Maple Leafs Front Office Ranks Near Bottom

The Toronto Maple Leafs were named one of the NHL's worst front office in a recent poll.

May 21, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CANADA; Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving speaks during a media conference to introduce new head coach Craig Berube (not shown) at Ford Performance Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs are desperate to change their organizational fate. With a Stanley Cup drought that feels unending for their fans, the Leafs have undergone some massive changes over the last two years. The latest development is switching the captaincy from John Tavares to superstar Auston Matthews.

Despite the Maple Leafs clearly giving it their all to be a champion, their performance hasn't been up to snuff. According to a recent report from The Athletic, Toronto has one of the worst front offices in the league as voted by 40 "high-ranking league executives." They were asked to rank the top five front offices, and the Leafs finished 23rd. They were also the lowest of any teams receiving any votes from the polling group. The reasoning behind it was explained in the article.

"Not much love for the Leafs," the article explains. "Who haven't produced enough wins to go with all the attention around their core and their status in Canada's biggest market. GM Brad Treliving has a big Mitch Marner decision looming, so we'll see where the Leafs go from here."

The Leafs might be receiving some harsh criticism, but the reality is that they haven't achieved enough. Matthews is one of, if not the best, goal scorer in the NHL. Marner is a point-producing machine along with William Nylander, and yet they've yet to reach a conference finals or Stanley Cup Finals series.

To move up to the top five front offices in the NHL, the Maple Leafs must find a way to get over the hump. They've made some exciting moves this past summer to improve their defense, headlined by the addition of veteran puck-mover Chris Tanev. He is projected to provide a steadying presence on the top pairing alongside Morgan Reilly. The question now is whether the Leafs need to make another move to keep improving their blue line or perhaps adding another depth forward.

The other big question is their goaltending. Their tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll shows promise, but injuries have been a huge hindrance to Woll in his young career. Stolarz was a stud for the Florida Panthers last year, but can he shoulder a starting load in Woll's absences? It's all up in the air for the Leafs, but their status as a top front office in the league is not.

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