Report cards: Final grades for Maple Leafs’ 2025‑26 season

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We’re sending the Maple Leafs home for the summer with their final report cards.

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The firing of Brad Treliving on March 30 takes him off our list, as the dismissal says more than enough about his work this season. We gave him a mark of 5.5 in our mid-season report cards and he would have had a failing grade had he still been on the job.

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Though the Leafs were bad as whole, finishing 28th in the 32-team National Hockey League, we went more in an individual route in assessing marks.

Marks are out of 10, with our mid-term marks in parentheses.

Coach Craig Berube — 3.5 (5.5)

If Berube isn’t fired after the Leafs finished out of the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, he’ll have to come with up a beauty of an explanation to his new boss as to why everything he attempted to fix the Leafs as the season progressed didn’t work. True, the roster Berube had wasn’t great and injuries played a role, but the lack of successful adjustments was glaring. Will the remaining two years on his contract be enough to save his job? With the money that MLSE has, staff cutbacks or not, you would think that would not be an issue standing in the way of a change behind the bench.

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GOALTENDERS

Anthony Stolarz — 5.5 (5.8)

After leading the NHL in 2024-25 with a .926 save percentage, Stolarz didn’t come close to that level, posting an .893 save percentage in 26 games. A simple fact with Stolarz — and it’s a scary one — is that he can’t stay healthy. He noted on Thursday that his latest injury that happened on April 8 against Washington, a left groin strain, came on a save he makes “500 times.” If there’s market for Stolarz this summer, the Leafs should explore it.

Contract status: Four years, $3.75 million AAV

Joseph Woll — 6.5 (7.8)

Woll never gained a level of consistency after he missed the first six weeks because of undisclosed personal reasons and, looking back, our mid-term mark for him was too high. After he was in net for an upset overtime win in Colorado on Jan. 12 to briefly get the Leafs back into a playoff spot, Woll recorded four wins in his final 21 games. Granted, there was no defence in front of him, but the goals that Woll might have wanted back formed a large pile.

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Contract status: Two years, $3.67 million AAV

DEFENCEMEN

Morgan Rielly — 4.9 (6.5)

A summer of reflection didn’t translate into much positive in 2025-26 for Rielly. He moved into sixth place on the Leafs’ career list for games played with 951, but had little fun doing so. Rielly was on the ice for 78 goals against at five-on-five, second-most in the NHL, and spent too much time in the defensive zone out of position. At the least, you would think the new front office approaches Rielly about moving his no-movement clause. What the 32-year-old would do in response is to be determined, but Rielly sounds like he expects it to come up with the new GM. A fresh start with another NHL team might be best.

Contract status: Four years, $7.5 million AAV

Jake McCabe — 6.9 (7.8)

Start to finish, McCabe was the Leafs’ best defenceman — and that was without Chris Tanev, with whom McCabe formed a fine shutdown pairing last season. Like the majority of his teammates, the losing caught up to McCabe him in the past several weeks. We commend McCabe for leading the NHL with 190 blocked shots in 80 games, though he was part of a defence corps that didn’t have much net-front nastiness in the face of the opposition.

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Contract status: Four years, $4.5 million AAV

Oliver Ekman-Larsson — 6.6 (7.3)

At 34, Ekman-Larsson led Leafs defencemen in scoring with 39 points (eight goals and 31 assists), his highest total in his past seven season, and he did enough in the first half to earn a spot on Sweden’s team for the Winter Olympics in Italy. Defensively, there were issues, as Ekman-Larsson committed a Leafs-high 109 giveaways. It was an emotional past few months for the veteran, who was sat out for potential trade purposes and then not dealt. That came before his son was born in mid-March.

Contract status: Two years, $3.5 million AAV

Troy Stecher — 6.1 (7.6)

Stecher had a good start with the Leafs after he was claimed off waivers from Edmonton on Nov. 15, but consistency on his part was not sustainable as the season went on its course. It wasn’t for lack of effort, though, and Stecher often played above his 5-foot-10, 184-pound frame. We don’t know whether he would have been retained otherwise, but the fact he is the only unrestricted free agent on a Leafs defence corps that needs an overhaul, his time in Toronto likely is done.

