The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off the most brutal season after several disappointing years that preceded their performance in 2025-26. They were one of the favorites to win the Atlantic Division crown after injuries had hurt the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
While the Maple Leafs had traded star winger Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights, there was a belief that the Maple Leafs would end years of frustration with a deep run through the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, the season was a disaster. The Maple Leaf sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic Division. They were out of playoff contention shortly after the season resumed in March following the Olympic break.
The team has cleaned house in the offseason, making huge changes that have clearly changed the team’s philosophy and outlook for the coming seasons. General manager Brad Treliving was dismissed because the roster was unbalanced and ownership hired John Chayka to upgrade the situation. Chayka had a controversial tenure when he was in a similar position with the Arizona Coyotes before he was dismissed in an unceremonious fashion.
Head coach Craig Berube was fired from his head coaching position in Toronto and Jim Hiller was hired after a long search. Hiller had been an assistant coach for the Leafs in the controversial Mike Babcock era and had been the head coach for the Los Angeles Kings until he was fired in March. Hiller was hired after more than 25 candidates were considered for the job.
Nurse has attributes that would serve the Toronto organization well
The Leafs have to get better in many areas in the upcoming season, but perhaps the most important is on the blue line. Bringing in Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse and trading veteran Morgan Rielly will not only serve as a positive move for the Leafs, it will set a tone for Hiller and the entire organization.
Nurse is not a superstar, but he brings several characteristics that would benefit the Maple Leafs. He has 12 years of experience with the Edmonton Oilers and is among the most dependable players in the league. He has played 71 games or more in eight of the last nine seasons, and he played 56 games in 2020-21, the only season that he failed to reach that level.
Nurse is a 6-4, 215-pound defenseman who will play a physical game every time he is on the ice. He has been a double-digit goal scorer four times in his career, with a career high of 16 in ’20-’21, but that’s not why the Maple Leafs need to pursue a trade for Nurse that they have turned down in the past.
The 30-year-old is a hard-hitting and solid force who will give the Maple Leafs a full effort and play a physical game. He will make mistakes from time to time, but they will not be mistakes of omission. He won’t forget any of his responsibilities and he will serve as a leader for a new head coach and administration in Toronto.
Morgan Rielly has to be the main part of any deal with the Maple Leafs
The Oilers are more than willing to part company with Nurse. He has not been the ideal blue liner on a team with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. After 12 years, a change of scenery would benefit both Nurse and the Oilers.
A Darnell Nurse-Morgan Rielly trade could be a winning move for both teams. The Oilers may have lost in the playoffs in the first round, but they made it to the Stanley Cup Final the two previous seasons and there is no reason they can’t get back to that level in the upcoming season — especially if they find the right head coach.
Rielly has also had a long run with the Maple Leafs since that team selected him in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft with the fifth overall selection. Rielly is thought of as an offensive defenseman largely because he had a spectacular season in 2018-19 when he found the back of the net 20 times and scored 72 points while finishing the season with a plus-24 rating and 5 game-winning goals.
However, he has not reached those heights since and he may no longer be at his peak at the age of 31. He scored 11 goals and 25 assists with a minus-18 rating last season, but playing with McDavid and Draisaitl would likely renew Rielly’s spirit to some extent.
The long-time Toronto defenseman should not get the blame for the Leafs’ failures in 2025-26, but he has been associated with the team’s numerous playoff disappointments throughout the years.
Trading in his Maple Leafs uniform for any jersey would likely give him a burst of energy, especially for a team with such outstanding offensive explosiveness.
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