Following the Toronto Maple Leafs has never been easy for a fan. Every season brings a new mix of hope, frustration, excitement, and disappointment.
And, like every Leafs fan, I’m asking the same exhausting question again this year: Are the Toronto Maple Leafs true Stanley Cup contenders, or are they pretenders?
The answer changes depending on the night. Some games, they look unstoppable with sharp forechecking, dangerous scoring, and strong defensive structure. Other nights, they slip into old habits and collapse.
That inconsistency defines this team more than anything else. It also leads to the biggest question hanging over the organization this season that everyone is wondering: Was letting Mitch Marner leave the right decision?
Marner wasn’t just another star player. He was a hometown face of the franchise with elite playmaking, strong two-way instincts, and huge special-teams value.
Losing him felt like losing part of the team’s identity, even though his playoff results rarely matched his contract, talent, or expectations. At least that is the perception. In the 2024-25 season, he earned two goals and 13 points in 13 games. Letting Marner walk signalled that the “Core Four” era did not deliver when it mattered. Whether he was the correct piece to move remains a heated debate.
The Leafs face a clear critical point. They could keep the revamped core of John Tavares, Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies and William Nylander together and hope for different results, or they could finally break the cycle that kept failing.
Trading Tavares wasn’t realistic. Moving Nylander earlier was possible but complicated. Moving Matthews was unthinkable, even if some fans whispered about it.
Marner was the only major asset whose departure made financial and structural sense. His exit only works long-term if the Leafs evolve and build real balance.
This year’s team looks very different. They showed more defensive commitment, more physical edge, and better accountability across the lineup in September. Until they didn't. Still, every team looks promising in October before the real tests arrive. Maintaining these improvements into spring is what actually matters.
The Leafs remain stuck between two identities: the skilled, high-paced team of the past decade and the heavier, playoff-ready team they claim to be becoming.
To become true contenders, they need consistent goaltending, dependable depth, stronger defensive habits, and stars who deliver under real playoff pressure.
So are they contenders or pretenders? Right now, in my opinion, they’re neither. They have the potential to go deep and the flaws to collapse again. Some pundits are already writing off the season, as if they are contending for anything, it's the top pick in next year's draft.
Losing Marner was a gamble. Trusting the remaining core is another gamble. Being a Leafs fan has always been a gamble, too. As of Nov. 24, they are dead last in the Eastern Conference and 28th overall.
This season, it’s finally time to see if any of it pays off for the Buds.
