Published Jan 04, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 15\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 10 minute read<\/p>\n
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Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n What a difference a year makes.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n When the Maple Leafs hit the midway point of the regular season in January 2025, they were sitting atop the Atlantic Division with 54 points on a record of 26-13-2. The Leafs would go on to capture just their third division title in the modern era before falling to the Florida Panthers in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Now? The outlook is not nearly as rosy and there\u2019s no guarantee that the Leafs will even earn a post-season spot. They have not been in a playoff position since Nov. 7, and though they had moved to within two points of the second wild card through National Hockey League games on Saturday, it\u2019s going to be a fight in the second half to play beyond mid-April.<\/p>\n The Leafs had a record of 19-15-7 and were one of seven teams in the Eastern Conference with 45 or 46 points \u2014 all just below the playoff cutoff mark \u2014 through Saturday.<\/p>\n We present our mid-term report card, with marks out of 10.<\/p>\n Brad Treliving (general manager) 5.5 \u2014 None of Treliving\u2019s off-season additions have been a smashing success, a list of newcomers that includes centre Nicolas Roy and wingers Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua<\/a>. The claiming of defenceman Troy Stecher from the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> on Nov. 15 has turned out to be a nice addition for the Leafs, but does it even happen if defenceman Brandon Carlo doesn\u2019t get injured on Nov. 13? Considering what the Leafs thought they could accomplish when the season started, where they are now is nothing short of a disappointment.<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Craig Berube (head coach) 5.5 \u2014 The Leafs have had a bump, going 4-0-2 in their past six games, but the fact remains that Berube is running a team that has allowed 100 goals at five-on-five. Only St. Louis, with 101 against, has allowed more. Too many times this season Berube has had little patience with lines, often changing them before giving them a true chance to find chemistry. Even though it was assistant coach Marc Savard who took the fall for a bad power play when he was fired on Dec. 22, Berube remains on the hot seat.<\/p>\n GOALTENDERS<\/p>\n Anthony Stolarz 5.8 \u2014 What if it turns out that Stolarz\u2019s NHL peak came last season, when he led the league with a .926 save percentage? He was a shell of that before suffering an upper-body injury on Nov. 11, going 6-5-1 with an .884 save percentage in 13 games. There\u2019s no timeline for Stolarz\u2019s return from his injury, though he has returned to the ice. Considering his four-year extension \u2014 carrying a $3.75-million US salary cap hit \u2014 doesn\u2019t kick in until next season, it would be reassuring for the Leafs if Stolarz rediscovered his form of 2024-25.<\/p>\n Your Midday Sun<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Joseph Woll 7.8 \u2014 For the most part, Woll has been sharp since returning to the Leafs from a personal leave that delayed the start of his season until Nov. 15. His .912 save percentage in 15 games, while compiling a record of 8-4-2, was enough to put him 13th among eligible NHL goalies. He missed four games in December with a lower-body injury, and the Leafs can\u2019t run the risk of overplaying him.<\/p>\n Dennis Hildeby 7.4 \u2014 The Leafs keep saying they have confidence in Hildeby, whose .914 save percentage was seventh among all NHL goalies, but there seems to be not much interest in alternating starts with Woll. Hildeby is a lot more refined than what we saw in brief looks last season. He deserves more chances to demonstrate that.<\/p>\n DEFENCEMEN<\/p>\n Morgan Rielly 6.5 \u2014 Of the 144 NHL defencemen who have played at least 500 minutes at five-on-five, Rielly has been on the ice for 47 goals against, the most in that group. Stark reminders of Rielly\u2019s defensive deficiencies pop up every so often, the latest being in overtime on Saturday night against the New York Islanders, when he left teenage phenom Matthew Schaefer open to score the winning goal and wound up a minus-4 in a 4-3 loss. That Rielly leads Leafs D-men in scoring with 26 points in 40 games is nice, but there\u2019s a lot more required on the defensive side with the ice time he gets (an average of 22 minutes a game, second among Leafs defencemen).<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Jake McCabe 7.8 \u2014 One of three Leafs to play in all 41 games (Oliver Ekman-Larsson and John Tavares are the others), McCabe, without his usual running mate, the injured Chris Tanev, has been solid. On a team that\u2019s as leaky as the Leafs are at even strength, McCabe\u2019s plus-26 (eighth best in the NHL) is remarkable. He\u2019s tied with St. Louis Blues defenceman Colton Parayko for the NHL lead in shot blocks with 104 and drives a Leafs penalty-kill that is fourth-best in the NHL. The Leafs have to hope that the word on McCabe\u2019s injury coming out of Saturday night is not bad.<\/p>\n Oliver Ekman-Larsson 7.3 \u2014 The 34-year-old has 25 points in 41 games (one less than Rielly), putting him on pace for 50 in 82 games. That would mark Ekman-Larsson\u2019s second-highest total in one season in his NHL career, which hit 1,100 games on Saturday night, and the production helped him land a spot on Sweden\u2019s Olympic team<\/a>. Defensively, there are issues. As mentioned, Rielly has been on the ice for the most goals against at five-on-five among NHL D-men who have played at least 500 minutes. Ekman-Larsson is next on that list at 42. He also has committed a Leafs-high 60 giveaways.