Spittin’ Chiclets’ Mike Grinnell believes Maple Leafs are ‘long way’ from turning their fortunes around

Boston sold off pieces at the 2025 NHL trade deadline, missed the playoffs and finished last in the Atlantic Division, three things Toronto is  on its way to achieving in 2025-26. Many Maple Leafs fans are holding on to the belief that this club can have a Bruins-esque rebuild and jump back into playoff contention next season.

At last year’s trade deadline, the Maple Leafs made the move to acquire Carlo, a right-shot defenceman, in exchange for Minten, a 2026 top-five protected first-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round selection. The move has drawn ire from fans as Minten has 31 points in 71 games, and the Maple Leafs find themselves eighth-worst in the NHL.

“It’s tough. At the time, everyone loved the move, like you go back and read all the grades, they were getting B+, A- and B,” Grinnell said. “It’s tough to sit here and play Monday morning quarterback a year later after Treliving made the trade. If I was the Maple Leafs at the time, I probably would have done the deal too because you had it last year, that was your shot at a Stanley Cup, and unfortunately it didn’t work out.”

Grinnell touched on if he thought the Maple Leafs could see a jump in the standings next season, like the one the Bruins are currently experiencing. 

“This is such a copycat league nowadays, where it’s like, Boston retooled in one year, so we can retool in one year. They don’t have a Charlie McAvoy, they don’t have a Jeremy Swayman, so even feeding the fans that type of bullshit gets me so mad,” Grinnell said. “Some of these GM’s and Ownership groups piss on us and tell us it’s raining. They think people are stupid, and they are not stupid. It’s going to take a while for the Maple Leafs to turn this around, and you’re crazy if you think otherwise.”

“What he once was, scoring 70 goals a year, being a two-way hockey player and getting nominated for the Selke Trophy, that was his peak, and he just set the bar so high for himself. It’s almost tough to maintain that,” Grinnell said. “I think where he stands in the United States right now is that he is a good two-way center. He’s not going to be the 70-goal scorer that he was a few years ago, but I still would love for Matthews to be on my team. I think you would be absolutely nuts to not want a guy like that, but he’s not the Matthews he used to be.”

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