Toronto Maple Leafs Hamster Wheel

The big news this week involved the Toronto Maple Leafs. What normally wouldn’t make the headlines became a big deal as John Tavares passed the captain responsibilities over to Auston Matthews. 

This changing of the guard if you will, the coaching change, and the minor moves suggest that the Maple Leafs will look different next season. The truth is that this team is on a collision course for the same type of season and will look the same by next offseason as well.

Maple Leafs Core Remains The Same

John Tavares is no longer the captain. However, he’s still on the team and a core part of the roster. Sure, he’s a free agent in the 2025 offseason but he’s a key player in the forward unit.

He joins the core four that consists of Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner. These four skaters have been the building blocks of the roster since 2018 and they are the stars that carry the Maple Leafs, especially on the offensive end of the ice.

When the Maple Leafs lost in the First Round and fired their head coach, Sheldon Keefe, the expectation was that they would start dismantling the core. That hasn’t happened. Until next offseason, don’t expect that to happen either.

Maple Leafs Offseason Was Uneventful 

The big move the Maple Leafs made was signing Chris Tanev, a veteran defenseman who will play a second or third-pair role. He helps the defense but he doesn’t change the complexion of it much less the roster as a whole. 

Otherwise, the Maple Leafs didn’t spend big this summer and didn’t make a blockbuster trade either. Sure, they didn’t have a lot of salary cap space to work with but the top-heavy roster remains such.  

This is an issue for a team that always follows the same script. They have great regular seasons, finish with the second or third-best record in the Atlantic Division, and then lose in the First Round. The roster wasn’t built for deep playoff runs and it still isn’t.

Where The Maple Leafs Will Look Different

The Craig Berube hire will go a long way. As head coach of the St. Louis Blue, he led them to their first and only Stanley Cup title. He knows what it takes to win in the playoffs and knows the pressure that type of fanbase can provide. 

The Maple Leafs haven’t won the Cup since 1967. It’s the longest drought in NHL history. The pressure in Toronto is more intense than anywhere else. Yet, if there was a coach who would be up to the challenge, it’s Berube. 

Along with the Berube hire, the Maple Leafs will look different as the season progresses. With Marner and Tavares playing on expiring contracts, there will be a sense of urgency to add elite talent at the trade deadline. A big acquisition on the defense will have the Maple Leafs playing a different style of hockey in the playoffs.