CHERRY ON TOP

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Thursday was another tough day if you’re a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Thursday was locker room cleanout day, which meant for the final time this season Leafs players and coaches spoke to the media. For the first time since getting injured against the Ducks, Captain Auston Matthews spoke and said a lot of interesting things. 

The most interesting thing Matthews said was that he couldn’t “predict his future.” Matthews was speaking for the fact that the Leafs still need to hire a new GM, and that GM has to decide between retooling the Leafs or rebuilding the Leafs. But if you’re a Leaf fan, you were hoping Matthews would say he wanted to continue to be a Leaf. After winning Gold with Team USA during the Olympics, Matthews did take some heat in Toronto, which may or may not also affect his decision. 

Now to the GM part, which was literally the cherry on top of Thursday, the Leafs top candidate to become their next GM, Sunny Mehta was hired to become the GM of the New Jersey Devils. Keith Pelley, the man in charge of finding the next GM of the Leafs gave a press conference two weeks ago, which was not good (more on that here https://thesportsinsanitynetwork.com/2026/04/04/swallowing-pride ) But something that Pelley and people keep mentioning is this retool vs rebuild situation, which will most likely dictate Matthews’ future. Now while nobody in Toronto will want to hear this it’s clear to me this is more of a rebuild situation. Yes, everyone is pointing to the situation in Boston and Washington to show how the Bruins and Caps were able to retool quickly. But the difference between those two teams is simple they had cornerstone pieces and players ready to take over. Boston had David Pastrnak, Jeremy Swayman, Charlie Mcavoy. All of them are cornerstone pieces. Washington drafted very well and you’re seeing the benefits of players like Ryan Leonard and Connor McMichael. But because the Leafs have been in situations where they’ve gone all in they don’t have those kinds of pieces waiting in the wings. 

We don’t know how this situation will play out, but if you’re a Leaf fan Thursday was not a good day. And that might mean that it might be a tougher summer than anticipated, because whoever the next GM is they cannot be a yes man, they have to be willing to tell Pelley what they truly think otherwise you just continue what has gone on in the last decade.