Analyst Blasts Maple Leafs Front Office Ranking

Fans decided they do not have confidence in the Toronto Maple Leafs front office.

Jun 1, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CANADA; Toronto Maple Leafs new general manager Brad Treliving is introduced by club president Brendan Shanahan (left) at a press conference at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

In a recent Athletic poll, the front office of the Toronto Maple Leafs finished 30th out of 32 teams in terms of fan confidence. Fans of the Maple Leafs gave the team an overall D grade with dwindling hopes for success.

Despite the poor ranking, the Maple Leafs usually stand as one of the best regular season teams in the NHL. Maybe that’s where the frustration lies. The Maple Leafs have had one postseason series win in the last eight years and refuse to budge on making significant changes to the roster.

While fans have been looking for a shake-up, management has stood by, likely forcing such a low score. It’s that regular season success, however, that makes analysts think the Maple Leafs were unfairly ranked.

“The Leafs are 30th,” Bryan Hayes said on TSN’s OverDrive. “Which, I’m sorry, basically makes this whole practice irrelevant.”

Hayes does understand where the voting is coming from and that the lack of significant changes and frustration can sway the fan base's voting, but he says they shouldn’t be ranked below certain teams ahead of them.

“It’s become stale,” Hayes said. “They did nothing of significance… but I still believe in this front office more than I believe half of the front offices in the NHL. Columbus is ahead of them. San Jose is ahead of them.”

The Athletic does say it’s not a perfect system, and the “what have you done for me lately?” mentality does peek through, but what has the Maple Leafs front office done lately?

They’ve failed to do much of anything in each of the last eight playoffs, don’t have a strong prospect pool, and can’t afford to improve their depth because they’ve sunk over $54 million in salary cap space on five players.

“They do not have, by all accounts, the courage to go out and do something drastic,” Hayes said. “They’re terrified to live in a world without the core four… 30th is asinine, even for Leaf fans.”

The only two teams that finished below the Maple Leafs in the Athletic’s pool were the Los Angeles Kings and New York Islanders.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway OnSI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more! 

• Penguins' Sidney Crosby Chasing Hall of Famer's Record
• Former Hurricanes Defenseman Addresses Father's Social Media Antics
• Islanders Have Lowest Fan Trust in NHL
• Maple Leafs Remain Stubborn With Core
• Flames GM Already on Hot Seat