The Toronto Maple Leafs have, to use a phrase from a previous era, declined like an 18-wheeler going off a cliff since the return from the Olympic break, losing seven in a row and being outscored 30-14 during that stretch. In spite of not being mathematically eliminated from the postseason, the club now has a better chance of finishing in the bottom five and keeping their first round pick for the strong 2026 NHL Draft than they do to make the playoffs for the 10th straight season.
The losing skid has the Leafs 11 points behind the Boston Bruins and in second-last place in the Eastern Conference, ahead of only the NY Rangers. In the race to the bottom, Toronto is in 24th place with 65 points, but just six points ahead of St. Louis, which, along with the Rangers, Vancouver, Chicago, and Calgary, are the bottom five. Realistically, the Leafs would have to continue to wade through this malaise for most of the remaining 18 games to improve their odds to finishing with a top-five pick, but the club could help the process along by taking care of some of their players playing through injuries.
Defenseman Chris Tanev had season-ending core muscle surgery last week and is expected to be ready for training camp in September, but thus far, other players, such as winger Matthew Knies (knee) and William Nylander (groin) are continuing in the lineup. Team captain Auston Matthews has gone goalless in 11 games (two short of his career-long drought), which has led to speculation that he is playing injured.
Navigating through the next 18 games is going to be difficult for Toronto, but the club has to be focused on one thing at this point, and that is being ready and healthy for next season. If players are playing hurt, they should be shut down to have their injuries addressed, so that they can resume offseason training quicker and be ready for next season. This would also allow the Leafs to call up players from the AHL Marlies to give them a chance to see NHL action and evaluate where they are in terms of progress and being able to play on the big club next season.
One of the main criticisms of head coach Craig Berube has been his ice time allocation, especially for the few younger players on the roster. The handling of rookie Easton Cowan, not playing him for games before and after the break, and not being able to send him down to the Marlies, is a travesty. In the last three games, he has played more than 15 minutes and has two points (1 goal, 1 assist). Another youngster, Jacob Quillan, has not been given ice time in all of his NHL starts, never exceeding 10 minutes in six games.
An encouraging sign at Leafs practice on Monday had the 24-year-old skating on the third line between Cowan and Nick Robertson, which would be an indicator that he will get more of an opportunity against the Canadiens in Montreal on Tuesday. This is something that has to be a priority over the next five weeks. Players like Quillan, Luke Haymes, William Villeneuve, and maybe Benoit-Olivier Groulx must get a long look to see whether they can be a part of the 2026-27 Leafs, since one of them taking a spot would represent one less player that GM Brad Treliving or another GM would have to find in free agency or acquire by trade.
