Ownership changes will complicate Leafs turnaround after disappointing season

Calling the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 2025-26 season a disappointment would be an understatement. Even with the loss of Mitch Marner, there were expectations of them making the playoffs. But the team fell flat on their face and never built up enough momentum to hang around in the playoff race.

After selling at the trade deadline, there’s lots of discussion surrounding what the Leafs should do next. Should this be a retool year, similar to what the Boston Bruins did last season? Or should they lean more towards a rebuild to properly turn things around? With a new ownership structure coming, the latter may not even be an option.

Jeff Marek joined Daily Faceoff Live to talk about where the Leafs should go from here, and how ownership will probably won’t let them do a proper rebuild right now.

Jeff Marek: One of the mitigating factors in all of it is Rogers is going to own 100% of MLSE. Do they want to go into a new long-term multi-billion dollar relationship with the National Hockey League with their main cash cow involved in a five-year rebuild? That doesn’t fly from corporate. Again, nothing with Toronto is easy. There’s hockey ops, and sometimes they’re at odds. Often they’re at odds with the levels of hierarchy above them. So I think that’s one complicating matter.

You have Auston Matthews under contract. You have Nylander under contract. Matthew Knies found his name out there around trade deadline time. John Tavares, et cetera. I think the first thing you do is you have to redo your defense. Not having Tanev hurt. That’s obvious. But I think it’s probably time for discussion with Morgan Rielly, the classic change of scenery. Goaltenders stay healthy. I think you come back and you take a swing.

I don’t think, given the corporate realities above hockey operations, that there’s any desire for a San Jose Sharks-, Chicago Blackhawks-, Anaheim Ducks-style rebuild. I don’t think so. Even though you do have the assets to supercharge it. Even if you put Matthews to market, you put William Nylander to market, you can move it ahead really fast. But at the same time, I can’t see MLSE going for that whatsoever. To me, that’s still a nonstarter.

You can watch the full episode here…