The Leafs & Legends Charity Golf Classic was held at RattleSnake Point Golf Club in Milton, Ont. on Monday.
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After a summer of change, the Maple Leafs are set to open training camp this week.
“We begin with honesty,” wrote MLSE president and CEO Keith Pelley in a message sent to season-seat holders on Monday. “Last season did not meet the standard expected by anyone within our organization or our fans. Disappointment must lead to accountability, and accountability to action. That has been our focus this offseason.”
Pelley trumpeted all the turnover that has been overseen by new general manager John Chayka and senior executive advisor Mats Sundin.
“As training camp begins, there is renewed energy throughout the club,” Pelley wrote.
“The work begins now. We understand that confidence must be earned and we believe there is every reason to look forward to what comes next.”
Pelley highlighted the addition of 10 new players and specifically named goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, defenceman Darren Raddysh and winger Gavin McKenna.
“We understand that offseason changes do not guarantee success,” Pelley said in his message. “Expectations must ultimately be met on the ice. This team will have to earn your confidence through its preparation, competitiveness and resilience but we believe in the direction of this club, the people leading it and the players who will proudly wear the Blue and White.”
Bobrovsky and Raddysh met the media on Monday at the team’s annual charity golf event in Milton, Ont.
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Bobrovsky is a two time Stanley Cup champion and two time Vezina Trophy winner, who is destined for the Hall of Fame. But he also posted the worst save percentage of his career last season (.877 in 52 games) as the Florida Panthers missed the playoffs.
Bobrovsky, who signed a three-year, $21-million deal with Toronto, believes a longer offseason will serve him well as he prepares to open the next chapter in his career.
“It felt so long, but it’s also a good opportunity to build the summer training, you know, off ice, to put [in] the good cardio block [and] physical block to get to be a little stronger,” said Bobrovsky, who will turn 38 on Sunday. “I try to use that time for those things.”
Bobrovsky and the Panthers made the Stanley Cup Final in three straight seasons from 2022-23 to 2024-25, which limited the ability to do much offseason work.
“There was basically just recovery and back to play,” Bobrovsky recalled. “So [this] summer I [had a] good summer training, especially off ice.”
Bobrovsky has been training in Toronto for “almost a month already.”
The Russian is being aided by a familiar face in Andy O’Brien, who was hired as Toronto’s new vice-president of sports performance this summer. O’Brien previously worked as a high-performance consultant with the Panthers.
“He’s a big pro,” Bobrovsky noted. “It’s great to have him here. He helped a lot to build the process, especially off ice, in Florida, and he’s going to do a great job here as well. It’s a great addition to this club, and he’s going to make this club even more competitive.”
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Leafs captain Auston Matthews joked that he was more confident that his foursome would post the lowest score on Monday after learning that Raddysh, known for his golf game as well as his booming slapshot, was part of his group.
The Leafs acquired Raddysh via a sign-and-trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning before the 70-point man could hit free agency.
Raddysh likes the vibes around the Leafs so far.
“A lot of new faces,” the 30-year-old Toronto native said. “Everyone’s happy. Everyone’s smiling, chirping each other, doing the stuff us hockey players do.”
After signing an eight-year, $68-million deal, Raddysh is fulfilling a childhood dream by playing for his hometown team.
“I’m not sure it’s sunk in yet,” he said. “I think once I play that first game and, you know, get on the ice, I think it’ll sink in a little bit. But for now, you know, just trying to enjoy this and enjoy being in Toronto and just trying to do my thing here.”
When Raddysh takes the ice at Scotiabank Arena for the season opener on Sept. 29, he will see plenty of supporters in the stands.
“A lot of ticket requests,” he said with a smile when asked about the response from friends and family to his move back home. “I’ve had to dial back on that a little bit but, yeah, it’s been good.”
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McKenna did not talk to reporters on Monday, but remained a hot topic in the scrums.
“Skilled, young player,” Raddysh observed. “He’s got a lot of talent. I’m excited to see what he can do in the NHL. It’s exciting having a guy like him in your team.”
McKenna is the third player drafted first overall by the Leafs in franchise history following in the footsteps of Matthews (2016) and Wendel Clark (1985).
“I think it’s always easier to start here than it is to come here at 26 and run into all you guys (media) for the first time every day,” Clark said. “He’s got a great group of veterans on the team that are going to look after him ... He’ll just ask questions, and the guys will look after him.”
McKenna will be living with 2009 first overall pick John Tavares. Clark pointed out that Sundin is also a former first overall pick (1989), who can help mentor McKenna.
“I always say, for the rookies there’s no pressure here,” Clark stressed. “They finally made it to where they dreamed of playing. It’s a different pressure than [Morgan] Rielly and Auston have because they’re here and understand what they’re going through. But he’s just coming in. Every day is a new day. Even a bad day is a fun day.”
