The reality of a snapped nine-year postseason streak is beginning to set in for a group struggling with a total crisis of confidence
The Toronto Maple Leafs have hit an all-time low when it comes to their confidence as a group, and there’s really no hiding it anymore. The club fell to the Ottawa Senators 5-2 at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday. Despite scoring first when Morgan Rielly put the Leafs on the board following an expired power play, the club looked sluggish out of the gate, getting outshot 16-2 in the opening 20 minutes.
The lethargy and lack of desperation in their play that followed was evident. The club couldn’t sugarcoat the poor effort against a Sens team that is also desperate to make a push for the postseason.
If this were a one-off, it wouldn’t be much of a concern for the Leafs. However, in their third consecutive game following the Olympic break, the starts have looked identical. It was understandable against a dominant Tampa Bay Lightning team, and perhaps less so against the Florida Panthers. But in their first home game in over a month, it became evident that the Leafs may be realizing they just don’t have it.
“Just bad, just fairly embarrassing, to be honest with you,” Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews admitted. “It's just not the way. We need to have more pride in our play no matter where we're at, no matter what the situation is. We just have to have more pride in our game, and we didn't have that tonight”.
Maple Leafs star William Nylander, who scored the other Toronto goal, shared that sentiment. He didn’t have any answer as to why his team’s play has looked as poor as it has.
“I don't think anybody is quitting in the locker room. I mean, everybody wants to be in the playoffs,” Nylander said. “I think right now we're just disconnected, not finding our game. It's a lot of pressure to want to find that game within the game, and then I think we get more disconnected. I mean, nobody's quitting.
“Everybody wants to fight for a playoff spot. It's just we've got to figure it out. We’ve had three games here. It's still not impossible, but we've got to play a lot better hockey if we want to be there”.
The Maple Leafs fell to 27-24-9 this season and sit eight points out of a playoff spot with 22 games remaining. While eight points doesn’t seem like a lot, they have to pass six teams ahead of them to land the second wild card position. There’s no evidence right now that they are capable of that.
Toronto currently holds the 11th-worst record in the NHL. Unless they finish in the bottom five of the standings, win a lottery, or acquire a pick from another club before the March 6 deadline, the Leafs won’t have their first-round draft pick this summer, having traded it away conditionally to the Boston Bruins. Currently, they are only nine points ahead of the Calgary Flames, who hold the fifth-worst record.
If you ever needed evidence that Leafs fans are now rooting for that draft scenario rather than the slim playoff chances, look no further than the beginning of the second intermission. Toronto’s ugly play wasn’t met with heavy boos or jerseys thrown on the ice; it was quiet. The fans understand the playoffs are likely not in the cards, even if the players haven’t realized it yet.
This lack of confidence is palpable.
“Certainly. It's very fleeting,” Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe said. “I've been around long enough that no matter how veteran you are, there's times where you don't have that confidence, and this is a tough game to play when you don't have it”.
The pressures are mounting as the trade deadline looms. The signal to management is clear: they must sell. Toronto’s playoff streak of nine consecutive years is sure to come to an end, but management needs to ensure they receive a meaningful return for the future to make something out of this season.