Maple Leafs hit yet another low with back-to-back losses out of Olympic break

Getting outshot 16-3 after 20 minutes and going down 3-0 to a team neck in neck with you fighting for a playoff spot, with the third goal against coming in the form of a shorthanded goal no less, is a perfect way to summarize the state of this team right now. Sure, the Leafs improved their play in the second period, and even managed to score one in the third. But, for what?

It’s a loss that should have Keith Pelley and Brad Treliving looking themselves in the mirror and asking themselves if sitting tight and hoping that the team magically pulls a 15-game win streak out of thin air only to get rinsed in the first round of the playoffs is TRULY the smart play, here. Playoff revenue be damned.

I could sit here and discuss the details of the game and what went wrong, but what’s the point? If the Leafs are going to sit here and deliver the same old outcomes every night, all chalked up to an early mistake or a dumb play that leads to a somehow insurmountable lead, then what’s the point of me writing the exact same article for the 50th time this season? Nobody on the ice was good enough. They were clearly tired after playing the night before, but they’ve lost far too many winnable games to earn the benefit of the doubt in games like this.

Craig Berube is out of answers and he seemingly hasn’t even tried to find any. Easton Cowan is somehow supposed to benefit from sitting in the press box and watching this disaster unfold every night instead of logging meaningful minutes in the AHL. And the extent of a lineup change we’ll see through all of this is Dakota Joshua in for Calle Jarnkrok.

Pelley might just be taking the corporate route of not revealing his hand when he sends a letter to season ticket holders saying that he’ll do whatever is necessary to have the Leafs contending this year. And for the sake of the fanbase’s sanity, I truly hope it’s all corporate speak. Because at this point, it would be blatant malpractice to do anything but throw in the towel on the season and try for another kick at the can in 2026-27. Wednesday night’s loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning shone a light on it, and Thursday’s loss to the Florida Panthers confirmed it.

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