All hope is dead and buried for the Toronto Maple Leafs, whose fall from grace this season is so challenging to watch that, after their latest 7-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Arena, analysts shared their views on social media with a tone of finality; the Maple Leafs better pull the plug on this season because they have not been so painfully difficult to watch in many, many years.
Is This The Worst the Toronto Maple Leafs Have Been in Four Decades?
After the Maple Leafs finished atop the Atlantic Division last season with 108 points, the team’s ardent fans pinned their hopes on Craig Berube to breathe new life into the Leafs. It is shocking to see how adversely things have changed for the Leafs in a single season. Moreover, the Leafs have lost two games to the Vegas Golden Knights recently. While every defeat hurts, a defeat against Mitch Marner hurts more for the Leafs community.
The Leafs are eight points out of a playoff spot, and their odds of making the playoffs are simply too slim. As Justin Bourne illustrated with a poignant stat, the Maple Leafs are borderline historically bad this season. The last time the team was this disappointing was in December 1984 – January 1985.
“Damning. Unfun fact for the Leafs: The last time the Leafs went winless in each game of a 5+ game homestand was Dec 29, 1984 – Jan 9, 1985. That’s over 40 years since it last happened (s/t to my guy Jason Murdoch for that nugget),” Bourne shared on his social media.
Berube recognized the team’s significant drawback in the wake of its loss against the Sabres, stating that while it has prioritized scoring goals, it has ignored other crucial aspects of the game.
“We look at scoring as everything and it’s not everything. You are not going to consistently win in this League by focusing on just scoring goals, you have to play the full rink and right now we are not doing a good enough job without the puck, that’s it,” Berube pointed out, as reported by independent NHL correspondent Dave McCarthy.
Bourne flagged a similar issue in his recent contribution to Sportsnet: the Leafs have unquestioningly prioritized offence while doing an unsatisfactory job on defence. “It feels like just about all their forwards save for two or three have, at every turn, prioritized pushing up for offence and points rather than staying in structure. Part of that is the stripping of defensive personnel.”
The Maple Leafs have potential, but currently look lost. Berube’s pep talk on keeping the right attitude amid trying times has been clearly brushed aside. The management and the coaching staff need to come together and find an acceptable solution to put Toronto back on the right path.
