26 Maple Leafs resolutions for 2026

The best resolutions are the ones that someone makes for you, right? In the case of the Maple Leafs they seem like they can use all the help they can get, so I’ve decided that I’m the right person to set their course, free of charge of course. I’m not sure a multi-billion-dollar organization needs free advice, but they are getting it anyway. Here are the resolutions:

1. Do right by Auston Matthews. Does he need surgery, rest, a playmaking right winger who can help out in all three zones? As much as Auston Matthews also needs to step up the team isn’t going to be at its best until Auston is put in a situation where he looks like he can put up 60 goals again. If that’s not possible at all anymore the Leafs problems are bigger than we think.
2. Write Easton Cowan’s name in permanent marker on the lineup card. There isn’t any reason why the Leafs top prospect should be put in the press box to make sure that Calle Jarnkrok is getting his reps. Cowan can outplay most of the Leafs veterans and while he still has plenty to learn, it’s learning he has to do on the job.
3. Get younger. Immediately this includes keeping Cowan in the lineup, but as much as possible trying to do the same with Matias Maccelli and Nick Robertson. It means finding a way to get Jacob Quillan, a point per game player in the AHL, into the NHL, and it means more opportunities for Henry Thrun and William Villeneuve on the Leafs third defensive pairing.
4. Find happy homes for their free agents. Assuming that Thrun, Robertson, Quillan, and Maccelli aren’t part of the Leafs playing plans they’d potentially fall into this group too, but primarily this is about maxing out whatever value there is on Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, and to a lesser extent Calle Jarnkrok. Both McMann and Laughton should have some value around the league and the Leafs need to cash out whether they are pushing for the playoffs or not.
5. Take advantage of their salary retention spaces. The Leafs can retain salary on up to three contracts at a time and presently they haven’t used a single space. Potentially a half priced Max Domi gets attention around the league, the same can be said of Matias Maccelli and Calle Jarnkrok. The Leafs aren’t limited to these options nor or they likely to use all three retention spots but finding a way to get extra value out of the players they want to move on from is essential to getting the team back on track.
6. Find more puck carriers. William Nylander has been slumping in December but maybe it is just exhaustion from having to carry excessively for the Leafs (being rushed back from illness probably didn’t help either.) No matter what the Leafs need find more players that want the puck on the stick and chucking it at first opportunity.
7. Act like your top powerplay unit has Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, and Knies on it. The Leafs are far too talented (at least at the top of their lineup) to struggle like they do on powerplay. Ditching the overly structured approach and trusting the talent seems like a safe call even if Mitch Marner’s powerplay abilities aren’t easily replaceable. And to be fair, Steve Sullivan seems to understand this assignment.
8. Speaking of Marner, DON’T LOSE TO VEGAS. No one wants to deal with the narrative that comes with Marner beating the Leafs and if he picks up a goal or multiple assists it will be even worse.
9. Bring back Topi Niemela and Roni Hirvonen in 2026-27. This might be my own personal sore spot that no one else cares about but both Niemela and Hirvonen are too talented to have just been discarded by an organization that can use some youthful energy pushing veterans.
10. Get tougher by limiting space not by throwing hits. The reason the Leafs aren’t tough to play against is that they give their opponents all the time and space they need to execute, and no one really cares that Dakota Joshua shows up shortly after a pass to finish his hit. Increasing the pressure by racing for the puck more, playing opposition closer, and living up to Craig Berube’s puck battle expectations would be nice starts for the Maple Leafs and would address the team toughness issue in a meaningful way rather than bringing in an enforcer or barge of a third pairing defenceman.
11. Don’t be afraid to admit you were wrong. Brandon Carlo, Matias Maccelli, and Nicolas Roy haven’t exactly worked out as planned. The same can be said for others but we’ll go with the short list here. Acknowledge that the gamble didn’t pay off, you won’t get back the return you’d want for them, but keeping underperformers around just hurts the team.
12. Be impatient. When a team isn’t playing well and you practice patience, you might get to see the team play their way up to mediocrity. That’s not an “I told you so” moment, that’s still wasting valuable time with an underwhelming GM, coach, player, etc. Change is good and necessary, especially in sports. The Shanahan and Dubas era was undone by loyalty and believing a group that kept showing they couldn’t get things done. Why would the Leafs continue to repeat that approach? What do the Leafs owe Max Domi?
13. Give Philippe Myers some time with the Marlies. Last season Myers showed that he can be serviceable seventh defenceman and fill important spots in the Leafs lineup as needed. Send him down to the AHL and give him the opportunity to work his way back to what he was.
