RSS Maple Leafs Team Notes

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Instant Reaction: Maple Leafs honour Joe Bowen with the most Maple Leafs win you’ll see

The pitchforks had never been hotter by the time second intermission rolled around at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night. On a night where iconic Toronto Maple Leafs play-by-play caller Joe Bowen was set to be honoured for his 44-year career with the team, which will come to a close following the 2025-26 season, the Leafs brought their most pathetic effort to the table of the season.

Facing a Chicago Blackhawks team without superstar Connor Bedard, the Leafs went down 2-0 (could have been 3-0 if not for a disallowed goal) and looked like they had no life whatsoever. Chicago was stopping them in the neutral zone with the same ease of taking candy from a baby and they were generating absolutely nothing in the offensive zone. Auston Matthews, at one point in the early stage of the third period, had 12 seconds of time with the puck in the offensive zone. Craig Berube was heated and caught on camera screaming at his bench more than once, and even after Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored halfway through the third to cut the deficit to one, the Leafs continued to struggle to generate anything.

And then the Blackhawks took a penalty with four minutes left. And then Auston Matthews scored to tie the game. And then Dakota Joshua scored to take the lead eight seconds later.

What else can you do besides acknowledge the fact that this was objectively the funniest possible outcome of this game. On a day where Joe Bowen, who has been to hell and back with this team and has sat through nearly all of the good, the bad, and the ugly to come with it, the Maple Leafs delivered a win that had their fans seething for about 90% of it. It’s tremendously fitting, no?

In the end, there is no way that Craig Berube will be happy with the process that led to this win, but at least they picked up two points for Joe.

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER​

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/instant-reaction-toronto-maple-leafs-honour-joe-bowen-most-win

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

T.J. Oshie thinks the Leafs’ season will come down to BUY-IN: Leafs Morning Take

The Jekyll and Hyde Maple Leafs were at it again on Holy Mackinaw Night.

After playing a lethargic and underwhelming first 50 minutes against a depleted Blackhawks squad, the Leafs potted three goals in a seven-minute span – including two goals in eight seconds to tie it up – to pull out a 3-2 win.

All in all, it made for a fascinating Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. How do you recap a game like that? They weren’t very good, borderline awful, but incredibly, they managed to persevere and find a way to get the job done. Without question, that wasn’t the response everyone was looking for after Craig Berube called out his leaders on Saturday night following the Edmonton game. For most of the night, they played an uninspired brand fit for a team who were well down the road to get their coach fired. Then, out of nowhere, they all woke up, and now, Craig Berube can enjoy his 60th birthday.

Suffice it is to say, it’s been a trying season for Chief and the Maple Leafs —Tuesday night was just another chapter in the book. Auston Matthews had another tough night, but let’s call a spade a spade: He delivered at the most important time of the game. The captain notched a goal and an assist while William Nylander, who, too, had a dreadful evening, chipped in with two helpers. Joseph Woll returned to the crease making 23 stops. In fact, Woll has now surrendered two goals or less in four of his past five outings. Matthews and Dakota Joshua scored eight seconds apart late in the third with the latter standing as the game-winner.

After that, 2018 Stanley Cup champion and NHL on ESPN Analyst T.J. Oshie dropped by to dish on the Maple Leafs. For the most part, Oshie talked a lot about BUY-IN throughout the interview. Understandably so, he used his experience going all the way with the Capitals as a comparison for where the Maple Leafs are at right now. Firstly, he dissected the lack of response following Berube’s comments, and ultimately, what that could mean. Then, he hit on whether a coaching change would do anything. Furthermore, it was fascinating to hear Oshie talk about the Capitals’ power play and what made it so great. Of course, the Leafs’ has left a lot to be desired this season. Lastly, Oshie gave a long-term prediction. Spoiler: He thinks the Leafs will be right in the mix come the end of the season.

The Leafs now hit the road for three in a row starting on Thursday night in D.C. Bruce Boudreau will be by on the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take to help break that one down.

You can subscribe to TheLeafsNation (TLN) YouTube channel HERE. Additionally, we’re available in podcast form, too —wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re at it, be sure to leave us a 5-star review!

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/t-j...n-will-come-down-to-buy-in-leafs-morning-take

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Joseph Woll praises Maple Leafs for ‘playing the right way’ against Blackhawks

It was Joe Bowen night at Scotiabank arena on Tuesday night, and while things didn’t get off on their good foot for the Toronto Maple Leafs, goaltender Joseph Woll was extremely satisfied seeing his team trust their process in front of him.

After being down 2-0 after two periods, the Leafs turned it on in the third and secured two points in one of the best comeback wins of the season. Woll spoke to reporters after the game and was happy to see his teammates stick to the game plan against the Connor Bedard-less Blackhawks.

“Stuck to our game, I thought we had a lot of good o-zone time, and a good process, and I think we did a good job of limiting them to their chances. It comes down to the end like that, and if you play the right way, you get rewarded, so I was happy to see the results go that way.”

Woll made his return to the Maple Leafs’ crease after a week and a half on the shelve dealing with a lower-body injury. The 27-year-old netminder looked solid in his return to the ice, stopping 23 shots in the win. Down two goals, Woll did his very best to keep the Leafs in the game, and within striking distance, and the offence did the rest. Much to Woll’s satisfaction, and all of Leafs Nation inside Scotiabank Arena.

“It was awesome. Thought it was pretty cool how the building erupted after the third goal, that’s the loudest I’ve heard it in a while. It was pretty sweet, it’s awesome when the fans get into it like that. I’m sure it pumped everyone up. Big win, big comeback for us.”

Woll looked as comfortable as ever in the Leafs crease, and it didn’t appear his recent injury was bothering, or hindering any of his lateral movements, or quickness. The Leafs goaltender admitted after the game he was feeling the nerves a little bit, jumping back into the action after almost two weeks. “Nerves are natural anytime you’re playing, and as the game went on, I think I settled in more and felt more comfortable.”

