Analyst's theory has the Maple Leafs taking a frustrating path if they miss the playoffs
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro - Imagn Images
The Toronto Blue Jays could act as a great example of why the Maple Leafs should not trigger a fire sale if they miss the playoffs this season.
Aside from a pretty solid December, the 2025-26 season has been a disaster for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have found themselves ranked 22nd league-wide heading into play on January 1st. For reference, at this time last year, the Leafs were the 7th-best team in the league en route to a division crown.
The issues that have plagued the team this year haven't come from just one specific area, which would have made things far easier to fix for the front office. Injures have been a big issue, but cannot be prevented. Nevertheless, the Leafs are in no position to throw in the towel, considering the market they're in and how their team is currently constructed.
With so many players holding trade protections and with how the last decade has gone, it would be nearly impossible to start from scratch. So with that in mind, if the Leafs needed some help in trying to turn things around on the fly, they can look towards their neighbours in the Toronto Blue Jays.
The MLB franchise found themselves in a very similar situation after a disastrous 2024 campaign. Everyone was screaming for change from the front office down to the coaching staff, but ownership ran it back, and found themselves in the World Series the following year.
The Blue Jays were able to succeed through their star players and the coaching staff pushing all the right buttons and some timely young players stepping up in a big way.
It's not entirely inconceivable to think the Leafs can do the same, but it starts with the ownership group giving them the thumbs up, which the crew at TSN's OverDrive think is a real possibility.
"They [the Blue Jays] had a season from hell that was equally as bad, probably worse than what the Leafs are going through right now, and everyone on earth, Schneider's gotta go, Atkins has gotta go, Shapiro has gotta go. The owner of the team, that now owns the Maple Leafs, chose not to do it, and he chose consistency and commitment that he believed would pay off."
We have already heard the cries for a head coaching change and GM Brad Treliving's name has been thrown around as well for his part in the construction of this roster, but the top executives seem content with running things back if things go awry, in the hopes that 2025-26 will have been an anomaly.
The Leafs are also not out of the playoff equation either, despite the topsy turvy nature of their season, but they will need a herculean effort in the second half of the season to not only make the playoffs, but to also to win when it matters in April, May and June.
The book is not closing on the 2025-26 Maple Leafs, as the ownership group will likely avoid any knee-jerk reactions, so it will fall on the key decision makers and star players to turn things around in a hurry.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 1 | 590 ANSWERS Analyst's theory has the Maple Leafs taking a frustrating path if they miss the playoffs Should the Leafs run things back with the same core in 2026-27 if they miss the playoffs? | ||
| Yes | 158 | 26.8 % |
| No | 432 | 73.2 % |
| List of polls | ||