The Maple Leafs Finally Have Something They Haven’t Had in

The Toronto Maple Leafs' power play has been one of those things that can make you shake your head. When it was working, it was almost unfair. When it wasn't, it often seemed as though everyone knew exactly what was coming next. Get the puck to Auston Matthews. Find William Nylander. Move the penalty killers around and hope the stars can solve the problem.

For a long time, that worked pretty well. The Maple Leafs had one of the NHL's best power plays for years. But eventually, it became too predictable. The unit could still score, but when opponents took away the obvious options, there wasn't always much of a Plan B.

The Maple Leafs Now Have More Ways to Attack the Opponent’s Goalie.

That's what makes the changes coming in 2026-27 so interesting. Darren Raddysh isn't simply another defenseman added to the roster. His shot changes the geometry of the power play. After scoring 10 power-play goals for Tampa Bay last season, Raddysh gives Toronto a legitimate threat from the point. Penalty killers can't simply collapse toward Matthews and Nylander if they also have to worry about a defenseman who can actually hurt them with a shot from distance.

Then there is Gavin McKenna. McKenna brings something different again. He is a creative playmaker who can see passing lanes that other players don't always see. John Tavares and Matthew Knies provide net-front options. At the same time, Morgan Rielly, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jack Roslovic and Easton Cowan give the second unit enough ability that it doesn't have to be treated as a holding pattern until the first group returns.

And that might be the biggest change of all.

The Maple Leafs Finally Have a Plan B.

The Maple Leafs don't necessarily need a more talented power play. They need one with more answers. If a penalty kill takes away Matthews' shooting lane, can Raddysh hurt it from the point? If defenders move toward Raddysh, can Matthews find the space that opens up? If the penalty killers focus on Matthews and Nylander, can McKenna find the pass that nobody else sees?

And what happens when the first unit spends 90 seconds chasing the same goal without success? That last question might be the most important one. For too long, Toronto's first unit has carried an enormous amount of responsibility. The top players stay on the ice for most of the power play, and the second unit sometimes feels like it is there to give the stars a short rest. That shouldn't be the case anymore.

This Maple Leafs Team Should Have Enough Options for a Potent Power Play Unit.

Jim Hiller and Daniel Alfredsson now have enough pieces to create genuine competition between the two units. McKenna, Tavares and Knies can be moved around depending on what is working. Rielly and the other second-unit players can provide a different look. The Leafs can attack a penalty kill in more than one way.

That's what good roster construction is supposed to do. It isn't simply about collecting better players. It's about giving the coach different ways to solve the same problem. For the first time in a while, the Maple Leafs' power play may have something more valuable than another star.

It has options.