TORONTO — A new Maple Leafs story begins.

What will this team look like without Mitch Marner? Will Auston Matthews return to MVP form? How will new players like Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua fit in? Will Anthony Stolarz pick up where he left off last season? Can Matthew Knies make another leap? How many goals will William Nylander score? How many goals will the Leafs score? Will they defend their Atlantic Division title?

So many questions with the 2025-26 Leafs.

Tonight, we start getting some answers.

The likely lines

Knies — Matthews — Maccelli
McMann — Tavares — Nylander
Joshua — Domi — Robertson
Lorentz — Roy — Järnkrok

McCabe — Tanev

Rielly — Carlo

Ekman-Larsson — Benoit

Stolarz
Primeau

Analysis: This is the lineup the Leafs ended camp with, the one that head coach Craig Berube rejigged in the aftermath of Scott Laughton’s injury. The big shakeup was Berube moving Max Domi back to centre from top-line right wing. The Leafs coach believed Domi was his best option in the middle without Laughton. In his estimation, having Domi there, on a line with Nick Robertson and Dakota Joshua, would boost the offensive depth of the lineup. One side effect of that decision: Maccelli getting his first look next to Auston Matthews on the top line. It’s a major leap into primetime for the 24-year-old. —Siegel

The big questions

What’s going on with Easton Cowan?

Cowan is back on the roster, but won’t play tonight.

What does this mean? It’s really going to be a day-to-day thing — what the Leafs do with Cowan. If he’s going to play for Berube, he’ll stay. If he’s not — if one game as a healthy scratch turns into two and then three — he’ll be assigned to the Marlies where he can play and develop.

Cowan has yet to play a game in the minors.

The Leafs felt like Cowan earned a spot on the roster with the way he performed at camp. It’s clear, though, that Berube is still sorting out where fits in — whether he fits in — with a lineup that, for the time being, doesn’t include Laughton. Maybe Cowan makes his NHL debut in Detroit on Saturday. However, if the Leafs win tonight, it’s possible that Berube won’t change a winning lineup.

At which point, management will have to decide whether they want to keep Cowan around or get him playing for the Marlies. —Siegel

Max Domi is back at centre: Is that the right call?

Domi has bounced around the Leafs lineup through his two seasons in Toronto, playing both centre and the wing. He’s probably optimally used on the wing in the middle six, on an offence-focused line. Instead, with Scott Laughton’s injury late in training camp and David Kämpf falling out of favour with Berube, the Leafs are abruptly short on centre depth. Domi is in at 3C on a makeshift line that combines speed and offence in Nick Robertson and size and forechecking in Dakota Joshua. How will Domi manage his defensive responsibilities on that line? Will he get his game back on track after a largely disappointing past season?

He seemed to bounce around with every line combination possible under Berube. Will this one do enough to get by through Laughton’s injury? —Kloke

How will Matias Maccelli fit in Mitch Marner’s former role?

It’s unfair for the new Leaf to be constantly compared to Marner. But when a crafty, playmaking winger like Maccelli is dropped into Marner’s old position on the right of Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, those comparisons will remain. The Leafs’ top line with Marner was one of the most dangerous in the league. Marner unlocked Matthews’ shot at the best of times. Maccelli has shown some chemistry with Matthews through training camp, sure. But the introduction of Domi on that line at times didn’t give Maccelli a full training camp to get comfortable with his new linemates. Again, Laughton’s injury threw a wrench in Berube’s plans, and here we are.

Maccelli is growing more and more comfortable in Toronto, but he’s also coming off a disappointing season. Is he ready for the role, and the expectations, that come with it? We know Matthews is healthy and raring to go. We’ll see if Maccelli can follow suit. —Kloke

Pre-game reading

• Bold predictions for the 2025-26 season: Siegel’s surprise Olympian. Kloke’s surprise way-too-early Norris Trophy vote.
• How the Leafs wound up capped out and what it means.
• Morgan Rielly has a new mindset. Can he bounce back?
• Anthony Stolarz has a new contract and his sights set on stardom.
• Maple Leafs season preview: playoff odds, projected standings, roster analysis.

How to watch

The puck drops in Toronto at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sportsnet One.