John Chayka has already come under fire as the Leaf GM. (Sportsnet)
This week, we learned that John Tortorrela will not be back as the Vegas coach despite leading the team within two wins of the Stanley Cup; related, the Knights have promoted their AHL coach, Ryan Craig, to the big club; and Toronto has brought back its old assistant coach, Jim Hiller, as its new head coach. Other Fantasy hockey related stories we’re tracking…
Joseph Woll Dealt to Philadelphia
When we last checked in on the Toronto Maple Leafs just over a year ago, they had again failed to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals despite a highly successful campaign that saw them record 108 points.
But that disappointment was just a precursor to 2025-26 as Toronto bottomed out with 78 points, ending a streak of nine straight playoff appearances and enduring a losing mark for the first time since 2015-16 – the last time the Buds missed the postseason.
And for those Leafs fans expecting a quick return to contention, you might want to cool your jets as the team is not considered a legitimate Stanley Cup contender for next season.
New Toronto general manager John Chayka – who comes with his own baggage (see video below) — has begun the process of putting his stamp on the team as he made his first trade on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, he hired his new head coach as we alluded to above.
As far as the deal goes, the Leafs sent goalie Joseph Woll and blueliner Simon Benoit to Philadelphia, but the return was underwhelming: goalie Samuel Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and a 2026 third round (85th overall).
Sadly, even if some believe this move offers potential, the draft pick may turn out to be the best asset Toronto landed here as both Ersson and Andrae come with huge question marks.
Ersson was statistically the league’s worst goaltender in 2024-25 yet was somehow even worse this season… until he turned his campaign around after the Olympic break. He had long since lost the starting job to Dan Vladar, so didn’t play much down the stretch, but he did look very sharp when called upon. Even so, Ersson’s goals saved above expected total was -16.5, fifth worst in the league, which is hard to do as a backup. And among goalies who played in 21 games or more, no one had a worse save percentage than his .870 mark. In fairness, Ersson has been very strong in shootouts, so there’s that.
Perhaps he can revitalize his career, but the problem is the Leafs still have a glut of goalies. Anthony Stolarz, Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov remain on the roster, so adding Ersson to that mix doesn’t ease that logjam (will he simply be non-tendered?). It’s possible another deal is coming to offer more clarity on the mix in the Leafs’ crease.
In moving out Benoit, Toronto is trading its youngest blueliner, a big, tough guy who does all those little things well like throwing his weight around, punching people in the face and blocking shots (but doesn’t produce any offense). Fortunately, the return is even younger in Andrae (24), albeit less tested. He’s extremely undersized, even if he’s got a stocky build, and while he’s never managed to settle in to a legitimate full-time role in Philadelphia, the flashes are there.
Andrae drives play very well, although it hasn’t really translated into much offensive production so far in his career. He got a bit lucky this season, recording a nearly 60 per cent on-ice goals for percentage at 5×5, but all of his metrics were at least break even.
The Swedish native’s upside is that as a No. 4 defenseman capable of being a useful PP2 player, and perhaps a change of scenery could unlock more of that potential.
Detroit’s Woes Continue
Just over a year ago, we discussed how the Detroit Red Wings had taken a step back and missed the playoffs again despite a strong finish. This season, it was the reverse as an amazingly strong start had them seemingly very secure in a playoff spot with a 32-16-5 mark with a week left in January.
We’re not sure what the FanDuel odds were of this happening, but Detroit found a way to blow it, going just 9-15-5 the rest of the way to extend its postseason drought to a decade.
The Red Wings definitely need to improve their offensive output at 5×5, but that’s not going to be easy now that one of their leading scorers — Dylan Larkin — wants out, Yes, the team’s captain requested a trade a couple of weeks ago, and given that he’s posted five straight (and six in total) 30-goal seasons, that’s going to put a dent in Detroit’s output, depending on the trade return.
Back in 2019-20, Larkin started a run of a couple of down seasons, which perhaps can be blamed on Covid considering he’s been back to his usual self since. Last season, Larkin set new career high with 34 goals and nine game-winners, but as he approaches the age of 30, he’s obviously getting frustrated with Detroit’s playoff drought.
Originally, he was only willing to accept a deal to either Minnesota, Vegas or Florida, but that list apparently has grown, although it’s unclear how many more teams he’s willing to accept being traded to. What’s curious, however, is the rumour that Detroit and Anaheim have had some discussions.
The number of teams that have at least kicked the tires here is quite high, so Detroit knows it will have plenty of options if Larkin agrees to further expand the team list.
You have to know the Red Wings would like to make this happen before the draft so they have a clear idea up front of their depth chart and needs.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
American rocker Donnie Iris has been active since 1961, but his solo career didn’t start until 1980 with the release of Back On the Street. From this album comes his signature song “Ah! Leah!” which hit No. 29 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.