The Toronto Maple Leafs are rebuilding on the fly, but no one has noticed it, at least not yet.
The thought suddenly hit me as my mind pondered other, unrelated matters. The insight struck me as I realized that the Toronto Maple Leafs, for the first time in a long while, have a number of talented young players coming up through the system.
I am referring to players like Matthew Knies, Easton Cowan, Fraser Minten, and the slightly more established players like Joseph Woll, and Nick Robertson. Throw in players like Bobby McMann and Alex Steeves, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are suddenly a completely different club.
It seems the Leafs and GM Brad Treliving are quietly pivoting in another direction. Toronto management knows that a full-blown rebuild would be stupid while having Auston Matthews and William Nylander in their primes. So, the next best step is to rebuild the Maple Leafs on the fly.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Could Look Drastically Different in 2025-2026
Let us make some assumptions. First, John Tavares walks in free agency like Steven Stamkos did. That leaves Matthews as the face of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team will be built around Matthews and William Nylander.
Second, Mitch Marner is no longer a part of the club.
Third, the extra cap space (Tavares and Marner’s) allows the Leafs to address forward depth, the blue line and make a run at a true number-one goaltender. I addressed this matter in a previous piece, in case you’d like to check it out.
Now, assumptions aside, the Toronto Maple Leafs have the pieces in place to extend the team’s competitive window without over-relying on the Core Four, assuming that Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan live up to the massive expectations this market has for them.
The Leafs can build a strong team around younger players, with the cap flexibility to take on contracts that make sense.
I would also like to add that this is the Toronto Maple Leafs chance to retool on the fly. Even if the club re-signs Marner and Tavares (presumably to a lower cap hit), the team is looking a lot less top-heavy than it has in the past few seasons.
Missing the opportunity to retool this upcoming season will lead to wasted years, potentially forcing the club to trade Matthews and/or Nylander as part of another painful rebuild.