Inside look at Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs underwent one of the most dramatic and thorough makeovers in their recent history, one stemming from the front office to behind the bench to on the ice.

A last-place finish (32-36-14) in the Atlantic Division and missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2016 prompted a flurry of changes that have reinvigorated a skeptical fan base with hope.

The retooling kicked off May 3, when John Chayka was hired as the 19th general manager in team history and Maple Leafs icon Mats Sundin as senior executive adviser of hockey operations. Toronto then hired Jim Hiller as coach and took Gavin McKenna with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Stanley Cup-winning goalie, and Darren Raddysh, one of the top power-play quarterbacks in the NHL last season, were signed as free agents.

"We have some players that are some of the best players in the world that wear this sweater," Chayka said, an obvious reference to captain Auston Matthews and fellow forward William Nylander. "And it's (on me) to place the structure principles and give them the resources to go and accomplish our goals."

It didn't take long for that to start happening.

Just 48 hours after Chayka and Sundin came on board, the Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft Lottery after holding the fifth-best odds (8.5 percent). The subsequent selection of McKenna, a playmaking Penn State forward from Whitehorse, Yukon, came after Chayka traveled to the family home to get to know the highly regarded prospect better and featured the 18-year-old taking the Toronto GM on a journey up a nearby mountain in an off-road vehicle.

"I think he had his eyes closed for parts of the trip," McKenna laughed, adding that "being a Canadian kid and going to the biggest hockey market in the world … I love those fans already. It's one of the most passionate fanbases out there."

Chayka admitted the Maple Leafs had some luck in the lottery to be in the position to land McKenna. The remainder of the reshaped roster came via some careful planning that's resulted in Toronto featuring new looks in goal, on the blue line and up front.

Bobrovsky, 37, signed a three-year contract July 1. He helped the Florida Panthers win the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025 and is confident he can rebound from an .877 save percentage last season, the lowest in his NHL career.

"It's a blessing to join this team," Bobrovsky said. "This is Toronto. It's the capital of hockey, in my mind."

On defense, the Maple Leafs addressed their puck-moving struggles by dealing for Raddysh from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Emil Andrae from the Philadelphia Flyers.

Raddysh, who set NHL career highs in goals (22), power-play goals (10), assists (48) and points (70) last season, was acquired in a sign-and-trade that came with a new eight-year contract. The 30-year-old grew up 40 miles northwest of Toronto in Caledon, Ontario. He said it was always the dream of his late father Dwayne, who died from cancer March 3, to have Darren and brother Taylor one day play for his beloved Maple Leafs.

"It means the world," Darren said. "My brother and I grew up being Leafs fans."

The Maple Leafs made the most moves at forward, augmenting a core that features Matthews, Nylander, John Tavares, Matthew Knies and second-year prospect Easton Cowan. Nick Paul was acquired in a trade with the Lightning, and Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime and Zack MacEwen were all additions in free agency.

Hiller coached the Los Angeles Kings from Feb. 2, 2024, until he was fired March 1. He was a Maple Leafs assistant under Mike Babcock from 2015-2019 and thus has familiarity with holdovers like Matthews, Nylander and defenseman Morgan Rielly. One of Hiller's top goals is to help Toronto tighten up defensively. The Kings were tied with the Washington Capitals for seventh in goals-against last season (238). The Maple Leafs were 31st (295).

Another eye-catching move was hiring Daniel Alfredsson as one of Hiller's assistants. The Hockey Hall of Famer and all-time leading scorer of the Ottawa Senators was once the villain of the Toronto fanbase during the memorable Battle of Ontario in the early 2000s, so his hiring is just another intriguing storyline during an offseason when at least 18 management and support staff were let go and/or replaced.

The bottom line: Ownership wanted a reboot for a franchise with just two postseason series wins in the past 22 years.

"We wanted to be the best possible team we could for this year," Chayka said.