3 burning questions for the Toronto Maple Leafs entering the 2026 offseason

Toronto Maple Leafs new general manager Brad Treliving is introduced at Scotiabank Arena

It’s safe to say that Brad Treliving left the roster in a worse place than when he inherited it. He let a franchise face (Mitch Marner) depart for almost nothing, made ill-advised trades for Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton, and failed to acquire adequate forward depth.

As a result, the new general manager has a lot of work to do. The Maple Leafs might not even have their own pick. The Bruins get it if it falls outside of the top five due to the Brandon Carlo trade.

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The Maple Leafs had an in-house option in Sunny Mehta, but the New Jersey Devils got to him first. Top executive Shane Doan is expected to pursue a general manager role with another team too.

The top four candidates appear to be Dallas Stars long-time executive Scott White, New York Rangers associate GM Ryan Martin, Boston Bruins AGM Evan Gold, and former Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka. White is Nill’s right-hand man in Dallas, Martin is seen as next-man-up to Chris Drury, and Gold is in charge of the Providence Bruins of the AHL.

What’s the status on Craig Berube?

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube listens to a question

Craig Berube had a rough season behind the bench. Auston Matthews suffered an injury, the goaltending cratered, and the scoring punch regressed without Marner.

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That being said, it’s probably best for a change at bench. The Maple Leafs haven’t been as good 5-on-5 as they were under Sheldon Keefe. That was evident last season as well, even with Berube winning the Atlantic Division.

If Berube gets canned, who do the Maple Leafs turn to? Do they go to an experienced coach to help the squad reach the playoffs again, or do they go with a younger assistant? That depends on this next question.

Do the Maple Leafs kickstart a rebuild?

The Maple Leafs are a prime candidate for a rebuild, even without their first round pick. With a new general manager in tow and a core that has failed to get very far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the right course of direction could be to tear it all down and start over again.

That all begins with Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Matthews has just two seasons left on his four-year, $53 million contract, although he has a no-movement clause on it. Nylander’s cap hit is lower than Matthews, but his gargantuan eight-year, $92 million deal still has six seasons on it. Trading either one of those two, even with the trade protection, would net needed draft capital.

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They could also try to build around Matthews and Nylander, but the crop of free agents won’t solve all of Toronto’s problems. They still need a no. 1 defenseman, with Morgan Rielly disappointing in that role. His game is all offense, and his offense has declined over the past few seasons. Does it even make sense to build around a core that hasn’t even made it to the Eastern Conference Finals?

There’s only one way to justify building for next season, in my opinion: Toronto wins the draft lottery and selects Gavin McKenna. It wouldn’t solve the problem of not having a No. 1 defenseman, but McKenna could replace some of Mitch Marner’s impact from a season ago.