The Maple Leafs have a plan, but they’re not going to tell you what it is

Pelley and the Leafs management team have had a few weeks to look at things objectively and it seems reasonable that a plan has been put in place that he has signed off on. And while the idea of ​​Pelley withholding details of the plan may not gain support at a time when the team has only shown its ability to get lost in the woods, it makes sense that the Maple Leafs CEO isn’t laying all the cards on the table ahead of the trade deadline. The Leafs don’t have to announce a sellout. As the Leafs waited through the Olympic break, the idea of ​​saying now that they are kicking out coaches or other hockey personnel would actually undermine Pelley’s message. Pelley’s secrecy is reassuring in some ways because it acts like a competent franchise.

Pelley selling the push for the playoffs is another important part of the message. Olympic scapegoating and injuries aside, this organization won’t be foolish enough to bet all their eggs on a playoff berth and further approach in 2026, and instead Pelley’s words should probably reflect that Leafs won’t break the key cornerstones of their franchise and with players like Matthews, Nylander, Knies, Tavares, Cowan, Woll, etc. in place, the Leafs will still do their best to push forward.

That’s where the celebration of nine years of consecutive playoff appearances comes into play. While there is a desire for the tenth year to happen, it doesn’t feel like a priority. The belief that this is not a completely broken team seems to be the priority and returning it to the status of one of the top teams in the league is the priority over whatever happens in the coming weeks and months.

There may not be a need to throw in the towel, but as much as we talk about the collection of individuals the Leafs could have on the trade block (McMann, Laughton, Carlo, Ekman-Larsson, Robertson, Maccelli, Domi, Roy, Stolarz, Jarnkrok and Benoit), there is no situation where the Leafs are faced with 11 players.

The team knows what it will do more to play Cowan instead of relying on Robertson, Maccelli or Domi. The Leafs have potentially made peace with Quillan versus Roy or Laughton’s spot in the bottom six, and chances are the Leafs have some confidence that some of the potential salary dumps that could come back to the Leafs will surpass the results of those players in their current franchise or at least leave the Leafs with the chance to try something different in the remaining games. The tone may not have been ‘throwing in the towel’, but it didn’t sound like ‘business as usual’ either.

The NHL is still primarily a gated league and MLSE would certainly like to get that money, especially after Rogers put a lot more money into their ownership stake there. And even though it’s a gate-driven league, there’s no denying that more Leafs games are part of the way you transition to a bigger bet on TV revenue. Rogers wants their money and while even in a bad year they aren’t really short on wins in terms of the Leafs, the Leafs would be huge in the playoffs for a season that will be light across the board in terms of the content of the Canadian team and Rogers’ impact. There’s no reason to be naive and think that Rogers and MLSE executives haven’t talked about this, but these aren’t organizations that haven’t done risk assessments and looked at the future earnings impacts if the Leafs don’t get this done this year and also prepare themselves worse for the future. I bet the long game will be a priority.

Finally, Pelley says he will do whatever he can in the short term, and that he has laid the cards on the table for Brad Treliving and Craig Berube, making it clear that they are auditioning for their current jobs. There’s a good chance that fear as a motivator is part of the Leafs doing what they can for a playoff push and don’t get me wrong, the Leafs in the playoffs is what everyone associated with the team should want, they just can’t pawn the future to get there.

Pelley’s vocal silence is encouraging and while much of the focus is on doing whatever they can to win, the words from Pelley’s letter that matter most are: “in the world of professional sports, protecting competitive advantages is of paramount importance and limits our ability to reveal team strategy until the right moment.” It may take until March 6 to see what the Leafs plan to do, but it’s hard to imagine they risk damaging the club in the long term.

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL