Maple Leafs News & Rumours: How to Grow Grit, Past-Trade Mistakes & Cowan as Marchand

With players like Sam Bennett generating buzz, it’s worth remembering those cautionary tales. Bennett, who leads the postseason with 15 goals, has been a playoff wrecking ball for Florida. But so was Clarkson once. Toronto can’t afford another expensive swing on a player whose value spikes only in small windows.

Would Bennett help? Probably. But a projected $6.6 million cap hit per AFP Analytics to chase the ghost of playoff grit yet to come might box Toronto into another inflexible contract. They don’t need to repeat the Bay Street Bullies experiment—they need to build a modern, sustainable edge into the lineup without sacrificing salary-cap flexibility. The team’s history shows that attempts to buy high usually end poorly.

The Maple Leafs Need a Better Blueprint to Build Grit the Smart Way

There’s another way. Instead of anchoring toughness to a single high-profile addition, Toronto could spread that identity throughout the roster. As Jon Steitzer of The Leafs Nation wrote yesterday, pieces of it already exist: Matthew Knies brings a power-forward mentality. Bobby McMann proved he can finish his checks and chip in offensively. Steven Lorentz, if re-signed, is precisely the kind of no-glamour, value-role player a Berube system rewards.

The last thing the Maple Leafs need to do this offseason is overspend on a traditional enforcer—they learned that lesson with Reaves. They need bottom-six players who bring consistent toughness without taking up a top-six role or a significant chunk of the salary cap. That starts with developing grit from within the system. Others like Lorentz must be itching for a chance to bang with the best.

The team needs size and edge, which makes the free agent market worth exploring. Players like Tanner Jeannot or Brandon Tanev (who makes perfect sense, with brother Chris in the fold) could bring the kind of physical, responsible game that fits Berube’s style. Even another one-year Max Pacioretty contract would make sense under a coach who values veteran edge. None of these options would break the bank, but all of them could help shift the team’s culture toward one of accountability and resilience. What the team can’t do is make the same mistake again—spending big on grit and getting little return.

The key here isn’t who the Maple Leafs add, but how they think about toughness. It’s not about fighting majors or big names. It’s about making every line just a little harder to play against. It’s about constructing a roster where puck battles are won, not just shifts are survived. The physical evolution isn’t a shopping spree—it’s a series of intentional, gritty little steps.

Could Easton Cowan Be the Brad Marchand the Maple Leafs Need?

I’m betting that an exciting and chaotic ingredient in Toronto’s toughness puzzle is already coming. Easton Cowan might be 19, but he plays like he was raised watching Brad Marchand highlights on repeat. He chirps. He pokes. He draws penalties and changes momentum. Most importantly, he performs under pressure.

Cowan led the London Knights to back-to-back Ontario Hockey League (OHL) championships and a Memorial Cup this year, recording 96 points in 60 career playoff games. He’s not just headlines; he’s substance wrapped in an edge of agitation. And while Toronto fans have spent a decade loathing players like Marchand, they may soon find themselves cheering for one in Cowan. He could become Michael Bunting on an entry-level contract. (For all his polarizing characteristics, Bunting has averaged over 20 goals a season since his first season with the Maple Leafs.)

There’s a risk, of course. Marchand was a disciplinary issue early on. Toronto will have to decide whether to let Cowan lean into that villain edge or try to sand down the rough corners. But if Berube’s coaching history is any hint, Cowan might finally be the Maple Leafs’ license to annoy. And maybe that’s the best kind of toughness there is—relentless, skilled, and impossible to ignore.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

The physical makeover isn’t a gimmick—it’s a necessity. But the Maple Leafs can’t afford to chase reputation over reality. Overpaying for players with playoff mystique and limited regular-season impact won’t solve their problems. Instead, Toronto should look inside the system at who they already have, target undervalued grit in free agency, and let players like Cowan help redefine what “tough to play against” really means.

This team doesn’t need a fight per night. It needs friction in all four lines, purpose in puck battles, and a few players who play on the edge without falling off it. If they get that balance right, the Maple Leafs might finally be ready for a different and more successful postseason.