14.  Don’t be afraid to take back a bad contract at the trade deadline. Free agency was a bust in 2025, and it is shaping up the same way for 2026. The same players that are going to be salary dumps at the trade deadline are the same calibre of players that get added over the summer (case and point: Maccelli, Roy, Joshua), if the Leafs can use their cap space to their advantage in March, they might find themselves with usable players late in the season and potentially assets for the 2026-27 season.
15.  Ditch the good enough approach to personnel. Whether it is on or off the ice personnel, the Leafs need to stop simply selecting the best available option after their first choice. Prioritize talent over archetype and if rather being so attached to bringing in experience, opt for taking a chance on someone new rather than going with someone with a history of not meeting the results the Leafs require.
16.  Get Troy Stecher under contract for next season. He’s been playing for his spot in the lineup and that should probably be rewarded. Just don’t go crazy with a multiyear deal.
17.  Shake things up. While there is still talent on this team, it doesn’t seem likely the Leafs will win with this group. John Tavares isn’t going anywhere and at his cap hit, he has earned the right to be the last core member standing, but other than Tavares uncomfortable conversations need to be had with the no movement clause crew (Matthews, Nylander, Rielly, Tanev, and McCabe (who presently has a full no trade clause.)
18. Be aggressive in NCAA free agency. With just 3rd, 5th, and 6th round picks in this upcoming draft the Leafs prospect pool needs to be filled through other means. That’s not to exclude Europe and the CHL from consideration but NCAA seems to be the most defined window and the first one coming up.
19. If you are going to lose, at least be entertaining. The Leafs seemed to have returned to high event hockey in the past few games which is what this group used to be all about. The low shot totals and attempts to slow down the game feel like insult to injury this season and honestly not what works for the best players on the team.
20. Develop players towards a need. Above I mentioned that the Leafs need more puck carriers or at least players comfortable making a play with the puck. Finding players in trades will certainly be tricky and it’s not to say that development isn’t tricky, but taking youthful players like Robertson, Cowan, Thrun, and Maccelli and having their practices be more about skill development instead of playing in the Leafs current structure might be beneficial and pay off for the Leafs. Steve Sullivan seems like a strong option to lead that work since the team won’t spend the entire practice working on powerplay drills.
21. Make a tough decision on goaltending. The Leafs goaltending has been good but not great. There have been moments of greatness, but also moments that were decidedly not. As Hildeby works his way towards being a capable NHL backup and the league having plenty of teams that could use a goaltender, the Leafs might want to deal a netminder to address another gap in the lineup.
22. Don’t blow it up. The Leafs need a fair number of changes but there is no reason to hit reset and given the number of teams that have taken a lot longer than expected to climb out of their rebuilds. Even when it seems like there is a lot that needs to be done, moderation and picking and choosing rather a scorched earth policy would make the most sense.
23. Bring back the powerkill. While Mitch Marner and David Kampf were big parts of what made the aggressive penalty kill work, the Leafs need to be comfortable tapping into their current resources to revive it. The passive box has been fine, but the Leafs still have the right personnel for applying pressure, and perhaps there would be fewer defensive injuries if penalty killers weren’t blocking missles from the point.
24. Figure out the long change. The Leafs are getting outscored in the second period, and this again feels like the team ignoring the fact that they have players that want to play offensive hockey. Being more aggressive offensively and pushing the play more seems like a simple remedy that might not hold up but addresses the fact this has been the Leafs worst period (at home and overall.)
25.  Let Willy be Willy. The attempts to over coach William Nylander resulted in some of his worst hockey. He’s going to have some shifts that you want to scream at him for and no one is saying that you shouldn’t scream, but given that when he’s doing things his way he normally gets stronger results than when he’s put into situations or asked to play a way he isn’t built for, it seems like building off his strengths is the only way to go.
26.  If you think Craig Berube isn’t going to be the coach next year, move Craig Berube type players. Steven Lorentz and Simon Benoit have been better than expected during their time with the Maple Leafs and a big part of that is their play mirrors what Craig Berube looks for from his players. It’s quite possible the next coach won’t see the same value in them and if the Leafs suspect they will be going in a different direction it might make sense to cash out on players that seem like useful playoff depth.

Bonus resolution: 26 resolutions are too many and you’ll be fighting for your life halfway through. That said, I hope everyone who made it this far has a great 2026.