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Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Brandon Carlo — 5.4 (5.9)

It was an unenviable year for Carlo for several reasons, the biggest being that he didn’t make much of an impact while Fraser Minten, traded to Boston in the Carlo swap a year ago, blossomed with the Bruins. If Carlo had anything resembling a mean streak, at 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds, he could be a beast on the blue line. He doesn’t have that in him, though, and looked bad when he was on the ice and didn’t respond when Radko Gudas ended Auston Matthews’ season. Carlo has gone 134 games without scoring a goal.

Contract status: One year, $3.48 million AAV

Simon Benoit — 5.3 (5.8)

Back toward the end of November, Benoit called himself out, saying he didn’t have the “knife in my teeth” and had to be more of a “pain in  the ass” to play against. He didn’t heed his own words. Sure, he was second among Leafs with 194 hits, but how many times did opposing forwards think twice about battling him in the corner? As a third-pair guy, Benoit, who played in 73 games and provided just six assists, could be benched more often next season if the Leafs make several blue-line additions.

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Contract status: One year, $1.35 million AAV

Philippe Myers — 4.5 (5.0)

Myers played in 39 games, averaging 14 1/2 minutes of ice time. He’s the epitome of a depth guy, which means he can be replaced. Could William Villeneuve take some of Myers’ minutes next year? It’s among the possibilities.

Contract status: One year, $850,000 AAV

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FORWARDS

Matthew Knies — 6.9 (7.0)

Career-highs for Knies (43 assists and 66 points) were offset, though not by much, with 23 goals — six fewer than he scored last season while playing in one more game. A knee issue hampered Knies through much of the year and, had he been closer to 100%, probably would have made a greater imprint on the forecheck. Never mind his lack of trade protection, that the Leafs were thinking of trading him in March was dumb and it shouldn’t happen this summer.

Contract status: Five years, $7.75 million AAV

Auston Matthews — 6.5 (6.5)

The captain had 27 goals and 26 assists for 53 points in 60 games before Gudas threw a dirty knee-on-knee hit on March 12, sending Matthews to surgery a week later. The offence was not up to Matthews’ standards and, though he passed Mats Sundin in January for most goals in Leafs history, the production lacked consistency. When Matthews scored against Anaheim before Gudas hurt him, it ended a 12-game goal slump. In saying on Thursday that he couldn’t predict the future when asked about his Leafs tenure, our thinking now is that he is with the team, with the new front office in place, when camp starts in September.

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Contract status: Two years, $13.25 million AAV

John Tavares — 6.9 (7.5)

There has been much chatter about the Leafs’ need for a second-line centre, but Tavares provided good rebuttal. At 35, he was the only Leafs player to skate in all 82 games and he scored 31 goals, marking the eighth time he has scored at least 30 in an NHL season. It’s the defensive side — and Tavares acknowledged it on Thursday — where he has to find another step this summer. He was on the ice for 65 goals against at five-on-five, most among Leafs forwards and fourth among all NHL forwards.

Contract status: Three years, $4.38 million AAV

William Nylander — 7.4 (7.7)

Despite missing 17 games with injuries, Nylander had a sharp year in production, putting up 79 points in 65 games. That would have had him on pace for 100 points, a milestone he has not reached in the NHL, had Nylander played in all 82 games. He never bought into Berube’s demands to use his shot more, though, and with 156 shots, was on pace to finish with 197 had he played in every game, which would have been his lowest total in five seasons. Giving a TV camera the middle-finger salute as he watched the Leafs play Colorado on Jan. 25 was ridiculous.

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Contract status: Six years, $11.5 million AAV

Max Domi — 5.8 (6.4)

As the season sputtered to its end, Domi made no impact on the scoreboard, recording five points (three goals and two assists) after the Olympic break. Defensive awareness is in short supply, whether Domi is used on the wing or at centre. His fearlessness is among his better attributes and, had he been on the ice for the Gudas hit on Matthews, he likely would not have waited until March 30, when Toronto visited Anaheim, to seek revenge.

