Sergei Bobrovsky was already giving the Maple Leafs reasons to worry, and Wednesday night in Seattle only sharpened the problem.
Toronto had a chance to salvage something from a rough night against the Kraken. Jack Roslovic pulled the Leafs within 4-3 in the third period, and then Auston Matthews buried a late goal with 90 seconds left to seemingly drag his team to at least one point. For a moment, it looked like Toronto had wrestled something out of a game it hadn’t played well enough to deserve much from.
Then it all unraveled in the final 33 seconds.
Seattle won an offensive-zone faceoff, Brandon Montour got set up for a quick chance, and Bobrovsky initially appeared to have it covered. He didn’t. The puck slipped through him and into the net, and the Kraken walked off with a 5-4 win while Matthews’ clutch finish went to waste.
That was the brutal finish, but it wasn’t the only moment that put Bobrovsky under the microscope. Earlier in the game, Ryker Evans beat him on a play that should have been handled, stretching Seattle’s lead to 4-2 in the second period. It was the kind of goal that leaves a goalie with nowhere to hide, especially when the night ends with the game-deciding puck leaking through in the final minute.
For Toronto, the frustrating part is that Bobrovsky is signed in for the long haul. He just agreed to a three-year, $21-million contract, and right now he’s not looking like someone the Leafs can comfortably lean on night after night.
He entered the game with an .897 save percentage and a 3.09 goals against average, and those numbers only looked more troubling after what happened in Seattle. At this point, Toronto doesn’t have much choice but to keep going with him and hope things settle down before more games slip away the same way.
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Maple Leafs May Have One Obvious Cap Casualty To Watch
Dakota Joshua has already become one of the more intriguing depth pieces on the Maple Leafs roster, not because of what he has done this season, but because of how little he has been able to do. The winger has been sidelined by a core injury and has dealt with health issues before, leaving Toronto with another reminder of how fragile the margins can be when a team is trying to manage both performance and payroll.
Given his contract and the kind of game he plays, Joshua fits the profile of a player other clubs could circle if the Maple Leafs look for a way to open up cap room. Teams that want some size and bite in the bottom six could see him as a useful add, and the league has already started to connect him to a few possible destinations. For Toronto, the question is whether a player with that appeal is also the one most likely to be moved. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Losses Are Revealing A Different Team Identity
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What stands out now is the tone inside the room, where the emphasis has clearly moved toward a team-first environment. Successes are being shared, mistakes are being acknowledged, and the response to setbacks feels more direct than deflective, which is exactly the kind of cultural change the Leafs have spent years trying to build. Cowan's postgame self-critique after the loss to Calgary fit that pattern, and it left the impression that this group is starting to measure itself differently. [Read more 🡒]
Kraken Just Got A Clear Look At Torontos Biggest Problem
Gavin McKennas recent two-goal night on the power play gave the Maple Leafs a glimpse of how much bite their top talent can have when the man advantage starts clicking. There was enough there to suggest some early chemistry with Auston Matthews, and for a team still looking to sharpen its identity, that kind of connection matters as Toronto heads into its next stretch.
The bigger question around the club, though, remains in goal. Toronto is continuing to evaluate Sergei Bobrovskys recent play while weighing whether Anthony Stolarz deserves a turn, a decision that could shape how the Maple Leafs look in Vancouver. For a team trying to steady itself, the crease is still the most closely watched spot on the roster. [Read more 🡒]