Looks fairly normal to me. Can you give a picture of the whole tree?

It's definitely not. The leafs are curved inward - quite a lot too if you look carefully

Leaves

I'm from Toronto. Out crappy hockey team are called the leafs. 😁

The leaves appear to be wilting as they are curved downward

The grass is so green drought stress seems unlikely

the opposite... I believe I did mention that it get too much water - although everything I hear about these trees is that they thrive in wet soils... maybe it's too saturated.. My blackgum tree withered away in the exact same spot and I got rid of it and planted this.. It's at the base of a septic field... My septic field might actually be failing so perhaps some impurities are entering the soil?

planted last fall.. not enough roots to support the usual explosive spring maple growth ... AND ...

perhaps they arent done opening or budding out .. they havent fully hardened off ...

water it properly. and look for a tree that doesnt reflect so poorly on your hockey team.. in other words.. anything but a maple next time.. lol ..

ken

btw.. did you know.. in severe drought.. corn wraps its glossy green leaves to expose the back of the leaf in hot blinding sun ...

maybe contrary to your water thoughts... it needs water.. dig a hole or two.. and FIND OUT .. water if necessary ...

otherwise.. i thinking.. you will be hard pressed to kill this thing with proper water ...

ken

The autumn blaze is supposed to be super hardy are they not?

Still not looking good... I'm convinced that there's something wrong with the soil in that spit.

Spot

Yes, 'Autumn Blaze' is super hardy to below -40

You mentioned of the site being pretty wet at times, then that's what I'd be most concerned of.

I thought these things thrive in wet soils

They are crossed with silver maples

Splaker, sometimes can make a difference between being newly planted and getting settled in and an established specimen with roots running far and wide.

I have 'Skinner's Cut Leaf Silver Maple' and love the thing, too bad I hadn't planted as a stand alone specimen instead of tucking near the forest where blends in all too much, the foliage is superb though!

Autumn blaze is not a great tree IMO. Many have been tried in my town and ZERO have survived. Plus, any mature tree I've seen anywhere has severe chlorosis

I have a bur oak in a pot that needs planting. Do you think they'd do well in there if it is on the wet side? I've read they can do well in wet soil.

Can you grow neat trees like bald cypress or metasequoia? I think those really like wet soil

We can grow them here. But tamarack might be better. I believe they prefer wet soil or am I wrong?