3 major issues Maple Leafs must look to address in offseason following yet another playoff disappointment

This year wasn't any different for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In a winner-takes-all Game 7 of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers, the Maple Leafs went out with a whimper, crushed 6-1 on home ice and officially eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

You're not going to find much worse of a Game 7 performance in sports than that. Toronto looked flat and out of gas from the start, while Florida, the team that has been to back-to-back finals, was buzzing from puck drop.

That's now seven kicks at the can for the Core 4 of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares. While they've made seven postseason appearances, they've won just two series and have an overall 2-7 record in those series.

It's an unprecedented amount of playoff failures and lack of success from a group that possesses so much talent. This offseason should signal the end of an era in Toronto, as there could be seismic changes made both on and off the ice.

Let's dive into the three issues the Maple Leafs have to address this summer to get over the hump and move past these disappointments.

3 Issues Maple Leafs Must Address This Offseason

#1. Break up the Core 4

It's time. The Core 4 was a worthy experiment, but it's time to move on. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares are all great players, but it's painfully obvious that, together, they cannot get it done in the biggest moments. Shaking up the core group is long overdue, and even the fan base is sick and tired of continuously running it back.

Mitch Marner and John Tavares are both pending UFAs, providing the Maple Leafs with an easy out on half of the core. Marner is the hometown kid, once beloved by the fans, but now it's gotten ugly, and a parting of ways is necessary. The 28-year-old will cost too much money and has proven over and over again that when the game gets tight, he fades away. On the other hand, Tavares, I would look to re-sign. You won't find a better value in a second-line center if he's willing to take a pay cut and make $5-6 million in average annual salary.

#2. Improve forward depth

The inability to score goals in the biggest games always seems to come back and bite the Toronto Maple Leafs. That was no different in 2024-25. They produced just four goals in Games 5 through 7 combined, putting Joseph Woll in a position to fail, having to completely shut the door.

If the Core 4 and Matthew Knies were held in check, Toronto had almost no chance of scoring. 36-year-old Max Pacioretty was a nice surprise, but you can't count on that moving forward. The middle and bottom six forward group needs work, and clearing Marner's and potentially Tavares' contracts will give them plenty of money to do that.

#3. Add some offense from the blue line

Brad Treliving has built the best blue line the Maple Leafs have had in quite some time. The additions of Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Brandon Carlo created a playoff-style defense core, and it showed this year. Those three, along with Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, and Simon Benoit, are all locked up for 2025-26. It's a very strong six-pack on defense, but something is still lacking.

They don't get enough offense from the back end. This has been an issue for years with the Maple Leafs. Rielly is the only offensive threat on defense, and we've seen his struggles as he ages into his thirties. Even just signing a cheap puck-moving defenseman that can play on the power play is something they need to look into.