Fans' Front Office Confidence (& Competence)? Maple Leafs Rank In Bottom 3

So how confident are you that your team's front office will do the right thing to improve the club? The Athletic has published a survey of fans of all 32 NHL teams to see which ones had the most, and least confidence in their hockey operations departments.

And it probably won't come as much of a surprise to find that the Toronto Maple Leafs rank in the bottom three, with fans not showing much optimism in the Brendan Shanahan/Brad Treliving combo. Subcribers and fans were asked to rank their team's front office in roster building, cap management, drafting and development, trading, free agency and vision.

Top 3 Teams in Front Office Confidence

1. Florida Panthers A+

2. Dallas Stars A

3. Tampa Bay Lightning A-

No surprises at the top of the listings, as the defending Stanley Cup champions, the two-time Western Conference Finals runners-up, and the recent two-time Cup champs make up the top 3.

The Panthers have been impressively building over the past four years, from a first-round loss in 2021, to making it to the second round in '22, then advancing all the way to the Finals in '23, and of course, the 2024 Cup championship.

The Stars' front office made a bold move at this year's trade deadline that paid off, acquiring Chris Tanev to bolster the blueline, after their defense came up short against the Vegas Golden Knights in the previous year's playoffs. Tanev was a huge boost on the backline, though the Stars came up a bit short to a red-hot Oilers team.

Bottom 3 Teams in Front Office Confidence

30. Toronto Maple Leafs D

31. Los Angeles Kings D-

32. NY Islanders D-

Leafs Nation has been waiting eight years for the Auston Matthews Era to pay off in something come playoff time. But all they've gotten out of it was one first round victory (followed by a sweep at the hands of the Panthers in the second round). Fans are not happy.

For the Kings, the Pierre-Luc Dubois deal and subsequent dumping after the season was a disaster. Going back farther, the team hasn't won a playoff round in 10 seasons, since their last Stanley Cup.

The Islanders went to two straight Conference Finals at the beginning of the decade, and more was expected, but they haven't won a playoff round since 2021. It seems like fans are clamoring for a fresh new face to replace Lou Lamoriello.