The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a different look in the 2025-26 season. The team didn’t present Pontus Holmberg with a qualifying offer, allowing him to test the open market as an unrestricted free agent. He signed a two-year agreement with the Tampa Bay Lightning. As expected, Mitch Marner won’t be back with the Maple Leafs after being involved in a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, which resulted in him getting an eight-year, $96 million contract. Even though general manager (GM) Brad Treliving was not active in free agency, he was busy before July 1 while getting John Tavares, Matthew Knies, and Steven Lorentz to agree to multi-year extensions.
There wasn’t much to chase in free agency, and Treliving was wise to avoid potential landmine contracts. The Maple Leafs’ GM managed to acquire two players via trades who could be impactful additions. The club obtained Nicolas Roy in the deal with the Golden Knights for Marner and brought in Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a conditional 2027 third-round pick. The Maple Leafs made some depth signings when the market opened, landing Vinni Lettieri, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Travis Boyd, and Michael Pezzetta. There’s a chance that some of them could crack the roster out of training camp or see NHL action at some point in the upcoming campaign, but it’s probably best to think of them as signings for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Treliving remains interested in a top-six forward, and the team would benefit from collecting a depth blueliner or a top-four candidate. The projected roster should still be regarded as a work in progress.
Maple Leafs Projected Forward Lines
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
| Matthew Knies | Auston Matthews | Max Domi |
| Matias Maccelli | John Tavares | William Nylander |
| Bobby McMann | Nicolas Roy | Nicholas Robertson |
| Steven Lorentz | Scott Laughton | Calle Jarnkrok |
Auston Matthews and Knies are locked into roles on the top line, but the right-wing spot vacated by Marner is wide open. William Nylander is a justifiable option, and he would be a deserving candidate to receive the promotion. However, the team would probably be better off if Nylander stayed with Tavares on the second line to create a more balanced attack. They have delivered mixed results in the past, and there may be some fatigue with seeing them together, but it still makes the most sense, given the roster’s construction. Still, Nylander will likely…
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