The Maple Leafs head on the road for three more games this week, including in Washington, Nashville, and the next night in Dallas. There’s a very good chance Woll plays two of the three, and let’s hope he can carry on where he left off prior to getting hurt.

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Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/joseph-woll-praises-toronto-maple-leafs-playing-right-way-blackhawks

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Bruce Boudreau calls out the Leafs’ energy problem: Leafs Morning Take

Dennis Hildeby will get the call as the Leafs look to get some retribution in D.C. when they visit the Washington Capitals for the second time in less than a month.

Before we previewed the game, we kicked off the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take by talking about Christmas and what it means us to us and our families. It’s all about the children, right? Everyone remembers the gifts they received as kids —that’s for sure. Additionally, we got into some Worlds Junior talk, too. Growing up, that tournament always went hand in hand with the holiday season. It’s the best.

Then, we got into the Toronto/Washington game. The Leafs will try to build off whatever that game was the other night in Chicago. They found a job to get the two points, but obviously, it masked some serious deficiencies with this squad right now. It would be nice to get the big boys going. William Nylander’s goalless in eight, John Tavares has 1 goal in his past 11 outings, and Matthew Knies has three in his last 18 games. The Leafs will need their very best against a real good Capitals team coming off a pair of embarrassing losses where they were outscored 10-1. The power play battle will be interesting to monitor, too. The Leafs possess the NHL’s 30th ranked power play, Washington’s 28th. Two juggernauts, for sure. This one will be the first of three in four on the road.

With that in mind, Bruce Boudreau stopped by to preview the match-up. Firstly, he played the role of Craig Berube and disclosed what his messaging to the team would be ahead of this game against an unhappy Capitals squad. Then, we talked Craig Berube. Is his message still getting through? Has the team quit on their coach? Gabby had a great line about the team lacking energy, and how they look like they’re taking sleeping pills prior to a game. For the record, he said what we’re all thinking. Additionally, Boudreau hit on the struggling power play, what he would do with it, and if his former player Oliver Ekman-Larsson should be quarterbacking things. He also hit on Auston Matthews: If this is the new norm, are the Leafs screwed? Lastly, he gave his long-term outlook. Spoiler: He doesn’t feel very good about this team right now.

At any rate, don’t miss the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take for a full breakdown of Leafs/Caps. Over and above that, we’ll preview this weekend’s back-to-back in Nashville and Dallas, respectively. Furthermore, fresh off Holy Mackinaw Night earlier this week, Joe Bowen will make another appearance on the podcast.

You can subscribe to TheLeafsNation (TLN) YouTube channel HERE. Additionally, we’re available in podcast form, too —wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re at it, be sure to leave us a 5-star review!

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/bruce-boudreau-calls-out-the-leafs-energy-problem-leafs-morning-take

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Instant Reaction: Maple Leafs reveal allergy to offensive zone in loss vs. Capitals

This Toronto Maple Leafs team seems incapable of capitalizing on momentum of any kind, and it’s getting more painful to watch by the day. On Thursday night, they were shut out 4-0 by the Washington Capitals and limited to only 22 shots, going 0-for-5 on the power play with Auston Matthews and William Nylander kept from the scoresheet and from making any sort of impact.

There was the blowout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. There was the feel-good win over the Utah Mammoth that Matias Maccelli (who, at this point, probably deserves another look) scored the game winning goal in. And there was the thrilling comeback at home against the Chicago Blackhawks on the night they honoured Joe Bowen. All opportunities where the Leafs could have taken the moral points and used it to spark some positive momentum, and failed to. And with only three games remaining before Christmas, they have yet to win more than three games in a row.

It wasn’t a great performance from Dennis Hildeby, but he’s far down the list of people to blame for this effort. The Leafs failed to get any sort of offensive zone time both at even strength, and embarrassingly enough, on the power play. They seemed to lose any sort of footspeed they carried on their zone entries, and it resulted in countless giveaways and no real threatening chances with the man advantage. It got to a point where, on their fifth power play, head coach Craig Berube sent the second unit out while down 3-0 with over half of the period still to play. For a group of players as talented as Matthews, Nylander, John Tavares, and Matthew Knies, their struggles with an extra skater on the ice continue to baffle.

It’s hard to say what needs to come next with this team. They’re not only playing bad hockey, they’re playing uninspired, uncreative hockey. They don’t threaten anybody when they enter the zone and they don’t convert on the chances they do get. It starts with the coach and it’s shared by the players.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/ins...s-reveal-allergy-offensive-zone-loss-capitals

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Leafs practice notes: Jarnkrok, Myers re-enter lineup, Woll projected to start vs. Predators

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube made a few changes to his lineup during Friday’s practice. Whether it will ultimately be enough for a major change is an entirely different matter.

Calle Jarnkrok was placed on the fourth line, alongside Max Domi and Scott Laughton via lines posted by David Alter of The Hockey News. Jarnkrok has recorded four goals in 21 games, but hasn’t scored since a November 1 contest against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Matias Maccelli joined Lorentz among the extras. Berube previously indicated that he wants to get Maccelli into a game sometime soon, as the forward has been a healthy scratch for the entire month of December.

Philippe Myers was re-inserted into the lineup, alongside Morgan Rielly. Henry Thrun and Chris Tanev skated among the extras. Myers has recorded one assist in 14 games.

Joseph Woll is the projected starter for Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators. Woll has recorded a 5-3-1 record with a .927 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average this season.

Toronto is coming off an embarrassing 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals, where the power play could not convert during five opportunities. Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews and Wiliam Nylander remained on the top line, after Berube said their performance wasn’t close to good enough against the Capitals. Matthews and Nylander both did not record a shot at 5-on-5 in one of the most listless performances of their shared tenures with the club.

