The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the more intriguing NHL teams to watch heading into this 2026-2027 season. This is a team that will have a much different feel this season with big changes up and down the organization. Both the front office and coaching staff have new personnel with John Chayka taking over as GM and Jim Hiller stepping behind the bench. Of course, the roster on the ice will will have a different look as well. The most exciting new addition for Toronto is their first overall draft pick, Gavin McKenna. Sergei Bobrovsky, Darren Raddysh and Nick Paul are also among the many newcomers to this team as the Maple Leafs aim to return to the postseason after a disappointing 2025-2026 campaign.
Will the Maple Leafs Gel with Jim Hiller’s System?
Rory Boylen of Sportsnet took a look at storylines to watch for all 32 teams across the league this season. For the Maple Leafs, he identified the Hiller hire as a key factor to monitor. He questioned whether or not Hiller’s new coaching style will mesh with this Toronto team better than former coach Craig Berube’s did last year.
With how busy this offseason has been for Toronto, it easy to forget that they will have new leadership mentoring the team this season. This will be an important situation to observe as management hopes Hiller’s system will complement this team. This is a group that struggled defensively last season as no team allowed more shots on goal than the Maple Leafs. Hiller is known to be a coach who prioritizes the defensive side of the game, this was evident during his tenure with the Los Angeles Kings from 2023-2026. If Hiller can come in and aid this team in cleaning up play in their own end, that will go a long way towards this group having a more successful season.
What Impact will Hiller Have on Auston Matthews’ Game?
With that being said, will Hiller bring more offense to this team? This is another area that the Maple Leafs struggled with under Berube as his dump-and-chase methods did not work with this unit. Hiller does have a background that involves the offensive aspect of the game, he served as Toronto’s power play coordinator when he was an assistant coach with the team from 2015-2019.
The hope is that Hiller can help get more out of Auston Matthews on this front. Matthews had the worst statistical season of his career last season with just 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 games. There were reasons for this: injuries and the loss of Mitch Marner impacted Matthews’ campaign. With a new coach that should allow for Matthews to get back to his creative strengths and McKenna added as a potential linemate, there is optimism that Matthews can have a bounce back campaign this season. Toronto will need Matthews to perform at his best if they want to get back in the playoffs in what projects to be a loaded Atlantic division race. It will be interesting to see if Hiller can create more buy-in from this Maple Leafs squad compared to recent coaches.
How Jim Hiller’s Coaching Style Meshes with the Maple Leafs will be a Storyline to Watch