MILTON, Ontario — For a team that gets discussed with the same intensity and tenor of most Parliamentary hearings, there’s certainly a lighter air surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs. Carlton The Bear is happily dapping up anyone in his vicinity. Darryl Sittler is in attendance at the RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ontario and few players are better equipped to discuss the unique pressure surrounding this hockey team. Media scrutiny is an attendant part of playing for the Maple Leafs, but the notion of what constitutes fair criticism has been discussed ad nauseam, it’s time to turn the page, with the same Stanley Cup expectations still present.
“First of all, enjoy the day,’ Sittler said with a smile. “Today is one of the last days they have before they start training camp, and I know every season you look forward to training camp. We got new players on the team, so you’re looking to blend in with them and obviously have a good training camp and a good year. Look forward to it. Maybe this is the year finally those hockey gods will be with us and we could win a few rounds and challenge for the Cup.”
Toronto revamped its forward corps this season, with the idea of being equipped for the playoffs. Mitch Marner, who may or may not be persona non grata, is a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, and a committee featuring Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy and Matias Maccelli are here to fill the void left by the 102-point winger. Auston Matthews and William Nylander are still among the best players in the world, while the Maple Leafs return their entire defence corps and starting goaltenders. There will always be pressure on the Maple Leafs, but a few extra eyeballs is no issue for Roy.
“It’ll be different for sure. Big market, Canada. I mean it’s always nice to have a little pressure. That’s what you play for,” Roy said.
“ I’ve been here for a few weeks getting with the guys. We have a really good group and the pace is actually really, really fast before I came out there. The guys are ready. Been working out a lot too, nice little scrimmage there, and a good skate. So, excited to start things pretty soon.”
Roy won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights and he’s the physical, right-shot centre the team needed. He’s not going to be rattled by the pressure of the market and his physicality, along with his ability to get the net-front are assets that head coach Craig Berube surely covet. And there’s a commonality here as well, as Roy’s probable linemate looks forward to shaking off a nightmare year and returning to top form.
Joshua was diagnosed with testicular cancer in July 2024, returned to game action in November 2024, and was traded to the Maple Leafs on July 17. The 29-year-old was caught by surprise by the trade, but the Maple Leafs represent a new opportunity for him to get back to the career-best form he displayed two seasons ago.
“It was a difficult time and tough to go through, but in the end, I’m very lucky and thankful that I got it taken care of early on and no real major side effects after recovering,” Joshua said. “So just to go through that and be thankful to still be playing at the highest level. And then, once again, putting it behind me and just moving forward and getting back to the player I know I am.”
Joshua is familiar with playing under Berube, stemming from their shared tenure with the St. Louis Blues during the 2021-22 season. It’s clear that he’s going to play exactly to what Berube envisions from his third line, a group that will likely feature Joshua, Roy and Bobby McMann or Nick Robertson to begin training camp.
“He’s a very straightforward coach,” Joshua said. “You know what he expects out of you. He’s easy to play for in the fact of there’s no grey area. He likes it north-south. As long as you can compete, he’s a great coach to play for.”
And as long as you can compete, the expectations of playing for the Maple Leafs become easier to manage. Toronto will be tasked with making a deep run once again in the first year of the post-Marner era. It’s a brand new year, with some new faces, but the same Stanley Cup expectations are in place. And if you’re prone to thinking ‘same old Leafs’ no one would fault you, but it’s a new team with some championship pedigree, with players who have overcome macabre outcomes that transcend sports. Let the games begin.