Leafs’ Decline Has Nothing to With Effort

After each loss in recent months, the Toronto media love to criticize the Toronto Maple Leafs for a “lack of effort”, “lack of passion”, or being “disinterested”.

The Leafs’ troubles have nothing to do with those complaints.

The Leafs are simply not good enough. When looking at their roster at the season’s start, it was evident that this team was going to have a difficult time making the playoffs. With Mitch Marner in the lineup, the Leafs were, at best, a team that could make the playoffs and perhaps win one round. The key point is: they could make the playoffs.

In Marner’s absence, Leafs’ management replaced him with inferior players. That is not a criticism of his replacements. Simply, they are not Mitch Marner.

Further, there has been much warranted criticism of the Leafs’ defensive play this season. However, what made Marner valuable in his time with the Leafs was puck possession. Puck possession affects all three zones of the ice. When a team is in control of the puck, the other team doesn’t have it and is less likely to score. The Leafs’ decline in puck possession has been highly noticeable in the neutral zone this year. The puck is often turned over and ends up in the back of their net.

On December 22nd, the Leafs fired Marc Savard, evidently a function of the Leafs’ powerplay ranked last in the league. As with defence, success on the powerplay is largely defined by puck possession. Again, without Marner, the Leafs lack in puck possession and creativity. Further, Matthews’ goal scoring success has always been heavily reliant on good playmakers (i.e. Marner) surrounding him. Without an elite playmaker, it was predictable that Matthews’ production would decline. Savard received the blame but the issues go far beyond his coaching of the powerplay.

While it has certainly been a disappointing year for the Leafs, I’m not convinced that more effort, passion, or interest would have positively impacted this year’s results. Aside from Nylander, they do not have elite players in the lineup to possess the puck. There are a number of decent players in the lineup but they don’t have the playmaking ability, as evidenced by their lack of assists. Consider the low assist totals of some their forwards: Jarnkrok (0), Laughton (1), Roy 8), Domi (9), Robertson (8), and Matthews (9).

Assists do matter: it reflects playmaking and puck possession ability. This year, the Leafs simply do not have it. Necessarily, it leaves three lessons for a General Manager: a) If you have a very good player in your lineup, keep him; b) Do not underestimate the impact of playmaking skills; c) Over the long-term (a note to Leafs’ media), no amount of effort or passion will make up for inferior puck possession and playmaking.

Editor at Leafs Inquiry

December 23, 2025