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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The holiday break is over and the Toronto Maple Leafs return to action on Saturday night when they host the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena. In the Leafs’ final game prior to the break, they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3, a win the team hopes to build on as play resumes.
“It’s definitely nice winning before you go into the break, the guys are feeling good today and you get a little bit of time away and reset, regroup and come back even stronger,” Scott Laughton said. “We have a big stretch coming up against our division, so it’s important to get off on the right foot.”
When the puck drops tonight in Toronto, the game will be a milestone for Laughton as he will be skating in career game 700, a moment that isn’t lost on a player who had to work his way back to the National Hockey League after being sent to the American Hockey League.
“I think back on the start of my career, playing full years in the NHL then going back to the minors, I wasn’t really sure if I was coming back up, so I was thankful for the opportunity to get back to where I am,” Laughton said. “700 games means a lot.”
Over Laughton’s 700 games, the forward has played for both the Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers, recording 112 goals and 162 assists. Laughton has become an NHL mainstay since 2009-10 after being selected in the first round at the 2012 draft.
“I feel very fortunate and grateful to play every day and come to the rink every day in the best league in the world,” Laughton said. “It’s amazing to do this as a job.”
Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke at morning skate on the milestone night for the 31-year-old. Berube was coaching the Flyers when Laughton’s career was just getting started in 2014-15.
“He’s had a really good career, really enjoyed being around him and he’s still going,” Berube said. “It just shows the determination and dedication that he has.”
Another player that will be experiencing a milestone tonight is Laughton’s former teammate and captain Claude Giroux, who will be skating in game 1300 tonight. Giroux was the Flyers’ longest tenured captain in franchise history in 2021. Giroux is in the midst of his fourth season with the Ottawa Senators and even at age 37, continues to put together strong seasons. Through 36 games this season, Giroux has recorded seven goals and 18 assists, good for fifth on the Senators in points.
“He’s a great friend and we were teammates for a really long time,” Laughton said of Giroux. “We spent a lot of hours together throughout the eight years. “He’s a really special player who seems like he hasn’t lost a step, he sees the game so well.”
Puckdrop is set for 7 pm 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.
The Toronto Maple Leafs went into the holiday break on a high note and kept the good times rolling in their first game out of it, taking a 7-5 win over the Ottawa Senators to collect another important two points.
Auston Matthews had his best game in a while, with a goal and two assists, and his line with Max Domi and Bobby McMann contributed five points at even strength. It was a needed performance for the Maple Leafs captain, who had been held without a point in four straight games.
“Nice to get the job done,” Matthews told reporters following the game. “You knew it was going to be a physical game, a fast game, and yeah, you’d like to obviously not get it as tight as it was at the end, but, you know, good on the guys to close the job and get it done.”
The Leafs have scored 13 goals in their past two games, with seven on Saturday and six against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. Matthews said that the team’s improved performance in front of their own net and the opposing team’s net has been a big help.
“I think the power play helps, obviously, and I think just all four lines are playing hard,” Matthews continued. “Winning battles at both net fronts, get into the opposing team’s net and outnumbering guys. And, you know, we’re making plays when there’s plays to be made. And when there’s not I think we’re doing, you know, a pretty good job of taking care of pucks.”
Max Domi followed his two-point effort on Tuesday against Pittsburgh with a three-assist night against the Senators to give him five points in his last two games. He acknowledged the impact his line made tonight but made sure the rest of the team got their credit as well.
“I think we had all four lines going, but Auston was on a mission tonight and Bobby was competing hard,” Domi said. “So, yeah, big goal for sure, but we had everyone going.”
The Maple Leafs improve to 17-15-5 on the season and will have an opportunity to tie the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators rather than occupying sole possession of last in the Atlantic Division. From there, they will be only four points back of third place in the division. If the Maple Leafs want to come out on the better end of the newfound parity in the league, they will need more efforts like this from Matthews and the team around him.
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.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, and will not play in Sunday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, head coach Craig Berube confirmed via David Alter of The Hockey News.
Easton Cowan will re-enter the lineup in Nylander’s no place, with no other lineup changes.
Nylander left Saturday’s game against the Ottawa Senators during the second period and did not return. After the game, Berube confirmed Nylander would make the trip to Detroit, but his status would be re-evaluated.
