The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t need to win Game 82. The standings were settled. The stars were mostly resting. If there was ever a time to coast, this was it. But the Maple Leafs didn’t.
In that decision — to show up, care, compete — the Maple Leafs might have told us something more about themselves. Sure, it’s risky to read too much into the final game of the regular season. But this game didn’t feel like nothing. It told fans something more profound about the team’s nature and character.
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Because when the depth players hit the ice, not just in mop-up duty, but in real, meaningful situations, they didn’t just fill space. They mattered. They tilted the game.
Philippe Myers scored a beauty. Chris Tanev made the key offensive play with seconds left to tie things up (on a brilliant pass from a hard-working Mitch Marner). And Scott Laughton, after a rocky start to his Maple Leafs tenure, buried the overtime winner to beat the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 4-3. Head coach Craig Berube trusted his depth, and the depth paid him back.
There was pride in this one. No one was auditioning. No one was fighting for a job. It was about playing with and for each other. That kind of determination and togetherness can’t be faked. Here’s wondering if it also can’t be ignored. Could it be a defining characteristic of the team?
Joseph Woll and the Will to Win
Game 82 was the kind of night that’s hardest on a goalie, who are left to hold the line when the team comes out flat. Joseph Woll did precisely that. He held the line. He didn’t just make the routine saves — he made the game winnable. He gave the Maple Leafs time to overcome a listless second period, to wake up, settle in, and mount a comeback. And once they did? You could see it: they were playing for him, too.
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That kind of mutual respect — between goalie and skaters — speaks to something deeper. This Game 82 would’ve been a blowout if the group didn’t care about each other. But they showed they do care. In Game 82, they played like it. That’s not a small thing as the postseason begins.
The Maple Leafs Depth That Doesn’t Just Survive — It Wins
Two names that don’t often lead headlines but deserve them after Game 82: Dakota Mermis and Philippe Myers.
Myers has been with the Maple Leafs all season, earning his contract with quiet, reliable play. In this one, he jumped into the rush, looking like Connor McDavid, nonetheless, and confidently walked through the Red Wings’ defence to score a goal with some flair. Who said he’s not flashy? Last night, he was, but he’s also dependable. And for a third-pair defender, that’s gold.
Mermis, newer to the roster, looked composed and capable. He logged big minutes and made smart decisions. He didn’t look out of place. He looked like a player who belongs on an NHL roster.
Here’s the kicker: the Maple Leafs had one of their hottest stretches of the season without Jake McCabe or Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the lineup. That’s not supposed to happen. But it did — because the next men up didn’t blink.
Craig Berube Didn’t Rest His Stars; He Empowered His Depth
When the Maple Leafs hired Berube, the early narrative was about toughness and discipline—old-school and unforgiving. Sure, Berube demands structure and accountability, but Game 82 showed how considerate and intelligent he is.
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He didn’t just rest his stars; he empowered his depth. He gave the spotlight to the players who needed it, letting them go out and earn something. Think about what that overtime goal means for Laughton. After bouncing between lines and never quite finding his rhythm, Laughton ended the regular season with a game-winner. That’s not just a nice story. That’s momentum.
Berube read the moment, trusted his depth, and got rewarded. That’s brilliant coaching. That’s how you build belief across the entire roster. Sure, it could have gone the other way. But it didn’t. That, too, could tell us something.
Three Surprise Stars from a “Meaningless” Game
If I were to hand out the three stars from Game 82, I could make a strong case for Laughton, Tanev, and Myers. Not Matthews, not Marner, not Nylander. And yet, on a night when the stars mostly rested and the standings meant nothing, these were the names that mattered most. If you think about that and dare to read more into it, what does it say about this Maple Leafs team?
It says something about depth, of course, and about desire. But more than that, it suggests a team becoming something harder to define and to knock out—Myers, a steady defender, who grabbed his moment. Tanev, the blue-collar heartbeat on the blue line, does all the little things that win games but rarely earn applause.
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Laughton, once adrift, scored the game-winner in OT on an assist by Mermis (that Mermis was on in overtime says something about Berube’s thinking). None of these players are usually headline names, but they’re becoming the connective tissue of a roster that suddenly feels more pumped up.
When do your third-pair defensemen and your bottom-six center steal a game? Could that be more than just luck? Could that be identity?
The Bottom Line for the Maple Leafs Going Forward
Game 82 didn’t matter in the standings. But it might’ve mattered in all the ways that count in April and May. Pride. Chemistry. Depth. Trust. That’s not nothing. Now Maple Leafs fans get to see if it’s the right kind of stuff that will carry a playoff series, or two, or three.
As the Battle of Ontario kicks off, don’t be surprised if the unsung Maple Leafs from Game 82 end up tipping a game, or even a series, when it matters most.
