Toronto Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Sundin, Gillis, Berube & Maccelli – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

It’s been one of those stretches for the Toronto Maple Leafs where everything feels like it’s being evaluated at once — coaching, management ideas, roster direction, and even old legends being pulled back into the conversation. When a season doesn’t go the way the team expects, the ripple effects tend to touch everything from the bench to the boardroom.

This is where things get interesting, because the Maple Leafs are at a bit of a crossroads. There’s still a high-end core in place, but the supporting structure, the coaching direction, and even some long-term identity questions are all back on the table. When that happens in Toronto, the rumour mill doesn’t exactly stay quiet. A few familiar names and new questions are starting to surface again, and they’re worth unpacking.

Item One: Sundin, Gillis, and a Possible Leafs Front Office Twist Brewing

There’s growing chatter that the Maple Leafs would love to get Mats Sundin more formally involved in the organization. That idea isn’t new — it stretches back into the Brendan Shanahan era — but it keeps coming up because Sundin still carries real weight in the hockey world, especially in Toronto. He’s one of those rare former players whose presence still feels meaningful in a leadership or advisory role.

The interesting wrinkle is the potential connection to Mike Gillis, who once brought Sundin to Vancouver while running the Canucks. Gillis has basically done everything in hockey. He’s been a general manager (GM), consultant, agent, and executive. He remains highly respected in management circles. He even made it to the final round for the NHLPA executive director job, which tells you how seriously his hockey mind is still taken.

Put the two names together, and you get an idea that, at least on paper, makes sense. Sundin brings credibility, history, and respect within the Maple Leafs market. Gillis brings experience across multiple layers of the game. Whether this ever turns into anything formal is another story entirely, but it’s the kind of idea that tends to linger in conversations in Toronto for a reason.

Item Two: Berube Under the Microscope After the Maple Leafs’ Lost Season

Craig Berube is, in some ways, responsible for Toronto missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade; the head coach will always be part of the conversation. That’s just the reality of coaching in the NHL, but especially in the Toronto market. Results drive everything.

To be fair, there are legitimate caveats. The roster wasn’t perfect, and injuries did create problems at different points in the season. But the bigger concern is that the adjustments never really worked. Systems shifted, line combinations changed, and different looks were tried, but the team never seemed to land on consistent success.

From the outside, it often looked like a group searching for answers rather than building toward a clear structure. Execution came and went, breakdowns popped up too often, and the overall sense of cohesion just never fully developed. Whether that’s a coaching issue, a buy-in issue, or a bit of both is exactly the kind of question the organization now has to sort through.

Item Three: What’s Next for Maccelli After His First Maple Leafs Season?

Matias Maccelli came into Toronto with some expectations after being acquired from the Utah Mammoth, but his season ended up being more neutral than defining. He finished with 39 points in 71 games, including a modest late push with 15 points in his final 25 games, but nothing that really shifted his long-term projection in a big way.

There was also a conditional element tied to the trade that didn’t come into play. The pick the Maple Leafs traded to Utah would have been upgraded based on team success and individual production, but neither threshold was met. As a result, the return stayed the same. Now, heading into restricted free agency on a $3.425 million average annual value (AAV) deal, he becomes another interesting decision point for the Maple Leafs.

The key question is fit. On a contender, would Maccelli look more like a depth piece than a top-six driver? Or does his uptick over the last part of the season suggest that he should be part of the roster going forward?

The truth is, I believe he has more upside than most fans do. But whether the Maple Leafs believe there’s more upside to unlock or see him as a player better suited somewhere else is the question. He could be part of the offseason conversation, and right now, it’s tough to say.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

The first thing the Maple Leafs have to figure out is direction. Clearly, the “DNA” experiment was a failure. Do they now tilt more toward speed and skill? Or do they try to get heavier? They tried to build a playoff team, but they couldn’t make the playoffs. Ironic, in a way.

The other big piece here is patience versus urgency. The pressure in Toronto never really goes away, but the organization also can’t afford to chase short-term fixes that don’t create long-term stability. That balance is tricky, so fans should look for a series of decisions that either build something sustainable or simply patch holes.