Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs can’t hide it any longer. It’s time to accept defeat for the 2025-26 season and start to play for their future, not the playoffs.
As the Maple Leafs come away with another rough loss, this time to their provincial rivals, the questions have now gone from ‘Will Toronto be sellers?’ to ‘Why would Toronto not be selling?’ — especially with so much interest.
With enough pieces to make a serious restock of their draft assets, while also adding a potential prospect or two, it would behoove Brad Treliving to get as much back as he can for his highest-valued assets because at least he doesn’t see them walk away while leaving empty-handed.
Toronto needs to start the sell-off to save their future
But it’s also crucial he starts the sell-off soon because he needs to realize something that all fans are also getting the idea of: It’s time to tank.
Whether that be getting their chance to draft someone like Gavin McKenna or Keaton Verhoeff, there’s a serious need for the team to think about the next decade-plus of the team and that involves the draft.
Or, they can use that pick as massive leverage when it comes to a trade for a young superstar who might be available. Either way, they would be setting themselves up much, much better for the future.
History is bound to repeat itself every 10 years for Toronto
The last time Toronto had any picks in the Top-10? Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. Not a bad haul for a bit of misery, and while the 2017 iteration of the team wasn’t exactly crushing it; it was at least fun to watch.
Before then it was Morgan Rielly, Nazem Kadri, and Luke Schenn. This goes to show you how long it’s been since Toronto has had between firsts. You have two guys who are 34+ years old, and Rielly a 12-year veteran of the Leafs.
That was 2008, 2009, 2012 for Rielly, Kadri, and Schenn meanwhile it was 2014, 2015, 2016 for the trio of Matthews, Marner, and Nylander. It seems like every decade or so the team has to go through a rebuild and find their next superstar.
If the team wanted to make sure they have the next big star, then perhaps it’s time to say goodbye to the 2026 season and say hello to what possibilities may come with a Top-5 pick.
That is, if Lady Luck doesn’t feel like helping the Bruins just one more time.
Previously on Hockey Patrol
POLL
16 HOURS AGO|196 ANSWERS
Maple Leafs’ sell-or-hold decision sharpens with less than a week to the trade deadline
Should the Maple Leafs strip the team, rebuild and tank for the #1 pick?