ESPN Analyst Lays Out Stakes for Maple Leafs' 2025-26 Season

The Leafs’ offseason saw Mitch Marner depart after leading the team with 102 regular-season points last year, while president Brendan Shanahan also exited the organization.

General manager Brad Treliving reinvested the freed-up cap space in depth additions — instead of chasing a one-for-one Marner replacement — including Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua, while signing Matthew Knies to a six-year, $46.5 million contract extension.

Knies, 22, scored 29 goals and notched 58 points last season and, according to Ocal, could grow into a new cornerstone for the franchise, rebranding the infamous "Core Four" of the past few seasons and replacing Marner in it.

“Knies, who’s coming into his own and quite honestly, that could be a new 'Core Four,'” Ocal said. “You could argue [he] was the player of the playoffs for them and that’s saying something.”

Despite the changes, the Leafs’ core still features Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares. Matthews, who struggled through injury last season, claims to be healthy and is expected to anchor a top line alongside Knies and Nylander.

“At the end of the day, it’s about winning championships and the culture in the locker room,” Ocal said. “The question will become: do [the Leafs] have enough to finally get over the hump? Do they have enough to finally win? And if they don’t, are there more changes coming?”

As Ocal noted, none of the offseason or left-to-be-done moves will matter without postseason results after the Leafs fell in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers last spring, marking another early, second-round exit.