Every once in a while, something happens with this Toronto Maple Leafs team that makes you wonder if we all just missed something hiding in plain sight. This October and November gave us one of those moments. I didn’t see it right away. Maybe you didn’t either. But my friend Stan Smith dropped a note in my inbox yesterday, and the more I’ve thought about it, the more it sticks.
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He wrote that the Maple Leafs were mediocre in October, found their legs for three solid games when November hit, and then—almost overnight—fell into a slump so ugly it became hard to watch. As they lost their footing, players started dropping like flies. By the time they hit rock bottom, they were without seven regulars. Yet, they somehow won that game.
That’s where the little mystery begins, and here’s the question. Why did the bad hockey arrive before the injuries?
The Maple Leafs’ Bad Hockey Started Before the Injuries Arrived
Here’s the interesting part. The team’s slump started before the injuries piled up. That’s an important detail because it runs against the usual script. Usually, a team loses a couple of key bodies, and you can see the seams rip. This time, the seams were ripping while everyone still appeared to be dressed and accounted for.
Think about it. We’ve all watched enough hockey to know the difference between a team that’s simply off its game and a team that looks like it’s skating underwater. The Maple Leafs hit that underwater stretch fast. Their reads became slower, and the coverage loosened. They distributed odd-man rushes like fast-food flyers. They looked tired, without having earned the right to be.
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It was then that the injuries showed up.
But here’s the thing: we can’t remember seeing the actual moments when some of these guys got hurt. Yes, Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews was hit from behind by Bruins defenceman Nikita Zadorov. But the others? Only a few exited after awkward falls or big collisions. No one limping down the tunnel after a shift gone bad.
It was more like: “He’s not playing tonight,” followed by “And he won’t be for a while.” The announcement that Anthony Stolarz is hurt worse than we thought is an example. That always makes us suspicious.
Were the Maple Leafs Playing Hurt All Along?
If you’ve been around hockey players long enough, you know that the guys play through things the rest of us would take a week off work for. Ankles. Wrists. Groins. Backs. By the time November arrives, half the league is held together by a roll of duct tape.
So here’s the question: “What are the chances that seven players get hurt at basically the same time? Were they already hurt and trying to push through it?”
When a team starts losing, something changes in the room. Guys who’ve been hiding pain begin to admit it because they figure they aren’t helping anyone at 50 percent. A losing streak reveals all the little secrets a winning streak will hide.
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It’s entirely possible the Maple Leafs weren’t just playing badly—they were playing hurt. When the wheels started coming off, the truth finally came out. “Coach, I can’t go. Not like this.” That’s not a conspiracy theory. That’s hockey culture.
The Game the Maple Leafs Won With Seven Key Players Out
And here’s the twist: with a third of the lineup missing, they played one of their most honest games of the season. No fancy stuff, no overthinking. Just straight lines on determined skates. The call-ups played like their careers depended on it. The veterans kept it simple. Everyone bought into the basic plan.
Sometimes, a team only finds clarity after the body gives out. It’s like they finally admitted what was wrong, and in that moment, the team tightened up.
So What Really Happened With the Maple Leafs?
We’re not sure there’s a neat answer. That’s the puzzle. Did the slump cause the injuries to surface, or were the injuries the quiet cause of the slump? Maybe both.
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But it’s worth paying attention to the order of things. The bad hockey came first. The injuries came after. And the moment the truth was out in the open, they started playing like themselves again.
If there’s a lesson here, it’s that in this long Maple Leafs regular season, what you see isn’t always what’s going on. Sometimes the mystery is skating right in front of you. We can’t know for sure, but it does make us wonder.
[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]
