This season has been an absolute disaster for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They lost Mitch Marner in the offseason, are sitting outside of a playoff spot, and might lose their first-round pick. Not to mention that captain Auston Matthews is out with a season-ending injury. The only factor that would make this season worth anything would be if the Leafs landed a top-five pick in the NHL Draft by winning the lottery. At this point, that is unlikely to happen given their spot in the standings—about 25%. Overall, many Leaf fans will be excited when this season finally comes to an end. Let’s take a look at how the 2025–26 season compares to other horrible years.
The 2009–10 Maple Leafs
The 2009–10 season was pretty rough for Leafs Nation. They ended up finishing in second last with an embarrassing 74 points. The only team that finished below them was a disastrous Edmonton Oilers squad. One would believe that this could be a good way to end a season, as the Leafs would have a high pick in the upcoming draft. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The 2010 first-round pick of the Leafs was traded to the Boston Bruins in the Phil Kessel trade.
Now, Kessel had some solid seasons in Toronto and was their leading point scorer after being acquired. In the 2009–10 season, Kessel posted 30 and 55 points in just 70 games. He was the lone bright spot on the Leafs that year, but was it really worth it? Kessel was not a superstar, and that second overall pick could have helped set the Leafs up for a great future. The Bruins ended up selecting Tyler Seguin with that pick, who has gone on to have an awesome career.
Although Kessel had some great seasons as a Leaf, was that trade really worth it in such a dark time?
The 1984–85 Maple Leafs
The 1984–85 season has been regarded as one of, if not the worst, in Maple Leafs history. This team struggled in all areas of the game, posting a final record of 20–52–8. This was easily good for dead last in the NHL, as they barely scraped by with 20 wins. Although the record was awful, there were some bright spots on this team. Rick Vaive was the team’s leading scorer, with 35 goals and 68 points in just 72 games. Considering how awful the offence was, Vaive had himself a great year.
There were some other solid forwards on this roster, like John Anderson, Bill Derlago, and Miroslav Frycer. These guys all had over 50-point seasons, but the biggest concern was not the offence. Defence and goaltending were an absolute breakdown, as the Leafs finished the year with a -105 goal differential. As tough as this was, it ended up being worth it. With the first selection in the 1985 NHL Draft, the Leafs selected Wendel Clark, who went on to become a Leafs legend.
The 2015–16 Maple Leafs
2015–16 was another rough time for the Leafs, with no real identity to the team. This season resulted in another last-place finish as the Leafs were the only team in the league not to win 30 games. The main problem during this season was the severe lack of offence. Leading the team in scoring was a young Nazem Kadri, who scored 45 points in 76 games. Unbelievably, the Leafs only had one other player score 40 or more points that year, in PA Parenteau.
Defence was also bad, but goaltending was surprisingly good. Both James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier posted save percentages over .905 and goals against averages under 3.00. With this performance in net, the Leafs were desperate to provide some offensive support. This came with the emergence of William Nylander, Connor Brown, and the upcoming first overall pick. With the first selection in the 2016 NHL Draft, the Leafs brought in Auston Matthews to help complete the rebuild. This awful season was worth it, as the Leafs had an acceptable young core afterwards.
The 2025–26 disaster
Unfortunately, I do not see this season having as good an ending as the 1985 or 2016 seasons. The Leafs will most likely lose their first-round pick to the Boston Bruins and be without one, like in 2010. To make matters worse, they did not trade that pick for an offensive leader as they did in Kessel. Instead, it was traded for a defensive defenceman in Brandon Carlo, who has not provided much value to the roster.
Looking at draft capital, it is not too good for Brad Treliving. The general manager is definitely in the hot seat as the Leafs do not have a pick until the third round after this abysmal season. At this point, they only have one first-round pick next season, which is not even their own. The 2027 first was acquired in the Nic Roy trade from the Colorado Avalanche. That pick will not provide much value as the Avalanche will be a great team again next year.
It is truly tough to predict what the future holds for this team. It really seems like this could be the worst season in franchise history. The GM and coach need to be fired, the superstars are lacking motivation, and there is not an ounce of good leadership in the dressing room. There are plenty of people to blame for this mess, but one factor is confirmed: it will be a long while until the Leafs are a serious playoff-contending team again.
Do you think this was the worst season in franchise history?
