We’re sitting here yet again after the Toronto Maple Leafs lost in the first round of the NHL playoffs. This has become the norm during the Auston Matthews era. Since Matthews entered the league back in 2016, the Maple Leafs have made the playoffs every single year. However, despite making the playoffs for eight straight seasons, they have only won one playoff series.
It’s an understatement to say that the Leafs have been a total disappointment during this playoff stretch. Especially considering the amount of talent that is on this roster. Matthews isn’t the only superstar on this roster. The Maple Leafs also have John Tavares, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Tyler Bertuzzi just to name a few. With that type of talent, you would think the Maple Leafs would be in the middle of a dynasty.
It’s time for the Maple Leafs to accept a harsh reality: the window is closed. This core isn’t going to be able to break Toronto’s Cup drought, and it’s time for them to start over.
Why Should The Maple Leafs Tear It Down Now
There are several reasons why it makes sense for the Maple Leafs to start their rebuild now. The first one has to do with Albert Einstein’s thoughts on insanity. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” Which is what the Leafs have been doing. They’ve been running some combination of the same core for nearly a decade and expected this season to be different. It’s a trend that can’t continue. When you have nearly a decade of playoff failure, it’s clear that this core isn’t going to get it done.
The second reason is a lot of the guys they can trade still have a lot of value. Nylander is coming off a career-high 98-point season, and he’s only 28 years old. Marner put up 85 points despite missing 13 games with a high ankle sprain. If Marner waves his no-movement clause, those two are the most valuable pieces the Leafs have. They both could net a huge return that would jump-start this rebuild. It’s even possible they can get NHL-ready pieces so it’s not a long five-year rebuild. Instead, it’s more of a one to two-year re-tool.
There is one more piece the Leafs can move, but none would give them the return they could get for Nylander and Marner. That would be Tavares. He could fetch them a decent haul. Nothing franchise-altering but some draft picks or decent prospects. Sure the Maple Leafs have guys like Matthews and Morgan Reilly but unless they get a ridiculous offer, they aren’t going anywhere.
Why It Would Be A Mistake To Wait
As mentioned earlier, the Leafs are in a perfect spot to start their rebuild because the pieces they can move still have a lot of value. If the Maple Leafs play this rebuild right, it’s not going to be a traditional five-year rebuild. With centerpieces Matthews and Reilly on the roster, plus the young players and draft picks the Leafs can get from trading away some of the big pieces of the core, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that within two years, the Leafs are ready to compete again.
However, if they wait and try to run it back with this core and fail again, they might be in for a long rebuild. The longer you wait to trade guys like Marner and potentially Nylander the more the value goes down. You might be forced to get pennies on the dollar for your good players the longer you wait to shake things up. In that case, the Leafs will be in for a long painful rebuild.
Thanks for reading! Credit for my feature article goes to Icon Sportswire. You can find more NHL content at Belly Up Sports and follow me on Twitter/X.
