The Toronto Maple Leafs are running out of runway-and fast.
With just four games left before the Olympic break, the Leafs opened their Western road swing with a 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken. On a night when the Sabres, Bruins, and Canadiens all picked up wins, Toronto slipped even further behind in the Eastern Conference playoff race. And while the scoreline wasn’t as lopsided as some of their recent defeats, the result felt all too familiar: another missed opportunity, another step closer to postseason irrelevance.
Let’s be clear-this wasn’t a complete collapse. The Leafs showed flashes of life.
Nick Robertson answered an early Kraken goal with one of his own, and Morgan Rielly gave them a pulse early in the third. But once again, the inability to string together a full 60-minute effort proved costly.
Seattle’s two quick strikes in the second period-just 31 seconds apart-sucked the air out of Toronto’s game. And when the Leafs clawed back to make it 3-2, they gave it right back a little over two minutes later.
That’s been the theme lately: every step forward is met with two steps back.
This team has now been in “must-win” territory for nearly a week, and they’ve dropped each of those games in a variety of frustrating ways. Sometimes they start hot and fade.
Other times they dig themselves a hole and can’t quite climb out. But the common thread?
They can’t close. Whether it’s defensive lapses, untimely penalties, or just a lack of urgency in key moments, the Leafs have lost their grip on games-and possibly their season.
And here’s the kicker: not only are the Leafs trending toward missing the playoffs, but their first-round pick belongs to one of their biggest rivals. That’s a brutal double blow. Every loss doesn’t just hurt their playoff hopes-it sweetens the pot for a team that would love nothing more than to see Toronto spiral.
At this point, the idea of buying at the trade deadline feels like a fantasy from another season. Even standing pat would feel like a missed opportunity.
The conversation has to shift toward selling. This isn’t about waving the white flag-it’s about being realistic.
Unless this group suddenly flips a switch and goes on a miracle run through Western Canada, the front office needs to start looking at which assets can bring back future value. Because right now, the present isn’t offering much.
There’s still time on the clock, but the Leafs are skating on thin ice. And if they don’t find a way to change the narrative soon, the only thing left to play for might be damage control.