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Troy Stecher 7.6 \u2014 There\u2019s no way the Leafs thought Stecher would be as good as he has been when they claimed him not quite two months ago. Stecher\u2019s passion and ability to move the puck have been a revelation. Given the effective way Stecher has played through 22 games (plus-11), it\u2019s hard to believe he has bounced around as much as he has, with Toronto being his seventh NHL team in 10 years. If Stecher continues on this path, the Leafs will have to think about locking him up beyond this season.<\/p>\n Simon Benoit 5.8 \u2014 Benoit has required too many reminders that he is best when he keeps his game simple and plays with an edge. We\u2019ll see if a recent string of being a healthy scratch helps get him in the right mindset. When he is on his game, he\u2019s blocking shots and throwing his body around.<\/p>\n Philippe Myers 5.0 \u2014 What you see is what you get with Myers \u2014 a depth defenceman who, the team hopes, is not too much of a liability when he is in the lineup. On Saturday at Long Island, Myers\u2019 lineup spot was taken by Matt Benning, who made his Leafs debut.<\/p>\n Advertisement 7<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Brandon Carlo 5.9 \u2014 Injuries have limited Carlo to 18 games. Considering what Treliving gave up to get him at the trade deadline last March \u2014 Fraser Minten and a first-round pick went to the Boston Bruins \u2014 Carlo has to provide a lot more than he had been once he returns. Minten will be a key player for the Bruins for years to come.<\/p>\n Chris Tanev 6.2 \u2014 When the Leafs signed Tanev to a six-year pact in 2024, there were questions regarding the veteran D-man\u2019s durability, if only because he plays the game with a warrior-like mentality that most players do not. After he was the Leafs\u2019 best defenceman in 2024-25, Tanev has been limited to 11 games this season. His latest injury<\/a>, a groin issue, is expected to keep him out for the long term.<\/p>\n FORWARDS<\/p>\n Matthew Knies 7.0 \u2014 While Knies has taken a dip in goals \u2014 he has 11 after scoring a career-high 29 last season \u2014 his 25 assists are four shy of his career-high of 29, also accomplished a year ago. Having turned 23 in October, Knies remains in that phase where he continues to learn how effective he can be with his big body and skating ability.<\/p>\n Advertisement 8<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Auston Matthews<\/a> 6.5 \u2014 We\u2019re finally seeing some offensive life in Matthews, as he has 10 points<\/a> (six goals and four assists) in his past four games. It\u2019s the 31 games before that which were cause for concern, when Matthews often wasn\u2019t involved and had just 23 points. Admittedly, his grade is probably higher than it should be, but we recognize Matthews\u2019 record for most goals scored by a Maple Leaf, set on Saturday night on Long Island when he passed Mats Sundin. That, and his play in the past little while, has to be part of the foundation if the Leafs are able to secure a playoff spot, even if it\u2019s not until the last week (or night) of the regular season.<\/p>\n John Tavares 7.5 \u2014 After a terrific start with 27 points in 21 games, Tavares worked his way into the Olympic conversation for Canada. That withered quickly as Tavares had just four points in the 14-game stretch that followed. A five-game point streak ended against the Islanders on Saturday. Tavares remains one of the top faceoff men in the NHL, as his 59.5% success rate was good for fifth through Saturday.<\/p>\n Advertisement 9<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n William Nylander 7.7 \u2014 The Leafs\u2019 leading scorer continues to recover from a lower-body injury that has kept him out of the past four games. We\u2019ve seen the best of Nylander (a 14-game point streak from Oct. 14 to Nov. 18) and the worst (an 11-game goalless skid from Nov. 29 to Dec. 21). Questions about his relationship with Berube have quieted down. One area of concern: Nylander\u2019s shot total. He has 68, and in an 82-game schedule, would be on pace for 169. His lowest in the previous four seasons is 253.<\/p>\n Bobby McMann 6.8 \u2014 After going the last 24 games of 2024-25 (including 13 playoff games) without scoring, McMann had a goal in the season opener and has contributed every so often since, scoring 12 goals and adding 10 assists in 40 games. He has to be a consistently greater presence both on the forecheck and at the net-front in the second half.<\/p>\n Max Domi 6.4 \u2014 Domi shrugged off a slow start, during which he had one assist in his first nine games, to record 18 points in his past 30 games. While he seems to have found a spot on the top line with Auston Matthews<\/a>, you\u2019re still never sure what you\u2019re going to get from Domi. He went from being a healthy scratch on Dec. 20 in Nashville to top-line status the following night in Dallas.<\/p>\n Advertisement 10<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Nick Robertson 6.7 \u2014 While we suppose it\u2019s safest to say \u2018never say never,\u2019 Robertson\u2019s days of being a common healthy scratch are over. Just twice has he been benched this season. His motor never really stops, and with 20 points (nine goals and 11 assists), he\u2019s within seven points of tying his career high. He\u2019s had a nice run with six points in his past five games. One quirky stat to Robertson\u2019s credit: He has played the most games in the NHL this season, 39, without taking a penalty of any kind.<\/p>\n Steven Lorentz 6.6 \u2014 An honest night\u2019s effort is what is required from your fourth-line wingers, and Lorentz provides that just about every time he is in the lineup. Lorentz plays the game the right way, as his only penalty was a 10-minute misconduct against Montreal on Nov. 22.<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Berube-leafs.jpg\")
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube, centre top, speaks to the bench during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Dallas. Photo by LM Otero \/AP PhotoArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.2.3\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tsun.svg\"){kind=logo}
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