After the Olympic break, the Toronto Maple Leafs are entering a “could go either way” stretch. Nothing about their first half screams momentum, but there are a few storylines that could tilt things their way if they start right. Between a possible contract decision, a late-bloomer prospect pushing up the ladder, and their franchise player returning on a gold-medal high, the team suddenly has some interesting threads to watch.
Related: 5 Realistic Maple Leafs Trade Ideas Grounded in the Current Rumour Mill
None of these alone fixes the season. But together? They give the Maple Leafs at least a path — thin or not — to string something together. Here’s where things stand.
Item One: Maple Leafs Weigh McMann’s Future as Extension Talk Heats Up
The talk around Bobby McMann has completely flipped over the past week. Instead of being dangled as a deadline trade chip, the conversation now leans toward the Maple Leafs looking at an extension. Darren Dreger floated the idea that general manager Brad Treliving might be trying to keep McMann in the fold on a reasonable contract, maybe something in the mid-fours if the term works. For a team with limited depth scoring and no appetite to replace yet another middle-six winger, that’s a notable shift.
McMann is exactly the kind of player that a team should hate to give up on. Undrafted, grinded his way up, earned trust, earned minutes, and even grabbed some top-line time before the break. At 29, he’s not old enough to worry about a collapse, and he’s young enough to give them solid value on the right deal. With the trade market so thin, hanging onto a player who already fits seems like a pretty logical play.
Item Two: Can Borya Valis Become the Next Late-Bloomer Success
If you’re looking for the next McMann-style story, Borya Valis at least has the outline. His path was the classic slow development. He bounced between the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Regina Pats and Prince George Cougars, put up decent numbers, but never quite enough to get drafted. Then that monster fifth-year breakout forced teams to pay attention, and he rode that wave into a contract with Toronto.
Related: NHL Mock Trade Deadline: 8 Win-Win Deals
His first pro season has been streaky, which is pretty normal for this type of player. A hot start, a long cold stretch, then some signs of life again. Ten goals in 41 games is respectable. What’s more important is that he’s tightened up defensively and doesn’t need top-six usage to make an impact.
He may not get NHL time this year, but if he starts next season like he did this one, 2026-27 suddenly becomes realistic. The Maple Leafs should love betting on work ethic, and Valis fits that definition perfectly.
Item Three: The Maple Leafs Hope Matthews Brings Home His Olympic Edge
Right now, the Maple Leafs’ best hope might be their biggest star walking back into the room with that gold-medal glow still on him. Auston Matthews just spent weeks playing at the highest possible pace, scoring in pressure situations, and riding the kind of confidence you can’t fake. Those tournaments impact players, and teammates like Oliver Ekman-Larsson have said as much from their own experience.
Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Stone, Marner, Tavares, Celebrini, Foegele, McMann
Toronto needs every bit of that from Matthews. They came out of the break tied with the Ottawa Senators and sitting on a playoff probability that barely clears 10 percent. This isn’t a team that has shown they can flip a switch. But Matthews dragging them back into the fight is the one thing that genuinely changes the math. If he brings that jam, that urgency, that head-down winning attitude he showed with Team USA, the ripple effect on the rest of the lineup could be massive.
Pulling the team into the postseason would be another huge chapter for him — Olympic gold on one side, a late-season rescue act on the other. And, if the Maple Leafs are going to make any kind of run, that’s probably how it starts.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
They don’t need miracles — just momentum. A McMann extension stabilizes the middle of the lineup. A Valis surge strengthens their internal pipeline. And Matthews bringing home that Olympic edge gives them a real shot to punch above their weight down the stretch. The runway is short, but it’s not gone. The next couple of weeks will tell us if the team has one more push in them.
Related: Matthews Finally Escapes Maple Leafs Pressure, and Other Players Are Calling It Out
The Maple Leafs return to action tomorrow night in Florida against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The next set of games will tell a lot about the team. Fans will soon know which way they’re moving.