Managing expectations, Clark noted, is very important.
“The big thing is he’s not here to change anything,” the former Leafs captain, who now serves as a community representative for the team, said. “He’s here just to be a hockey player first and grow into himself. He’s a young guy. He’s 18 years old. We were all that, and we don’t expect any one young guy to come in and change the world.”
Clark did not have a chance to speak with McKenna during the offseason, but if the Penn State product asks for advice, what will he say?
“Just have fun ... All the best players that I’ve ever played with on any team any year, whether it be the Sundins, Sakics, Yzermans, Lecavaliers, all are kids that started by just having fun playing. Because if they’re having fun, their game is really good. Nobody had more fun playing than Wayne Gretzky, and he’s your best player ever kind of thing. So, if they can continue to have fun, you’ll see the progression in it. We don’t want them not having fun. So don’t get pushed down by what is happening with the team, because you’re just one guy. You’re not all of a sudden going to turn everything around overnight. It’s a team game, and we have to do that as a team.”
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Defenceman Emil Andrae met the Toronto media on Monday for the first time since being traded to the Leafs by the Philadelphia Flyers back on June 16.
“I was actually at the golf course when I found out,” Andrae recalled. “The GM of the Flyers [Danny Briere], he called me on the last hole, and I finished the last hole, and then I called him back. So I got the news there and obviously a little shocking first, but when I found out it was Toronto, I couldn’t be more happier. So, yeah, I’m excited.”
Andrae grew up cheering for the Leafs, who have a long history of featuring prominent Swedish players.
“It’s probably the biggest hockey market in the world and I’m excited to be here,” the 24-year-old from Vastervik, Sweden said. “It’s going to be a little different from Philly, of course, but I just can’t be more happy to be here and, you know, have fans that love hockey and, I mean, you guys, reporters, that love it too, so it’s going to be fun.”
Andrae got a crash course on life in Toronto from longtime Leaf William Nylander, who took his countryman to dinner on Sunday night.
“We had a good chat about the city,” Andrae said. “He’s trying to help me to get a place and [telling me] where to go and eat and all that stuff, so, yeah, he loves it here. It’s a great city and a great town and a great hockey market, so he has a lot of good things to say.”
Andrae is also excited about the opportunity on the ice. He’s spent most of the last two seasons bouncing between the American Hockey League and the NHL.
“I want to be acclimated to the league and be an everydayer, and that’s my goal when I get here,” he said.
So, what kind of player are the Leafs getting?
“I’m a pretty mobile defenceman,” Andrae said. “Can play the game 200 feet and I like to move the puck, move my legs and I think my vision is probably the biggest strength that I have out there. I’m pretty small (5-foot-9), so I’m pretty competitive out there.”
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After an injury-hampered season, forward Nick Paul switched up his summer workout routine.
“A little bit more cardio and just getting my hips active,” the 31-year-old forward said. “Getting my base right and then building on top of the base, building muscle and strength on top of the base. It’s been good. Ever since I got traded here just been skating a lot as well. We’ve been having some good skates out there yeah just be ready to go.”
The Mississauga, Ont., native was acquired from the Lightning in a trade that saw goalie Dennis Hildeby go the other way along with a 2027 fourth-round pick, and a 2028 third-round pick.
“I think it sunk in when we finally moved here and hopped on the ice with the Toronto gear,” Paul said of the NHL homecoming. “I’ve been seeing family a bunch. They’ve been helping me move in a little bit.”
Although Paul acknowledges he doesn’t know many of his new teammates outside of Raddysh.
“I think the biggest thing is just going around, just get out of your shell a little bit, talk to everyone,” he said. “There’s a lot of different personalities when it comes to a makeup of a hockey team and just kind of feeling those out. It’s been great so far. Obviously the skates, hanging out. We had a little fantasy draft. A couple things here and there where the guys and everyone are getting together so it definitely makes it a lot easier when you’re hanging out with everyone.”
Paul is happy to report that his fantasy football team, which he co-owns with goalie Anthony Stolarz, is off to a hot start.
Raddysh and Paul, meanwhile, have been bonding with Bobrovsky by reliving the fierce rivalry between the Lightning and Panthers.
“The Battle of Florida was definitely fun,” Paul said with a grin. “I asked him about that a little bit.”
“Yeah, we exchanged a couple of words,” Bobrovsky said. “For sure, the fighting match is not the hockey match. Yeah, they are great guys. You know, they came from also a good culture. You know, great guys, and they are going to make this team stronger for sure.”
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The Leafs officially announced that they have signed defenceman Nick Blankenburg to a professional trout.
Training camp opens with media day on Wednesday. The first on-ice sessions will be held on Thursday at the Ford Performance Centre.
The Leafs will open their preseason schedule on Saturday with split-squad games against the Canadiens at the Bell Centre and Scotiabank Arena.
