The team announced on Tuesday morning that they had signed the 23-year-old defenseman to a one-year, two-way contract. Villeneuve is coming off his best season in the Maple Leafs organization, where he put up 40 points (four goals and 36 assists) in 55 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

2025-26 will mark the first season since 2018-19 where Toronto doesn't have its “Core Four” — Marner, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and William Nylander. It's a move many argue is overdue. Many believed the team needed a shakeup at the top of the lineup a few years ago.