The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a rough patch, having gone 36 days without a win. Sure, the Olympic break played a part, but the numbers don’t lie.
With their recent 3-1 loss to Montreal, the Leafs are now winless in their last eight games (0-6-2). This slump has them sitting with the seventh worst record in the NHL, and suddenly, a bottom-five draft pick is within reach.
They’re just five points away from a top-5 pick, with 17 games left to play.
On our latest episode of Leafs Morning Take, we couldn’t ignore Bam Adebayo’s incredible 83-point night for the Miami Heat. While we’re not a basketball show, it’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement.
Back to the Leafs, though. They haven’t tasted victory since February 3rd, and Auston Matthews is in a scoring drought, with his last goal on January 27th.
That’s one goal in his past 16 games. On a brighter note, rookie Easton Cowan made an impact with a beautiful assist on William Nylander’s goal, logging over 18 minutes of ice time.
Nick Robertson showed some grit, nearly dropping the gloves after a hit on Cowan, but Jake McCabe stepped in first. Meanwhile, Bo Groulx made his Maple Leafs debut, contributing two shots on goal in just over 14 minutes.
He added some much-needed energy to the bottom-six.
We also had the pleasure of chatting with 2003 Conn Smythe Trophy winner and former Leafs goalie Jean-Sébastien Giguère. He praised Joseph Woll’s performance against Montreal and discussed the Leafs’ goalie situation.
Giguère believes Toronto has three solid options in net and suggested they consider trading one for a strong return this summer. He pointed to leadership issues as a key factor in the Leafs’ struggles this season and shared his experiences handling tough times in Toronto.
Next up for the Leafs is a home game against the Anaheim Ducks. We’ll have a full preview in our next episode, featuring David Pagnotta as a guest host. We also caught up with Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville, and you can catch that interview on Thursday’s show.
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