The Toronto Maple Leafs are signaling a new era by dropping their unique tradition of wearing practice jerseys during prospects games. As the club’s rookies hit the ice at Bell Centre in Montreal this past weekend, they did so in their official NHL game jerseys
While this might seem like a small detail, it marks a significant departure from a policy implemented during the previous management’s tenure.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs rookie roster is set to take on the rookies of the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators at the 2025 Prospect Showdown this weekend at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Under former General Manager Kyle Dubas the team adopted the tradition of wearing practice threads for prospects games, a policy he continued after becoming the President and General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2023. According to sources, the reasoning behind the switch to practice jerseys was to ensure that every prospect understood they had to earn the right to wear the traditional game jersey. While the logic made sense, the on-ice look often appeared mismatched, as other teams participating in the tournaments clearly do not share that same view.
Now, with Dubas having departed and Brad Treliving at the helm as the new general manager, the policy has been reversed, although it took a couple of years. This change, which comes as the team prepares to open training camp next week is one of many expected with Treliving reporting directly to MLSE president Keith Pelley and Brendan Shanahan no longer serving as team president.
With Shanahan out of the picture, Treliving’s influence on the day-to-day of things has increased and this is just one example of it.
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