The Toronto Maple Leafs face a must-win scenario in the finale of their four-game western road swing in Vancouver on Saturday, not only because two bad performances from Sergei Bobrovsky have cost them points in two winnable games against Calgary and Seattle, but also because they face the Canucks; the team with the league’s worst record at 3-11-1.
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That does not mean that Toronto can take the Canucks lightly, because we know all too well how small they come up against the league’s lesser lights, and how clubs like Vancouver play the Leafs like it is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. It is unknown at this point on Saturday morning whether Bobrovsky or Anthony Stolarz will get the start in net, but based on practice in Vancouver on Friday, Toronto will be getting both Dakota Joshua and Chris Tanev back in the lineup.
Throughout the season, we will check in on Leafs prospects to see how they are progressing.
Here is how the bottom half of the players selected in the 2024 Draft are doing this season:
Timofei Obvintsev – G – 5th round (157th overall) – Cincinnati (ECHL)
The 21-year-old was in the CSKA Moscow junior system since 2020 and had a 2.96 GAA in 16 starts in his draft year. In 2025, he played only 11 games in the MHL, posting a 2.78 GAA and .908 save percentage. Last season, Obvintsev graduated to the second-level pro VHL, but played only six games as a backup, which prompted him to come to North America on an AHL deal. In four games for the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones, the young Russian is 2-1-1, with a 2.20 GAA and .895 save %.
Matt Lahey – D – 7th round (200th overall) – Fargo (USHL)
The 6’5”, 203 lb.blueliner shifted from the BCHL to Fargo of the USHL after being drafted, and posted 17 points (4 goals, 13 assists) in 59 games. He was originally committed to Clarkson University, but switched to Michigan State University last fall, where he had five assists in 19 games as a freshman. This season, the 20-year-old Victoria native is pointless in five games with the Spartans.
Sam McCue – LW – 7th round (216th overall) – Cincinnati (ECHL)
The 21-year-old blossomed the year after being drafted by Toronto, scoring 36 goals in 55 games with Owen Sound and Flint. Last season, McCue was traded to the Brantford Bulldogs, and after putting up 10 goals in 25 games, he was dealt to the Ottawa 67’s for a pair of draft picks, where he scored seven goals in 28 games. After signing a minor-league deal with the Cyclones, the Sudbury native has an assist in two games.
Nathan Mayes – D – 7th round (225th overall) – Spokane (WHL)
The 20-year-old blueliner did not sign a professional deal with Toronto before last summer’s deadline and returned to the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs as an overager. The Leafs have no rights to Mayes as of June.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (7-6-2 – 16 POINTS) vs. VANCOUVER CANUCKS (3-11-1 – 7 POINTS)
OCTOBER 31, 2026 ▪ 7:00 PM EST ▪ ROGERS ARENA (VANCOUVER, BC) TV: SPORTSNET ▪ RADIO: TSN 1050
LEAFS HISTORY vs. VANCOUVER
| All-Time Record: | 70-71-22-4 (167 Games) |
| All-Time Road Record: | 27-44-11-3 (85 Games) |
| 2025-26: | 2-0-0 |
| Last Five: | 2-3-0 |
| Last 10: | 4-6-0 |
| First Matchup Between Clubs: | October 11, 1970 (Toronto 3 at Vancouver 5) |
| All-Time Record: | 70-71-22-4 (167 Games) |
| All-Time Home Record: | 43-27-11-1 (82 Games) |
| All-Time Road Record: | 27-44-11-3 (85 Games) |
| Last Road Win vs. Opponent: | January 31, 2026 (Toronto 3 at Vancouver 2) |
MAPLE LEAFS / CANUCKS – 2026-27 TEAM STATS
| TORONTO | VANCOUVER | |
| Team Rank: | 6th – Atlantic | 8th – Pacific |
| Goals For Per Game: | 3.73 (3rd-T) | 3.00 (18th-T) |
| Goals Against Per Game: | 3.33 (24th-T) | 4.53 (32nd) |
| Power Play %: | 31.3 (4th) | 19.1 (20th) |
| Penalty Kill %: | 92.3 (2nd) | 65.4 (31st) |
| Shots For Per Game: | 28.2 (12th) | 21.1 (32nd) |
| Shots Against Per Game: | 29.4 (26th) | 32.2 (32nd) |
| Faceoff %: | 52.3 (7th) | 47.0 (26th-T) |
| (NHL rank in parenthesis – as of 10/31/2026 at 8:30 a.m. EST) | ||
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