When do the Maple Leafs play again? Every key date before opening night

With the 2026-27 Maple Leafs season quickly approaching, let's take a look at all the important dates leading up to the first game of the regular season.

There's a lot of expectations for the Maple Leafs heading into this season after an offseason full of changes.

In came new faces like Sergei Bobrovsky, Nick Paul, and Darren Raddysh and out were lineup staples such as Joseph Woll, Brandon Carlo, and Simon Benoit. They also added Gavin McKenna with the first overall pick while bringing in Jim Hiller to replace Craig Berube.

We're getting closer to training camp kicking off which is where we will finally get to see these players work together and how the lineup may look for Hiller and the Maple Leafs, and before long, we'll be getting preseason games and the first puck drop of the regular season - so let's take a look at some of the dates you need to be aware of.

Toronto's road to opening night starts in mid-September

First things first, we need to take a look at when training camp is expected to open up, which according to past seasons starts roughly in mid-September.

According to NHL.com, several teams are expected to start their camp on either the 16th or 17th of the month, with preseason games coming shortly after.

The team has not officially announced a start date for their camp, but we do have an idea as to when we can see some of their young faces line up for the Prospect Showcase. Toronto is scheduled to play on Sept. 12 vs. Ottawa (6PM), and then face Winnipeg the next afternoon on Sept 13. at 1PM.

That will lead us into training camp, with the first preseason game scheduled six days after the final Showcase game.

Toronto's first preseason game will take place on Sept. 19 against the Montreal Canadiens, though it will be a different look as it's going to be a split-squad game. That means the lineup will likely be split into an NHL and AHL contingent, but there could be some overlap when it comes to veterans and rookies.

Then that leads into the next split-squad game on Sept. 23 against the Ottawa Senators, which will then bring things towards their conclusion, leading us towards the first game of the regular season against Montreal.

Toronto's final preseason games come only six days before opening night

But that doesn't really give the Maple Leafs much time to get acclimated before the regular season starts. Toronto has not yet announced its official training-camp start date, but the exhibition schedule itself is compressed: the Leafs' final preseason games are Sept. 23, only six days before opening night against Montreal.

It's going to be crucial that Jim Hiller and his coaching staff use every resource they can to evaluate and analyze their lineup. That means if certain lines aren't working, then he needs to figure out new options to try and spark some early season chemistry.

The team is also going to have their hands full given that they open the season at home against Montreal - a matchup that always breeds intensity and brings out the most passionate of fans. With expectations already high, Toronto needs to put on a strong showing to prove to the crowd that these moves made this summer were the right decision.

They also don't have much turnaround from that game either, as they immediately face the New York Islanders on Sept. 30 so a rough start doesn't leave much time for them to gather their bearings and head right back out in front of the home crowd.

The Maple Leafs still have a couple of weeks before things really kick off, but once the Prospect Showcase starts, that firmly sets things in motion. After that, it's only 13 days until the regular season so they better get as prepared as possible before things start to count.

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