The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a completely new look this season.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Maple Leafs revamped their roster and their front office. Toronto made major additions in adding the likes of two-time Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky and Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh. They also overhauled the front office by adding general manager John Chayka and Maple Leafs great Mats Sundin in an executive role.
The biggest move was arguably the addition of Bobrovsky, the veteran goaltender who was a key pillar of the Florida Panthers‘ back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2024 and 2025. Tavares and the Maple Leafs matched up against the Panthers in each of those playoff runs, losing both times, including a heartbreaking seven-game series loss during the 2024-25 season with Game 7 being in Toronto.
Tavares gave his honest thoughts on the Maple Leafs’ addition of Bobrovsky, his former rival who will now be a key teammate as the Maple Leafs look to turn things around this season. Bobrovsky will be 38 years old this season and is the oldest goalie in the NHL entering the season.
“[How] he’s aged and how he takes care of himself has become kind of legendary, and who he is as a goaltender, as an athlete,” Tavares said of Bobrovsky. “So, really excited to be around him, because of the skill set, the pedigree, what he’s going to bring to the team, and the quality of goaltender he is, but also I think the leadership aspect, because of how he goes about his business, and what he invests, and what the sport means to him, and what he’s trying to do to help the team, and everything he puts into it.”
Why Maple Leafs Added Sergei Bobrovsky
Improving the goalie and defensive units were a top priority for Chayka and the Maple Leafs this offseason. Toronto ranked second-to-last in goals allowed last season and it was a big reason for their decline as they ranked second-to-last in the Eastern Conference.
By comparison, the Maple Leafs ranked eighth in the same category during the 2024-25 season when they pushed the Stanley Cup champion Panthers to seven games.
Bobrovsky had a rough season last year, posting a 3.07 goals against average with an .877 save percentage, the second highest goals against average of his career and the worst save percentage of his career. The hope is that Bobrovsky can recapture the form that he displayed during the Panthers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup titles run when he peaked with a 2.37 goals against average and a .915 save percentage during the 2023-24 season.
John Tavares Understands Maple Leafs’ Offseason Moves
Tavares, who has been a member of the Maple Leafs since 2018, understands why Toronto made such big changes this offseason.
“It was tough to see when ‘Tree’ was let go, and it was the sign that obviously changes were starting and coming,” Tavares said. “I think you just always have faith that we have a really good nucleus of a team and that unfortunately last year, it just went off the rails for us a little bit, and we got off track. And you try to take the ownership and understand that we have to just do a much better job, and clearly we weren’t very good, and it’s resulted in a lot of change, and when that happens, take responsibility, and look forward, learn from it, and embrace what’s ahead and what the change is bringing.”
Maple Leafs’ John Tavares Doesn’t Hold Back on Ex-Rival Sergei Bobrovsky