“The power play has actually been getting better, but tonight it got awful in my opinion,” Berube said after Thursday’s game. “I thought the other unit did some good things, they had a couple of opportunities and just misfired, didn’t go in, had some good chances. But, our top unit didn’t execute, didn’t win any battles then they needed to, just couldn’t make plays.”

Maple Leafs’ projected lineup vs. Predators​

Matthew Knies-Auston Matthews-William Nylander

Nick Robertson-John Tavares-Easton Cowan

Dakota Joshua-Nicolas Roy-Bobby McMann

Max Domi-Scott Laughton-Calle Jarnkrok

Morgan Rielly-Philippe Myers

Jake McCabe-Troy Stecher

Simon Benoit-Oliver Ekman-Larsson

Joseph Woll (projected starter)

Dennis Hildeby

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER​

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/tor...neup-woll-projected-start-nashville-predators

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Joe Bowen reflects on Holy Mackinaw Night amid a troubling time for Toronto: Leafs Morning Take

Indisputably, the Toronto Maple Leafs are well on their way to getting yet another coach fired.

Thursday night’s display in Washington was downright despicable. When your coach has no words to defend your effort, you know you had yourself a night. But sadly, the lack of effort and care has been a theme for most of the season thus far. This team is absolutely cooked.

Obviously, we kicked off the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take by giving our initial comments on whatever that game was. We were harsh, we were critical. At the end of the day, it’s getting to a point where the players may be forcing Brad Treliving’s hand. This isn’t on the coach, but ultimately, it’s easiest scapegoat to pull. It’s really unfortunate. Furthermore, it’s incredible to be questioning the compete level of professional athletes, yet here we are.

Then, fresh off being on honoured as part of Holy Mackinaw Night earlier this week, the great Joe Bowen made another appearance on the podcast. Firstly, he dished on the lifeless loss in Washington and where the Leafs go from here. He thinks the writing could be on the wall for this franchise if they don’t figure things out quickly here. After that, we got into Bowen’s legendary career. The pre-game ceremony prior to the Chicago game was awesome. We wish Joe all the best!

Essentially, this episode was your prototypical therapy session. We went long, very long. All in all, we gave a very honest assessment. Berube’s out of answers, this should firmly be on the players. It was sickening and utterly embarrassing what they brought to the table in Washington. How? Why? Those are two big questions Leafs Nation is asking on this Friday. No one has answer.

After that, we previewed the weekend ahead. With the way this team’s currently playing, it might not be pretty. Toronto’s in Nashville Saturday night before visiting Dallas, one of the best teams in the NHL, on Sunday night. Naturally, we talked about goalie deployment. To be honest, it doesn’t matter who tends the twine with the way this team’s playing. Get the Zamboni driver!

We have two more shows next week – Monday and Tuesday – before we take a mini three-day holiday break (Dec. 24 – 26). Zack Phillips will be in as co-host for Jay Rosehill on the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Be sure to join us for a full recap of this weekend’s festivities. There will be some takes —that’s for sure.

You can subscribe to TheLeafsNation (TLN) YouTube channel HERE. Additionally, we’re available in podcast form, too —wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re at it, be sure to leave us a 5-star review!

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/joe...troubling-time-for-toronto-leafs-morning-take

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Leafs lineup news: Woll to start vs. Predators, power play units will change

Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll will start Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators, head coach Craig Berube confirmed to travelling reporters.

Woll has posted a 5-3-1 record with a .927 save percentage this season. Dennis Hildeby will operate as Woll’s backup.

Berube also reiterated that Anthony Stolarz will see a specialist for an upper-body injury sustained on November 11.

There will be changes to Saturday’s lineup, but Berube didn’t specify which players may be coming out. Berube stated that he will be changing his power play units, but did not provide specific details. Toronto has slumped to a 14.1 percent success rate on the power play, the 31st-best total in the league, only ahead of the Calgary Flames. Berube criticized the power play specifically following Thursday’s 4-0 loss to the Washington Capitals.

“We had power play opportunities, the power play was not good, it’s gotta be a lot better. To me, they played with more passion than we did tonight. That’s what it boils down to. It looked to be like they had way more urgency in their game, way more passion in their game, that’s the difference.”

Matias Maccelli could potentially re-enter lineup, although based on Friday’s practice lines, he appears to be in line to be a healthy scratch again. Maccelli hasn’t played through December and Berube indicated that he’s aiming to get the winger back into the lineup shortly.

Berube also stated that the top line of Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews and William Nylander weren’t close to being good enough, following Thursday’s loss. Matthews and Nylander did not record a shot at 5-on-5, and their struggles have been magnified throughout December. Nylander hasn’t scored since November 26 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’ll be interesting to see whether Berube splits up Matthews and Nylander, or separates Matthews from Knies, a pairing that has been stapled together.

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER​

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/tor...t-nashville-predators-power-play-units-change

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Instant Reaction: Maple Leafs creep closer to rock bottom with 5-3 loss to Predators

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t hit rock bottom, but they’re certainly getting closer by the day.

After a great opening period in Nashville, Craig Berube’s team blew two leads against the Predators, and couldn’t claw their way back late. Yes, they seemed much more engaged and showed up on time. Yes, Craig Berube made changes throughout the lineup, and early on, it worked. Unfortunately, it didn’t persist for a full 60 minutes, and Leafs Nation is reminded there’s no morale victories in sports. It’s a business, and the organization has serious business decisions to consider right now.

It’s a tough place to be when the few Leafs’ positives start with the return of Matias Maccelli. The shifty winger finally made his way back into Berube’s lineup, his first game since November 28. Maccelli was engaged in all three zones and showed off some great chemistry with William Nylander and John Tavares. Maccelli has not been consistent at all as a Leaf, and a big part of that is he’s facilitating too much, and isn’t shooting the puck or making himself a threat offensively. That wasn’t the case against the Preds and he should be back in the lineup Sunday against the Dallas Stars.

