2 Key Areas of the Maple Leafs to Watch After the Olympic Break – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Olympics have come and gone and after an exhilarating finish between Team Canada and USA with Toronto Maple Leafs and Team USA captain Auston Matthews taking home the gold medal. 

When the tournament was nearing the end, players that didn’t make the trip to Milano- Cortina hit the ice to get back into game shape and be ready for the rest of the season. Now with everyone back in North America, gearing up for the final stretch, there are a few key points to keep an eye on for the Maple Leafs as they embark on what could be a tough stretch in regards to the schedule but also when it comes to their decisions ahead of the deadline.

Will Rielly Turn Things Around?

After a decent start to the season, things haven’t gone smoothly for defenseman Morgan Rielly as the results have been disappointing. The production has been okay as he’s on-pace for 45 points, which would put him over the 41 points he had all last season, but his overall play and consistency has been lacking to this point.

He isn’t a perennial offensive defenseman but you would want to see a little more output and he has struggled a lot this season within his own end, lacking awareness in his own zone and getting beat easily on rushes. He has been on the ice for the most goals against in the league at five-on-five with 63, a goals for percentage of 44.25%. It’s even got to a point where maybe it’ll be best if the Maple Leafs move on from him as he can’t keep up or even play as a top pairing defenseman.

When teams were able to resume on-ice practise and training, Rielly feels like the time off with the Olympic break could benefit him in order to get back on track. Even head coach Craig Berube noticed an improvement on the ice. If there’s anyone that needed time to heal up, regroup and focus on his game, it’s Rielly.  

Related: 5 Realistic Trade Destinations for Maple Leafs’ Bobby McMann at the 2026 Trade Deadline

Now that he has recovered from an upper-body injury and is focused on the post-Olympic stretch, Rielly really needs to make his mark and show that he can stay with the team beyond this season. If he can find another gear and consistency to his game, that’ll be the best-case scenario down a tough stretch to make the playoffs. If not, then his time with the Maple Leafs might be at an end, something that could very well be possible. 

The Deadline Sell- Off

Even though the Maple Leafs won their last three games and are six points out of a playoff spot, it’s well known that doesn’t matter and won’t change their minds of selling off pieces before the trade deadline. It’s been a season where inconsistencies have taken centre stage and even when they were winning, there were warnings and concerns. Being buyers for a playoff push to only lose in the first round doesn’t make sense and it’s not worth the risk. 

Which is why all eyes will be on general manager Brad Treliving to see what he can do and gain as many assets as possible. Losing a lot of pieces at last year’s deadline for Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo felt like great moves, but in hindsight it wasn’t a great idea given the price he paid for both players. Now reeling from those moves and a weak prospect pool, Treliving needs to add and re-tool much like the Boston Bruins did last season. 

The Maple Leafs do have an intriguing pool of assets on their roster to sell off in Bobby McMann, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Simon Benoit and other possible names that have been rumoured. These are Treliving’s top trade assets and if you can get a mix of draft picks (firsts or second-rounders), solid roster replacements and possibly prospects, it could be a successful deadline. 

Related: Canadiens and Maple Leafs Could Emerge as Trade Partners

Not only that, if the loses pile up, they could even retain their first-round pick that’s in the hands of the Bruins after the Carlo trade, which is top-five protected. The odds of falling down the standings depend if and how many games they win. Given how tough their own division is and the parity in the league, it wouldn’t hurt to get a blue- chip prospect, while also adding to other names to go along with Ben Danford, Tyler Hopkins and Tinus Luc Koblar.

It really is weird to talk about the Maple Leafs being sellers instead of buyers. With this team, there’s no chance in making a deep run as the flaws remain and they need to start thinking about next season. 

Statistics from Natural Stat Trick.