Who needs to contribute more for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had an unsettling start to the 2025–26 season, with a lot of questions being asked. Is this team even good? In the organization’s second season under Craig Berube, you would think the atmosphere and mindset would change, but newsflash, it hasn’t. 

So far, we’ve seen the top players contributing, but not as much as we thought compared to last year. Auston Matthews currently sits at 12 points in 14 games, William Nylander earned 20 points in 11 games, and John Tavares and Matthew Knies have 18 points in 14 games. The problem is secondary scoring. It feels the Leafs have lacked additional help, and that comes from the rest of the lineup.

Let’s look at three players who need to step up for our Leafs if they want to climb up the standings.

Max Domi

Max Domi hasn’t looked like the Max Domi we all know and love. The scoring, the playmaking, and the aggressiveness—he has not looked great. To say he’s had a rough start to this season is an understatement. He has been given a golden opportunity to play with the top line, and it didn’t work out in the Leafs’ favour after already taking him off 13 games into the season. So far this season, Domi has accumulated three goals and one assist for four points in 14 games played. Domi is well known for his playmaking abilities, and if the Leafs want to get back on top of the Atlantic Division, they need more from him. 

The Leafs need Domi to show shades of his 2018–19 season, where he put up 28 goals and 44 assists for 72 points in 82 games. Since joining Toronto in 2023, he has put up 84 points in 167 games, a huge decline in point totals per season. The Leafs are still looking for someone who can step up and play in the first-line right-wing position. Domi, with his playmaking abilities, can try to fill the void left by Mitch Marner. In order for the Leafs to have all-around success, Domi needs to start putting up points, and if not, we fans would all question his contract.

Bobby McMann

Bobby McMann broke out onto the scene, scoring 15 goals in his second season, then following up with his first 20-goal season the following year in 2024–25. McMann is more of a scorer than a playmaker; the only problem is that he needs to start scoring more. So far, McMann has accumulated three goals and two assists for five points in 14 games played. 

The Leafs are desperate for secondary scoring, and when he’s on, Bobby “McMatthews,” as fans have dubbed him, can highly impact the outcome of a game. McMann has shown he can dominate a game, having had many multi-goal games last season. Consistency has been an issue for McMann, as he would have a great game-scoring run but then dip off for five games. To help solve the lack of secondary scoring problem, McMann needs to be more consistent and establish himself either on the second line or as a bottom-six threat who can score 20 goals in a season. 

Brandon Carlo

Known for his size and physical ability that he brought during his time with the Boston Bruins, Brandon Carlo’s start to the season has fans questioning why the Leafs traded for him in the first place. The trade sent Carlo to Toronto, and heading back to Boston were prospect Frazer Minten, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2025 fourth-round pick. When this trade happened, fans knew what the Leafs were getting—a big right-shot defenceman who can throw the body and make big hits—and so far, Carlo hasn’t shown his “Bruin” side.

Looking at Carlo, he has looked afraid to use his body, and the lack of grit he has shown has made fans question whether he’s gone soft. During a recent Seattle Kraken game, he did not defend or step up for goaltender Anthony Stolarz. This season, he has two assists, zero takeaways, 12 giveaways, and only seven hits, averaging 0.5 hits per game in 14 games so far. The Leafs need Carlo to show his toughness and bring his Bruins side and style of play, especially when paired with offensive defencemen like Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Conclusion

Overall, there is nothing too serious to worry about when it comes to these players. The Leafs just need these guys to step up and prove themselves on this team. We are only 13 games in, but there have already been many storylines in such a short amount of time.

To avoid potential losses, the Leafs can not only rely on the new core four of Matthews, Knies, Nylander, and Tavares; they need players like McMann and Domi to contribute consistently. On defence, Carlo needs to make his presence known as the heaviest hitter that no player wants to cross. Once these guys start stepping it up, the Leafs should have no problem climbing back up in the standings.