TORONTO — From must-win to must-sell.
The 2025-26 Toronto Maple Leafs may not yet be mathematically eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, but with only 10 games till trade deadline and 29 till tee off, this collection of hockey players has already waved the white flag.
Even if Brad Treliving denied surrender during his most recent appearance, which was a a little more than month ago, the roster constructed by the general manager has done more than enough talking for him.
Scraping and clawing for their playoff lives, the Maple Leafs approached their recent five-game homestand with the same zest an eight-year-old tackles household chores.
All dragged feet and sullen faces, they fell behind early, gave up late and still expected to get paid.
The Leafs went 0-4-1 and got outscored by a combined total of 25-12 by Minnesota, Detroit, Vegas, Colorado, and now — thanks to Tuesday’s 7-4 drubbing by the surging Sabres — Buffalo.
They were the second-best team dressing the second-best goalie and, at best, second-best star player in each of those games.
Not since 1984-85 have the Maple Leafs endured a homestand so long and so unproductive. That edition finished dead last, knocked out by the ol’ Chuck Norris.
Only one Eastern Conference franchise has fewer wins (24) than this version of the Leafs, and that team’s GM has already written a letter to fans explaining that they’re giving up and will be busying taking trade calls on their most dynamic player.
It’s time for Treliving and his boss, Keith Pelley, to crumple their original blueprint as bargain buyers and decide how deep of an incision to make on this corpse.
When a veteran team led by a $13.25-million superstar and a Cup-winning coach can’t summon the requisite urgency for critical games involving divisional rivals, or featuring a star that spurned them, or, in Tuesday’s case, preceded by a leadership meeting and a motivational chat by Leafs icon Darryl Sittler, well, maybe they just don’t have it.
For the second game in a row, hats hit in Scotiabank Arena’s ice in celebration of an opponent’s hat trick (Brock Nelson’s Sunday and defenceman Rasmus Dahlin’s first-ever Tuesday, just part of his five-point show).
Something else was doffed and chucked after the buzzer, though.
As half-hearted boos rained on the Maple Leafs by a half-filled home crowd, a replica sweater was discarded by a fan in disgust.
Stripped captain John Tavares silently scooped the stripped jersey with his stick and carried it off to the shadows. Trying to clean up a mess.
“It’s a tough one to explain,” Tavares said. “Once again, I don’t think we executed as well. They seem to be really quick and just getting to their game better than we did.”
Which begs the question: What is the Maple Leafs’ game anyway?
After a 53-game sample, what has coach Craig Berube identified as their identity?
“We look at scoring as everything — and it’s not everything,” Berube said post-game. He sounded fed up. “You’re not going to consistently win this league by focusing on just scoring goals. You got to play the full rink. And right now, we’re not doing a good enough job without the puck.”
Part of that is execution. Zone exits are a burden. Puck management is a chronic issue.
Part of that is personnel. Puck-transporting game-breaker William Nylander and expert retriever Chris Tanev have been holed up in the press box with the Drumsticks and George Parros decisions.
Part of that is goaltending. Joseph Woll has lost a career-worst five straight. Anthony Stolarz is rusty. And Dennis Hildeby’s breakout season got pushed down to the farm in the name of roster management.
Part of that is on Treliving, for not building a defence corps fast or mobile enough to keep pace with a league speeding past Toronto’s contention window.
What did Berube learn about his team over this stretch?
“We got to learn to keep the puck out of our net is what I learned,” Berube said. “Until we decide to do things right and keep the puck out of our net — and that’s the goalies included — this is what you’re going to get. We scored enough goals on this homestead to win games, but we didn’t keep the puck out of our net.
“No more than that. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. That’s all it is. I don’t need to learn anything about our team. I know our team, and they’re capable of doing it.”
Added Matthew Knies: “We have a ton of skill and a ton of talent in his locker room. I think there’s a ton of confidence. I think it’s just putting it all together.”
Our takeaway from Toronto’s past five efforts in particular and first 53 as a whole: A rejig is in order. Either there isn’t enough talent, or they’ve wasted too much time to bother using it.
Engage in hard conversations with pending free agents Troy Stecher, Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, Matias Maccelli, and Nick Robertson.
If the players wish to re-sign at reasonable rates and term, go for it. You need role players, and they all bring something. If they are noncommittal or ask for a windfall, trade them to restock those barren cupboards.
Consider bigger deals with veteran assets like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dakota Joshua, Max Domi, and Brandon Carlo.
Have “The Talk” with Morgan Rielly.
Get creative. You won’t be trading them all, of course, but a refresh is necessary.
Develop a plan. Recoup assets.
Reload and try again in October.
Because, sadly, this Maple Leafs campaign is not worth investing any more assets.
“Disappointing, no doubt,” said Tavares, addressing the homestand. “You know, there’s a lot of hockey left here, and nothing’s been determined.”
Unfortunately, it’s the 2025-26 Toronto Maple Leafs who haven’t been determined.
But we hope the decision-makers have seen enough to at least terminate their fate.
Fox’s Fast Five
• Pretty awesome how Sittler was reunited with his original, game-worn sweater from that historic 10-point night 50 years ago.
Together with friend and teammate Tiger Williams (who was dash-2 in that 11-4 win, Sittler reminds), the Leafs legend gave a pep talk to the current team at morning skate and showed off his 50-year-old sweater.
“Talking about how he had to throw the fight strap on for the Broad Street Bullies, it’s a testament to the type of hockey they were playing at that time,” McMann said. “You can see how weathered the jersey is and how many stitches it has. You know he was playing a hard game.”
Sittler and Williams, Toronto’s all-time leader in penalty minutes, shared tales from their heyday, attempting to rile up the lads.
“The message I said to the players was, you don’t achieve anything without your teammates,” Sittler relays. “You don’t have (success) on your own. It’s you as a group. It’s important to realize that.”
• Matthews on Sittler’s big show in 1976: “Ten points? Like, two hat tricks he had. It’s really hard to wrap your head around that. Yeah, I don’t think that’s getting touched anytime soon.”
Sittler himself said he thought ’80s-era Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were the best bets to join him in the Double-Digit Club. He’s breathing a little easier now.
No one has even hit nine points.
Edmonton’s Sam Gagner (2012) is the only player since 1988 to score eight points in one game.
• Yeah, the Sabres ain’t trading Alex Tuch.
• The Maple Leafs have won 19 consecutive offside coach’s challenges.
• Knies opened the scoring and snapped a 10-game goal drought, the winger’s longest since his rookie days.
The 23-year-old is labouring though a lower-body injury that is screaming for time off.
“The (Olympic) break is going to be pretty valuable for me to heal up and rest and try to come back as a different player,” he said. “One that’s at 100 per cent and playing to his full abilities.”
