Brandon Duhaime, among others, and defenseman Darren Raddysh.
SEASON SERIES
Sept. 29 @ TOR:
Nov. 7 @ TOR:
Dec. 26 vs. TOR:
Mar. 22 vs. TOR:
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
The Habs will be counting on increased progression from captain Nick Suzuki (first 100-point season in 2025-26), Cole Caufield (first time hitting the 50-goal milestone), Juraj Slafkovsky (30G, 43A last season), Lane Hutson (tied Larry Robinson’s record for most assists in a season with 66), and Calder Trophy candidate Ivan Demidov (19G, 43A). That’s to say nothing of playoff overtime hero Alex Newhook, who recently inked a four-year contract extension, or the NHL’s 2025-26 shot-blocking runner-up Noah Dobson, who’s entering his second season in Bleu-Blanc-Rouge. In goal, the Habs will be relying on a solid tandem of Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault, although we’ll have to wait until closer to puck drop to see who gets the nod versus Toronto from head coach Martin St-Louis.
For the Buds, keep an eye on 2025-26 leading point-getter William Nylander, while captain Auston Matthews should be back to full health after suffering a season-ending knee injury in March. John Tavares led Toronto in goals last season with 31, with Nylander and Matthews rounding out the top 3. Expect Bobrovsky to get the start in goal for the home side as the veteran looks to rebound from a difficult 2025-26 campaign.
LINEUP NEWS
The Canadiens will not be holding a morning skate on Tuesday, but are scheduled to have their pregame media availabilities around 11:30 a.m. For the full official lineup, check back on the team’s social accounts on Instagram, Facebook and X closer to puck drop.
