Now that we are in mid -August, the last official month without NHL hockey, we are just over a month from the start of NHL training camps. For the Toronto Maple Leafs this season has many eyes on them after the low season they have had. This low season saw the Departure of Mitch Marner, He left in a board-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, as well as general manager Brad Treliving who add more players who are adapting his own playing style to the Roster. There are still many questions, unfortunately most will not be answered until the season actually starts. However, there are a few questions that need the entire season to answer, so let’s look at three of the largest Maple Leafs story lines that have to follow in the NHL season 2025-26.
Can Stolarz & Woll repeat the success of last season?
First a question that has chased the Maple Leafs for the past 20 years. Can their goaling tandem repeat the same success that they had last season? Both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll played well above expectations last season. Stolarz had played a 21-8-3 record in 34 games with a .926 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.14 goals against average (GAA). As far as Woll was concerned, he had played a 27-14-1 record in 42 games with a .909 SV% and a 2.73 GAA. At an NHL levelWoll ranked in 14th place in the competition in victories, 13th in SV%, and 25th in GAA. Stolarz is in 30th place in victories, first in SV%, and third in GAA. This made them one of them, if not the best tandem -goalkeepers in the NHL last season.
The maple leaf, in Policies of TeamBalie -StatisticsSecond ranked in victories with 52, third in SV% with .912 and eighth in GAA with a 2.79. Of those teams in and around them in the ranks, most of them had a main starter who played the most games. The Maple Leafs had a shared fold and saw a lot of success with that setup. If they can transport that to the next season and within the top five to 10 in record, GAA and SV% can be under NHL teams, then Toronto is certainly success. However, if they don’t do that, and they rank in the competition within the 18-25 series, it will be extremely difficult for them to continue the success of the success of them last season.
Can Morgan Rielly have a bounce back season?
Apart from the aforementioned Marner, Morgan Rielly had to be the most examined player on the Maple Leafs. Since his Norris-Trophy-Kalibal season in 2018-19 he is not that great, but he has not been terrible in terms of point production. In the last three seasons he scored 41 points in 2022-23, 58 points in 2023-24 and 41 last season. The best part of Rielly’s game is how he can pop up when the play -offs come. Unfortunately, after the season that he had last season and with the salary he makes, there have been many conversations about the potential to continue from him. But that can all be thrown out of the window if he has a bounce-back season and scores 55-60+ points, which is possible.
If you look back on the majority of Rielly’s career, he has not had a consistent partner. But after the move that Treliving made Bring Brandon Carlo inside He now has one at the NHL -Handelsdeadline of 2025. When Carlo was brought in and linked to Rielly, you could see how much easier he breathed. He now has a real home defender who is linked to him most of the 82 game season, except injuries or transactions. That could drastically improve his season and his point production. Together with the potential to take another look at the best Power-Play unit with the departure of Marner, he could have a season of 55+ points.
Can the Maple Leafs succeed without Marner?
The last storyline to be followed is definitely the biggest: can the Maple Leafs succeed without Marner in their selection? This will be the storyline that was followed very closely in the course of the season and discussed broadly. When Auston Matthews starts slowly, it is the most important point of conversation that he is without the player who has set him up the last nine seasons. However, if he has a hot start and the team is doing well, fans can say that Marner was the reason they were stopped. Anyway, this needs a full 82-game season to determine if they can find success without him.
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If they don’t make the play -offs, we have our answer. If they make the play -offs and are eliminated in the first or second round as in recent years, then even without Marner there is a problem with this team and the core. But if they make the play -offs and go in the long term, we know that having too many stars that do not want to adapt to play -off hockey could be the reason. Moreover, it may also be because they have decided to spend the $ 10+ million saved by Marner who leaves one Number Instead of just one player to replace him on the top line. After watching the competition, have many teams that are successful, Edmonton Oilers aside, tend to spread their own internal cap and more money across the schedule instead of only four or five players. If that approach works this season, Treliving will probably spend it in future seasons with the salary limit that continues to rise.
There are a few other storylines that deserve attention, such as Will Easton Cowan make the opening night schedule, this defense core can play just as well as last season, or there will be a look to add a top six-six-in-front-before before the Christmas holiday. But they are not nearly as big as the aforementioned. This which is being discussed can really make or break a season. Make sure you follow as yourself and the other Maple Leafs writers with the hockey writers cover their 2025-26 season and give an in-depth analysis about how they perform during the 82-game season.
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