All that racket that you’ve heard around Toronto lately? It’s not just the 24/7 road work taking over the Gardiner Expressway. It’s also the sound of Toronto Maple Leafs fans knocking on wood every time we’ve whispered the dreaded words: this team could be different. 

And again in 2025, they weren’t. Not really.

On May 19, in a win-or-go-home Game 7, the Leafs delivered a brutal 6–1 loss to the Florida Panthers and were eliminated from the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. It was their second straight game being humiliated on home ice, and their ninth straight year of postseason futility.

Like construction season in the city, the Leafs’ humiliation has become an annual Toronto tradition. Milestone regular-season performances from the ‘Core Four’ — centre Auston Matthews, right wing Mitch Marner, centre John Tavares, and right wing William Nylander — provided just enough playoff success to raise hopes and expectations that maybe, just maybe, this would be the year they break the curse. 

Then a crushing Game 7 loss sent us all right back where we started from. The players left the ice — some for the final time — pelted with boos, beers, and jerseys from their own fans. 

Same blueprint, same outcome. Leafs Nation declared this the end of the era.

If management wants us to believe that their team really will be different next year, drastic changes should come to the organization. It’s finally time for General Manager (GM) Brad Treliving to roll up his sleeves, reevaluate his roster, and build something better in its place.

Shaking the foundation

Very few personnel should consider themselves exempt from the coming reckoning. President Brendan Shanahan, as anticipated, has already been announced among the casualties of this latest collapse.

Yet, at this point, most of the fans’ vitriol is directed at Matthews and Marner. Their combined $24,153,000 salaries resulted in only two goals against Florida, reflecting their ongoing tendency to disappear when the games matter most. 

While Matthews is under contract with a full no-movement clause, Marner wasn’t signed beyond this year. Most expected — and indeed hoped — that he would leave in free agency this summer. It’s a shame that one of the most dynamic and prolific players in Leafs history will be remembered this way. Marner was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in July. While Tavares found himself in a similar situation, he re-signed with the Leafs for another four years. 

Treliving’s challenge will be finding players more capable than those he lets go. Different is necessary in this case, but it isn’t always better. The GM will likely seek to fill the roster holes by committee, opting for a more balanced lineup than the organization has seen in recent years.

Building back up

The silver lining amidst all the turmoil is that the Leafs still have valuable pieces and a window of opportunity. 

The hiring of head coach Craig Berube last summer still looks like a smart addition. The new boss has brought a calming voice and recent Cup-winning experience to the Leafs’ bench, having helmed the St. Louis Blues to the championship in 2019. 

Under Berube, the Leafs played a more structured and responsible game. Less puck possession, more shot blocking. Fewer tic-tac-toe passes, more direct lines to the net. Players like veteran defenceman Chris Tanev and 22-year-old power forward Matthew Knies have thrived under his system. More steady hands like theirs will be invaluable next season.

The Leafs’ commitment to better defence was also bolstered by not one, but two revelations in the crease. Stolarz and Woll put forward some solid performances in the playoffs, following up exceptional regular-season campaigns from both goalies.

While each goalie spent time on the injured reserve over the season, the other was able to shoulder the full load. Woll played a career-high 42 games, putting up a spectacular Save Percentage (SV%) of .909 and a tremendous Goals Against Average (GAA) of 2.73. In his own career-high 34 games, Stolarz posted an exceptional .926 SV% and an amazing 2.14 GAA. The Leafs should ice one of the most competitive goaltending tandems in the league again next year.

Make no mistake, there will be a demolition over this pivotal offseason. But with players like Knies, Tanev, Stolarz, Woll, and what remains of the Core Four, the Leafs still have the raw material to forge a different legacy. 

In the meantime, get used to the construction, Toronto. It’s going to be another long season.