Leafs lose to Panthers, fall into bottom five in standings

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Leafs Nation, you have your wish.

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The Maple Leafs have fallen into the bottom five in the overall National Hockey League standings.

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A 6-2 Leafs loss against the Florida Panthers at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night, coupled with a Seattle Kraken win against the Calgary Flames, put the Leafs in 28th overall in the 32-team NHL.

Seattle has 79 points with three games to play; Toronto, which has lost five consecutive games, has 78 points and two games left.

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William Nylander scored both Leafs goals, making his fourth two-goal game of the season.

Three takeaways:

TAKE YOUR PICK

Under normal circumstances, there would be nothing to celebrate in a 2025-26 season that has been a massive disappointment for the Leafs.

With a dearth of prospects coming down the pike, that the Leafs could have a top-five selection in the 2026 NHL draft has been playing at the psyche of the fan base for weeks, and that pick is closer to becoming a reality.

If Toronto maintains its 28th spot, or drops further, it will retain its 2026 first-round pick. Sent to the Boston Bruins trade involving defenceman Brandon Carlo last March, the pick is top-five protected.

The Leafs would then keep their fingers crossed that they don’t fall out of the bottom five based on what happens in the draft lottery, which is scheduled for May 5. In the lottery, the most a team can drop is two spots, if at all.

If the Leafs finish fifth-last, they would pray to the hockey gods that a team other than one in the bottom four doesn’t win the lottery. In that case, the Leafs would be knocked out of the top five picks, and the Bruins would receive the pick.

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If the Leafs hang on to the pick, their 2027 first-rounder would go to the Bruins or the Philadelphia Flyers (who acquired a first-round choice from the Leafs last year in the Scott Laughton trade last year). At any rate, the Leafs would not have their own first-round pick next year or in 2028. They did acquire a 2027 conditional first-round pick from Colorado in the Nicolas Roy trade in March; if the Avs pick is in the top 10, they will send their 2028 first-rounder, which would be unprotected, to Toronto.

The bottom line is that there could be a glimmer of hope for the Leafs and the 2026 draft where one has not previously existed.

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SHARP IMPRESSION

Defenceman William Villeneuve played 18 minutes 45 seconds in his National Hockey League debut on the Leafs blue line and didn’t look out of place.

Villeneuve’s partner initially was Simon Benoit before he was switched later in the first period to play on Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s right side.

“Probably my first shift,” Villeneuve said, referring to what he would remember about his first NHL game. “I got worked pretty bad. But (overall) it was unbelievable. It wasn’t the result we wanted, but I’ll remember that day for the rest of my life.”

That is one bonus for the Leafs in falling out of playoff contention, while suffering more injuries, is that they can get a look at some Toronto Marlies who otherwise would not have had an opportunity. Centre Luke Haymes and goalie Artur Akhtyamov fall into that category as well.

For Villeneuve, it was four years of work with the Marlies after the Leafs took him in the fourth round of the 2020 draft that resulted in his chance.

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“I thought he was really good,” Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “Couple first shifts, there was nerves and stuff. He did a lot of good things, competed, defended hard, moved the puck very well. I was pretty happy with him.”

Whether Villeneuve plays in the Leafs’ final two games — and why shouldn’t he — he should have a boost of confidence going into training camp from his initial NHL taste.

Either way, it’s going to be a key summer for Villeneuve. If the Leafs don’t make the necessary changes in their defence corps during the off-season, the 24-year-old should have a greater opportunity once September rolls around.

COUNT WOLL AS A FAN

Joseph Woll couldn’t help but smile from the bench as he watched Akhtyamov turn aside 39 shots against the New York Islanders on Thursday.

It was Akhtyamov’s first NHL start after he mopped up in a game against Edmonton in December, and Woll liked what he witnessed.

“I love his game,” Woll said. “I think he’s sick, so it’s pretty cool from my perspective to watch him.

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“He got shelled a little bit, especially early on, but he looked great out there. Pretty pumped for him.”

What does Woll love about Akhtyamov?

“He has that Russian swagger to him,” Woll said. “I love watching guys like (Igor) Shesterkin, (Ilya) Sorokin, he has that same kind of vibe to him. He’s quick and I enjoy watching him.”

Woll also mentioned Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky.

If it was our decision, we would give Akhtyamov one more start as the Leafs close out their schedule, whether it’s at home against Dallas on Monday or in Ottawa on Wednesday.

The Leafs’ development of Dennis Hildeby and Akhtyamov also could help tamp down worries about the club’s future in the bigger picture.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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