Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs are walking into the 2025-26 NHL season with sky-high expectations. Not even Mitch Marner’s exit will change the end-goal for the Buds. It’s Stanley Cup or bust. Still, there are some areas that must be addressed, specifically some players on the team.
It’s hardly a secret in the NHL. The Maple Leafs have somewhat of an overpopulated locker room. Matthews and company have more forwards on the team that Toronto can dress night in and night out. As a result, some have to go. If only it were that easy.
The Buds have made it clear they could deal one—or more—of David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, and Nicholas Robertson. However, reports suggest the market for them has been quiet. If the Maple Leafs open the 2025-26 NHL season with all three of them still in town, it won’t be for lack of trying.
“I get the sense the Leafs front office has looked at trading away some of the forward depth,” insider Chris Johnston commented on the Leaf Report podcast. “They haven’t really been able to find anything that makes sense. That is why you still have all of Kampf, Robertson and Jarnkrok with the team.”
Nick Robertson #89 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena
A reason why
Aside from Kampf, both Jarnkrok and Robertson are playing under contracts set to expire next summer. Therefore, many teams around the NHL might be having second thoughts about trading for them. Some feel no need to help out Toronto, especially when they could acquire the current Leafs next offseason as free agents.
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Unless the Buds come up with an offer worth their while, the ball is in Toronto’s court to move on from its players. Brad Treliving, Craig Berube, and company are sensing the pressure to put together the pieces to the puzzle in Hogtown.
Decisions…
There aren’t many certainties aside from Matthews headlining the top line. Everything else is pretty much up for grabs. That includes players like Robertson, who is playing for his NHL future but remains a restricted free agent (RFA), meaning Toronto can’t simply wash its hands of the situation and let fate decide.
At some stage, the Buds will have to step up and make their decision. They could trade him, re-sign him, or let him walk. However, the latter is always harder to do when it comes to RFAs. When it involves young talents drafted by the organization, it adds a whole another level of complexity.
Auston Matthews during the 2022 NHL player media tour in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Time to act
As things stand, the Maple Leafs are at a crucial crossroads. Robertson has the higher upside out of the three players on the trade block, but that also means he’s the one Toronto might be most reluctant to give up on.
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Still, there isn’t a definite spot for the 24-year-old alongside Matthews and company on the lineup. Moving on could be the wisest option in the long run. Moreover, the dramatic one-year extension signed this past summer may have marked a breaking point in the relationship between the player and the front office in The Six.
