Recapping every East Division team's 2025 season

The CFL’s East is forever a mystery.

Between Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, it often feels like each club is walking uphill through the snow in both directions just to earn a win in head-to-head matchups. They see each other so often, thanks to the current CFL schedule numbers game, that coaches are forced to get creative just to do anything that has not already been shown to the opponent a few weeks earlier.

Yes, the occasional matchup gets blown open by a Kenny Lawler performance, as seen when Hamilton went on the road to Toronto this year. At the same time, the nuts and bolts of quarterback play, like what Montreal received from Davis Alexander when healthy against Ottawa, or what the REDBLACKS lacked during long stretches without Dru Brown, underline a simple truth. Regardless of who lines up across from you, the rules of engagement in the East rarely change.

What really stands out each season is the incredible amount of time and effort invested in securing the Eastern Final and the all important bye, all in the hope of accelerating the Grey Cup celebration process. Just ask Hamilton how quickly that effort, and the reward that comes with it, can vanish.

OTTAWA REDBLACKS | 4-14 | FOURTH PLACE

Simply put, Ottawa cannot and will not be at its best if Dru Brown is not on the field. The problem in 2025 was that even with Brown in the lineup, the constant switching between Brown, Dustin Crum, Matthew Shiltz and Tyrie Adams created an offence with several different strengths and weaknesses that never meshed into a cohesive whole.

Ottawa’s opponents enjoyed an average starting field position at their own 39.5 yard line, the friendliest number allowed by any club in 2025. With just 27 explosive plays created across the passing, rushing and special teams phases, Ottawa finished last in the league, six behind eighth place Montreal at 33, and less than half of what the BC Lions produced with 63.

Enter Ryan Dinwiddie, whose aggressive downfield mentality should translate well to a reshaped REDBLACKS identity. The goal will be to return to the home field success of 2024 and climb out of the East basement they have occupied far too often in recent seasons.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS | 5-13 | THIRD PLACE

Nick Arbuckle did absolutely everything he could. That should come as no surprise for a player who has endured so much in a battle tested career, both mentally and physically. Until his late season calf injury, Arbuckle was on pace for Flutie-like Double Blue numbers, while Chad Kelly’s recovery timeline continued to be pushed further and further back.

With no real semblance of a running game, Arbuckle carried the load admirably, but close losses became the story of the season. Incredibly, that resulted in Toronto finishing just one game ahead of Ottawa, despite it often feeling like the Argonauts had a significantly more productive campaign. The reality is they were one Dejon Brissett Superman catch on OK Tire Labour Day Weekend away from being right there with the REDBLACKS, as both clubs failed to deliver consistently in 2025, allowing Winnipeg to cross over and claim the third and final East Division playoff spot.

The bigger issue was on defence, where Toronto allowed 32.4 points per game, the highest mark in the CFL this season. It certainly does not help when Bo Levi Mitchell enjoys playing against you and gets as many opportunities a year as he does in Black and Gold.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES | 10-8 | SECOND PLACE

When Davis Alexander was in the lineup, they were good. Without him, they were not.

At times, it felt like the defence was simply biding its time, waiting for the new, but already proven, franchise quarterback to return. Special teams remained a stronghold for Byron Archambault’s unit, and despite injuries, the Alouettes managed to keep the ground game relevant.

Montreal’s 2025 season comes down to this: we never really got to see who they were, because we never really got to see Davis Alexander at his healthy best. The potential flashed in spurts of greatness and carried Montreal to within a few plays of a Grey Cup win, which is remarkable considering the circumstances. With Jason Maas, Danny Maciocia and much of the defensive core remaining in place, there is a sense the Alouettes are on the edge of the next major era of Montreal football, one built on a healthy hamstring, sound roster construction and unwavering belief in everything coming out of Maas’ mouth.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS | 11-7 | FIRST PLACE

They fought all season for the top seed.

They endured the heartbreaking loss of their inspiring general manager in cruel and painful circumstances.

They welcomed greatness in the form of Kenny Lawler and showcased it through his connection with Bo Levi Mitchell.

In the end, it all came crashing down with a home playoff loss in the Eastern Final. Had one or two games broken differently, and had Montreal secured the top seed with Hamilton losing that game on the road in Montreal, the reaction might have been a shrug and a simple “that’s how it goes.” But this was at home, in a blackout, with fans truly believing it was their time.

A relentless pass rush, a standout rookie middle linebacker, an upgraded secondary, an elite kicking game and a savvy veteran quarterback who earned Most Outstanding Player consideration were all in place. That is what makes the Eastern Final loss so difficult to digest.

The crashing thud of the Tiger-Cats season is what makes the CFL playoff sprint so great, and so painful for those on the wrong end of it. Have your game on point for eight quarters and you are a champion. Struggle to find a rhythm for four and you are packing your locker into a garbage bag.

For Tiger-Cats fans, it is another year of waiting for an unthinkable drought to end, despite all the well deserved praise and accolades the 2025 roster collected.

Recapping every East Division team’s 2025 season

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