Auston Matthews Maple Leafs just got humbled in stunning new NHL rankings

Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs enter 2026-27 ranked 18th overall by Bleacher Report, second-worst in the Atlantic Division.

This week's full 32-team release from Bleacher Report puts four Atlantic clubs ahead of Toronto: the Panthers at 3, the Lightning at 6, the Sabres at 9, and the Bruins at 13.

Only the Red Wings, sitting at 26, are ranked worse in the division.

The Maple Leafs are not being punished for nothing. Last season they finished 32-36-14, good for 78 points and a rank of 28th overall in the league.

Their goal differential tells the real story. Toronto was outscored 299 to 253, a minus-46 mark that ranked among the ugliest in the NHL.

And the finish was brutal. The Maple Leafs closed the year on a seven-game losing streak, going 2-7-1 over their final 10 and dropping the last one 1-3 on the road against Ottawa.

Matthews didn't disappoint individually. He put up 53 points in 60 games, 27 goals and 26 assists, with three game-winners and five power play goals.

Jim Hiller inherits a Leafs team that lost seven straight to end last season

That's the job Jim Hiller walked into when Toronto hired him on June 17. He's taking over a roster that collapsed down the stretch, with a captain still owed 13,250,000 dollars against the cap.

Is 18th generous or harsh for a team that finished 28th last year? Depends who you ask.

Here's the wrinkle nobody's talking about. Detroit actually outpointed Toronto last season, 92 to 78, yet Bleacher Report still slots the Red Wings two spots lower.

Preseason rankings are a bit like grading a restaurant off the menu before the kitchen opens. It reads fine on paper until real customers start walking through the door.

Training camp will start settling some of these arguments soon enough. Whether Hiller can turn Matthews' individual numbers into a team that actually wins close to half its games remains the open question in Toronto.