As they head out west for a four-game trip through Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton before the Olympic break, the Maple Leafs will do so full eight points out of both third place in the division and the second Eastern Conference wild card. In what world could you convince anyone that the Leafs will rally to earn a playoff berth?
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Done like dinner.
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Fitting that Tiger Williams was in Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night, there to honour the 50th anniversary of Darryl Sittler’s 10-point game, as the Maple Leafs fell apart against the Buffalo Sabres.
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That infamous Williams quote applies to the 2025-26 Leafs.
Oh, the Leafs still have hockey games remaining, 29 in total, before the final horn goes in Game 82 in Ottawa against the Senators on April 15.
The home stand from hell — a crisp 0-4-1 — ended with a 7-4 loss against the Sabres, a game that several Leafs referred to as “huge” in the morning only to come up small, as they have more often than not recently, in what should have been a tight Atlantic Division tilt.
A harsh reality
It was a nightmarish night for the Leafs in regard to the standings, with Montreal and Boston both winning in overtime.
As they head out west on Wednesday for a four-game trip through Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton before the Olympic break, the Leafs will do so full eight points out of both third place in the division and the second Eastern Conference wild card.
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In what world could you convince anyone that the Leafs will rally to earn a playoff berth?
Read what coach Craig Berube had to say after yet another demoralizing loss after he was asked about the Leafs’ team identity: “I think our identity is, well, the way I look at it is, we look at scoring as everything. And it’s not everything. You’re not going to consistently win in this league by focusing on just scoring goals, you have to play the full rink. Right now, we’re not doing a good-enough job without the puck.”
This is after Game 53. The Leafs have allowed 132 goals at five-on-five, most in the National Hockey League.
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The Leafs’ identity is that they’re a bad defensive outfit. And with the way Joseph Woll has been playing lately, the Leafs certainly do not have the kind of goaltending required to cover over the warts.
There is no magic wand to be waved, there are no answers coming now. Certainly not the kind to make a massive difference required to make a strong run to a post-season berth.
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Veteran defenceman Morgan Rielly after the game spoke of the desperation the Leafs need to make up ground in the standings. Captain Auston Matthews mentioned it as well.
“I don’t think we’ve had that in our game enough,” Rielly said.
Well, no kidding. But would more desperation really help this group? And how on Earth is it still a talking point as the Leafs sink further in the standings? How many more losses will it take to ensure that more desperation and urgency comes out of the Leafs?
“I think the belief (in the room) is there,” said Matthews, who probably couldn’t convince anyone in Toronto of that right now. “We can’t look any further than what’s in front of us. It’s about the next game against Seattle and making sure we are ready to go and realizing how important these points are.”
An incapable group
Surely the Leafs must realize now how important the points are. There’s just nothing they seem capable of doing about it.
When the focus allegedly is only on the next game, how do the Leafs keep the fact that their place in the standings is getting worse at bay?
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“There’s no really no other choice,” John Tavares said. “Because that’s what is in your control and that’s what’s next. We’re not going to play however many games are (left) in the next few days, we have one game coming up.
“We know we have to be a whole lot better. We didn’t take advantage of the opportunity here at home. It’s in the past now.
“Unfortunately, we are where we are. We have to continue to stay with it, stick together and work through the challenges we’re having.”
Good teams don’t have to talk about sticking together. They just do.
Williams’ quote goes back to the spring of 1977, when the Leafs took a lead in the the first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Williams was right about the Penguins. The Leafs won in three games.
It applies to the Leafs now, no matter what the schedule tells you.
X: @koshtorontosun
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