The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially announced the jersey numbers for their offseason additions, as reported by The Hockey News’ David Alter on X.
Chris Tanev will be switching from the #3 he wore with the Dallas Stars to #8, previously worn by Jake Muzzin. Cedric Pare, a towering 6’4 center, takes #56, last used by Erik Gustafsson, with only six players in Maple Leafs history donning it.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, usually wearing #23, will now sport #95, as Matthew Knies already holds his preferred number. Ekman-Larsson becomes the first in Leafs history to wear #95. Jani Hakanpaa will take on #28, a number famous for being worn by Tie Domi, though Hakanpaa may see fewer fights. Dakota Mermis will wear #36, following in the footsteps of Carl Gunnarsson and Dmitry Yushkevich.
Philippe Myers is set to wear #51, a number long associated with Jake Gardiner. Prospect Hildeby takes on the goalie-specific #35, previously worn by Vesa Toskala and, most recently, Ilya Samsonov.
While many jersey numbers hold sentimental value or are tied to current players, unlike other sports, hockey numbers often remain with a single player. Let’s hope these new numbers end up engraved on Lord Stanley’s Cup come June.