The Toronto Maple Leafs are running out of runway.
After a deflating 7-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, the Leafs now sit eight points out of a playoff spot with just 29 games remaining. That’s not an impossible gap to close, but given the way this team has been trending, it’s starting to feel like the postseason is slipping out of reach. Fast.
Just two weeks ago, Toronto was one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Now?
They’re ice cold. The Leafs just wrapped up a brutal homestand, going 0-4-1 and getting outscored 25-12 in the process.
That’s not just a stumble - that’s a collapse. And with only 10 games to go before the trade deadline, the conversation is shifting from “how can they make a push?”
to “should they start selling?”
It’s a fair question. General manager Brad Treliving is facing some tough decisions, and the clock is ticking. If this group isn’t going to make a serious run, it might be time to start looking at the bigger picture - and that could mean parting ways with some key pieces.
Before diving into the roster implications, let’s clear up a bit of noise that’s been circulating. There was a rumor floating around that Auston Matthews declined to speak to the media following the Marner homecoming game.
That’s not accurate. Matthews was never requested by media that night, so there was no refusal.
It’s a small detail, but one worth correcting. This team has enough to deal with on the ice - they don’t need extra drama off it.
Back to the game. On a night when the Leafs were honoring Darryl Sittler’s legendary 10-point performance - 50 years ago to the day - the team simply didn’t show up.
The Sabres looked faster, sharper, and more committed in every zone. Buffalo’s not just playing better hockey right now - they looked like the better team, period.
Which brings us to the big question: where do the Leafs go from here?
It starts at the top. President Keith Pelley has largely stayed out of the spotlight since taking over at MLSE, but this is a moment that demands leadership.
Before any moves are made, the organization needs to decide whether Brad Treliving is the GM they’re sticking with long-term. That decision will shape everything else - from trade deadline strategy to offseason planning.
If Treliving stays, he’ll have to decide what kind of message he wants to send at the deadline. Is this a retool on the fly?
A full-on sell-off? Or does he hold the line and hope the core can still find its game in time?
Head coach Craig Berube didn’t mince words after the loss. He called out his team’s defensive effort and goaltending - and he wasn’t wrong.
The Leafs were sloppy in their own end and couldn’t get a timely save when they needed one. Former NHL goalie and current analyst Carter Hutton weighed in as well, backing Berube’s assessment and adding some insight into what this means for Toronto’s crease situation moving forward.
With Ilya Samsonov struggling and Joseph Woll still finding his footing after injury, the Leafs’ goaltending situation is murky at best. Hutton offered a goaltender’s perspective on how he’d take Berube’s comments if he were in Woll’s skates - and what Toronto’s options might look like between now and the deadline.
He also touched on what a “sell mode” might entail. Could someone like Bobby McMann be on the move?
That’s the kind of decision Treliving and his staff will have to weigh carefully. Every piece moved now impacts not just this season, but the team’s direction moving forward.
Up next, the Leafs hit the road for a four-game swing starting in Seattle, with the Olympic break looming. It’s a critical stretch - not just for the standings, but for the front office. These next 10 games will go a long way in determining whether this team is buying, selling, or just trying to survive.
And as the pressure mounts, expect more voices to weigh in. On Thursday, 2009 Stanley Cup-winning coach Dan Bylsma is set to join the conversation, offering his take on what’s gone wrong - and what might still be salvageable.
For the Leafs, the margin for error is gone. The time for answers is now.