It's tough to predict how the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to perform next season. Sure, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are still far from over and no one knows what moves new GM John Chayka might pull off during the summer to get this team ready.
But it's an uphill battle for the Maple Leafs if they want to make the playoffs and go on a run next season, as the Atlantic Division looks as competitive as ever, especially due to the rise of new contenders Montreal and Buffalo.
The Leafs could tear it all down and enter a true rebuild, signalling the true end of their "contention window" with Auston Matthews as the centerpiece.
But due to a couple of trading errors from former GM Brad Treliving, the Maple Leafs are without first-round draft picks for the next two seasons, and have no choice but to try and contend once again.
Brad Treliving ruined the Leafs' future
It's no secret Brad Treliving was a flawed GM, but to his credit, he made some great free agency signings. He was able to bring in Anthony Stolarz, Chris Tanev, Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, Oliver Ekman-Larsson (and others) on reasonable term and AAV, giving the Leafs some key additions to bolster their roster through free agency.
But his major flaw was his trades, where outside of the Nicolas Roy trade, he probably lost every trade he made as the Maple Leafs GM.
The two moves that stand out the most (in the worst way) took place at the 2025 trade deadline. The Maple Leafs found themselves in the midst of a division-winning season, and Treliving made the right call to go all-in for a deep run.
The first big move was giving up their 2027 first-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin for Scott Laughton and a pair of late-round picks. This move made sense in the moment, the Leafs needed a depth centreman real bad, but the main issue here is that Laughton never really got a fair shot higher in the Leafs lineup. He contributed, but who knows how good he could've been with more ice time.
The kicker here is that Laughton, a pending UFA, was moved again at this year's deadline for a late second-rounder. This was a masterclass in poor asset management on Treliving's side. Right idea, but terrible execution overall.
The more memorable trade was the Leafs' second big move from that day. Needing a top-four, right-shot defenseman, Treliving made a move for Brandon Carlo, giving up one of their top prospects Fraser Minten, a fourth-round pick, and their 2026 (now 2028) first-rounder.
It's no secret that this trade has been a disaster for the Leafs ever since. Carlo's value has tanked. The Leafs nearly lost their pick had they fallen outside the top-five in the lottery. And while Fraser Minten likely won't end up as a superstar, he looks promising for the Boston Bruins, and he alone has much more value than Carlo at this point.
Again, these moves were the right idea in theory, but in practice, neither player really moved the needle that much, and Treliving burned some of the Leafs only assets and left the team without any first-round picks for the next two seasons.
Without these first-rounders, the Leafs have no choice but to try and keep contending, which is easier said than done.
This year would've been a great opportunity to embrace a true retool, or even full on rebuild. Move on from Auston Matthews if the price is right, and rebuild around the likes of Matthew Knies, Easton Cowan, Ben Danford, Minten if he was still around, and the upcoming first-overall pick.
Winning the lottery would've been a perfect time for the Leafs to truly embrace a rebuild, but now they're stuck trying to compete in the deepest division in hockey.
New GM John Chayka has his work cut out for him if he wants to bring this team to a deep playoff run.
Add us as a preferred source on Google