Time Is Running Out to Make the Toronto Maple Leafs a Serious Contender

General manager Brad Treliving has had a year to assess the Leafs roster. His moves over this offseason and next will determine whether the team can capitalize on a dwindling window for a championship.

Jun 1, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CANADA; Toronto Maple Leafs new general manager Brad Treliving is introduced at a press conference at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

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The Leafs Aging Core Heightens the Urgency to Make Correct Roster Moves

The Leafs best players: Matthews, Nylander, and Marner still have plenty of productive, elite years ahead of them, but they have already played eight, nine, and eight seasons of their careers.

Tavares is no longer a game-changing player as he enters his mid-thirties, though it must be said that he has aged well and put up some solid underlying numbers last season that suggest he could bounceback in the final year of his deal.

Reilly is now 30. Roster decisions by Leafs management over the next two seasons will be vital in determining if the Leafs can join the ranks of elite teams.

The next five years is the Maple Leafs most optimal time to achieve a championship. After that, their two most important players, Matthews and Nylander will be on the wrong side of thirty. Reaching the pinnacle doesn't get easier then.

The best moves of Treliving's first season with the Leafs was getting long-term extensions done for Matthews and Nylander. Now, comes the hard part, supplementing the roster around them.

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The decisions he makes over the next two off-seasons will determine the fate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and their title aspirations. The clock is ticking and the window is rapidly closing.

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