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Leafs Enter Turbulent Offseason as Insiders Warn No One Is Safe

A first playoff miss since 2016 forces a choice between a retool around Auston Matthews or a full reset.

Overview

  • With the season effectively over, NHL insider Chris Johnston says nobody in the Maple Leafs organization feels secure and major changes are expected.
  • Head coach Craig Berube and general manager Brad Treliving face job uncertainty, with multiple reports questioning whether they will guide the rebuild or retool.
  • Ownership and management are weighing a short-term push for a Cup against a longer reset designed to restock a thin prospect pool.
  • Recent trades under Treliving moved the 2026 and 2027 first-round picks and top prospect Fraser Minten, which narrows draft options and raises scrutiny of past deals.
  • Auston Matthews has two years left on his contract and is rehabbing a grade-three MCL tear, while late-season games serve as auditions that could precede moves involving veterans such as Morgan Rielly, Anthony Stolarz, Max Domi, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.