The Toronto Maple Leafs announced their 2025-26 schedule on Wednesday, and there are a couple of games that you’ll want to be dialed in on more than the others. If you want a full breakdown of what you need to know about the Leafs’ schedule, our own Jon Steitzer has you covered with every last deal in addition to a link to the full schedule.
If you’re just looking for a couple of key dates to mark down, you’re at the right place. Here are five games to mark on your calendar for the 2025-26 season.
Wednesday, October 8th – Canadiens @ Maple Leafs
Nothing crazy for this one. Just a good old tradition that no Leafs fan (or Canadiens fan, for that matter) wants to miss out on. October 8th will mark the Maple Leafs’ season-opener and home-opener alike, and it’s the sixth year in a row the Leafs will open the season against their Quebecois rivals. They’ve rotated between home teams over the years, and with the Canadiens hosting the Leafs in a 1-0 shutout loss for the good guys, the Leafs will look to get some redemption on home ice this season. Although the rivalry has dwindled in the seasons Montreal has been out of a playoff spot, they proved last season that they’re ready to take the next step, and in the end, that fire between the two teams will never die.
Michael Pezzetta will be facing his old team in this game, and while his spot on the roster isn’t guaranteed to be an 82-game thing, it’s safe to assume head coach Craig Berube will have his new-and-improved enforcer in the lineup with a little extra pep in his step. Leafs and Canadiens to open a brand new NHL season, it doesn’t get any better than that.
Monday, October 13th – Red Wings @ Maple Leafs
Putting games on an exclusive streaming service instead of a cable channel like Sportsnet or TSN is always going to bother traditional fans who haven’t bought into the new era of streaming services. We see it in MLB with the occasional Apple TV games. But, credit where it’s due, the Amazon Prime broadcasts seemed to be a hit last season. The coverage was excellent, it opened up some exclusive interviews and a unique angle on the games that fans aren’t used to, and to top it all off, the Leafs were 5-0-1 in games on Prime last season.
The Leafs’ first Prime game this year will be their third game of the season, and it will be at home against the Detroit Red Wings. They actually play Detroit the game before as well, albeit on the road, but you can’t go wrong with an original six game, let alone on a broadcast that the Leafs had tremendous success in last season.
Saturday, December 27th – Senators @ Maple Leafs
December 27th marks the first regular season meeting between the Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators since the playoffs. Not only is a Battle of Ontario must-see TV now that Ottawa has playoff aspirations again, but to put their first meeting a couple of days after Christmas and right in the thick of the World Juniors will make this a game worth catching, too.
One would hope that the Battle of Ontario’s first playoff series since 2004 will put a spark into the rivalry once again, and if past regular season games are any indication, this first game between these two teams should be a fun one.
Thursday, January 1st – Jets @ Maple Leafs
For a pair of teams that only meet once a year, the Leafs and Winnipeg Jets have a pretty substantial amount of animosity. Whether that goes back to the Matthews vs. Laine debate following the 2016 NHL Draft, the COVID-shortened North Division season that saw the Leafs and Jets face each other seven times, or the dramatics the following season involving Jason Spezza and Neal Pionk, these two teams do not like each other.
Maybe it’s the fact that the Leafs have only lost one game against Winnipeg since Mark Scheifele asked his teammates if there was anything better than beating the Leafs, but these games are always fun to watch. Is there anything better than ringing in the new year by watching the Leafs (hopefully) beat the Jets?
Friday, January 23rd – Golden Knights @ Maple Leafs
Last, but certainly not least, if you’re going to watch one game this season, this is the one. Of course, this game will mark Mitch Marner’s return to Toronto for the first time in new colours. He signed an eight-year contract with Vegas a couple of weeks ago, and to say Leafs fans are not happy with Marner and the way he left is an understatement. Pierre McGuire joined Leafs Morning Take on Wednesday and speculated that this game will be similar to John Tavares’ return to Long Island in how many boos should be expected.
The Leafs will probably have a tribute of some sort prepared for Marner, and I’m sure there will be enough fans that cheer for him and welcome him back respectfully, but there’s no doubt that every Leafs fan will want this win just a little more than the rest, and you can say the same for Marner coming back for the first time as an opponent.
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