3 Toronto Maple Leafs Who Could Disappoint In 2023-24

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The Toronto Maple Leafs season is around the corner, which also means disappointment may be looming.

As sad as that may sound, unjust expectations have followed the Toronto Maple Leafs for years, and the season will only be considered a success if they finally win a Stanley Cup.

After winning a playoff round for the first time in 19 years, that narrative fortunately won’t follow the team this season, but there will still be lofty expectations.

Newly appointed general manager Brad Treliving has put his stamp on this roster, but for the most part, it’s still the same old Leafs. The defensive group is terrible, the starting goalie is the same, and so are the team’s best forwards.

We all expected that a coaching change would happen, but instead, Sheldon Keefe was given a contract extension in a surprising fashion.

Keefe is clearly a good coach, but typically a new GM likes to bring in their own coach, so this Leafs roster still has a lot of Kyle Dubas’ DNA in it.

It’s incredibly hard to win a championship in professional sports, and this Leafs team is talented enough to win, but it still feels like they’re missing a few pieces.

Not only that, but there are some high hopes for a few newly signed players who maybe shouldn’t have such expectations.

As always, there will be plenty of surprises when training camp opens this week, both good and bad, and that’s what makes it so much fun. Here are three Toronto Maple Leafs who could be big disappointments this season.

Apr 17, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars center Max Domi (18) Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

3 Toronto Maple Leafs Who Could Disappoint In 2023-24

No. 1: Max Domi

As we look forward to the 2023-24 season, the most interesting player on the roster has to be Max Domi, based on his family tree.

Every Leafs fan remembers Max’s dad (Tie Domi) for his incredible fighting resume, but he also had some offensive skill that made him a very unique player.

The Toronto Maple Leafs won’t be expecting Max to play exactly like his father did, but there will still be plenty of eyeballs on him when the season opens up in a few weeks.

Domi’s career has been a little disappointing, based on where he was drafted, so it’s unsure what player the Leafs are getting.

Are they getting the guy who scored 28 goals and registered 72 points with the Montreal Canadiens or are they getting the nine goal and 24 point player who joined the Columbus Blue Jackets?

I think a majority of Leafs fans think that Domi is going to automatically score 20 goals, play tough on both sides of the ice and get into a few fights, but these expectations do not match the player he has been for the vast majority of his NHL career.

The narrative of Domi joining the team where his dad had so much success is such a fun story, but there must be so much weight on his shoulders to succeed.

Although I hope I’m wrong, I’m not expecting much out of Domi this year and his $3M deal could look like an overpayment by year’s end.

Trades don’t always work out. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been crushed by disappointment after trades went awry. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Morgan Rielly

If Morgan Rielly played in any other market, would he be considered a top-pairing defenseman, or is it that Toronto’s defensive group has just been so bad for years that he’s been considered better than he actually is?

I know that criticism may be a little much, but Rielly’s contract has to be one of the worst in professional hockey.

At $7.5 million until 2023, Rielly is laughing all the way to the bank and is way too overpaid.

Rielly is the 23rd highest-paid defenseman in the NHL and makes the same amount of money as Aaron Ekblad, who’s a legitimate number-one defenseman.

Over the course of his career, one player you could compare Rielly to has been Kris Letang, yet he makes $1.4 million more than Letang.

In his ten-year career, Rielly has had two really good years and is definitely one of the most overrated players in the league.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s a fantastic person, and his skating ability is still elite, but overall, he doesn’t provide much more than that.

He only has 22 goals in the past four seasons, and it’s not like he plays physically to justify his contract.

He played really well in the playoffs last year to make up for the fact that he had a terrible regular season, so some people may have forgotten.

But I think we’ll see “regular season Rielly” again this year and not “playoff Rielly.”

Apr 10, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Matthew Knies (23) looks on during the first period against the Florida Panthers at FLA Live Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 3: Matthew Knies

I hope I’m wrong with this, but remember all of the hype we had for Nick Robertson?

The young left-winger who averaged more than one goal-per-game in junior was supposed to be a top-six winger and light up the league, yet that never happened and we’ve already seemingly forgot about him.

I’m not saying that Knies is going to be the next Robertson, but we should tamper our expectations, as this is still a 20-year-old playing his first year of professional hockey.

Despite playing the same position, Knies is a lot different than Robertson, based on his size. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, there should be a lot less risk of him getting injured as a physically-commanding forward.

However, I am weary of what to expect from Knies this year because I’m not sure where he’s going to play.

If he gets a true opportunity in the top-six, then I think he can shine and be a Calder Trophy nominee, but if he gets summoned to the third-line and can’t produce right away, it could make for a long season and a potential stint with the Toronto Marlies.

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Knies is hopefully going to have a long and successful career in the NHL, so if he doesn’t score 30 goals in Year 1, it won’t be a failure, but I think based on the expectations Leafs fans have for him this year, I’d bet on the side of caution and say that this year may be a little disappointing.

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