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Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president and CEO Keith Pelley sent an email message to season-ticket holders this week.
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Published Feb 25, 2026 • Last updated 20 hours ago • 2 minute read
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Keith Pelley, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, addresses media at Scotiabank Arena last year. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto SunArticle content
Keith Pelley says the Maple Leafs “will do whatever is needed” for the team to make the next step.
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That was part of an email sent on Tuesday to Leafs season-ticket holders in which Pelley, the president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, reminded fans that the Leafs have “made the playoffs nine seasons in a row, the longest streak in the NHL and something to be proud of.”
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True, we suppose, but unless the Leafs can pull off a minor miracle in the coming weeks, they’re going to miss the Stanley Cup tournament for the first time since 2016.
If that’s what happens and the Leafs don’t play again after their April 15 regular-season finale in Ottawa against the Senators, Pelley will have to shift into full evaluation mode and make decisions on the futures of general manager Brad Treliving and coach Craig Berube.
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Perhaps those decisions will, as Pelley said, be part of doing whatever is needed to improve the Leafs.
Coming out of the Winter Olympic break, the six-point hole that the Leafs are in regarding an Eastern Conference wild-card position is bound to be too much to overcome.
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The first attempts at rallying come in the Sunshine State, where the Leafs visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday and the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
Pelley acknowledged the Leafs’ 2025-26 season “so far, has been a series of ups and downs,” mentioning the team’s collective injuries as one factor and that the club is not “currently in the position we had anticipated.”
Rare appearance at practice
Pelley, who made a rare appearance at Leafs practice on Tuesday at the Ford Performance Centre before the group travelled to Florida, said the team understands its strengths, as well as the areas that need to be addressed.
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“We know that with the support of our fans, we will achieve this ultimate goal together,” Pelley said, apparently referring to one day winning the Stanley Cup. “While we always strive to be as open as possible, I know that you understand, in the world of professional sports, protecting competitive advantages is paramount and limits our ability to reveal team strategy until the appropriate time.”
Well, OK.
If the Leafs lose the majority of their six games before the NHL trade deadline on March 6, we should have a better idea of the team’s strategy.
If it’s anything less than selling, it won’t be much of one.
X: @koshtorontosun
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