On Jan. 19, the Toronto Maple Leafs were preparing for a Monday night game at Scotiabank Arena against the Minnesota Wild, fresh off a relatively successful four-game road trip, and were on a terrific stretch of earning points in 12 of 13 games. That game against the Wild, a 6-3 loss, was the beginning of a five-game homestand and, unbeknownst to them, a five-game losing streak that was capped off by a 7-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.
On Jan. 18, the Maple Leafs were 24-16-8 (56 points) and sat just one point back of the Sabres, who held the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They also sat just five points back of the Montreal Canadiens for third place in the division. Now, the Boston Bruins hold the second wild-card spot and the Sabres sit in third in the division, both with 65 points. The Maple Leafs are eight points back with 57.
Related: Maple Leafs Have the Assets to Be Sellers at the Trade Deadline
With this recent slide, the trade deadline has become the topic du jour in Toronto. Most people who thought the Maple Leafs should be buyers have quickly shifted to the sellers’ side. But buying wasn’t realistic even if the team had secured a playoff spot by now.
The Maple Leafs have 10 games left before the trade deadline. That includes a four-game road trip before the Olympic break, a trip that could very well tell us what general manager Brad Treliving will do at the deadline. But don’t be surprised if the Maple Leafs do nothing.
Time For Maple Leafs to Buy is Long Gone
First of all, the Maple Leafs don’t have much to buy with, and it wouldn’t make sense to trade what little assets they have if they were in a playoff spot, let alone now.
More importantly, the team needs to know exactly what they have in the final 29 games of the season to prepare for the summer and for next season. Adding a rental paints an unclear picture of what the team is. They have their stars, and they have their goaltending. What does the rest of this roster do when the chips are down?
Yes, the team still has a realistic shot at making the playoffs, despite the last five games. However, focusing on the group they have will help management keep an eye on 2026-27 while trying to make the most of the season at hand.
For Maple Leafs, Selling Is the New Black
Selling is the new black in Toronto. Everyone wants to do it. Some want to strip the roster right down to the studs and start from scratch. Either way, management has a lot of work to do in the offseason. Depending on who they move, if anyone, will determine just how long their to-do list is.
The Hockey Writers’ own Peter Baracchini wrote an excellent piece Thursday morning on who the Maple Leafs could and should move:
They can’t buy their way to make a push, so the next best thing for them is to sell off some key players and gain some assets in return and go through a re-tool and look to next season. While their pipeline is weak and it would take a major move to move Easton Cowan or Ben Danford, they have roster pieces that can bring in strong returns and should consider selling them at the trade deadline.
The three players he mentioned were Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Bobby McMann, and Nick Robertson. They could certainly get a decent return for McMann and Robertson, but moving Ekman-Larsson would likely yield the strongest result, and Baracchini makes a great case for all three.
A big part of this is what Treliving thinks of his roster. If next season might be a write-off as well, then trading Ekman-Larsson is a smart decision. He’ll garner at least a first-round pick and help them stock up for the future. If he thinks this season is a one-off and they’ll be contending again in October, then trading one of their key defenders will leave big shoes to fill.
McMann and Robertson are good players. The former has proven to be a consistent 20-plus goal scorer, and Robertson continues to show flashes but has yet to show his full potential. When it comes to who is more replaceable of the three, it’s these two.
Who Should the Maple Leafs Sell?
To continue to pump The Hockey Writers’ tires, Spencer Lazary went a little more scorched earth, adding Scott Laughton, Calle Jarnkrok, and Matias Maccelli, and even Anthony Stolarz to the list of movable pieces.
Trading the first three would help replenish the prospect pipeline, but it’s hard to know what NHL-ready players they could get in return. What does Treliving want to do? If he’s all-in on the future, then getting a bunch of picks would be worth it while these players still have value. But every player who leaves has to be replaced.
Remember, they don’t have to draft players with their picks. They can trade them for replacements. However, it’s easy to be skeptical of what Treliving will do based on who he’s brought in with first-round picks in the past, like Laughton and Brandon Carlo. To be clear, Laughton and Carlo are good players, but given the standings, it’s okay to be skeptical.
If the Maple Leafs only trade one player in March, I’d lean toward Anthony Stolarz. It’s not that they should or shouldn’t trade the other players mentioned, but moving Stolarz makes sense. We know the Maple Leafs consider Joseph Woll to be the future between the pipes. They will have also put a lot of time and effort into developing Dennis Hildeby, and it seems like it is paying off, given his play this season. Both Woll and Stolarz battle injuries regularly, which is a good reason to keep three goaltenders in their system, but they can’t keep Hildeby in the minors forever.
Stolarz’s $3.75 million cap hit kicks in next season, and Hildeby can grow in the minors for only so long. Stolarz hasn’t had the greatest season. Yes, he’s dealt with injuries, but even when healthy, he has struggled. His value is likely at its highest right now, and it’s a move Treliving and company should consider.
Mape Leafs Navigating the Eastern Conference Mish-Mash
The more I think about it, the more certain I am that, for better or worse, the Maple Leafs will do nothing before the summer. The Eastern Conference is an absolute gong show this season. What was tough about Toronto’s hot stretch was that every team they were chasing also kept on winning, and some still are. At some point, every team go on a down stretch. That’s the beauty of the NHL this season. Every team rides waves, and it escapes almost no one.
Yes, Toronto is eight points back. Still, the Sabres are comfortably in a playoff spot, but we’ve seen this movie before. I will believe in Buffalo when the regular season ends, and not a minute before. The Bruins and Canadiens hold the two wild-card spots with the same number of points. The Canadiens showed us who they were last year by getting into the postseason, but while the Bruins have the goaltending and high-end talent, there’s still a world where they regress to the team they were expected to be coming into the season.
The Florida Panthers are two points up on Toronto, but their Cup pedigree gives them the benefit of the doubt. The Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Ottawa Senators are all tied with the Maple Leafs in points, and all are capable of going on a run, but Toronto has been a playoff team for nine seasons and knows how to get there. Despite their inconsistencies, the team is more likely to make a push than the three teams they are tied with.
The Maple Leafs Will Do Nothing
That is the biggest reason why the Maple Leafs won’t make a move before the deadline. The next four road games might have a lot to say about what management does by March 6, but they know their team can make a push, especially if they can grab three wins before the Olympics.
Toronto’s draft pick cupboard is lacking. They have only three picks this summer, and don’t have a first-round pick until 2028. Trading all of the players mentioned would solve this problem, at least a little. But it’s also true that the Maple Leafs have $22.7 million of projected cap space for next season. Who will be available to sign and who would sign in Toronto is a different conversation, but the Maple Leafs will have a lot of wiggle room, something that they haven’t had in a long, long time.
Related: Maple Leafs Would Be Smart to Sell at 2026 NHL Trade Deadline
Now, if they trade some players for some picks, open up more cap space, and then use those picks to land bigger fish, that would be great. However, based on the team’s track record, albeit with different management, if they don’t intend to sell, they would prefer to give their roster a chance to make the playoffs and leave the offseason taking care of business.
One thing we can agree on, whether or not it’s before the deadline or this summer, big changes are coming. Lazary said it best:
This team has shown flashes of how good it can be, but it has been the same cycle year after year for nearly a decade. Something has to give. A major shakeup feels inevitable, even if the biggest decisions wait until the summer. Before that happens, selling off assets to recoup draft capital, prospects, and possibly add middle-six forwards makes sense. One thing is clear. The fan base wants change, and it feels like management may be inching in that direction, too.
