Player-by-player final look at 2024-25 Toronto Maple Leafs

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For the 2024-25 Maple Leafs, the pain of losing yet again in the Stanley Cup playoffs and falling short of expectations is sure to linger through the summer.

We’re taking a final look at the group as the players head off for the summer.

Contracts are listed with remaining term and the players’ salary cap hit.

GOALIES

Anthony Stolarz

Remember when there didn’t seem to be much available among goalies in free agency last summer? Stolarz established himself as a true starter after signing a two-year contract. He played in a career-high 34 games and led NHL goalies with a .926 save percentage during the regular season. Rare was the game Stolarz allowed a soft goal. A knee issue kept him out of the lineup for nearly two months, but he went 12-4-1 after returning on Feb. 6 and was the clear No. 1 when he suffered a concussion in Game 1 against Florida, ending his season.

Contract: One year, $2.5 million

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Joseph Woll

Like Stolarz, Woll didn’t tire while hitting a career-high. For Woll, it was 42 games, and he had a .909 save percentage, 13th in the NHL and tied with his pal Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars. Woll had a good regular season on the whole, but couldn’t overtake Stolarz, who simply was better. Woll would’ve had to have been close to perfect to match Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky in the second round and we know what happened. All things considered, expect Woll to take a good run at the starter’s job when training camp opens in September.

Contract: Three years, $3.66 million

DEFENCEMEN

Simon Benoit

The 26-year-old developed into what a team should want out of a third-pairing defenceman: Few concerns, in general, when he’s on the ice and a steady physical presence. Not only was the 6-foot-4, 211-pound Benoit a Game 3 overtime hero against Ottawa after he scored once in 79 regular-season games, he led Leafs D-men in the playoffs with 42 hits and led the team in blocks. Despite where he lands on the depth chart, Benoit should have no worries about trying to hang on to his job in camp.

Contract: Two years, $1.35 million

Brandon Carlo

In 20 games after he was acquired from the Boston Bruins, Carlo eventually settled into a pairing with Morgan Rielly, providing a presence on the right side that was influential in the defensive zone. Carlo probably didn’t have as good of a performance in the playoffs that he would have liked, especially against the Panthers. Key with the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Carlo is that he wasn’t a rental and has two years remaining on his contract. Starting fresh with the Leafs in camp should be a benefit.

Contract: Two years, $3.48 million

Oliver Ekman-Larsson

There was a little bite to Ekman-Larsson’s game after he signed a four-year pact with the Leafs in free agency. He’ll turn 34 in July and, if you’re among those who don’t like that he has another three years, keep in mind the increasing salary cap will make his contract more digestible. Slotting in on the right side on the third pair with Benoit turned out to be the best spot for Ekman-Larsson.

Contract: Three years, $3.5 million

Jake McCabe

The 31-year-old is heading into his five-year extension coming off his best season in the NHL and it was no coincidence that McCabe’s step forward came while paired with Chris Tanev. After leading the Leafs in ice time during the regular season, McCabe was second to Mitch Marner in the playoffs. Strong at five-on-five and on the penalty kill, McCabe’s steadiness and awareness in his second full season with the Leafs, after he was acquired from Chicago in February 2023, were major positives for the group as a whole.

Contract: Five years, $4.5 million

Philippe Myers

After some stops and starts — Myers played in only one game with the Leafs before December — the big right-handed shooter proved to be a respected depth piece. Does he become anything more than that going forward? Unlikely.   

Contract: Two years, $850,000

Morgan Rielly

The longest-serving current Leafs player continued to come under criticism for his defensive play, but that didn’t penetrate the walls of the coach’s office. True, for the first time since 2017-18 Rielly didn’t lead the Leafs in ice time, but he played just eight seconds less on average than McCabe. After scoring seven goals in 82 games, Rielly had four in the 13 in the playoffs. A question next season: Can Rielly and Carlo find enough chemistry together that would allow the former to take better advantage of his offensive instincts? It’s possible.

Contract: Five years, $7.5 million

Chris Tanev

To sum up Tanev: He does his job. To further sum up Tanev: He does his job extremely well. In his first season after signing a six-year contract, Tanev’s impact spread through the entire defence corps and the team was a lot better off for it. Positionally, there aren’t a lot more NHL D-men who are better. When Tanev has the puck, more often than not a crisp breakout is the result. He absorbs hits and doesn’t flinch. His shot-blocking ability tells just part of the story. Easily the Leafs’ blue-line MVP, he couldn’t have more respect in the room.

Contract: Five years, $4.5 million

FORWARDS

Max Domi

After signing a four-year contract, his longest in the NHL, Domi struggled to live up to it. Domi didn’t score until Dec. 15 — his 23rd game of the season — and had just six assists at that point. He finished with 33 points in 74 games, the second-lowest total in his 10 NHL seasons. In both of his seasons with Toronto, Domi has led the club in penalty minutes. Lack of discipline was an issue at times in the playoffs. Domi’s ability to pass the puck is clear, but the question remains: Where does he fit best among Leafs forwards?

Contract: Three years, $3.75 million

Pontus Holmberg

A full season with the Leafs — 68 games in the regular season and 12 in the playoffs — provided concrete evidence that Holmberg belongs in the bottom six. His defensive mind is fine, but providing offence is challenging and he was miscast whenever coach Craig Berube used him on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander. The qualifying offer for Holmberg will be $866,250, but though he has arbitration rights, he’s not worth much more than that.

Contract: Restricted free agent

Calle Jarnkrok

Jarnkrok didn’t make his season debut until March 3 after he needed months of recovery following sports hernia/groin surgery. One goal and seven assists in 19 games came afterward; he had one assist in 12 playoff games. Perhaps a proper start out of camp and into the regular season will be good for the usually energetic Jarnkrok, though he will turn 34 in September. Either way, he’s bottom-six material only.

