Jim Hiller and the Toronto Maple Leafs are already hitting the whiteboard following the Maple Leafs 3-2 loss against the Montreal Canadiens on opening night on Tuesday.
Forward Benoit-Olivier Groulx draws into the lineup; however, Hiller did not announce who Groulx would be replacing. The 26-year-old split time between the Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies last season, but was strong when given the opportunity with the NHL club. Groulx recorded three goals and five points in 13 contests with the Maple Leafs
Groulx seemingly dominated the AHL, producing 52 points, including 28 goals in 59 games. Groulx also played an important role during the Marlies Calder Cup championship run, scoring 14 points in the team's 23 contests. Groulx also has a lot of experience with current Maple Leafs assistant coach Jon Gruden, as he coached the Marlies over the past four seasons.
While Hiller did not release who Groulx would be replacing, all fingers point to Zack MacEwen coming out of the lineup. MacEwen had a strong preseason for the Maple Leafs, earning now Columbus Blue Jackets Steven Lorentz 's spot in the Maple Leafs bottom-six. Although MacEwen did not necessarily have a bad game against the Canadiens, they are likely looking to see what fits best as the regular season carries on.
"I'll wait on that one. I'll just let you know both are going in." Hiller said on Wednesday.
Hiller also revealed that Anthony Stolarz will start in the crease during the second half of the back-to-back on Wednesday. Stolarz struggled with the Maple Leafs during the 2025-26 campaign as he suffered multiple injuries throughout the season. When he did play he posted a .893 save percentage with a goals-against average of 3.28, which has been the worst of his career. With the familiarity of Sergei Bobrovsky , the Maple Leafs are hoping the tandem can turn the clock to their Stanley Cup-winning season during the 2023-24 season.
During the Maple Leafs head coach's media availability on Wednesday , he also discussed the Darren Raddysh and Morgan Rielly pairing and how he anticipates it will take time.
"It'll take time. There's no question. We've talked about this: There are lots of new guys. We're trying to get this thing together as quickly as we can, but we all know it's going to take a little bit of time. We just want to shrink that time. I can't put a date on that, but everybody will get better together."
Easton Cowan may also look to play in the Maple Leafs' top-six alongside John Tavares and William Nylander as Gavin McKenna struggled during his NHL debut. As the game went into the third period, Hiller made the adjustment that led to the Maple Leafs' second goal as Cowan set up Nylander to cut the lead down to one.
"He's had a really good camp. I wasn't here, but what everybody tells me, from last year to this year, he's had a great summer. I've just been really impressed with him in my time here.
Somebody asked before: You do well, and you should get rewarded. We thought he had a pretty good game, and we wanted to reward him for that."
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Jim Hiller Makes Major Maple Leafs Lineup Change After Opening-Night Loss appeared first on HEAVY .
