The Maple Leafs are already staring at a move that looks worse by the week.
Pontus Holmberg wasn’t given a qualifying offer in the 2025 offseason by then general manager Brad Treliving, and that decision sent him to the Tampa Bay Lightning on a two-year deal. He didn’t make much noise last season, but he has opened this year with real impact.
Through 13 games, Holmberg has four goals and six assists for 10 points. That puts him inside Tampa Bay’s top five in all three categories, and he has become one of the club’s most valuable depth forwards.
The production isn’t just showing up on the scoresheet, either. Natural Stat Trick has Holmberg at a 50.80 CF%, a 53.33 SCF%, and a 49.64 xG%.
Those numbers point to a player who is driving offense, not just riding a hot streak. The way things are going, he looks like he could keep this up.
That’s where the Leafs come in.
Toronto has the fourth-highest goals per game, but most of that damage is coming from the top of the lineup. The first line of Easton Cowan-Auston Matthews-Jack Roslovic has carried the load, and William Nylander has been productive on the second line.
After that, the scoring drops off fast. The only healthy player in the bottom six with double-digit points is Gavin McKenna.
Right now, the Leafs are tied for the final wild card spot in the East, but there isn’t much room for error. One cold stretch from a key scorer, or one injury, and the offense could take a serious hit. There’s not much evidence that the current bottom-six group, outside of McKenna, can step into a bigger role and keep the attack moving.
If Holmberg were still around and producing like this, Toronto would have a much deeper lineup. Three lines could be counted on for offense, and the team would have more answers if injuries hit. That kind of depth would give the Leafs a better shot at staying afloat and making a run.
It’s impossible to say Holmberg would be putting up the same numbers in Toronto, but it’s fair to say he’d give them more offense than they have now from the bottom six. And if the Leafs’ scoring dries up, he’ll be the player they can’t stop thinking about.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Make A Risky Lineup Gamble Before A Key Test
With a key test against the Utah Mammoth on deck, Jim Hiller is trying a different look in the Maple Leafs lineup, one that trades some finesse for a little more muscle. Gavin McKenna has been pushed down to the third line, while Dakota Joshua gets a chance in a more prominent role, a tweak aimed at giving Torontos second line more size and physicality as the game stakes rise.
The gamble is obvious for a team trying to find the right balance. Joshua has not played much this season, so there is some uncertainty baked into the move, and McKennas offensive influence figures to be reduced at even strength from a lower line. Even so, he is still expected to keep his power-play duties, which gives Toronto a way to preserve some of his impact while Hiller experiments with the rest of the forward group. [Read more 🡒]
Bobrovsky Has One Trait Leafs Fans Need To See Again
Sergei Bobrovskys early run with the Maple Leafs has been a reminder that goaltending is about more than just the numbers on a stat sheet. Through his first stretch in Toronto, the veteran has had moments where he looks capable of carrying a game, but the steady, dependable edge that teams lean on in tight spots has not shown up often enough for comfort.
What stands out most is the kind of save Toronto has been waiting to see more regularly. The Leafs have long valued a goalie who can steal a shift, settle a shaky sequence and erase a mistake at the exact moment it threatens to swing the game, the way Grant Fuhr built his reputation on timely stops. For a team chasing consistency, that trait matters as much as anything else Bobrovsky brings. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Turnover Problem Puts Hillers Plan Under The Spotlight
The Maple Leafs are spending part of their pregame conversation on the details around the crease, with Jim Hiller laying out the thinking behind the goaltending plan and the way the club has handled Anthony Stolarz in the lead-up to the rematch against Utah. Hiller also pointed to Sergei Bobrovskys professionalism and routine, underscoring that Torontos scheduling and lineup choices have been handled with an eye toward keeping everyone prepared for the next step.
Beyond the goalie picture, the bigger issue remains the one that has followed the Leafs into this matchup: turnovers. Hiller said the team has to clean that up if it wants a better result, and he also touched on Easton Cowans return to the top line as part of the broader lineup picture. It leaves Toronto with a familiar mix of urgency and uncertainty, with the details of how the night unfolds still to be sorted out. [Read more 🡒]