Contract status: One year, $2.1 million

David Kampf

Despite being cleared to play after recovering from an upper-body injury, Kampf was a healthy scratch for most of the playoffs and played only in Game 5 against Florida. Whether his impact has diminished isn’t the point. He’s a depth centre and a player of that ilk can easily be replaced (by, in this case, Scott Laughton). A mistake by GM Brad Treliving was signing Kampf to a four-year, $9.6-million pact in June 2023. It wasn’t necessary. Per puckpedia.com, the Leafs would be on the hook for $1.68 million for each of the next two years and approximately $358,000 in each of the two years afterward if Kampf is bought out from the final two years on his deal.

Contract status: Two years, $2.4 million

Matthew Knies

Knies has become the poster boy for anyone unconcerned about the Leafs’ dearth of first-round picks in the next three years. You’re not always going to get a player with this kind of impact in the second round, but did the Leafs ever get it right with Knies at 57th overall in 2021. Coming off a 29-goal season, Knies is on his way to being one of the top power forwards in the NHL. If he does get an offer sheet this summer, there are few, if any, reasons to think why the Leafs would not match. Re-signing Knies is a top-level priority. If Toronto can get longer term between $7 million and $8 million a year, great.

Contract status: Restricted free agent

Scott Laughton

Something that came as a surprise after the Leafs acquired Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers: The 30-year-old veteran never got to a point where he was fully comfortable, certainly not during the regular season, when he had four points in 20 games after the trade. Laughton might have been a bit better in the playoffs, but providing a spark remained elusive. The Leafs will require much more from him in 2025-26. With the Flyers having retained 50% of his contract, he should be a bargain.

Contract status: One year, $1.5 million

Steven Lorentz

In our 25 years covering the Leafs, we don’t recall a more genial player in Toronto. Lorentz was exactly what we thought he would be: An enthusiastic fourth-line winger (he led Leafs forwards with 199 hits) who contributed every so often and carried himself with confidence after winning the Stanley Cup with Florida. He made the NHL minimum $775,000 on a one-year deal signed in free agency and should get a bump in salary. The Leafs would be wise to re-sign him.

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Mitch Marner

For the fourth time in nine playoffs with the Leafs, Marner averaged at least one point a game (13 in 13). In the final four games against Florida, though, he had one assist, marking another failure on his part to make a true difference when it was absolutely required. There’s no denying the wizardry and the production in the regular season and Marner finally reached 100 points in 2024-25. The post-season is where the true evaluation comes and Marner has not excelled. It’s at the point where it will be surprising if he re-signs in Toronto.

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Auston Matthews

Playing through an injury limited the first-year captain to 67 games, during which he scored 33 goals, his lowest amount in nine NHL seasons. He said he expects to be 100% when camp opens and, for the sake of both him and the Leafs, Matthews better be right. One goal and three assists in the seven-game series was all Matthews could muster. His secretive nature regarding his injury didn’t endear him to many, but that shouldn’t matter. What does is his production and, as one of the highest-paid players in the NHL, it wasn’t good enough.

Contract status: Three years, $13.25 million

Bobby McMann

A year ago, McMann didn’t get a chance to suit up in the playoffs because he was hurt. This year, he played in the post-season and was a head-scratching disappointment. McMann didn’t score one goal, finishing on a 24-game goalless skid, including the last 11 games of the regular season. That took shine off his first 20-goal year in the NHL. He maintained a physical presence in the playoffs, but much more was expected. McMann should be hugely motivated once camp rolls around.

Contract status: One year, $1.35 million

William Nylander

We respect Nylander’s gift for flicking pressure away and, frankly, some of his teammates should take a hint. It might be more palatable, though, if Nylander came through when the spotlight shone most. Like Marner and Matthews, Nylander was not impactful in crunch time, as he had no points in Games 4-7 against Florida. The crushing ending came after Nylander scored a career-high 45 goals during the regular season and was the only Leafs forward to play in all 82 games. Nylander’s talent for playing with the puck on the string in the offensive zone will be on display in Toronto for a while, as he is under contract until the end of the 2031-32 season.

Contract status: Seven years, $11.5 million

Max Pacorietty

Are the Leafs going to miss an aging, injury-prone veteran who played in just 37 games in the regular season? We think so. When he was healthy, Pacioretty played with a physical zeal that put him directly on Berube’s good side. In the playoffs, Pacorietty had eight points in 11 games as his savvy and knowledge guided him. He said he will need time to think about his playing future and, if he does retire, his brief time with the Leafs will be remembered.

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Nick Robertson

Following an off-season trade request, Robertson played in 69 games, scoring 15 goals. Did he get the true chance that he sought when he figured life might have been better on another team? He averaged 12 minutes a game after averaging 11 minutes 23 seconds in 2023-24. Robertson is not in the mould of Berube-preferred wingers such as Knies and McMann, a factor that is not going to change. We’ll be curious to see how Robertson’s situation plays out this summer.

Contract status: Restricted free agent

John Tavares

If Tavares has played his last game with the Leafs, his seven-year tenure in Toronto petered out. After Tavares scored a goal in Game 4 against Ottawa, in the nine games that came after, he scored two goals (in Game 3 against Florida) and had no assists. For a veteran second-line centre, those are harsh numbers. It was especially disappointing because Tavares had some zest in the regular season with 38 goals, tying his second-highest total in the NHL. If the Leafs re-sign him, though it might be best to thank him for his service and say goodbye, it can’t be for more than three years. Two would even be better.

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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