With the holidays approaching in the next few days, now is the perfect time to reflect on the first half of the season. The Toronto Maple Leafs have certainly had their struggles this season, and there are a lot of ideas that Leaf fans could wish for. So far, the season has been an absolute mess with mistakes being made in every direction of the organization. As of right now, the Leafs are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Let’s take a look at a potential Christmas list for the Leafs.
1. A healthy team
There is absolutely no doubt that the first wish on this list would be for the Leafs to have perfect health in the new year. This team has dealt with numerous injuries this season, which makes it difficult to find consistency. The majority of the roster has dealt with an injury this season. Most notably, the goalies have had the most struggles. Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz have constantly been injured, leaving the tandem in complete disarray. Luckily, Woll returned within the past week to assist Dennis Hildeby with the workload, but there is still no update on Stolarz.
The defensive and forward cores have also been dealing with plenty of injuries. Key players like Chris Tanev, Auston Matthews, and Brandon Carlo have suffered injuries that have kept them out of multiple games. In the future, the organization can only hope that players stay healthy. If the team wants to go on a run and make the playoffs, health will be the number one wish for Christmas.
2. Much more star power
Another wish on the Leafs’ Christmas list would be for more star power. This is pointed towards Auston Matthews and William Nylander. These two superstars have been nowhere near as dominant as they have in previous seasons. Yes, they are both putting up solid point totals, but it has not transferred into team success. The Leafs need these two players to be game breakers. Nylander is on pace for roughly 30 goals this season, while Matthews is on pace for roughly 37. These two can be much better than that. Both of them can easily hit the 40-goal plateau, and without that, the Leafs do not stand a chance.
Now, on the other hand, players like Matthew Knies and John Tavares have been nothing but exceptional for the Leafs. These two are the secondary stars of the team who have easily been just as important this season. Tavares is on pace to have yet another solid point per game campaign as a Leaf, while Knies is in the midst of a breakout season. The young 23-year-old is on pace to put up over seventy points, which would shatter his previous career high of 58t. At this rate, Knies has become the most important piece of the Leafs’ future.
Even with Tavares and Knies pulling their weight, there is no doubt that Matthews and Nylander need to step up their play. Can they get back to their superstar abilities after the Christmas break?
3. A deep playoff run
This is certainly not going to happen this season, but the Leafs are one of the hungriest teams in the NHL for a deep playoff run (at least the fans are). It is extremely difficult to discuss how this team was never able to achieve a deep run with the core four. This team had a lot of hope at one point. Three young amazing star players and a veteran captain leading the way. Unfortunately, this core often disappeared in the playoffs when it mattered, which eventually led to a big-time change. Ever since Marner was traded, the Leafs have looked a lot less dangerous.
If the team is unable to turn the season around, it could be a complete waste. The Leafs do not have a first-round pick in the next two drafts (the 2026 pick is top-five protected, though), so they have no choice but to attempt a playoff run or tank hard.
4. Prospect success at the WJC
On the bright side, this time of year is great for hockey fans because they get to watch their top prospects at the World Juniors. The Leafs will have a couple of prospects to watch at the 2026 WJC. This will include defencemen Ben Danford and Victor Johansson. Danford will be representing Canada at the tournament, while Johansson will represent Sweden. Both players just had some pre-tournament action at the WJC and split the games one each.
The Leafs drafted Danford in the first round of 2024. He has had a great season since joining the Brantford Bulldogs and will likely be a depth defenceman in the tournament. The same can be said for Johnansson, who has worked his way up in Sweden and will be a depth defenceman for their junior team. Both Canada and Sweden are projected to be some of the stronger teams in this year’s tournament. Do you think either team has a chance at bringing home gold? Both countries have struggled recently in the WJC.
These are the top four wishes on the Leafs’ wish list for Christmas. Is there anything else that this organization could hope for? Should there be a change in management or coaching?
