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Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs (Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

Maple Leafs Front Office Slammed in Latest NHL Rankings

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jim Parsons | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 2:45 PM ET

Toronto Maple Leafs fans have grown increasingly frustrated with their team’s front office, and The Athletic’s recent NHL management rankings paint a problematic picture. With comments like, “I have concerns about the Leafs turning into a retirement home” and “But his [Treliving] dubious track record with trades in Calgary makes me wary.” It’s no wonder the Leafs climbed up only six spots from last season’s ranking at No. 30.

A troublesome off-season leaves Leafs Nation questioning whether the organization is headed in the right direction.

What Did the Maple Leafs Do Well?

On the positive side, the Maple Leafs have done well to revamp their goaltending. The post notes that signing Anthony Stolarz and betting on Joseph Woll’s potential gives the organization a more secure and flexible crease situation than in recent years.

So too, the extensions for John Tavares and Matthew Knies got high grades. Treliving receives praise for improving team depth and retaining some trade flexibility. I’ll add that there is a chance some of his acquisitions could turn out to be pleasant surprises.

This Toronto team is still being viewed as a competitive one, even if there are lingering questions about how well they’ll fare in the playoffs.

Where Did the Leafs Lose Their Fans?

For all the good Treliving did, many believe the negatives overshadowed the positives. Most glaring is the mishandling of Mitch Marner’s contract saga. The Leafs eventually moved Marner via a sign-and-trade for Nicolas Roy, a move that failed to get anything close to his value back. It’s hard to argue that watching that entire storyline unfold was like watching anything less than a colossal organizational failure. It wasn’t just on Treliving, who was essentially handcuffed by mistakes from past management, but whether he successfully made lemonade out of lemons remains to be seen.

Beyond the Marner debacle, the ranking takes into account the Leafs’ tendency to overpay for marginal players. David Kämpf’s immovable contract has become an issue this summer. At the same time, deadline deals for Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo (with rumors the team is already open to the idea of trading him) highlight a pattern of trading significant assets or cap space for depth players who deliver limited returns.

Toronto gets compared to teams like Florida in the ranking, who topped the list because of their additions at team-friendly prices.

When you add it all up, the net results create a nervous fan base that isn’t sure this Leafs’ front office can convert talent into deep playoff runs.

Can the Leafs Avoid Wasting Another Era?

“With how the Atlantic is sizing up, confidence is dwindling in regards to how far this team can go. Right now, because of mistakes from the past regime, aided by some missteps from the current one, it feels like an era wasted.”
source – ‘NHL front-office confidence rankings: How fans feel about every team in 2025’ – Dom Luszczyszyn– The Athletic – 08/20/2025

Nearly a decade into the era of Auston Matthews, the Leafs have yet to reach a conference final. All the while, Atlantic Division rivals are getting better and making smarter decisions with their respective rosters. Time is running out for Toronto, and as the team gets older and slower, confidence is dwindling.

The Athletic does give the Leafs some credit, which bumped them up a few spots. However, if Toronto wants to be a legitimate contender and more than just a strong regular-season team, it’ll need to get out of the basement in these management rankings.

The frustration is understandable: a roster loaded with talent tried to make up for losing one of the top wingers in the NHL by trading for and signing several mid-level pieces. It might work. If it doesn’t, expect the Leafs to fall back down the standings.