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For a ninth consecutive season, the Toronto Maple Leafs advanced to the playoffs. They would fall to the Florida Panthers in the second round for the second time in three years. The team has not advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2002, when they lost in the conference finals. Hopes for a solid playoff run were high in Toronto in 2024-25, but it once again ended in heartbreak.
For a third consecutive campaign, after failing to advance deep in the playoffs, the Leafs made organizational changes. In 2023, they moved on from Kyle Dubas as the general manager and brought in Brad Treliving. In the summer of '24, Sheldon Keefe took the fall, and Craig Berube came in. This summer, it was the contract of Brendan Shanahan that was not renewed. That placed Treliving reporting directly to CEO Keith Pelley.
With tight salary cap restraints and multiple players needing new contracts, this would be a difficult summer for the Maple Leafs to navigate. While it was not the best summer, they still will have a highly competitive team for 2025-26. They were able to make multiple moves and take care of their own players as well.
The Leafs made some solid moves this summer
Toronto made multiple solid moves this summer. It started with the return of John Tavares. This was a major move for the Maple Leafs, getting Tavares back on a four-year deal with just $4.38 million per year. While the Canadian forward will be 35 years old to start the season, he is still a major producer. He amassed 74 points last year and now has 50 or more points in 12 straight seasons. Further, he chipped in 38 goals in 2024-25, the most since 2018-19. At this contract cost, the Maple Leafs are getting an amazing deal, but the future Hall-of-Famer will still be nearly 40 when the contract ends, making it a solid deal, but not the best of the year for Toronto.
Toronto also lost Mitch Marner, but still made it a positive in the process. It was clear Marner was not going to be returning to the team, but instead of losing him for nothing, Treliving got something back for him through a sign-and-trade. The forward was sent to the Vegas Golden Knights as part of a sign-and-trade that brought in Nicholas Roy to Toronto. While Roy will not replace the production of Marner, getting something for their former player was a great move.
The Maple Leafs also brought in Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth. While he does not replace Marner, it was another solid deal. He will be just 25 years old when the season starts, and he once scored 57 points. There was a step back in production in 2024-25, but if he can return to his former production, this will be another solid deal for the team.
The Leafs also made multiple more moves, but the best still involves a restricted free agent, re-signing back Matthew Knies to a great deal.
Bringing back Matthew Knies was perfect move for Leafs
Knies was the 57th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft by the Maple Leafs. He would spend two years at the University of Minnesota before joining the franchise for three regular-season games and seven playoff games in 2022-23. He compiled five points in ten total games in that first season, and the American-born forward would become a dominant player for Toronto. In 2023-24, he lit the lamp 15 times while adding 20 helpers. He would be even better in 2024-25, hitting the back of the net 29 times while adding 29 assists, good for 58 total points.
Knies comes back to Toronto on a six-year deal worth $7.75 million per year. Bringing him back brings back four of the top five point producers from 2024-25. Further, he was fifth on the team in points and fourth in goals in that season. The young center was also a major part of the powerplay, scoring five times while adding ten assists on the man advantage. He is also a major part of the penalty-killing unit, which was solid in 24-25.
Still, it is his advanced stats that show his value. His IPP, which measures the percentage of points he is involved in when a goal is scored with him on the ice, saw a major increase. Furthermore, his high-danger scoring chances converted and scoring chances created increased significantly. His defense is also improving as he is becoming a better two-way forward. The former Golden Gopher saw an increase in both hits given and shots blocked in 2024-25.
While the salary is large, Knies has consistently shown improvement in his career. He will continue to play on the top line with Auston Matthews and will only continue to get better. With the loss of Marner, the Leafs could not afford to lose another major piece of their offense. Bringing back a future star was the perfect move for the Maple Leafs.
Can the Leafs compete for Lord Stanley in 2025-26?
Replacing Marner will be difficult for Toronto, but the team will still be solid. They were the top squad in the Atlantic Division this past year, and while they will take a step back, other teams in the division may do the same. They bring back Matthews, who played just 67 games last year. He was still able to put up 78 points in just 67 games. This placed him on a similar pace as 2023-24, when he scored 107 points in 81 games. If Matthews can continue that production paired with Knies, the team will be solid.
Further, they have William Nylander and Tavares rounding out the second line, plus a strong powerplay and penalty kill. The moves they made this offseason will lessen the burden of replacing Marner, but not completely take it away. Still, if Knies can continue his improvement, there should be hope in Toronto. While current odds according to FanDuel have them third in the division, that would still make them a playoff team. They also have the second-best odds of any Canadian team to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. While the team has not won a Cup since 1967, they will once again be in contention to do so this year, and Knies should be a major reason why.