Contract status: Two years, $3.75 million AAV

Nick Robertson — 5.8 (6.7)

Is this the off-season that Robertson finally gets traded, provided there is a market for him? At least he was not a healthy scratch with any regularity, as Robertson played in 78 games, scoring 16 goals, one more than his previous career-best of 15 done last year. Robertson sought more ice time and, while he averaged 12 minutes 40 seconds, some 48 seconds more than his career average, likely wanted more. He was non-committal when asked about his Leafs future this week.

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Contract status: Restricted free agent, arbitration eligible

Steven Lorentz — 5.7 (6.6)

Maintaining confidence was an issue for Lorentz, a factor acknowledged both by the player and Berube. His production was fine for a fourth-line winger — seven goals and 11 assists in 71 games — and was physical at times, but the overall impact wasn’t what Lorentz wanted it to be.

Contract status: Two years, $1.35 million AAV

Dakota Joshua — 5.7 (6.4)

Injuries, including a lacerated kidney suffered in Detroit on Dec. 28, limited Joshua to 55 games. He had modest offensive numbers — scoring 10 goals and recording eight assists — and while he was 25th in the NHL (and first among Leafs) with 195 hits, he made little impact on the forecheck. For what he provides, Joshua’s contract is expensive.

Contract status: Two years, $3.25 million AAV

Easton Cowan — 6.8 (6.6)

The Leafs rookie responded well with an increase in ice time in the final weeks. After the Olympic break, the 20-year-old was fifth in team scoring with 12 points in 23 games, bringing him to 29 points in 66 games in total. What’s more, as Cowan’s confidence grew, his moxie did as well and it didn’t go unnoticed among teammates. It’s going to be a big summer for Cowan, now back with the Toronto Marlies, as he could take a charge at a top-six job in camp.

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Contract status: Two years, $873,500 AAV

Matias Maccelli — 5.9 (6.2)

There were two conditions placed on the 2027 third-round pick that the Leafs acquired from Utah last June for Maccelli. If the Leafs made the playoffs and if Maccelli recorded at least 51 points, the pick would become a second-round choice in 2029. Neither happened. Maccelli had 39 points in 71 games, including 15 in the final 25, which rang hollow. He’s coming off a three-year contract with an AAV of $3.425 million US and will be a restricted free agent. How the Leafs will proceed will be interesting because, on a good team, Maccelli is not a top-six forward.

Contract status: Restricted free agent, arbitration eligible

Calle Jarnkrok — 4.5 (5.2)

Jarnkrok’s four-season run with the Leafs ended on a sour note, as he didn’t score after Jan. 13 and was in and out of the lineup. The Leafs’ only unrestricted free agent among forwards this summer, Jarnkrok didn’t provide insight on his future as he turned down several media requests the past few weeks. We don’t see a path in which he re-signs in Toronto.

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Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Thoughts on those who didn’t have a full-time role:

Chris Tanev, D

There’s no doubt that a large factor in the Leafs’ abysmal defensive play was the absence of Tanev, who was limited to 11 games because of injuries. Whether the 36-year-old Tanev can stay healthy next season will again be crucial for the Leafs.

Contract status: Four years, $4.5 million AAV

Dennis Hildeby, G

Hildeby played in 20 games for the Leafs (starting 14), but just one after Jan. 19 and that was in Ottawa against the Senators for the regular-season finale. His .914 save percentage was the best among the five goalies used by Toronto. His future is intriguing, as Hildeby will need waivers to be sent to the minors next season. The Leafs can’t risk losing him.

Contract status: Two years, $841,667 AAV

Jacob Quillan, C

Of Quillan’s 23 games, 19 came in the final six weeks. His work ethic was commendable and, if nothing else, Quillan demonstrated he should challenge for a bottom-six role in training camp. After scoring his first NHL goal against Dallas on Monday, he followed that with his second NHL assist in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Contract status: Restricted free agent, arbitration eligible

Bo Groulx, C

A late-season audition started well for the 26-year-old as he had five points (three goals and two assists) in his first five games. No points in his next seven games followed. Like Quillan, Groulx has put himself into the conversation to compete for a bottom-six role in September.

Contract status: One year, $812,500 AAV

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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