August is a historically slow month as far as things going on in the NHL and definitely when it comes to the Leafs. Nick Robertson and William Villeneuve re-signing already counts for a more action packed month than we see and with Dennis Hildeby still needing a contract, strap yourself in for the excitement of that brief news update as well.
The reality of the Leafs stockpiling NHL capable forwards goes a long way to disprove my belief that this will be a quiet month but even those potential trades seem like they are earmarked for late September when the Leafs have had a chance to make some decisions based off of training camp and other teams either through injuries or through assessing their preseason results that making a deal with the Leafs for some forward depth might be a solid option.
Potential minor news pieces to watch for will be that the NHL is very much now at the start of pro tryout camp invite season as mentioned in last week’s Leaflets, and next Friday (August 15th) will see a number of NCAA players become unrestricted free agents and there is some potential for depth entry level contracts or AHL deals that could help stock up the Marlies and Cyclones for next season. In August you take what you can get.
Here are a few stray thoughts to fill some time in the dead zone of NHL calendar:
Supply and Demand and Jack Roslovic
The fact that Elliotte Friedman is reporting that Roslovic isn’t simply the best leftover player but instead is a player that is weighing multiple options and making a decision based on his preference is a little scary.
The idea of Jack Roslovic on the Leafs had some appeal when viewed as potentially getting him on the cheap or for around what he cost Carolina last season, but instead this in now looking like a potential multiyear commitment with a likely raise on the $2.8M he made last season and closer to his $4M AAV over 3 years that he had signed previously with Columbus.
It’s not that Roslovic isn’t worth that money or that he couldn’t be an upgrade over some current Leafs, it’s just he’s another “where’s the fit?” option and potentially pushes cheaper similar players like Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson out of the lineup.
This might be a case of me beating the dead horse on Roslovic after already discussing him earlier this summer. The thing is, the Leafs have also added Dakota Joshua since then, further crowding the forward group. The Leafs also now have Nick Robertson re-signed at a deal that should inspire Toronto to take a chance on him (more on that in the next section.)
The appeal for Roslovic is that bringing him in costs the Leafs only money and no other asset to acquire him. He’s a net gain and at a time when there is a limited supply for offensive forwards in the NHL. If there is in fact a number of teams looking to add offensive players, the Leafs might also make themselves a decent trade partner for other teams in search of a Plan B.
This might seem like shuffling deckchairs (because it is), but for Roslovic to make sense, picking up assets by moving players like Domi, Robertson, or McMann might be how this acquisition works out for Toronto.
Nick Robertson in the Leafs’ top six
There’s no shortage of uncertainty about how the Maple Leafs will look when it comes to their Marner-less forward group. Mitch was a staple of the top line and there was no way (and likely little intent) to go out and find another 100-point as a replacement. It was always going to be about replacing his scoring by committee.
Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua, and Matias Maccelli are decent pieces to bring into that committee. Underwhelming years based on roles from Max Domi and Scott Laughton also point to their potential role in addressing the issue, and despite not necessarily seeing where he would fit in the lineup, Easton Cowan represents a chance for the Leafs to bet on potential as well.
Nick Robertson should also be a big part of that vision and potentially he aligns perfectly with a scenario where William Nylander takes up Marner’s spot on the top line.
Assuming the top line of Matthews, Nylander, and Knies, there is the potential for a second line of Maccelli, Tavares, and Robertson that has some appeal. The Leafs seem interested in Maccelli’s playmaking in the top six, Tavares has thrived as a strong down low option by the net, and Robertson provides the line with a willing shooter. Potentially it gives the Leafs an opportunity to use all three players to their strengths.
The downside would be that this line certainly doesn’t align with the tougher physical approach that Brad Treliving has been looking to embed in the lineup and there is the potential for this group to exploited defensively. Neither of those are small things.
Over the past couple of seasons, Robertson has seen very little time with John Tavares or Auston Matthews, less than 200 minutes with Tavares and less than 50 minutes with Matthews. Despite being an offensive player, he hasn’t played with the Leafs best offensive centres, instead he’s been largely stapled to Max Domi and has produced decently with an offensive centre who maybe isn’t ideal in the middle of the ice. It’s a chance to explore an unknown with known players.
For this to work, it will require consistency. First in giving Robertson a consistent look with the top six, but secondly, Robertson would need to produce consistently, which he often hasn’t. Having two goals in his first 23 games isn’t an option for Robertson nor will his frequent 5+ game goalless streaks that he had throughout his 2024-25 season.
A year of milestones for John Tavares
The big milestone to watch for in 2025-26 will undoubtedly be Auston Matthews eventually passing Mats Sundin as the organization’s all-time goal leader, but when it comes to a player that will hit the greatest number of milestones this season it is probably John Tavares.
Tavares is:
- 4 goals away from 500
- 16 games away from 1200
- 7 points away from 500 as a Leaf
If Tavares produces at the rate he historically has, he will likely find himself 11th on the Leafs all-time goals and points list at the end of the season, but could also potentially crack the NHL’s top 40 goal scorers of all-time, as well as very easily being in the top 60 all-time point producers in the NHL (he will need to get 1,153 and presently sits at 1,114).
While this doesn’t matter in the Leafs pursuit of playoff progress, Tavares will be a player to celebrate throughout the season as further cements himself as one of the greatest offensive players to ever play the game.