The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash rankings continue with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As part of this ongoing series, we’re analyzing every team’s off-season, examining which teams improved, stayed the same or got worse with their moves (or lack thereof) this off-season. Each column will break down additions and departures, including hirings and firings.
You can see the teams that finished lower than the Maple Leafs at the bottom. But first thing’s first – let’s get to Toronto’s changes, and see why we’re ranking them 26th overall in the NHL summer splash rankings.
Additions
Matias Maccelli (LW), Dakota Joshua (LW), Nicolas Roy (C), Michael Pezzetta (LW), Henry Thrun (D)
The Breakdown: Faced with the loss of superstar right winger Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving used Marner’s salary cap space to balance out Toronto’s group of forwards.
First, Treliving traded for Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth. He then acquired Roy in the sign-and-trade that sent Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights. Finally, Treliving brought on two rugged wingers: Joshua in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks, and former Montreal Canadien Pezzetta in free agency.
Maccelli should start the year in Toronto’s top six, trying to make the most of his playmaking skills. Joshua, Roy and Pezzetta – the latter of whom may begin the season in the press box as a healthy scratch – will make the Leafs’ bottom six more abrasive and responsible at both ends of the ice.
It was always going to be nearly impossible to replace the scoring Marner brought to the table, so Treliving used his cap space to make the Leafs a different type of team.
If Maccelli can rebound from his down season in 2024-25, when he had 18 points in 55 games, and if Joshua and Roy can amp up the two-way play, the Leafs will once again be a playoff team in the hyper-competitive Atlantic Division. This is an optimist’s point of view, but Treliving and Leafs brass are gambling their jobs that it will work out in their favor.
Departures
Mitch Marner (RW), Ryan Reaves (RW), Pontus Holmberg (LW), Max Pacioretty (LW), Alex Steeves (LW), Jani Hakanpaa (D), Brendan Shanahan (president)
The Breakdown: Marner was the biggest UFA on the market this summer, and in more than one respect, his departure is devastating, as it would be for any team that lost a creative and dominant regular-season performer of his caliber.
But the losses for Toronto didn’t stop there. Treliving freed up cap space by dealing Reaves to the San Jose Sharks, while Holmberg (now with the Tampa Bay Lightning), Steeves (now a Boston Bruin), Pacioretty and Hakanpaa (both UFAs) have also become ex-Leafs.
With the exception of Marner, all of the aforementioned Leafs forwards are essentially replaceable. Holmberg bounced between Toronto’s third and fourth lines with not a lot of success, while Pacioretty, admittedly a terrific playoff performer for the Buds last spring, has trouble staying healthy. Reaves and Steeves were fringe players who finished the year with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. So in the macro picture, aside from Marner, the forwards Toronto has acquired this summer are arguably better than the forwards Toronto has lost.
Marner’s exit seemed to be in the cards for months, if not years, when he didn’t sign a contract extension. Treliving – essentially powerless to stop Marner (and his no-trade clause) from orchestrating his departure – did what he could with the talent available in free agency and trades. But when it comes to pure upper-tier talent, the Leafs have taken a major blow. And they now have to prove they can thrive in the post-Marner Era.
The Bottom Line
There may be more departures (and additions) if Treliving intends to use the $2.9 million he currently has in cap space and bring in more experience. A top-six winger is obviously the priority for the Maple Leafs, as their goaltending and defense corps are all firmed up to the satisfaction of management. After all, the Leafs won the regular-season Atlantic title last year, and they still have a lot of Grade-A talent that will keep them in the mix to win the Atlantic again this coming season.
With established stars under long-term contracts – Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares – an up-and-coming elite power forward in left winger Matthew Knies, a highly touted prospect in left winger Easton Cowan, a solid group of blueliners and a netminding tandem that’s the envy of many teams, the Leafs aren’t going to be a playoff bubble team. A bite from the injury bug may hamper Toronto’s effectiveness, but there’s a good deal of depth at just about every position with this team, and that should help the Maple Leafs weather any health-related storm.
Still, the reason the Leafs are rated so low in the NHL summer splash rankings is directly due to the loss of Marner. He was Toronto’s leading offensive force last year, had a career year in assists (75) and points (102), and the Buds didn’t have a realistic replacement for his skill set.
The Maple Leafs can still have a great year without Marner, but they’re going to be a significantly different type of team – prioritizing snot and ruggedness over offensive dominance – and the results of that change in philosophy remain to be seen.
Summer Splash Rankings
26. Toronto Maple Leafs
27. Dallas Stars
28. Calgary Flames
29. Los Angeles Kings
30. Winnipeg Jets
31. Chicago Blackhawks
32. Buffalo Sabres
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