The first period overall for the Maple Leafs was very positive. Berube put the lines in a blender as all four were different from the dismal effort Thursday night in Washington. Toronto came out with some urgency, they played with speed, and they had a totally different flow to their game. Unfortunately, that was only the first 20 minutes. Nick Robertson and Easton Cowan had strong games, Calle Jarnkrok looked out of place.

Joseph Woll had a so-so game and while he had no chance on the first goal, Nashville’s second goal was a stinker. Predators defenceman Adam Wilsby scored his first goal of the season in the dying seconds of the second period on a very weak wrister that snuck underneath Woll’s blocker side. It tied the game at two and frankly, it was deflating to a team that needs every ounce of momentum possible at the moment.

The Preds’ third goal was an unbelievable solo effort from Luke Evangelista, and a terrible effort by Morgan Rielly. While there’s a lot of speculation about Craig Berube’s future, Rielly’s someone to keep an eye on after the holiday roster freeze. These kinds of plays have happened much too often lately:

Evangelista gives Nashville the lead

: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/flFdLvChLJ

— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) December 21, 2025

The Maple Leafs are a mess. With the holiday freeze, all eyes are on the Maple Leafs’ bench. Tis’ the season for holiday cheer, it’s too bad this hockey team isn’t giving anyone much to cheer about these days.

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Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/ins...-leafs-closer-rock-bottom-nashville-predators

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Craig Berube laments ‘avoidable’ goals against in Maple Leafs’ loss to Predators

The Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the Nashville Predators for three losses in their past four games, further increasing the temperature surrounding the market in what’s been a season well below expectations so far.

The Leafs were close to heading into the third period with a 2-1 lead but allowed a goal in the final minute of the second, before the Predators took care of business in the final frame. Head coach Craig Berube said that he liked his team’s overall effort level more than previous nights but said that the goals against stemmed from avoidable mistakes.

“The late goal we gave up in the second was avoidable, the third goal was avoidable,” Berube told reporters postgame. “I thought our team did a lot of things better tonight, with the puck, I thought that we advanced the puck out of our zone, through the neutral zone. I think our decision making has got to be better in getting over the red line.”

Berube continued by saying that he felt the Leafs have been forcing too many plays lately.

“If there’s plays to be made, make them,” Berube continued. “If not, I thought we kind of forced things there too much. But again, you know, a lot of good things. We didn’t finish enough on some of our opportunities. And like I said, the goals they got were mistakes.”

Despite the slump the Leafs are in right now and the seemingly low mood around the team, Berube said that he doesn’t have any problems when it comes to motivating his team.

“I don’t have an issue with motivating the team, looking at things and correcting them and being positive at the same time, that’s my job,” he said. “So it’s not difficult for me, but like I said, we’ve got a game tomorrow, so we’ve got to clean things up and go play a real good team.”

Berube didn’t specify any lineup changes but indicated that there would be some shuffling since the Leafs have three fresh bodies who sat on Saturday night. The Maple Leafs will travel to Dallas to face the Stars on Sunday night.

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER​

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/cra...idable-goals-against-toronto-maple-leafs-loss

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Instant Reaction: Maple Leafs’ best effort of past two weeks results in 5-1 loss

If it rings true that an NHL season is full of peaks and valleys, the Toronto Maple Leafs are currently at the lowest of the valleys. They lost their third game in four nights with a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Stars, and the saddest part is that it was their best effort in weeks.

The Leafs showing up to the rink and getting massacred on the shot clock has become routine for the struggling franchise, even in the games they win. On Sunday night, the Leafs controlled possession for large portions of the game and actually ended up outshooting the Stars 28-20. Unfortunately, they didn’t get the timely save from their goaltender and happened to run into one who was making all of them. Jake Oettinger kept the Stars in the game all night and helped them survive the Leafs’ momentum bursts, paving the way for their skaters to get the job done.

The game was held to a 1-0 Stars lead until the third period before the Stars extended it. Scott Laughton scored a goal right after a penalty kill to give the Leafs a morsel of live, but the Stars continued to get shots on net and it ended up in an immediate insurance goal. Typically this isn’t the type of game that would rub fans the wrong way – they played well overall and simply ran into a strong performance from a hot goalie on a good team. But the Leafs have played so poorly for the better part of the season that moral victories won’t cut it anymore.

They have one more game before Christmas, at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins, before the team will head home for a much-needed reset. It’s reached the point of the season where you should probably keep your eyes peeled for a change of some sort, probably behind the bench if anything. Even if you think this isn’t Berube’s fault, the string of performances lately seems to indicate that the team’s system is no longer working for the Maple Leafs, and it’s going to be interesting to see how much longer Brad Treliving and/or Keith Pelley tolerate it.

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Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/instant-reaction-toronto-maple-leafs-best-effort-two-weeks-loss

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

David Pagnotta says a coaching change isn’t imminent in Toronto: Leafs Morning Take

It might not be a very Merry Christmas for Craig Berube.

That’s because the lifeless Maple Leafs could be well on their way to getting another coach fired. Even though David Pagnotta – our guest – poured cold water on anything being imminent, it really feels like the noise is hitting a fever pitch. Everyone’s waiting for the shoe to drop.

At any rate, Zack Phillips subbed in for Jay Rosehill as co-host on the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take. On the heels of two more losses, we offered up a vibe check as the Leafs prepare for their final game before the three-day holiday break. Where do they go from here? That’s the big question as the losses continue to pile and they fall further and further behind. Undoubtedly, Brad Treliving and the higher ups have some big decisions to make here.

