Three Maple Leafs Players Under Pressure to Step Up This Season

Toronto is undergoing a new culture shift, and will be depending on everyone to be on their «A» game heading into the season, and there are multiple players who need to improve or risk losing out.

Three players specifically are in a position where they need to improve in order to guarantee they have a future with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Morgan Rielly finally showed signs of struggling as the Leafs lead defenseman and play-driver. Rielly struggled heavily in the midway point of last season, and it was unclear if Rielly would even be in the Leafs lineup at one point.

Rielly isn't on the verge of leaving it would appear, so it's important that he's an offensive play driver on the Leafs blueline. With players such as Chris Tanev and Brandon Carlo who can be capable defensive defensemen, Rielly is Toronto's main offensive creator and will need to be as such this season.

If the Leafs cannot find their offense from their D-core, it will be a major problem for Toronto, and most of that has come from Rielly, who had 41 points, 12 more than the second most by a Leafs defenseman in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who had 29.

It will be essential that Morgan Rielly sparks the Leafs offense from his own end and can kickstart rush chances and be a power play QB, or else the Leafs will be in serious danger if Rielly cannot be the lead offensive creator Toronto needs.

Max Domi looks like a real trade candidate if he repeats the same issues that plagued him throughout last season with Toronto.

Domi struggled with consistency and found himself bouncing around the Leafs lineup to the point of a healthy scratch as little worked in where he was put.

Next season will be essential for Domi to be consistent and be able to produce throughout the season and not find himself in the cold stretches he got into.

Domi could be one of the players who gets a greater special teams opportunity with Mitch Marner gone, which is potential for a greater output.

Likely to contend with Bobby McMann for a spot on the Leafs second line, Domi will have to rebound in the middle-six or he could become a quick trade target for the Leafs to shed salary.

At a time, Joseph Woll was expected to take the reins in the Leafs net as their eventual future star. Right now it seems Woll needs to prove he can be a reliable enough backup next to Anthony Stolarz.

Woll didn't play poorly in the regular season, with a 27-14-1 record and a 2.72GAA and .909SV%, but collapsed in the playoffs after having to take over as the starter when Stolarz was injured, having a poor 3.56 GAA and .886 SV% as Toronto lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games.

Having been a clear step down from Stolarz in the playoffs, Woll needs to prove he can handle the equal workload, especially so as Stolarz is up for a contract extension, and if unsigned could even help propel Woll to the starter role if he does well. If he struggles, Dennis Hildeby lies in wait in the minors.

Two additional forwards in need of bounceback years are Scott Laughton and Matias Maccelli, with the two forwards needing successful years.

Laughton, who was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline for a 2027 first round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin, was given a hefty return with the expectation that he'd be the Leafs answer to a hole at 3C.

With Toronto, Laughton had been anything but with just four points in 20 games, and potentially having lost the 3C spot this season to newly acquired Nicolas Roy. If Laughton does well and returns to his prior form with Philadelphia, it would be a positive for the Leafs bottom-six.

Laughton will need to have a major breakout not just to rebound, but to not make a major trade look like one of their worst.

Maccelli, who was acquired from Utah in the offseason, is looking to rebound after netting just eight goals and 18 points in 55 games after 49 and 57 point seasons the two years prior.

Likely to be in the top-six with the chance to play alongside one of the best goalscorers in Auston Matthews, there's little excuse for Maccelli not to improve on his points tally, but anything less than close to what he's done in the past would be a disappointment, and could take him off the top-six.