Asking AI to predict how the Toronto Maple Leafs will perform this season

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ training camp is underway, and it’s going to be an interesting year. Even without Mitch Marner, there should still be expectations for the team. While I wrote what I thought those expectations should be, I figured, why not ask Perplexity AI and see what it comes up with?

I asked the following three questions:

1. Which rookie will make the opening night roster on the Toronto Maple Leafs?
2. What are the season expectations for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2025–26 season?
3. Assuming the Toronto Maple Leafs make the playoffs, how far will the team go?

Let’s take a look at what the AI tool said!

Rookies who will make the opening night roster

The AI tool suggested that Easton Cowan and Ben Danford are the top rookies to make the opening night roster. Cowan is by far the best Leafs’ prospect, having finished a strong junior career and helped lead the London Knights to back-to-back Memorial Cups. 

However, the AI tool says it will be very difficult because of the veteran-heavy lineup. To anyone who follows the Leafs, that is not surprising. In my opinion, playing rookies could put the Leafs in a position of not icing the best possible roster. Given the Leafs are in a “win now” mode, Cowan will have to impress.

Like Cowan, the AI tool says Danford will face challenges given the veteran-heavy lineup. Even if a spot were magically available, I don’t see how he makes the roster on opening night. Unfortunately, Danford is not eligible to play on the Toronto Marlies this season. For his development, he needs to play against men and adapt to faster play that is closer to the NHL.

Lastly, the AI tool suggested other “long shots” such as Jacob Quillan, Noah Chadwick, Borya Valis, and Rylan Fellinger. For those who haven’t seen the prospect games against the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens, Quillan stood out in both games and at both ends of the ice.

Surprisingly, the AI tool did not mention Luke Haymes as a long shot. The 22-year-old was arguably the best Leafs player over the two prospect games. The 6’1, 203lbs forward scored two goals and four assists for six points in nine games with the Marlies last season after finishing his college career in the NCAA. While he will likely start with the Marlies, he could be a diamond in the rough.

2025–26 season expectations

The AI tool expects the Leafs to continue to improve defensively and build on the cultural shift we saw last year. The new additions of Nic Roy and Dakota Joshua could improve the bottom-six scoring, which has been lacking in recent years. Based on the Florida Panthers’ Stanley Cup runs, we know that if the Leafs want to have any playoff success, they need a bottom-six that can score.

The AI tool expressed uncertainty around whether the Leafs’ offence will be enough. It cited two reasons: 1) the departure of Marner and 2) the unpredictability of the league (i.e., I assume it means that every year there are teams that perform better than expected, but it did not specify). 

No doubt losing Marner will reduce the offensive output, which can result in the loss of valuable points in the standings. Still, I think the Leafs are still a playoff team; it’s just that winning the division might be more challenging. Also, there’s the chance that the new additions will fill the point gaps that Marner left.

Lastly, the AI tool notes that a second-round appearance is the bare minimum. However, it notes that there is an increase in pressure mounting for a deeper run. This is similar to what I said in the season expectations post, but many of us have been saying this for years.

How far will the team go in the playoffs?

While it touched on this answer in the previous question, I wanted to ask it directly. No surprise, it said that the most probable outcome is a Conference Semi-Finals appearance, citing a decade of playoff performances as evidence.

I think to most, this is not surprising and probably the most likely outcome. While it’s true that they have yet to go on a deep run in the Matthews era, past performance is not indicative of future performance. The team is different with the departure of Marner and the addition of heavier players who can score. 

Regardless, general manager Brad Treliving has a plan. He rebuilt the defence and goaltending positions over the last two years. He is starting to make changes to the forward group that combine scoring and toughness. At the very least, he is making methodical changes instead of re-running the same core group of players over and over again without making changes… Thankfully, Brendan Shanahan is gone.

There are still 82 games to be played and trades to be made this season. The Leafs are entering a post- “Core Four” era, and it should have fans excited. Auston Matthews also appears to be healthier, at least healthier than at the start of last season. If he can reach his 2023–24 form, or figure out how to reach this form in the playoffs, the Leafs can definitely make it out of the second round.