Even though they lost both games this weekend, the effort was better, which is ridiculous to even comment on in the first place because it should always be there. That said, we aren’t moral victory guys. They pissed away the game in Nashville, and despite outplaying Dallas, they got caved at the most important time of the game. At this point in the season, they can’t afford to drop consecutive games. On top of that, had it not been for a crazy final 10 minutes against Chicago, this three game losing skid could easily have been four. Bottom line: Craig Berube is not getting a response from his players. This team’s on life support. Meantime, yes, we discussed the power play a bit, too. After going 0-for-5 over the weekend, Toronto’s now 12-for-90 on the season. They made drastic changes to their two units. We’ll see how long that lasts. It’s incredible to us that Marc Savard still has the key to that operation.

After that, NHL Insider David Pagnotta stopped by. We wasted no time talking about a potential coaching change. Right now, Pagnotta says nothing’s imminent on that front. In our conversation, Pagnotta also disclosed what he’s hearing Pete DeBoer, widely regarded as the top coach available, is potentially looking for in his next job. For what it’s worth, Pagnotta doesn’t think Toronto would be a fit. Naturally, we spent a good chunk of the conversation talking about the underperforming players. In Dave’s opinion, Morgan Rielly should be the guy they try to deal. Ultimately, that morphed into a bigger conversation about Brad Treliving. According to Dave, his job sounds like it’s safe right now, too. Translation: This team is screwed.

Jay Rosehill will be back in the mix for the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Join us as we preview the matinee affair with Pittsburgh. Also, Kevin McGran from The Toronto Star will stop by to promote his new book plus weigh in on this disaster.

You can subscribe to TheLeafsNation (TLN) YouTube channel HERE. Additionally, we’re available in podcast form, too —wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re at it, be sure to leave us a 5-star review!

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/dav...e-isnt-imminent-in-toronto-leafs-morning-take

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Marc Savard’s firing buys Leafs time for next major institutional change

With an increasing demand for a major institutional change following a road trip from hell, the Toronto Maple Leafs met the challenge in the middle, firing assistant Marc Savard on Monday evening. There was merit to his dismissal, as Savard was responsible for the Leafs’ last-ranked power play, converting at a dismal 13.3 percent clip. It also seems like the Maple Leafs are buying time for their next seismic move, although the holiday roster freeze certainly doesn’t apply to the managerial and executive branches.

Toronto’s power play struggled immensely this season, starting out with a four-forward format with Morgan Rielly operating as the quarterback, before reverting back to a five-forward group that caught fire during the second half of the 2024-25 campaign. This unit didn’t work either. The entries were characterized by a disorganized drop pass at centre ice, which allowed the opponent’s base defence to get set and swat pucks easily at the blue line. When the Leafs started with an offensive zone faceoff, it took too long to get quality shots to the net, with indecision and flaccid puck movement ruling the day. And with the fan base almost universally demanding a move, heading into Christmas, Savard was an easy candidate for dismissal.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Maple Leafs aren’t seeking an external candidate to take over Savard’s role, and will promote from within, or of course, Berube oversees the struggling power play. It appears that the Maple Leafs are biding their time when considering the direction of the franchise, and while Brad Treliving extended a vote of confidence to head coach Craig Berube on November 18, it certainly didn’t apply to the rest of the staff. David Pagnotta reported on Monday’s edition of the Leafs Morning Take that the Leafs aren’t considering replacing Berube imminently, although that could change if the team continues on their losing streak.

It’s an interesting choice, and to many, it could represent a half-measure. It certainly appears to be a warning, as my Leafs Morning Take comrades argued, that the team’s current form is intolerable. Keith Pelley certainly can’t be pleased with the on-ice product, but he may also be keenly aware not to be viewed as an impatient tyrant that tears down the infrastructure at the first (or second, or third) sign of tumult.

Toronto hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins for a Tuesday afternoon game before a three-day hiatus. And if the Leafs aren’t galvanized by Savard’s firing, the crowd could get hostile, or worse, apathetic to the team’s current form. Pelley certainly has to be mulling his options, and Monday’s move could be viewed as a half-measure, or a precursor to further institutional change.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/mar...o-maple-leafs-next-major-institutional-change

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Maple Leafs activate Chris Tanev from injured reserve, will play vs. Penguins on Tuesday

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced on Tuesday that they have activated defenceman Chris Tanev from the injured reserve, and he will play against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

Head coach Craig Berube confirmed the news when speaking to the media on Tuesday.

“Tanev is in,” Berube said.

The return of Tanev couldn’t come at a better (or worse) time for the Leafs. They have lost five of their last six games, they just fired their power play coach after their performance with the man advantage dropped to dead last in the NHL, and they currently sit at the bottom of the Atlantic Division. For much of the past two months, the Leafs have been without Tanev, who got hurt against the Philadelphia Flyers on November 1. Head coach Craig Berube confirmed pregame on Tuesday that Tanev will be back in the lineup for their game against the Penguins.

Berube was then asked what helped them come to that decision, to which he replied that he referred to their conversations with team doctors, but said that in the end it was Tanev’s call.

“Doctors, communicating with him, but ultimately it comes down to his decision.”

Tanev has been hurt twice this season. The first one came after an awkward collision with Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils, and the second came in his return to the lineup only ten days later. He collided with Flyers forward Matvei Michkov and the injury kept him out of the lineup for the next seven weeks.

Tanev’s injury was the first domino to fall in a season that’s seen many key players miss time with injuries. The veteran defensive stalwart has two assists in eight games on the season, but it’s his impact on the defensive side of the puck that has been sorely missed more than anything else.

The Leafs will look to get some sort of positive momentum swinging in their favour when they look to get two points against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday afternoon.

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER​

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-activate-chris-tanev-injured-reserve-penguins

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Instant Reaction: Maple Leafs choose holiday cheer over festivus with pre-Christmas win vs. Penguins

The Toronto Maple Leafs showed up with a chip on their shoulder a day after the team fired power play coach Marc Savard, snapping their three-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

William Nylander, who needed a big night perhaps more than anybody, finished the night with four points – two goals and two assists, while Matias Maccelli continued to make an impact after scoring in his second game back in the lineup. While the Leafs originally had a 3-1 lead and let the Penguins crawl back into the game to make it 3-3, Max Domi scored a beauty of a game-winning goal that left most fans scratching their head, wondering why he doesn’t do this every night.

