The Toronto Maple Leafs continue their 2025-26 preseason with another date against their Ontario rivals, the Ottawa Senators. These two teams are coming off their first preseason game that saw the Maple Leafs win 4-2 in a game where the Senators dressed more of their regulars.
Tonight, however, the Maple Leafs are dressing a very NHL-heavy lineup, whereas the Senators are expected to dress more rookies and fringe players in what will be their last meeting of the preseason. Maple Leafs fans will get to see the likes of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares for the first time.
This type of lineup isn’t surprising. On the most recent edition of 32 Thoughts the podcast, Elliotte Friedman spoke on why there are certain preseason games that feature a lot of NHL talent.
“But you dress your players, and I agree with this. If your home fans are going to pay for those tickets and exhibition hockey, you have an obligation, an obligation as the home team to give them the best possible roster you can. And if that means you go on the road with a roster that isn’t your regular roster, I’m okay with that.”
That’s why tonight, you will see the Maple Leafs dress a lineup that’s very close to their opening night roster. The Senators, meanwhile, are still playing some NHL players, but more of the ones who are pushing for a spot on the team, similar to what happened on Sunday but in reverse.
Maple Leafs News
The Maple Leafs are just less than a week into training camp and already have plenty of injuries to deal with. Before the game on Sunday, it was reported that defenseman Simon Benoit is dealing with an upper-body issue and remains out. Nicolas Roy has been working through a lower-body injury, which Craig Berube described as “just a little nicked up,” though he is back on the ice and skating.
There are also personal matters being dealt with. Max Domi is away attending his grandfather’s funeral and did not practice with the team. As for Joseph Woll, it was announced today to be taking a leave of absence to deal with a personal family matter. At this time, there is no timeline for his return, and the organization is asking everyone to respect his privacy.
Projected Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Mattias Maccelli
Bobby McMann – John Tavares – William Nylander
Dakota Joshua – Luke Haymes – Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz – Scott Laughton – Easton Cowan
Morgan Rielly – Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe – Chris Tanev
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Ben Danford
Denis Hildeby
Artur Akhtyamov
Ottawa Senators
Arthur Kaliyev – Dylan Cozens – Fabian Zetterlund
Nick Cousins – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio
Olle Lycksell – Stephen Halliday – Tyler Boucher
Xavier Bourgault – Garrett Pilom – Hayden Hodgson
Jake Sanderson – Carter Yakemchuk
Tomas Hamara – Artem Zub
Donovan Sebrango – Nikolas Matinpalo
Leevi Merilainen
Hunter Shepard
Puck drop is set for 7:00, with the Maple Leafs looking to improve to 2-0 in preseason. While many fans don’t think preseason hockey really matters until the second week, tonight’s lineup gives players like Robertson, Cowan, and Danford another chance to get into game action. More specifically, it gives them a chance with almost the full NHL roster. This could be a big night for all three and could help decide where they start the 2025-26 season.
There are other names to watch too. Maccelli is skating alongside Matthews and Knies on the top line. This could be a make-or-break game for him. If he doesn’t have a good night, he could lose the opportunity to start the season in that spot. Lastly, the goalies. With Woll on leave, someone is going to need to back up Anthony Stolarz. That battle comes down to Hildeby and Akhtyamov, and tonight could be another big test for both of them.
