Some nights, you watch the Toronto Maple Leafs and can almost feel the weight they’re carrying. It’s not one problem or one bad stretch—it’s the cumulative drag of six straight losses, costly mistakes, and a fan base that’s starting to wonder if this group has forgotten how to play their game.
They head into Vancouver to play the Canucks, looking like a team with a hundred-pound pack strapped to their shoulders. Morgan Rielly said it after Thursday’s loss against the Seattle Kraken: when the team makes a mistake, it winds up in the net. Hard to argue with that.
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Seattle was another snapshot of the same film we’ve been watching for weeks. The Maple Leafs pushed early, stumbled on the details, and found themselves chasing. Rielly’s goal made it 4–2 and offered a little spark of belief—and then Shane Wright stamped it out with his second of the night. One step forward, two steps back. That rhythm has become all too familiar.
Still, hockey seasons are long, and one thing I’ve learned after watching this team for decades is that momentum can swing in an instant. The question is whether Toronto can catch one of those swings before this slide buries them.
Item One: Stolarz, Woll, and the Goaltending Question
Anthony Stolarz’s return from two months on the shelf has been a story of rust more than anything else. He’s a professional, he battles, and he’s trying to get his timing back. But he also gave up four goals on 21 shots. That didn’t help anyone sleep better last Thursday night.
Stolarz admitted the third one was the kind he needed to stop. The tricky part is that the Maple Leafs haven’t exactly given their goalies ideal working conditions. Breakdowns, missed assignments, and late backchecks have made every crease a stressful place to stand.
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Joseph Woll is expected to get the net in Vancouver. At this point, he’s the closest thing the team has to a steady base. But no goalie can fix the sloppy play in front of them. The Maple Leafs have made life difficult on every goalie who’s put on their sweater this season. A good save or two can calm a team; a team that plays more calmly can help a goalie feel comfortable. Toronto hasn’t been giving or receiving much of either lately.
Item Two: William Nylander Could Change the Temperature
The good news is that William Nylander looks as if he is going to return. After missing seven games with a groin injury, he skated on the second line and top power-play unit in Friday’s practice. That usually signals a player is right on the edge of being ready.
The Maple Leafs have looked flat without him. They’ve trusted in their depth to generate offence, and while effort hasn’t been the issue, execution has. Nylander changes the geometry of the ice. He forces defenders to back off, stretches coverage, and adds that little hum of unpredictability Toronto desperately needs right now. In addition, given the off-ice moment that he was fined for by the NHL, he might come out with some fire in his belly.
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Even if he isn’t at full speed immediately, just having him in the lineup shifts the whole dynamic. Opponents can’t overload on other players as easily. Fans who’ve watched this team grind through a frustrating road trip might finally see a reason to believe. If Nylander plays tonight, Toronto instantly becomes more dangerous. Might it be enough to flip the tone of an entire week?
Item Three: Nicholas Robertson Has Been a Bright Spot in the Fog
In a 5–2 loss, it’s easy to overlook small successes, but Nicholas Robertson could have been the best Maple Leafs player on the ice. He tied the game early off a Seattle turnover, and beyond the goal, he played like someone determined to make his shifts turn the game. He hit, he chased, he forechecked, and he looked like one of the most engaged Toronto players.
Robertson had gone four games without a point, so the goal mattered. But the consistency in his underlying game is becoming interesting. Twelve goals, 25 points, 81 shots, 55 hits, and a minus-3—that’s a third-liner who gives you honest minutes every night.
When the team is wobbling, as Toronto is now, those middle-six players can be the difference between sinking and stabilizing. He won’t fix the entire problem, but Robertson has become part of the solution.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
Toronto sits dead last in the Atlantic, staring at a road that gets no easier. They’ve hit funks before and clawed out of them, but this one has a heavier feel. The timing is poor, injuries are piling up, and the confidence is thin.
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That said, Vancouver is dealing with its own problems. They are dead last in the NHL. This might be a “good moment” to catch the Canucks. One win won’t heal everything, but it could let the Maple Leafs take a breath, reset the room, and remind themselves they’re better than what they’ve shown.
