Maple Leafs Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Rielly’s Future, Trade Rumours, Olympics Begin & More  – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially entered the 2026 Winter Olympic Break along with the rest of the NHL. NHL games don’t return until Feb. 25th, when the Maple Leafs take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first stop of a back-to-back in the State of Florida.

Related: Maple Leafs & Canadiens Could Pull Off Benoit-For-Xhekaj Trade at the Deadline

After they return to action, it won’t be long until the 2026 Trade Deadline rolls around on March 6th. Which means, all eyes will by on the Maple Leafs in those six games, to see if they are planning on buying, selling or staying put. All the insiders believe they are inching towards selling, however, a stretch of 4-1-1 or 5-0-1 could change that mindset. So, as we look at the week ahead, we take a look at a few pressing topics before the deadline, as well as the Maple Leafs players competing in the Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy.

Rielly’s Time with the Maple Leafs Nearing an End?

Unfortunately, it seems that Morgan Rielly‘s tine with the Maple Leafs is nearing an end. There have been many reporters and analysts discussing ways to get him off the roster. It’ll be hard because of his contract clause, but it can be possible. Especially if he agrees to waive his no-movement clause and welcomes a change of scenery. If he refuses to waive, the Maple Leafs can use harder tactics like reducing his ice-time, and making him a healthy scratch. Similar to what the New York Rangers did with Jacob Trouba. However, it doesn’t seem like it’ll get to that point.

This past weekend, there was a report from the HockeyBuzz that suggested that the San Jose Sharks could be interested in Rielly. Although, this claim hasn’t been backed up by any major reporter or insider, it does make some sense. The Sharks could be looking to add another veteran defensemen to their blue line that only has two players signed on it after this season. Plus, with their cap space, they could take on his full $7.5 million cap hit. If this were to happen, don’t expect the return to be much. There could be a world where Toronto gets a draft pick and potentially even a reunion with Timothy Liljegren as the return.

Maple Leafs Trade Rumours

With where the Maple Leafs sit in the standings, and how poorly they’ve played this season. It has essentially everyone talking about them selling. However, as mentioned above, if they return to play after the Olympic break and play well. They may decide to hang on to their unrestricted free agents (UFA) as their own rentals. Nevertheless, that doesn’t stop the trade rumours from swirling around the rumour mill.

Related: NHL Trade Bait List for 2026 Trade Deadline

According to David Pagnotta, there is more than just Bobby McMann‘s name out there. More specifically, being tied to the Edmonton Oilers. He said that before the roster freeze, the two teams had trade talks involving Nicolas Roy and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Additionally, there is Scott Laughton, Tory Stecher and Calle Jarnkrok who are all UFA’s. And, while it doesn’t necessarily make a ton of sense, there have been reports from Nick Kypreos that they are open to trading a goaltender. The one that he named was Anthony Stolarz.

Obviously, there are a lot of moving parts and most things won’t be squared away until closer to the deadline. But, the messaging is clear, the Maple Leafs could very well be selling at the deadline to retool on the fly.

Maple Leafs Players in the Olympics

With the Olympics already underway, the Mens Hockey is about to start. The first game kicks off in Feb. 11 at 10:30. The Maple Leafs have three players competing in the games. Their captain Auston Matthews, who has been selected as the captain of Team USA. As well as William Nylander and the aforementioned Ekman-Larsson who are suiting up for Team Sweden.

Nylander and Ekman-Larsson will play their first game against the host country, Italy on the 11th at 3:00 p.m. As for Matthews, he and the Americans kick off the tournament with a game against Latvia on the 12th at 3:00 p.m. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top of their pools. It is expected that Canada, USA and Sweden will win their respective pools. But anything is possible.

Preliminary Round Schedule