The Toronto Maple Leafs and captain Auston Matthews head into a unique sort of season. It’s the first official season sans the official Core Four. What that means is that the Maple Leafs are officially Auston Matthews’s team. There is no one else behind him exerting any sort of pressure on his leadership position. Mitch Marner is gone and John Tavares has retreated into a supporting role.
The Maple Leafs will go depending on how Auston Matthews goes. If he has a blockbuster season, the Leafs stand to do well. If Matthews sinks, he could be the anchor that drags the team to the bottom.
That’s why the 2025-26 season could be the one that determines Auston Matthews’s legacy in Toronto. A season that at least meets expectations will be good enough to cement Matthews among the Leafs’ greatest captains.
But if the Leafs fail to make any sort of headway, his reputation could face irreparable damage. It may seem like a harsh statement, but there’s really no other way around it. The Maple Leafs are solely in Matthews’ hands. A healthy and Hart Trophy-worthy season from Matthews could be the difference between another run-of-the-mill season and a potential Stanley Cup run.
Matthews must lead Maple Leafs to prolonged playoff run in 2025-26
The Toronto Maple Leafs face a crossroads this season. The Core Four experiment is officially defunct. What that means is that a new chapter has been borne in the Maple Leafs’ annals.
That’s fine. What it means is that the Maple Leafs must now move on and find their identity. That’s what GM Brad Treliving meant by the team’s DNA change.
That DNA change has likely come in the way how the lineup is structured. Treliving has tried his best to build a team resembling the Florida Panthers. The Leafs will be the sort of team that checks hard, plays tough defense, and focuses on capitalizing on their opponents’ mistakes.
That could mean a 60-goal 100-point season from Matthews. It could also mean another 30-goal, 80-point season. Matthews, along with other returning members in Toronto, will need to find another dimension to their current game.
If everything goes according to plan, the Maple Leafs could morph into the sort of playoff team that becomes dangerous once the calendar turns to April and May.
There’s plenty to be optimistic about. But there’s a long way to go. The new season is barely upon us. But the hope is that a more mature Auston Matthews will carry the team and lead them much the same way Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, and Mats Sundin did back in the day.