Peter Mansbridge calls out Leafs season as “major disappointment”: Leafs Morning Take

It’s official: Toronto’s crease is too good for this team to bottom out in the standings.

Joseph Woll was out of this world on Wednesday night against the New York Rangers, a game the Leafs desperately needed to lose in regulation.

There was plenty of goaltending talk on Thursday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take. For the second straight day, Rosey and I did the show from a makeshift downtown Toronto studio. First things first, Rosey recapped how his lunch date with his two boys at Hooters went on Wednesday afternoon. There was even a picture to go along with the story. Meantime, Rosey also broke down his experience in the Leafs alumni box. He had a blast. He got a rare Leafs win, too. How about that?

Back to Woll. What. A. Performance. The 27-year-old made 40 stops to lead the Leafs to a 4-3 win over the Rangers, who’ve been in tank mode for weeks now. That’s right: Despite being outshot 43-18, Toronto skated away with two points, New York got nothing. In general, we talked about the goaltending being too good for this team to finish in a lottery position. All we can do is hope that they get good fortune like the New York Islanders did last spring on route to securing Matthew Schaefer. Additionally, we talked Dakota Joshua and Matias Macceli, who’ve both really started to elevate their play over the last few weeks. Because of course they have. Where was this when it matters?

After that, legendary Canadian broadcaster Peter Mansbridge joined the show for a thoughtful, big-picture breakdown of the Maple Leafs’ disappointing 2025–26 season. Asked to sum it up in headline form, Mansbridge didn’t hesitate: “Major Disappointment.” From there, he weighed in on where the responsibility lies, pushed back on leaning too heavily on injuries as an excuse, and discussed what the organization’s messaging should be heading into a pivotal offseason. The conversation also touched on Mansbridge’s perspective of Keith Pelley and his leadership style, along with the uncertain futures of Craig Berube and Brad Treliving. He wrapped up by offering candid thoughts on the core—particularly Auston Matthews and William Nylander—and what could lie ahead as the franchise looks to regroup after a frustrating campaign.

This Leafs team may stink but we’re planning to wrap the week in style. Be sure to join us for the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We’ll preview the opening game of Toronto’s four-game road trip in St. Louis on Saturday night. Plus, Jordan Schmaltz, former NHLer & co-host of the Home By 3 podcast, will drop by the show once again. That’s baseball.