MAX DOMI COAST TO COAST!!!@OREO | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/BZlnhjUe1L

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 23, 2025

Joseph Woll was sturdy in net and gave the Leafs all the opportunity to win with a 28-save performance on 31 shots, while Steven Lorentz and Bobby McMann (empty net) rounded out the scoring for the Maple Leafs.

While the Leafs didn’t exactly get a chance to showcase their first power play without Marc Savard, there wasn’t much of a sample size to look for. Penguins defenceman Erik Karlsson was called for tripping on the first penalty of the game in the third period, which was then cancelled out by a Matias Maccelli slashing call. Moments after the team took to the ice for 4-on-4, Penguins forward Ben Kindel slashed Nylander on a breakaway opportunity which sent the Leafs back to the power play. Domi went on to score only seconds after the penalty ended.

While this win certainly can’t be seen as any indication that things are on the way up, this Leafs team needs any kind of positive momentum they can get. They will now get three days off to enjoy Christmas with their loved ones before getting back at it on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators.

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER​

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/ins...le-leafs-holiday-cheer-festivus-christmas-win

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Top Leafs stories of 2025 – When Craig Berube broke down Maple Leafs’ Game 7 loss to Panthers

DISCLAIMER: The ‘top stories’ are simply ranked based on how much traffic they garnered for our site over the past calendar year. This is not an opinionated Top 10.

Many of the stories that made up our most viewed articles of 2025 included some variation of trades (no surprise) free agency (no surprise) and postmortems after another playoff loss (again, no surprise). This article falls into the latter category.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were up 2-0 on the Florida Panthers in their series and had them down 3-1 halfway through Game 3. From that point on, it felt like a lost series. The Leafs lost three games in a row after going up 2-0 in the series, and while they clawed their way to a Game 6 victory on the road, they may as well not have shown up to the rink for their 6-1 shellacking at the hands of the Panthers in Game 7.

We covered Craig Berube’s press conference at the end-of-season media availability, and when asked about what went wrong in Game 7, he kept pointing to the loss of structure. Below is an excerpt from the article of what Berube said.

“The last couple of days, there’s a lot of things that go through your mind for these big games,” Berube said. “You may not have your A-game in these games, but what you have to rely on is your structure. When I look at these games and I look at the situations that hurt us, we lost our structure. Structure is very important, and if you don’t lose your structure, you can get through without your A game.”

While it didn’t make fans feel any better, the struggles from May seem like a walk in the park compared to the turmoil the Leafs organization has found themselves in to start the 2025-26 season. Obviously, that’s not something any fan cares to hear about at the time, but the way the Leafs have played so far in 2025-26, they should feel lucky that they even got to Game 7 of the second round in 2024-25.

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER​

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/top-toronto-maple-leafs-stories-2025-craig-berube-broke-loss

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

William Nylander says Maple Leafs’ improvement at generating chances paid off in win vs. Penguins

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander feels that his team’s 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins was just what the doctor ordered.

With the fan base on edge and people’s jobs hanging in the balance, the Leafs played with a chip on their shoulders and were able to get the bounces in their favour. Nylander led the way with four points on the afternoon, including his first two goals of December after going 11 games without a tally.

He told reporters after the game that it’s a performance they can build off of when the holiday break concludes on Saturday.

“I think it was a nice way to head into the break,” he said. “The past couple of games, I think we have done a better job generating chances, but haven’t been able to score. So it’s nice that that happened tonight.”

There was an air of heaviness going into the game as the team was a day removed from having fired Marc Savard, the man in charge of the Leafs’ power-play that was ranked dead-last at the time of his dismissal. While they were once again unable to find the back of the net in this one, they did get plenty of good looks during a crucial stretch of the contest that the Leafs were ultimately able to prevail.

“Obviously, he was a great guy and sad to see him go,” Nylander said of Savard. “But I mean, we’ve been struggling. So I guess that’s the first step to make a change that will work for the team.”

Nylander had been fighting through it over the past few weeks, so much so that even he was at a loss for words about the Leafs’ struggles. It would have been easy for him to let the frustration of the setbacks seep into his game, but he played with authority off the hop and was able to get plenty of quality looks that had been difficult to come by before this contest.

There is still lots of work for Nylander and the Leafs to do if they wish to make it 10 straight playoff appearances, but having the good vibes going into Christmas is never a bad thing.

“Taking pucks to the net more than anything,” head coach Craig Berube said on what stood out about Nylander’s play. “Getting open, driving to the net. That line makes a lot of plays, which is good to see.”

Nylander will look to build off his dominant showing on Saturday when the Leafs take on the Ottawa Senators, with puck drop set for 7 p.m. EST.

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER​

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/wil...leafs-improvement-generating-chances-paid-off

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Top Leafs stories of 2025 – When Brad Marchand went to bat for Leafs after defeating them in playoffs

DISCLAIMER: The ‘top stories’ are simply ranked based on how much traffic they garnered for our site over the past calendar year. This is not an opinionated Top 10.

Brad Marchand’s day job is to play hockey in the NHL. His second job is to torment the Toronto Maple Leafs. And his third job is to stand up for them, even after beating them.

Marchand has been a Leaf-killer for as long as one can remember. He’s beaten them in the playoffs four times as a member of the Boston Bruins and once as a Florida Panther, which was the most recent edition. And yet, he’ll always be the first one to suggest they didn’t deserve to lose, or to say the media is too tough on them. It’s a weird dynamic that leaves you wondering if Marchand is being genuine or if he’s just basking in the joy of knowing he owns a franchise. Probably a little bit of both.

