Three Maple Leafs Who Are Poised For A Bounce-Back 2025-26 Season

Without Mitch Marner, who was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1st, the Leafs will be looking for others to step up and replace his production.

Leafs GM Brad Treliving has spent Marner's salary bringing in a handful of players in Matias Maccelli, Dakota Joshua, Michael Pezzetta and Nicolas Roy. None of them are flashy or come close to Marner's production, but they can all chip in offensively in various spots in the lineup.

That being said, there are three Leafs that should be poised for bounce-back seasons.

A nagging injury led to Auston Matthews tallying the lowest goal total of his career with 33, and second lowest point total. His lack of production drew the ire of Leafs Nation despite his impressive defensive play, particularly in the post-season. With the addition of Roy, who is a very good defensive forward, Matthews may not have to take on as many defensive responsibilities.

Less defensive responsibilities and being 100-percent healthy could see Matthews return to his offensive form and come close to his 69-goal, 107-point campaign from two seasons ago.

In addition to Matthews, new Leafs forward Matias Maccelli has a massive opportunity in front of him. After tallying 57 points in the 2023-24 season, Maccelli struggled last season in Utah and eventually found himself a healthy scratch, skating in just 55 games. Maccelli has an opportunity to jump right into the Leafs' top-six and showcase his playmaking abilities while replacing some of the offense from Marner.

Another player who seems like a likely bounce-back candidate is Max Domi, who was constantly shuffled around the Leafs' lineup as they were unable to find a comfortable fit for the 30-year-old. Without Marner, Domi has an opportunity to jump onto the Leafs' top line where he had the majority of his success two seasons ago. Should he get more than a few games with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, there is no reason why he shouldn't produce more than the 8 goals and 33 points he registered last season.

With training camp just under two months away, lots could still change in terms of the Leafs' roster, but there is reason for optimism in the season ahead as the Leafs turn the page and begin a new chapter.