Toronto Maple Leafs Reportedly Preparing to Get Worse This Offseason, But There's a Catch
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot to worry about this offseason, and one NHL insider claims the Leafs are likely preparing to get worse and not better.
This is going to be an important offseason for general manager Brad Treliving and his staff. After all, they have to figure out whether or not they want to keep Mitch Marner and John Tavares.
One of those players, Marner, is likely to explore his options in free agency. In fact, if you were to ask most analysts, they would tell you that Marner is as good as gone.
With that in mind, the Toronto Maple Leafs have to make some big moves in order to stay competitive in what is already a stacked Atlantic Division.
Toronto Maple Leafs offseason plans
According to TSN insider Chris Johnston, the Maple Leafs are reportedly aware of the fact that they are more likely to get worse rather than better this offseason.
However, this is all in service to the 2026 crop of free agents, which is headlined by none other than Connor McDavid. Simply put: short-term pain for long-term gain.
I think the best approach is if you can take a small step back next year without Mitch Marner. Next year might be a step back. But in summer 2026, there's the possibility for all kinds of stuff league-wide. I think the most prudent strategy is to patch some of those holes on shorter-term deals - whether that's chasing a Marchand, a Patrick Kane, a Jamie Benn, Claude Giroux maybe. Let's see who actually hits the market. But I think there's an argument to be made that that's the best first step in moving on from what you might do without Marner's money. Then you've got to look at some longer-term solutions that hopefully present themselves the following summer.
Will the Leafs actually sign Connor McDavid in 2026? Probably not. However, Johnston makes a very good point.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will still be a good hockey team, even without Marner. In fact, they can probably still make the playoffs.
But in 2026, they will have a better chance of improving their roster over the course of the long-term.
For a lot of Leafs fans, that is probably very hard to hear. That said, the NHL is a business, and sometimes, the going gets tough, even when you don't want it to.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 1 | 560 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs Reportedly Preparing to Get Worse This Offseason, But There's a Catch Do you believe the Toronto Maple Leafs can weather the storm this offseason? | ||
| YES | 415 | 74.1 % |
| NO | 145 | 25.9 % |
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