Toronto Maple Leafs fans already paying some of the NHL's highest ticket prices will have to dig a little deeper for certain games this season.

The Leafs have introduced tiered pricing for single-game tickets, which means a game against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will cost more than a ticket to see Toronto face the New York Islanders or Columbus Blue Jackets.

Games will be divided into five pricing categories: Super Premium, Premium Plus, Premium, Regular and Preseason. For example, a ticket in the green section of the Air Canada Centre will cost $90 for a "regular" opponent; $125 for a "super premium" opponent.

Marco Moras worries the change means his kids will see fewer of their hockey idols on the ice.

"Ultimately in the end, it's the fans that get hurt, and kids don't get to go to as many as games," he said.

To ticket broker Shawn Maio, the change in ticket-pricing structure is just smart business. He doubts it will hurt demand to see the boys in blue.

"Leafs ticket prices could go from where they are today to your first born child and people will still line up," he said.

The good news, according to Maio, is that some games are a bit cheaper, so overall, prices haven't increased that much.

"The pre-season ticket prices, they're down to almost half of what they were last year," he said.

The change is in addition to an across-the-board 2.5 per cent increase the Leafs introduced in the off season.

The Raptors, Blue Jays and many other pro sports teams already use some kind of tiered pricing structure.