An injury to Steven Lorentz has opened the door wide open for Easton Cowan to make his NHL debut on Monday afternoon when the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Detroit Red Wings.

With assists on the goals from Bobby McMann and Auston Matthews before adding his own goal in the final seconds, William Nylander now has 15 points in nine career season openers, surpassing Darryl Sittler for the third most in Maple Leafs history.

Expert recap and game analysis of the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens NHL game from 9 October 2025 on ESPN (UK).

Another issue that could rear its ugly head, as it did last season, is the durability of goaltender Anthony Stolarz. The 31-year-old agreed to a four-year, $15-million contract extension earlier this month on the strength of an excellent 2024-25 campaign (21-8-3, 2.14 GAA) in which he had the NHL’s best save percentage (.926).

Montreal Canadiens defensemen Noah Dobson and David Reinbacher left Thursday's 7-2 preseason Habs loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs early.