Analyst Makes Very Convincing Case for a Disappointing Year for the Maple Leafs

With NHL training camps about a month away, some valid points are being raised by an NHL analyst about just what the Toronto Maple Leafs have accomplished this offseason.

Damien Cox, who's been writing about the Maple Leafs for three decades, appeared on the Ladies Talkin' Leafs podcast this week where he was asked his thoughts on what has happened since the end of the 2024-25 season.

Cox is arguing that while the Leafs have gotten no worse since being eliminated by the Florida Panthers during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but have done nothing whatsoever to get better overall.

To emphasize his point, Cox said the issue is scoring just four goals in the final four postseason games against the Florida Panthers, which the team has done nothing to address.

It's a grim diagnosis, but one that's hard to argue against. The biggest offseason move was trading Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights for Nicolas Roy. Roy is a very good depth player, but in no way comes even close to replacing the offense of an elite player like Marner.

After the trade, the Maple Leafs nabbed forwards Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua, and Michael Pezzetta . All three combined won't come close to replacing Marner's offense, or the manpower needed by opposing teams to shut him down. This is a major concern, and has real potential for disappointment, and possible a moment of realization for the team's head office.