Just a week ago, the conversation around the Toronto Maple Leafs was all about potential trade targets. With the March 6 NHL trade deadline looming, names like Dougie Hamilton, Luke Schenn, Jordan Kyrou, and Connor Murphy were being tossed around in connection to GM Brad Treliving’s next move. The buzz was building, and with good reason - the Leafs were expected to be buyers, looking to shore up weaknesses and make a run.
But fast forward to now, and that narrative has shifted - sharply.
As the Leafs prepare to hit the road for a four-game swing starting Thursday in Seattle, the tone around the team has changed. This stretch marks their final slate of games before the Olympic break, and it comes on the heels of a brutal five-game homestand that saw them go winless at 0-4-1. If these were playoff games - as the team has been preaching lately - they’d have been swept out of the first round without so much as a whimper.
That’s the kind of stretch that forces an organization to pause and reassess.
The Leafs have been vocal about treating every game like it’s the postseason, but their recent play hasn’t backed up that mentality. The urgency, the execution, the consistency - all of it has been lacking. And when a team with this much talent stumbles that hard at home, it raises questions not just about who they might add at the deadline, but whether they’re even in a position to justify going all-in.
So now, as they head west, the pressure’s on - not just to win, but to show they’re still a team worth investing in. Because if this trip looks anything like the homestand, Brad Treliving might have more to consider than just which player to trade for. He might have to ask whether this group is truly built to contend at all.