Toronto Maple Leafs hot takes heading into 2026

If you’re tired of watching Team Canada be what the kids call “mid” at the World Juniors, I have some hot or not-so-hot takes on the Toronto Maple Leafs going into the New Year. The media and fans tend to overreact at times when things are going poorly or very well for the Leafs, and I plan to adopt a somewhat neutral approach to this.

1. Toronto will make the playoffs

​As of December 30th, the Leafs have a record of 17–15–6, which is good enough for 40 points. As it stands right now, the Leafs are last in the Eastern Conference. If the playoff format were still top eight in each conference, I’d say the Leafs are done for. However, due to the implementation of the wild card format, the Leafs are still very much in the race for a wild card spot, and that’s my first hot take: the Leafs sneak into a playoff spot.

​Right now, the bottom of the Eastern Conference is very tight. The Florida Panthers are in the final wild card spot with 42 points. So as of now, the Leafs are only two points out of the playoffs. Leafs Nation tends to panic quickly and unnecessarily. I know it feels like the sky is falling in Toronto right now, but if I were a Leafs fan, I wouldn’t be panicking yet.

​Everyone knows that once you make the playoffs, anything can happen. The 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning were in a class of their own in the regular season; however, they were swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The St. Louis Blues in 2018–19 were in last place on Jan. 2, and they went on a heater to make the playoffs and go on to win the Stanley Cup.

2. If not, Craig Berube will be fired

​I’ve been somewhat disappointed with Craig Berube this season. I’ll be honest, I kind of hopped on the bandwagon during the playoffs last spring. I was very impressed with the Leafs in the playoffs up until the final three games of the Florida series. I was excited to see how the Leafs would continue to build their so-called “new identity.”

​I have some issues with Berube’s coaching style. For example, if you have one of the slowest teams in the league, playing a dump-and-chase style likely isn’t going to work. The Leafs have two of the most skilled players in the league in Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Why don’t you just let them carry the puck and do their thing? Instead, the Leafs dump the puck consistently, and because of their lack of speed, they’re consistently giving up possession.

​If the Leafs stay at the same pace they’re at right now, they’ll miss the playoffs, and I think in that scenario, Berube is gone or at least on the hot seat. I know TSN went public saying the jobs of Berube and GM Brad Treliving are safe, but a lot can change in a matter of three months. I think if the Leafs miss the playoffs, both of them are on the hot seat.

3. The Leafs don’t do too much and run it back again

​The Leafs have a reputation for “running it back” with the same core year after year. We saw it during the core four era, and many fans thought the front office was on the border of insanity. However, I’ve said it before, I don’t think it’s panic time just yet. As I mentioned, the Leafs are currently two points out of the playoffs, and just as easily as they went through a stretch where it felt like the sky was falling, they could go on a heater, and suddenly the fans and the media are planning the parade.

​Obviously, it’s impossible to underestimate how much the loss of Mitch Marner has impacted this team. Last year, the majority of this core was one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals. Every fan remembers the Leafs laid an egg in Game 7, but who knows what would have happened if they had won that game. I said during that series that whoever won was going to go to the finals, but there’s no way of knowing if the Leafs would’ve gone all the way. There is no reason to panic with this team; they obviously haven’t played up to their potential this season and have been riddled by injuries. But don’t let the Leafs get hot.

It’s not going our way right now, but this season is far from over, so if I were you, I’d keep the remaining faith you have in the Leafs and hang onto it until the very end, because as hockey fans we’ve all seen wilder things happen. I might sound a little delusional here, but until Toronto is mathematically eliminated, there is still a chance that this is the year!