3 questions facing Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, three important questions facing the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1. How long will it take to jell on and off the ice after many offseason changes?

That is the biggest uncertainty surrounding the Maple Leafs. What's clear is that ownership was willing to make that gamble and take some big swings to change the fortunes of a franchise that has made the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs just twice since 2004.

The Maple Leafs (32-36-14) also finished last in the eight-team Atlantic Division, so the organization was not afraid of making bold moves.

Consider the magnitude of how they have altered their DNA.

Coming in: General manager John Chayka, senior executive adviser of hockey operations Mats Sundin, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, defensemen Darren Raddysh and Emil Andrae; forwards Gavin McKenna, Nick Paul, Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime and Zack MacEwen.

Heading out: Goalies Joseph Woll, Dennis Hildeby and Samuel Ersson; defensemen Brandon Carlo and Simon Benoit; forwards Matias Maccelli and Nicholas Robertson.

That list doesn't include coach Jim Hiller, assistant Daniel Alfredsson and more than a dozen front office and support staff members like director of sports performance Andy O'Brien, Sidney Crosby's longtime trainer who worked closely with Bobrovsky while both were with the Florida Panthers.

Management understands there will be growing pains, sure, but as Chayka points out, the goal is to win now.

2. How will Gavin McKenna handle being under the hockey microscope in Toronto?

The 18-year-old got a taste of the spotlight that awaits him when avid Maple Leafs fan Justin Bieber announced his selection as the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo. The following day, McKenna threw out the first pitch at a Toronto Blue Jays game and days later attended a World Cup soccer game, all the while doing countless interviews.

There is no doubt it could be overwhelming. At the same time, McKenna, who grew up in Whitehorse, Yukon, will have a strong support system helping him through it.

Consider that Sundin (1989), team ambassador Wendel Clark (1985) and captain Auston Matthews (2016) were all No. 1 picks in the NHL Draft. They've been there, done that. They've all had firsthand experience of the white noise there can be in Toronto and how to deal with it.

McKenna will have plenty of brains to pick and mentors to learn from.

3. How will Matthews rebound from season-ending knee surgery?

It was certainly a welcome sight for all concerned when the Maple Leafs captain stepped onto the ice with the likes of Buffalo Sabres forwards Josh Doan and Tage Thompson at the inaugural Sun Devil Hockey Pro Camp in Tempe, Arizona, in mid-August.

Matthews sustained a grade 3 MCL tear and quad contusion in his left leg in a knee-on-knee collision with defenseman Radko Gudas in a 6-4 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Arena on March 12. He had surgery 10 days later and has been on a closely monitored rehab schedule.

The expectation is that he'll be ready for the start of the upcoming season. How effective will he be?

Expecting another 69-goal season like in 2023-24 is likely too much to ask for a number of reasons.

First off is health. And it's not just the knee. The 28-year-old has had a variety of injuries the past few years and is being treated by Arizona chiropractor Dr. Sean Robek.

Secondly, Hiller is known for stressing a defensive system and will look to Matthews to be effective at both ends of the ice, something the Maple Leafs forward is one of the best at doing.

Hiller was also a Maple Leafs assistant from 2015-19 and worked with Matthews during his formative NHL years. In this case, familiarity is a plus.