The Maple Leafs didn’t get the start they wanted to the 2026-27 season.
Toronto dropped a 3-2 decision to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, blowing a 1-0 lead before William Nylander’s second goal of the night made things interesting late.
There were some encouraging moments, though.
Kirill Marchenko made his Maple Leafs debut less than 24 hours after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Gavin McKenna officially played his first regular-season game. And Nylander looked every bit like a player ready to make a major impact this season.
But Toronto also showed that some of the questions surrounding this team haven’t magically disappeared because the offseason brought plenty of change.
Here are three takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ opening-night loss.
William Nylander Looks Ready to Carry the Maple Leafs Offense
If Toronto is going to get back into the playoffs this season, William Nylander is going to have to be a major part of that equation.
He certainly looked the part Tuesday.
Nylander scored both Maple Leafs goals, including the opening goal in the first period and another late in the third that cut Montreal’s lead to 3-2.
That second goal was particularly important because Toronto was struggling to generate enough offense when it mattered most.
There is also something encouraging about seeing Nylander produce immediately after all the attention surrounding Toronto’s offseason additions.
The Maple Leafs added Marchenko. They drafted McKenna first overall. They brought in Sergei Bobrovsky and several other new faces.
None of that changes the fact that Nylander remains one of the team’s most dangerous offensive players.
Toronto doesn’t need him to be its only offensive engine. In fact, that would be a problem.
But if Nylander can consistently create offense like this while Auston Matthews, Marchenko and McKenna find their footing, the Maple Leafs should have enough firepower to make life difficult for opposing teams.
Kirill Marchenko Already Looks Like He Belongs
It would have been completely understandable if Marchenko looked a little overwhelmed.
He had been traded to Toronto just one day earlier, signed a six-year, $75 million extension and then had to make his debut against the Canadiens on Opening Night.
Instead, he immediately got involved.
Marchenko assisted on Nylander’s first goal, giving him a point in his first game wearing the blue and white.
That doesn’t prove Toronto made the right long-term decision. One game obviously can’t do that.
But it was an encouraging first glimpse of what the Maple Leafs were hoping to get when they made the blockbuster trade.
Marchenko entered Toronto after scoring 27 goals and 67 points last season, and the Maple Leafs immediately put him alongside Matthews and Jack Roslovic.
The chemistry will take time to develop.
Still, getting a primary assist on Nylander’s goal in his first game is about as good a start as Toronto could have asked for.
The Maple Leafs paid an enormous price to bring Marchenko aboard.
Now they need him to become a major part of the offense.
Tuesday was at least a promising first step.
Toronto Still Has Questions in Net and on Defense
This is probably the takeaway Toronto won’t want to hear.
The Maple Leafs improved their roster considerably this offseason, but Tuesday showed that adding talent doesn’t automatically eliminate the team’s biggest concerns.
Sergei Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 25 shots in his Toronto debut.
That isn’t disastrous, particularly against a Canadiens team that reached the Eastern Conference Final last season.
But it also isn’t the type of performance that immediately settles the questions surrounding Toronto’s goaltending.
The defense didn’t exactly make his job easy, either.
Montreal eventually found the winning goal from Alexandre Carrier in the third period, with the defenseman scoring from the point to give the Canadiens a 3-1 advantage.
Toronto did kill off all three Montreal power plays, which is certainly encouraging.
Still, the Maple Leafs are trying to turn around a team that finished last in the Atlantic Division last season.
That means the margin for error is smaller than it might appear.
The offensive talent is obvious.
Now Toronto has to prove it can keep the puck out of its own net often enough for all that talent to matter.
3 Takeaways From Maple Leafs Opening-Night Loss to Canadiens