The Toronto Maple Leafs are exploring every option to complete their roster for the 2025-26 NHL season. On that note, Auston Matthews and the rest of the team could be joined by a returning player in the league. As a report indicates, a former Calgary Flames‘ second-round selection could get a new beginning with the Buds.
Trading Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights might have been only the first step in an offseason of bold moves by the Leafs. Matthews and Toronto will go any distance to finally hoist the Stanley Cup—even if it earns them a frown from the fanbase in The Six.
Former Flames forward Dillon Dube was among the five players acquitted on sexual assault charges in the Hockey Canada trial. And while he remains suspended by the NHL until December 1st, he can sign with a new team after October 15. As a result, a report hints the Maple Leafs might be eyeing the 27-year-old center.
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Leafs put their hat in the ring, take a decent swing at Dillon Dube,” insider Darren Dreger commented on TSN’s First Up.
Dillon Dube at the Scotiabank Saddledome on January 21, 2023, in Calgary, Alberta
Like old times
It’s no wonder the Leafs find themselves eyeing another player with Flames ties. General Manager Brad Treliving has been keeping a close watch on players he knows from his time in Alberta—and it could happen again.
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“There’s history there, it goes back to the Calgary days between [GM] Brad Treliving and Dube,” Dreger stated. “Doesn’t mean Toronto is a frontrunner and the Maple Leafs are going to land him. The assumption is Dube could come in and fill a top-six role.”
Start fresh
While for most Canadian players donning the Maple Leafs’ colors would be a dream come true, there’s reason to believe Dube might not be thrilled to enter a market like Toronto. After the very public events that took over the NHL spotlight in the offseason, it’s reasonable to assume Dube would want to stay away from any Canadian-based organization.
Carter Hart, who is also returning to the league after the Hockey Canada trial concluded, reportedly has no desire to play in Canada, which in fact puts Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers out of the race for him. Based on that example, it’s likely Dube is looking for a clean slate in a US-based franchise, as well.
League-wide interest
Of course, teams that sign the five players involved in the trial will get much more exposure to continent-wide coverage. But it might be worth taking that risk if it means bolstering the lineup. At least, that’s how several front offices see it. If the NHL allows them to return to the ice in December, then there isn’t anything left to do—even if it might cause an outcry from fans.
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“Michael McLeod and Dillon Dube are good competitive players,” Dreger added. “So purely from a hockey perspective, they aren’t going to have any problems finding NHL homes. They are just not.”
