The Toronto Maple Leafs were already amidst one of their most disappointing seasons during the past decade of hockey when things went from bad to worse this past week. Leafs captain Auston Matthews went down to a serious knee injury in the game against the Anaheim Ducks this past Thursday where we later learned that he will be missing the rest of the season as a result of the incident.
Without Matthews available for Toronto for the remainder of the year, who can lead the way to help the team finish respectably down the stretch? Here, we will take a look at 3 Maple Leafs that need to step it up in the absence of their beloved captain.
Max Domi
Having spent the bulk of the 2025-26 season shadowing as a winger on the top six or as a center on the bottom six of the Leafs lineup, Max Domi will now have a bigger role installed for him down the stretch for Toronto. With Matthews now gone for the year, Domi will now be handed the big responsibility of centering the team’s second line from here on out.Â
Originally a center by trade, the 31-year-old forward has had the most success with the Maple Leafs while playing on the wing in their top two lines during his tenure with the club. This season, he has recorded just 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 points in 65 total games played for the Leafs. With a contract carrying an annual salary of $3.75 million AAV, Domi will need to finally show that he can step into the role of being a solid center for the team and make himself a more attractive option going forward.Â
John Tavares
As the former captain of the Leafs prior to handing the reigns to Matthews, there is no better candidate to step up and lead the way for Toronto for the rest of the season than John Tavares. After all, it was during Tavares’ tenure as the team captain when the Maple Leafs posted five consecutive winning seasons while making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each and every one of them between 2019 and 2024.
This season, Tavares has showed that he could still be an elite offensive producer even at the age of 35, compiling 23 goals and 31 assists for 54 points in 67 games played for the Leafs. In the absence of Matthews, Tavares will take over top line duties for Toronto, a role that he has previously and masterfully undertaken throughout his time back when he was still with the New York Islanders. With the 35-year-old veteran doing what he does best down the stretch for the Maple Leafs, it should enable them to finish off the season with an identity and respect along the way.
Matthew Knies
Finally, the Leafs should look to the young 23-year-old in Matthews Knies to take his game to another level during the last few weeks of the season. With Mitch Marner having left the organization this past offseason, the Maple Leafs have been looking for someone to become a part of their main core to grow with the team going forward. With Knies breaking out to a 29-goal, 58-point season with Toronto in 2024-25, they certainly believe that he can be the next homegrown star for the franchise.
This year, the 23-year-old forward has registered 17 goals and 39 assists for 56 points in 64 games played. As a result, he should be on pace to top his point totals from last season despite the entire team struggling for much of the 2025-26 campaign. By taking on a bigger role for the Maple Leafs down the stretch and be able to hold his own on his own line without the likes of Matthews and Tavares, Knies can show Toronto and their fans why he can be a significant piece of their contending puzzle for years to come.