At any rate, one of our top stories from 2025 involved one of these efforts by Marchand to defend a longtime rival of his. Below is an excerpt from the article of what he said when asked about their performance in the playoffs after defeating them in the second round.

“I think if you look at the heat this team catches, it’s actually really unfortunate,” Marchand said. “They’ve been working at building something really big here for awhile, and they were a different brand of hockey this year, and they’re getting crucified, and I don’t think it’s justified just because they weren’t able to do it. We’re a really good and deep team too, and that’s how things go sometimes.”

“It’s actually really unfortunate” is a rich thing to say when you’re one of the biggest leaders of the Leaf-killer march, but it’s also hard to disagree with his point. Mostly the part about the Panthers being a really good team, as well. After all, they’ve won two Stanley Cups in a row.

The Maple Leafs will likely have to go through Marchand again if they make the playoffs, so it’s very possible we could be recycling this piece sometime in May 2026.

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER​

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/top-toronto-maple-leafs-stories-2025-marchand-bat-defeating-playoffs

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

The Leafs Nation’s staff roundtable: How the Maple Leafs can turn their season around

The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing a major crisis with the 2025-26 season having gone off to a disastrous start.

The team has struggled to string together consistently strong results, the star players are failing to produce, the power play has been a disaster, and the coaching staff is seemingly out of answers for how to turn things around. There also appears to be a glaring disconnect between the coaches and the players, which brings into question the futures of Craig Berube and Brad Treliving in Toronto.

That’s why The Leafs Nation team came together to do a roundtable discussing the struggles of the team and what needs to be done to salvage the season. Without further delay, let’s get into the roundtable!

What do you think is the biggest reason for the Leafs’ struggles this season?

Arun Srinivasan, managing editor: There’s a disconnect between the star players and Craig Berube’s system, and no one wants to take accountability for it. Auston Matthews and William Nylander have been reduced to shells of themselves, while playing in a system predicated on puck retrieval and sustaining the cycle. And of course, the Maple Leafs can’t stop anyone off the rush. There has to be a better marriage of tactics and personnel.

Alex Hobson, associate editor: I think it’s everything combined. If Matthews was anything close to his 2023-24 form instead of on pace for a 60-point season, the Leafs are probably better. If the roster is better-constructed, the Leafs are probably better. If Berube’s dump-and-chase system was even remotely working for the Leafs, they’re probably better. It’s a perfect storm.

Michael Mazzei, writer and social media coordinator: There are a lot of things wrong with the Leafs this season, but the biggest one to me is their flawed system that does not get the most out of the players. Craig Berube’s north-south hockey may be simple in premise, but it is quite taxing on the players and it has had a major impact on the overall offensive production which can be a lot better. It’s no wonder we’re seeing a disconnect between the coaches and the players right now.

Jon Steitzer, editor: There are so many reasons why the Maple Leafs are struggling and because there are so many, the biggest reason is that Brad Treliving just can’t cut it as GM. Don’t get me wrong, the Tavares and Knies contracts are great, but the Maple Leafs giving up a potential top ten pick for Brandon Carlo is a fireable offence before you even start talking about his mishandling of the Marner situation, and how the uninspired hiring of Craig Berube is biting the team on the ass. A lot of work needs to be done to fix things and if MLSE leaves Treliving in charge of that, this team is doomed.

Dylan Nazareth, writer: It feels like there’s a disconnect between the players and the coaching. You hardly hear the team reiterate their faith in Berube anymore, and it’s become clear there’s just not the necessary buy-in to his style of play and systems right now.

Do you place the blame squarely on the players, coaches, management or all of the above?

Srinivasan: It’s primarily on the players, but all parties should take blame. Berube’s pedagogy is being met with disinterest, Matthews, Nylander and the core are eschewing responsibility, while Treliving may have taken the wrong lessons from the Florida Panthers. This is a combination of elements failing together in concert.

Hobson: Again, it’s probably a 33% split across the board for who to blame. The top players haven’t been anywhere close to good enough lately, the depth has been streaky at best, the coach hasn’t made any effort to change things up and the general manager seems hellbent on letting this group figure it out.

Mazzei: Everyone has to take blame for the mess the team is in since it’s not just one thing that is holding this year’s version of the club back. The players are not performing up to standards, the coaches are not doing their jobs, and the general manager has not been able to build a strong enough roster and make the upgrades in-season.

Steitzer: It has to be all of the above. This is Brad Treliving’s mess, but Berube has done more harm than good as coach, and most of the roster has underperformed.

Nazareth: All of the above. The lack of effort from the team overall is apparent on the ice, but it feels like the coaching has also removed some of the spark that once made this core so great. And part of that also comes from management not bringing in the right type of players in the summer to keep Toronto’s offence pumping this season.

If the Leafs decide to make a coaching change, who do you think should replace Craig Berube?

Srinivasan: I’m going off the board and suggesting David Carle. Carle has displayed no indication that he wants to leave his current job, but he’s considered one of the sharpest minds in the NCAA, and may be able to connect with the core in a way that Berube, Sheldon Keefe and Mike Babcock couldn’t. I’m also against the ’40 hockey men for 32 hockey jobs’ line of thinking, and Denver’s head coach could provide the team with some much-needed life and creative thinking.

Hobson: I’m on team Bruce Boudreau all the way. Maybe not as a permanent replacement, but you’ve got an offensive-minded guy who is from Toronto and has expressed a desire to coach this team in the past. If nothing else, the vibes should rise with Boudreau at the helm, and at bare minimum improve the mood of the room for the rest of the year.

Mazzei: I am with the popular consensus in clamouring for Pete DeBoer. Beyond the fact that this is a coach who has had tons of success in the playoffs, including his perfect record in Game 7s, his coaching style should be a better fit for what the Leafs have at their disposal. He is easily the best free agent coach available, and I would imagine he would welcome the challenge of trying to turn the Leafs’ season around.

