It’s been a really strange week for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and David Alter has wasted no time in digging into it.
Things were looking promising when they returned from their four-game road trip. Fresh off a victory against the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto looked primed to lean into their strong home record while trying to hunt down a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Maybe it was the gravity of the opponents they have been facing, or perhaps it’s the fatigue of the schedule. But for whatever reason, the Leafs are starting to resemble the club that struggled at the end of last month—the one that fired their assistant coach in an effort to wake everybody up. During their week at home, they put up losses against a strong Detroit Red Wings team. The club looked inferior against the Vegas Golden Knights in Mitch Marner’s first game against Toronto since his departure. They also looked incredibly flat in an afternoon game against the league-best Colorado Avalanche.
Adding to the chaos, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube required 50 stitches and suffered a couple of black eyes following a gym accident. Meanwhile, William Nylander—who has missed the last five games with a recurring groin injury—decided it was a good idea to gesture with his middle finger toward a camera during a TSN broadcast. He later took to Instagram to apologize, calling it a “moment of frustration,” but the optics remain poor for a team that simply looks bad right now.
The struggles extended to the crease as well. Anthony Stolarz made his return in net against the Golden Knights after a 73-day layoff due to a nerve issue. It was a surprising start, given the player had just been sent down to the Marlies on a conditioning assignment. Stolarz looked rusty, making 25 saves on 30 shots in a 6-3 loss. While the loss wasn’t entirely on him, Berube noted that they “need to get him going,” suggesting the Leafs don’t yet feel they have a reliable goaltending tandem.
The Leafs have now lost four in a row. As of this writing, they have fallen five points out of a playoff spot with two teams to leapfrog in the standings. According to NHL EDGE, the league’s official keeper of advanced tracking data, the Leafs rank dead last in offensive zone time this season. There is little to suggest that Toronto’s poor position is merely a result of bad luck, and no underlying numbers suggest that things will improve on their own.
Throughout the season, management has resisted “throwing in the towel”. Reports indicate Toronto has been involved in every conversation to land big names currently on the trade block. The problem, however, is that the Leafs have no draft capital to facilitate a major trade. What they do have are several pending unrestricted free agents who could fetch a significant return if the front office realizes they need to pivot.
Bobby McMann, for instance, has had a tremendous season. He could potentially command $4.5 to $5 million on the open market this summer. Given that the Vancouver Canucks received two second-round draft picks for Kiefer Sherwood, could the Leafs not secure a similar or better return for McMann? Scott Laughton is another player who understands the demands of this market. While the Leafs could try to re-sign him in the summer, wouldn’t it make more sense to get an asset for him now if Toronto isn’t a true playoff contender?
A five-point deficit isn’t insurmountable when looking at the playoff picture from the outside. However, the standings are condensed, and the Leafs simply haven’t performed like a top-half team this season. It’s time for the organization to look in the mirror.