When the stakes are at their highest, some elevate their games to an even better level, while others falter under the heavy pressure. It was already quite obvious before the 2025-26 season began, but the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ star players fall under the latter.
The Maple Leafs are going home early yet again, as they were ousted by the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the second round. It is the closest this Maple Leafs core has come to a Stanley Cup, though that in itself helps explain just how much this group struggles when the games mean the most.
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The Maple Leafs didn’t just lose in the second round, but did so in bizarre fashion, as everyone has become accustomed to. They took a 2-0 series lead, only to fall behind 3-2 before winning a big Game 6 on the road to push the series to the brink. Most would have expected a great effort from them in the biggest game the organization has had in decades. Instead, they laid an egg, falling by a 6-1 final, just as they had in Game 5 less than a week prior.
Now, with John Tavares – and even more notably Mitch Marner – set to become free agents this offseason, it seems that the time has finally come (albeit long overdue) for management to completely change the structure of its roster. Guys like Auston Matthews, Marner, and even, to an extent, William Nylander, do not have the true gamer mentality needed to win big outings.
It’s an interesting situation, as there is no exact rhyme or reason why some stars excel in big moments while others stumble. The Edmonton Oilers are a great example, as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl raise their already elite play to a completely different level in the playoffs. Perhaps it’s because they view pressure in a much different way than the Maple Leafs’ stars do.
Draisaitl Embraces Pressure Moments
The Oilers are currently waiting to begin the Western Conference Final versus the Dallas Stars, while the Maple Leafs are packing their bags and heading home early yet again. Much has been made in recent days about just how difficult it is for star players to thrive in Toronto, yet Edmonton is a very big and hockey-crazed market in its own right.
On Monday, Draisaitl was asked about the pressures of playing in a Canadian market, in what was a clear correlation to what is being said about the Maple Leafs fan base. Though the 29-year-old didn’t take any shots at the Maple Leafs team, he gave the perfect answer that helps explain why players like himself excel come the postseason.
“The pressure is higher here, of course,” Draisaitl said. “The media, fans, expectations, that’s just the way it is. It’s a hockey country. It starts with hockey and it ends with hockey in this country. I don’t know if teams feel that they get under pressure with that. I’m not the right person to answer that. But we can handle it, and we’re excited to get back to playing and put our best foot forward.”
Notice how these types of comments are never heard from Maple Leafs players, and in particular their core group who are being paid the big bucks and expected to show up in these types of environments. Draisaitl mentioning in such a confident manner that he and his teammates, particularly McDavid, can handle these moments is proven and exemplified by what the dynamic duo have shown in the playoffs year after year, even without reaching their ultimate goal to this point.
Maple Leafs Lack True Gamers
The biggest issue for the Maple Leafs is that their star players seemingly lack that true drive to do anything it takes to win big games. That isn’t to suggest they aren’t trying, though players with the true gamer mentality will always find a way to go above and beyond to give their team a chance at victory.
Take Matthews in this year’s playoffs, as an example. There are reports that he was playing injured, which, while not easy to overcome, isn’t impossible for some. Draisaitl, for example, played the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a high ankle sprain. Rather than having it make him a non-factor, he found a way to adapt his game and wound up recording seven goals and 32 points in just 16 outings. Matthews, meanwhile, finished this year’s run with three goals and 11 points in 13 games.
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Had this series been a one-off, it wouldn’t be a concern. But it is happening again and again with this Maple Leafs team. They’ve simply put together a core that cannot come out on top in big moments, and they will need to address it in a big way this offseason in order to go on a long playoff run their fan base is begging to see.
