Leafs Fans Buckle Up: Maple Leafs Ready to Take the NHL by Storm in 2025

2024 has been a very entertaining year surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs, and 2025 has the potential to blow 2024 out of the water. The Maple Leafs are in a great spot, they have a new voice behind the bench in Craig Berube, who is doing wonders for the team’s structure. The roster is loaded with talent, and the Leafs have a GM in Brad Treliving, who isn’t afraid to do whatever he can to upgrade the lineup.

While 2024 didn’t necessarily bring as many Stanley Cup Playoff wins as the Maple Leafs and their faithful hoped for, 2025 has a chance to be a storybook year for the franchise. As the calendar turns and a new year is upon us, here’s five bold Maple Leafs’ predictions for 2025.

1. Mitch Marner re-signs mega-deal with Maple Leafs

Mid as well start with the contract extension nobody feels like talking about. Marner is a pending unrestricted free agent, and while there was a bit of chatter about a potential trade last summer before his coffee date with Berube went viral, Marner has done nothing but cement himself as an NHL superstar throughout this season. Bold prediction – Marner inks an eight-year contract extension to stay in Toronto.

Through 37 games this season, Marner leads the Maple Leafs with 50 points, and currently ranks tied for second in the NHL when it comes to helpers. He’s going to shine at the 4 Nations Face Off, potentially playing alongside Connor McDavid, and yes, most of Leafs Nation doesn’t want any contract extension offered before they see what type of performance Marner gives in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Three points in seven games isn’t going to silence the critics.

Marner is earning $10.9 million AAV against the cap on his current deal, and look for his new extension to hover around the $11.5-12.5 million AAV mark on his next deal. William Nylander’s deal pays him $11.5 million AAV, and Auston Matthews makes $13.2 million AAV, so I could certainly see Marner splitting the two down the middle, and finishing out his career in blue and white.

2. John Tavares signs three-year contract extension

While I wouldn’t expect the Maple Leafs to be rushing to finalize either of Marner or Tavares’ contract extensions, it certainly feels like Tavares has shown enough to management so far this season that he’s still got plenty of game in the tank. Bold prediction – Tavares signs three-year, $6-million AAV extension, with a full no-movement clause, setting himself up to retire a Maple Leaf.

Tavares will very likely work with Treliving on giving the team a home-town discount, and if you look back at extensions for veteran players who are still performing at a reasonably high level, Joe Pavelski and Evgeni Malkin are two great comparable contracts when it comes to Tavares’ new deal. Pavelski’s last multi-year deal was signed when he was 35 years old, (Tavares turns 35 before the 2025-26 season) and was for three years, at $7-million AAV. Meanwhile, Malkin was 36 years old when he signed his four-year extension in 2022, which he earns $6.1 million AAV. Considering what the Maple Leafs mean to Tavares, and how much he wants to win a Stanley Cup for the city of Toronto, it feels like he’ll leave a good chunk of dough on the table.

Tavares was stripped of the ‘C’ in the summer, and was doubted by many on what type of production Toronto would receive out of him this season, however, the Oakville, ON native continues to pass every single test with flying colors. Through 36 games this year, Tavares has scored 18 goals and 37 points. He’s shut down any chatter about Nylander moving to centre to ‘hide’ Tavares on the third line, and Tavares has shown he’s still an integral part of the Maple Leafs heading into 2025, and beyond.

3. Maple Leafs trade Simon Benoit

The 2024-25 season hasn’t been a fun ride for Simon Benoit, who can’t seem to find his game on a consistent basis. Benoit burst onto the scene for the Maple Leafs last season, which resulted in Treliving signing him to a three-year, $1.35 million AAV extension. This season however, it hasn’t been anything to write home about. Bold prediction – Benoit gets traded before the trade deadline March 7.

Benoit is averaging 16:43 of ice-time under Berube, which ranks him seventh on the team among their seven regulars on the back end. He’s chipped with four assists in 35 games, and is leading the Leafs’ blueliners with 95 hits, however, it’s the lack of crisp passes, consistent reads, and ability to be a shut-down force, that are causing Benoit to look a step behind at times.

The Maple Leafs need more offence from their blueline, so moving Benoit to make room for a power-play specialist would benefit Toronto immensely in the long run.

4. Sam Bennett signs free-agent deal with Maple Leafs

Let’s jump ahead to the summer of 2025. The Maple Leafs will have some money to spend in the free-agent market, and will make a splash up front. Bold prediction – Sam Bennett signs long-term extension with his home-town Maple Leafs.

Bennett would fit in like a glove on a Craig Berube-run hockey team, and would give the Maple Leafs an element of toughness up front, that some feel they severely lack. He’s battled tested, he knows what it takes to win a Stanley Cup, and he’s someone who will push the Maple Leafs’ compete level through the roof.

This prediction could come down to the rapport Bennett has with Brad Treliving, and if their relationship is still in good standing, considering Treliving drafted Bennett in Calgary with his first pick as GM in 2014, but then traded Bennett to the Florida Panthers in 2021. At the time, Treliving felt Bennett needed a change of scenery, and even though he traded him, had some very nice things to say about the two-way forward. “I’ve got a good relationship with Sam, I think a lot of the young man,” stated Treliving Apr.2021 in a media availability after the trade.

“If you could do things over in life, I know I probably have a few re-dos out there, I think probably everybody does. It probably could have been handled a little bit differently, I don’t put that on Sam. At the end of the day, Sam worked hard here, he was never an issue, and I think he’s going to embrace a fresh start, and we wish him all the best.”

Bennett is no stranger to being linked to the Maple Leafs. This past summer he touched on coming back to Toronto during the offseason and hearing it from Leafs Nation about one day joining the franchise. “It is funny though because I’m actually here all summer, I walk by and fans see me all the time. They actually always have something to say: they hate me, but they always end with ‘I want you to be a Leaf one day!”

5. If the Leafs lose in the first round, Morgan Rielly will be asked to waive his NMC

While there’s a lot of attention on Marner’s lack of consistency in the postseason, should the Maple Leafs once again lose in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, what happens next will surprise many. Bold prediction – Morgan Rielly asked to waive no-movement clause if Leafs lose the opening series.

Rielly has been a big piece of the Maple Leafs back end for 12 seasons now, but if Berube and company can’t get them over the hump this postseason, I feel a lot of the attention will be pointing in Rielly’s direction, as appose to Marner’s, or any of the forwards for that matter. His 18 points in 37 games so far this season has him on pace for roughly 38 points, which would be his lowest total since the 2020-21 season, when he played just 55 games. The Leafs have re-jigged their blueline by inking Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to multi-year contracts, and while Rielly plays the most on the Leafs when it comes to five-on-five ice-time, is he truly living up to his $7.5 million AAV contract, when he’s not always the best option for the first power play, and doesn’t see anytime killing penalties?

The Maple Leafs are going to be a very fun team to watch in 2025, as they continue to learn Berube’s system, and work through the expected learning curve. While Treliving has made some bold moves throughout is short tenure in Toronto, it feels like the next calendar year could be his boldest yet.