Steitzer: I’d look at John Gruden from the Marlies as the interim option. I never liked the hiring of Derek Lalonde as an assistant and don’t think Lalonde has the potential to lose the interim tag like Gruden could. Ultimately the Maple Leafs should look at who is available right after the season and make their decision at that time. I’m not convinced Pete DeBoer is the answer but if he’s the best available in April, I’ll change my mind.

Nazareth: I like the DeBoer pick, if only for the Game 7 record.

Beyond coaching, what other changes do you think the Leafs should make in-season?

Srinivasan: The team needs to find a new voice behind the bench, and then go from there. Treliving could be dismissed in the offseason, and the next head coach and general manager need to articulate their shared vision to the fan base. Brendan Shanahan earmarked Treliving for his job, stating that the general manager needed prior experience. It hasn’t served the Maple Leafs well. If Toronto can recoup a first-round pick at the deadline for a useful veteran player, that would count as a success.

Hobson: I don’t think there’s a change they really can make that will fix everything at once. Treliving probably has to go, but I don’t see them making that move until the offseason. But, if that’s the case, do you trust him to make moves throughout the rest of the season? If the Leafs are out of a playoff spot, you’d hope they sell off some pieces to try and get assets back, but do you want Treliving being in charge of that?

Mazzei: While I would prefer that they also move on from Treliving, my guess is the Leafs will give him one more chance with a different coach to see if that’s enough to keep him beyond this season. And with the pressure on him to deliver, he will address one key area of weakness for this Leafs team: adding a top-six forward. It won’t be easy to pull off given their limited assets, but it could unlock another gear in this team that isn’t completely out of it.

Steitzer: Getting rid of Treliving should be the priority as the Leafs shouldn’t have any confidence in his ability to pick the next coach or to navigate the trade deadline on their behalf. Roster wise, now is the time to cash out on Ekman-Larsson’s strong season, move a goaltender, and sell on anyone not named Matthews, Knies, Tavares, Cowan or Nylander.

Nazareth: I’d like to see them at least look into trading a big piece. The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have much to offer in terms of picks, depth pieces, or prospects, but they are top loaded with talent both offensively and in between the pipes. At this point, a coaching change doesn’t seem like it’ll be enough, and a major shakeup is needed, but only if they can secure a big return like the Canucks did with Quinn Hughes.

How confident are you that the Leafs can salvage their season if they stay the course?

Srinivasan: 5/10. I’ve usually operated with tremendous faith in Matthews, Nylander and the offensive corps, but there’s too much ground to be made up ahead of Christmas. They’ll fight to the end, but the Maple Leafs are likely going to miss the playoffs for the first time in the Matthews era.

Hobson: I would put it at a 5 right now. With the amount of talented players the Leafs have, I don’t think they will ever be truly bad enough to finish bottom five and retain their first round pick. They don’t want Boston to get a good pick, so I think they’re going to stay the course and try to make the playoffs. Whether or not they’ll have enough success is up in the air. This team has shown me nothing to indicate that now, but they also have a unique talent of bringing you back when it seems all hope is lost.

Mazzei: I am not confident in the Leafs’ ability to turn things around by keeping things the way they are. Their recent firing of Marc Savard did address a problem, but not the main reason why they are struggling. My faith in the Leafs’ ability to salvage things rests on more significant changes, which start with the coaching staff.

Steitzer: There is enough talent on this team and enough parity in the league that anything could happen but given that the only thing that matters is the Stanley Cup, I have zero confidence that this group gets close to being in serious contention. With the opportunity to retain salary three times and plenty of free agents with at least modest value, the Leafs can make use of this season as a way to retool for next year.

Nazareth: 3/10, I haven’t seen any indication that things will turn around without major changes, as they continue to follow poor efforts with poor efforts.

PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER​

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.

Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/the...le-how-toronto-maple-leafs-turn-season-around

 

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Top Leafs stories of 2025 – When people actually thought Brad Marchand might sign with the Leafs

DISCLAIMER: The ‘top stories’ are simply ranked based on how much traffic they garnered for our site over the past calendar year. This is not an opinionated Top 10.

Brad Marchand has made a solid career for himself since entering the NHL, first as an established point producer and longtime Boston Bruin, and second as a staunch torcher of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Machand has beaten the Leafs in the playoffs on five separate occasions, first in 2013 followed by 2018, 2019, 2024, and 2025. The first four came with the Bruins, and the most recent was following a fitting trade to the new generation Leafs kryptonite, the Florida Panthers.

The relationship between Maple Leafs fans and Marchand has been a roller coaster. Once rooted in pure hatred from the Leafs fans’ side of things, Marchand has softened his opinion on the Leafs in recent years and has been known to go to bat for them in the media, despite seemingly always being on the side of the team eliminating them. It hit a boiling point following the 2024-25 playoffs when the Maple Leafs were considered by some insiders to be one of the teams in contention to sign Marchand. One of these insiders was Nick Kypreos, who joined Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill and expressed strong belief that the Leafs would land the veteran pest.

Below is a Kypreos quote in an excerpt from the article we wrote about it at the time, which was one of our most clicked pieces in 2025.

“He’s the first one to say ‘I was underpaid in Boston, and I’m going to go out there and make it up right now!’ There’s no team on the planet right now that can satisfy the lost income he had probably on the last 3-4 years of his Boston Bruins deal, than the Toronto Maple Leafs. I don’t know how he doesn’t end up as a Maple Leaf, let me put it to you that way,” Kypreos said of Marchand.

Of course, Marchand didn’t go the route of seeking a blank check and opted to return to the Panthers on a relatively cheap contract for what he’s able to bring. For at least the next three years, the Leafs will continue to be in regular battle against Marchand as he concludes his career in the Atlantic Division.

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Source: https://theleafsnation.com/news/top...es-2025-people-actually-thought-marchand-sign