The Toronto Maple Leafs roster can get so much better with these four lines, but the roster is unfortunately going to stay pretty similar in 2025-26, despite the change of "DNA."
When you look at the current Toronto Maple Leafs roster, it's very good. It's not good enough to beat the Florida Panthers in a playoff series, but it's still a top-three team in the Eastern Conference if they didn't make any changes. If the team was satisified with only making the playoffs, then we'd all say "run it back" but as GM Brad Treliving said on Thursday, they need to change the DNA of this roster to compete for a Stanley Cup.
For the past nine years, this team has only gone as far as Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner has taken them, and as we all know, that train has only gone two stops. The combination of those players does not have what it takes to win a championship, so change is neccesary, however how much do they need to blow up this roster?
I've said this forever, but in order to make this roster the most efficient, the Leafs need to keep Auston Matthews in a silo, running his own line. He needs the Sidney Crosby treatment alongside Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz, instead of playing alongside Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies every night.
The First Line
The perfect line for Matthews is to have someone who can pass him the puck and someone who's a worker-bee. Knies is set to make $8M AAV, while Marner is probably set to make $12M, so with Matthews already making $13M himself, you don't need a $34M first-line to succeed. Doesn't it just make sense to promote Max Domi and keep him on the first-line to play alongside Matthews?
His $3.5M contract seems expensive as a third-line centre but on the winger alongside Matthews, there's actaully some value. Not only that, but we've seen these two play together and it worked. Pair that with a worker-bee who can retrieve pucks and all of a sudden your first line is a lot more efficent, allowing the team to gain more depth.
The Second Line
As we look to the second line, everything runs through William Nylander, as he has the ability to create offense. For him, the best type of players he can play with is a defenisvely sound centre or someone with a little grit. Nylander can score goals all by himself and is pretty awful defensively, so he needs that support.
As much as I didn't want them to make the third last year, Bryaden Schenn as the team's second-line centre could be the perfect addition alongside Nylander. Throw Matthew Knies beside them too and all of a sudden, you have a big intimidating second-line who will not only hurt the opponent, but can all score.
The Third Line
As we get towards the third line, the depth starts to fade away, which is where they need to get creative again with trades or free agency. As much as I don't love the idea of bringing John Tavares back, what if he's locked into the 3C position all year? He may be the best third-line centre in the league, so if he understood that role and then played second unit power-play minutes, that could be a huge benefit to the team.
Personally, I love a third line with energy and can score, so this is where I would see Easton Cowan's impact, alongside Tavares. Pair the veteran centre with the up-and-coming winger and see what they can do together. Bring back Connor Brown alongside them on the third line and all of a sudden we're rolling.
The Fourth Line
I understand that depth is important, but I've never been one who wants to spend more than $4M on my fourth-line. For some reason the Leafs loved this model, having paid Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1M), David Kampf ($2.4M) and Ryan Reaves ($1.35M), but for this Leafs team, I want the chapest options possible.
Give me Scott Laughton at centre for $1.25M, Bobby McMann at $1.35M and litterally anyone else. Trade Kampf, Reaves and Jarnkrok, so you can afford to trade for Schenn, and then have some leftover for the defense and for the 2026 spending spree.
The Final Product
At the end of the day, Matthews needs to run his own line and be the best player in the world for this team to succeed and so does Nylander in his own right. As you break down the rest of the roster, there's only so much you can do for the 2025-26 roster, without blowing it up completely, as you need to save cash for the summer of 2026, as the UFA class will be amazing.
The Leafs can change their DNA by bringing in Brayden Schenn and hoping for Easton Cowan to suceed, but realistically unless they move on from Matthews, Marner, Tavares and Nylander completely, this roster is going to stay the same and I just can't see them walking away from Tavares, just yet.