There’s been a dour mood around the Toronto Maple Leafs over the past few weeks, but it’s time to be more positive about the team’s future.
The Leafs slumped to the fifth-worst record in the NHL in the 2025–26 season, and there has been plenty of talk over how the team can turn things around quickly.
There has even been plenty of talk about the future of current team captain Auston Matthews, after vague comments about not being in control of his future and reports suggesting he may not be sure about returning next season.
There has been a lot for Leafs fans to be concerned about, but a new era has begun, and it’s time to get behind the team and start cheering again.
The first overall pick
The Leafs beat the odds and landed the top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, paving the way for the team to land a player who could make an immediate impact in the NHL.
Gavin McKenna is the presumed choice in this draft, and he could immediately slot into the Leafs’ top six forwards, potentially even lining up alongside Matthews on the top line. The team desperately needed something to pin hopes on, and McKenna certainly is that.
He dominated at the junior level with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL, averaging 1.83 points per game for a total of 244 (79 goals, 165 assists) in 133 games. He then moved to college and had 1.46 points per game with 51 (15G, 36A) in 35 games.
McKenna is a franchise-level prospect and should have Leafs fans excited about the possibilities moving forward. Current Leaf Easton Cowan has already voiced his excitement at the prospect of McKenna joining the team.
Of course, the team could opt for someone else, such as the highly rated Ivar Stenberg, who is considered more of a 200-foot player with greater defensive capabilities than McKenna. This could certainly make Leafs fans feel a certain way, but regardless of which way their preferences lean, the team has the opportunity to add a truly impactful player right out of the gate on a three-year entry-level deal at just a shade over $1 million.
Mats Sundin is back
For a long time, fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs have been clamouring for legend and long-time team captain Mats Sundin to return to the franchise in some operational capacity. Well, that’s finally the case.
Sundin is back as an executive advisor on the hockey operations side, and he will have a big impact on things such as culture, particularly within the locker room. He is revered in Toronto and will have a big influence on players, making him someone the Leafs absolutely need to lean on going forward.
Sundin knows what it’s like to come close, having taken the team to the Conference Finals on two occasions, in 1999 and 2002, and he regularly won in the postseason. That’s been a challenge for the Leafs over the past decade, so having his experience and player’s background could be a great thing for the current group to have around.
He can’t directly impact what happens on the ice, but having someone so respected in the hockey world, especially in Toronto, there every day to help guide and advise should be celebrated. He may not have much experience in terms of a front office role, but he has been a consultant for Team Sweden before, and his new role will likely draw more on his strengths.
John Chayka deserves a chance
Whichever way you view John Chayka and his time with the Arizona Coyotes, he deserves a chance to make this a success for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Chayka is clearly not part of the “old boys club,” and the media certainly has strong opinions about him, but he’s been brought in for his data expertise and his outside-the-box way of thinking. The Leafs had more success with a GM of that ilk (Kyle Dubas) than they did with the more traditional type (Brad Treliving), so what’s the harm?
Either the Leafs will win or they won’t. That could be said of anyone who takes this job. Chayka managed to do some good things with the Coyotes under extremely difficult and very different circumstances than what he has now.
The Leafs are resource-rich and are actively trying to win the cup. The Coyotes were trying to reach the cap floor for many years and were simply surviving.
In that time, Chayka did build an elite defensive group, including the likes of Niklas Hjalmarsson, Alex Goligoski, Antti Raanta, and Darcy Kuemper in net, and he made attempts to improve the offensive side once that had been established, most notably with the Taylor Hall trade.
It’s understandable to have reservations, but he’s older, hopefully wiser, and in a position where he could succeed far more than he could in the desert, and the fans should want him to do well. Get behind him and hope that he can put the pieces together that tip this group back in the right direction and towards greater things.
