The 2025–26 NHL season is almost upon us, and we have a new-look Leafs team this year. The “Core Four” era ended with a whimper with the departure of Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights. This has left Leafs fans in a sort of limbo with a team that, on paper, is almost certainly worse, yet other moves that were largely welcomed by the fanbase.
The question has now changed from “can this team finally get over the hump?” (spoiler alert: no) to “what comes next?” In true Toronto fashion, Leafs fans have taken to PuckGM to try to find an answer. We thought we’d take a look at some of these trades, which range from “surprisingly reasonable” to “someone should probably take their internet access away.” Let’s dive into some of the most intriguing proposals and see what they tell us about where this fanbase’s collective head is at.
Trade #1: “Keeping Assets and $ Until Deadline”—The Sensible One
https://puckgm.puckpedia.com/rosters/883749
This proposal keeps things refreshingly simple. The creator trades away the dead weight of Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1M) and David Kampf ($2.4M) while bringing in Jack Roslovic ($3.5M x 2), Max Pacioretty ($900K), and Tyson Barrie ($775K).
Obviously, this exact trade is no longer feasible with Tyson Barrie retiring last week. However, the general vibe of this deal is one of the least offensive ones. The logic is sound: move out the players who aren’t contributing, add some veteran depth, and keep your powder dry for bigger moves at the deadline. Sending away Robertson and Hirvonen as sweeteners is a little tough to swallow, but makes the execution at least somewhat feasible. Fair warning, though, this will be the most palatable trade analyzed.
Trade #2: “Big Moves”—The Matthews Earthquake
https://puckgm.puckpedia.com/rosters/918522
Now we’re getting spicy. This proposal trades Auston Matthews ($13.3M), Easton Cowan, and a 2027 2nd to St. Louis for Robert Thomas ($8.1M), Dylan Holloway ($2.3M), and Tyler Tucker ($925K). Additional moves bring in Owen Tippett for a package, Dougie Hamilton for Reilly and a package, and Alex Turcotte for Bobby McMann.
The logic isn’t completely absurd (if you squint hard enough). Thomas had similar point production to Matthews last season, at $5.2M less in cap space. The savings could theoretically be used to address depth issues that have plagued the team for years.
The comment section turned into an all-out war zone. Blues fans argued that Thomas was more valuable due to his contract and playoff reliability, while others pointed out that “Matthews has more career goals than Thomas has points.” One particularly heated exchange saw a user declare, “I wouldn’t take Matthews for free, I’d much rather spend that money on players who actually show up in the playoffs.”
The debate highlights the common refrain when looking at Matthews, which is his lack of playoff production. Even so, it’s basically outside of the realm of possibility that either the Leafs or the Blues do this trade, without even mentioning the other deals that make this a pie in the sky.
Trade #3: “Brad Bully McGuire’s NMCs Out the Door”—Nuclear Winter
https://puckgm.puckpedia.com/rosters/919712
This proposal goes full scorched earth. Both Nylander ($11.5M) and Matthews ($13.3M) are traded away in a package that brings back Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, Simon Nemec, and Sean Durzi. It’s essentially a complete teardown disguised as “getting younger and more dynamic.”
The comment section was surprisingly subdued, perhaps because the sheer audacity left people speechless. One user noted that “Auston Matthews already has July 1st 2028 circled on his calendar,” implying that if he’s leaving anyway, might as well get something for him now.
From a pure asset management perspective, if you’re committed to a full rebuild, this isn’t the worst return. The problem is expecting New Jersey and Utah to hand over their young stars for aging contracts. The Devils certainly aren’t giving up their #1 centre for cap relief, no matter how you dress it up.
Trade #4: “j”—The Delusional Masterpiece
https://puckgm.puckpedia.com/rosters/919344
Sometimes a trade proposal is so divorced from reality that it becomes art. This one sees Toronto trade Morgan Rielly ($7.5M) and David Kampf ($2.4M) to Anaheim and somehow get back Leo Carlsson AND a 2026 2nd-round pick. Yes, you read that correctly, Anaheim is apparently adding a draft pick to trade away their #2 overall selection from 2023.
The community response was swift and merciless:
“Welcome to delusional LeafLand where they think Anaheim would have to ADD a 2nd to Leo Carlsson to take on a Morgan Riley cap dump LOL”
“All teams block your number.”
“Troll post?”
This one deserved the roasting it received. The idea that a rebuilding team would pay a premium to take on an aging, expensive defenceman with term remaining is the kind of thinking that furthers the idea that Leafs fans are completely delusional.
Interesting takes
I’m not sure it’s helpful to draw any meaningful conclusions from examining community-proposed trades and their comment sections. This also means that taking these trades seriously is probably a sign that hockey and the internet might be a bit too important in your life.
As the Leafs navigate their first season without Marner in years, perhaps the most realistic trade proposal is the one that wasn’t made: sometimes the best move is no move at all. But where’s the fun in that?
