The Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night at KeyBank Center, in possibly the least interesting matchup of the QEW rivals in recent history. The Sabres are rolling, leading the Atlantic Division and on the precipice of ending their 14-year playoff drought, while the Maple Leafs are an organization in chaos, not only because of their disastrous season, but because their flaws and failings have been exposed for all to see, even for the fans who believed they would eventually find a way to achieve some level of success.
The injury inflicted by a knee-on-knee collision with Anaheim’s Radko Gudas has resulted in the end of Matthews season. The club released a statement via X on Friday that the Leafs team captain sustained a Grade 3 MCL tear and quad contusion (to his left knee), that he will be reevaluated in two weeks and that he will miss the remainder of the season. The incident drew the attention of the NHL Department of Player Safety, who after a phone hearing, suspended Gudas for five games.
The suspension drew the ire of Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver.
“In light of the obvious severity of the play, I am very disappointed and shocked that the league would allow for such a ruling A phone hearing and five games is just laughable and preposterous. While the hearing process is pre-fixed in our CBA, that there was no further discipline is a reckless and ridiculous position for Player Safety. This decision results in a further loss of confidence in the disciplinary process for all players. Players and fans deserve better.
The Player Safety department should be suspended.”
This is par for the course for the clown car that is the NHL DOPS, if their job is to protect players and punish offenders with an even hand, then you have to talk slow and explain to fans of the Leafs how the purposeful Bryan Marchment-style knee-on-knee collision by Gudas which ended is worthy of the same length of suspension as what Morgan Rielly got for giving a forearm shiver to Ottawa’s Ridly Greig.
Leafs players, head coach Craig Berube, and even Buffalo players and their head coach Lindy Ruff understandably did not want to comment on the penalty, but the level of incompetence that has been displayed by DOPS head George Parros, a former Anaheim Duck, once again calls into question his ability to do his job effectively.
The most pressing concern of the whole incident was the response of the Leafs in the immediate aftermath of the hit. The other four players on the ice, Morgan Rielly, William Nylander, Brandon Carlo, and Easton Cowan, did not do or attempt to do anything to Gudas after the hit. After the game, both Rielly and Nylander said to the media that they did not see the hit, but video after the fact showed that both were.
It is very similar in Buffalo when their star forward, Tage Thompson was hit by New Jersey’s Stefan Noesen. The players on the ice did not respond in the moment, and did not show any kind of pushback. The next game, the Sabres tough guy at the time, dropped the gloves with Columbus enforcer Mathieu Olivier, but the club had a meeting after the hit on Thompson and emphasized a need for a one-for-all, all-for-one mentality.
“I can’t really comment on what’s going on in their locker room or what’s going on with their team, but with our team, every time someone goes down or gets hit in a way we don’t like, we want to be there for each other and defend each other,” Thompson said. “I think that’s what brings us closer as a team. When you have guys that want to fight and battle for you, I think it sends a message to everyone else. That’s one of the reasons our team’s in a good spot right now.”
That has been more on display this season with the Sabres, who stuck up for one another in a wild 8-7 victory over Tampa, where the Lightning went after team captain Rasmus Dahlin and defenseman Bowen Byram. Last season, when Buffalo was on the path of another losing season, they did not respond as the Leafs did not on Thursday, but even when Toronto was having on-ice success, they did not display any level of team toughness and esprit de corps. The only conclusion is that is not in players like Rielly and Nylander’s DNA.
The Leafs response in the third period on Thursday is meaningless, just as the Gilbert fight with Olivier was last season. It is predictable that someone like Michael Pezzetta will drop the gloves with Logan Stanley or Sam Carrick to show everyone that they care.
It is just weak. Toronto’s organization is in complete disarray right now. Berube is likely to be fired next month, GM Brad Treliving’s tenure is tenuous, and now a complete upheaval of the roster may be overdue. The only thing that might be accomplished this season is the Leafs falling far enough to keep their first round pick in a strong 2026 Draft, but the way things are going right now, they will probably screw that up too.