It’s a tough loss for the Maple Leafs, as Nylander leads the team in scoring with with 14 goals and 41 points in 33 games. Toronto’s star winger left Saturday’s game shortly after this incident:
Nylander was mired in a month-long scoring slump, before exploding against the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 23 with a two-goal, four-point performance.
It’s just not going in, that’s the way it is. I don’t know if I’ve felt like this before, or had a stretch like this. I’m not sure, I don’t feel like I’ve had that in the NHL, at least,” Nylander said following a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on December 21.
Cowan is now afforded another chance to remain in the lineup, and he’s been one of the Leafs’ most impactful players during his rookie season. The 20-year-old has posted four goals and 11 points in 26 games. Cowan was rendered a healthy scratch for the Maple Leafs’ past three games, a decision that drew criticism from fans and analysts alike.
“The conversations with him (have been) we won last game, just be patient,” Berube said of Cowan, prior to Saturday’s game. “But we definitely do not want him sitting out too long. That’s not good for his growth. I think he helps us. I think he’s a good player and he’s only gonna get better.”
Toronto will look to continue its winning streak, against an Atlantic-leading Detroit side, powered by star defenceman Moritz Seider.
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.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are at a point in their season where there doesn’t feel like there’s any leeway with any losses. Perhaps at the start of the year, when they were coasting through their annual October blues, but those October blues have stuck around through November and well into December, so when they lose a game lately, it’s harder and harder to justify them.
That said, Sunday night’s loss to the Red Wings wasn’t the type of game that produced spicy soundbites from the postgame. In fact, head coach Craig Berube kept a positive attitude towards what he’s seen from his team lately.
“It was a hard-fought game, I liked a lot of our game tonight,” Berube told reporters following the game. “The guys competed hard, it was a good game both ways. The goalie was good. There was a lot of good. We could have executed on a couple plays better.”
After a couple of games that involved trading goals with the opponent and a much higher-octane pace, Sunday’s game against the Red Wings was a much tighter, defensively approached outing. Berube says that he’s happy with his team picking up five of six points and stressed that the process has been much better lately.
“It’s good, this game was a hard-fought game, Detroit played well, too.” Berube continued. “I thought our first period and most of the second, in the last five minutes of the second they started to push a little bit, and we turned pucks over and couldn’t get out of our zone. Other than that, it was a good game.”
The Maple Leafs will host former head coach Sheldon Keefe and the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday for their final game of 2025 before opening the calendar year with a date against the Winnipeg Jets. Berube is confident that if the Leafs continue to bring the efforts they have lately to every game, things will start to look a lot better for them.
“I thought our guys came in with the right attitude in the back-t0-back games. They competed hard and worked. There were a lot of good things, but we fell short by one point.”
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.
Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Marshall Rifai has cleared waivers and will report to the Toronto Marlies, according to multiple sources.
Rifai is working his way back from wrist surgery that has kept him sidelined for the entire season to date, and was placed on waivers on Sunday in order to report back to the American Hockey League. The 27-year-old defenceman has played in one game for the Marlies this season and had 13 points in 63 games for the AHL squad in 2024-25.
Rifai has been under contract in the Maple Leafs’ organization since 2022-23 but has never really gotten a shot in the NHL, with two games of action in 2023-24 and nothing since then. In those two games, however, he was sturdy and didn’t draw any attention to his game, which is always key in evaluating a rookie NHL defenceman.
The Maple Leafs originally signed Rifai to a two-year extension worth $775,000 annually back in July 2024, which has him under contract until the end of the 2026-27 season. With the amount of injuries the Maple Leafs have seen pile up both up front and on the defensive corps, Rifai could be one of the next people who gets a look under head coach Craig Berube. Rifai’s game has always been centred around low-event, physical hockey, which fits right in with what Berube looks for, specifically from his defencemen.
The Quebec native has been involved in some fireworks in the Leafs organization already, going back to last preseason when he fought Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky after throwing a hit that injured Canadiens prospect David Reinbacher. For the time being, he will report to the Marlies and get some games under his belt as he continues to work towards a chance from Treliving and Berube.
The Maple Leafs will play their last game of the calendar year when they host the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
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.
