The Toronto Maple Leafs got skunked by the Washington Capitals last night. The Capitals scored twice early, then largely sat back and played it cool. There was no reason not to; they knew they didn’t have much to worry about. In the end, they scored two more, and it was a 4-0 loss to the Capitals.
Logan Thompson, the Capitals’ goalie, didn’t see a lot of rubber. He had enough action to keep him from getting bored, but not enough to really challenge him.
Related: Capitals’ Chychrun Scores Twice in 4-0 Win Over Maple Leafs
Toronto got 22 shots to the net, but far more shots than that never had a chance to go in. By the time the third period came around, it was clear the Maple Leafs were going down. Assessment? Another poorly-played loss. The final score of 4-0 sums the game up pretty well.
Capitals blueliner Jakob Chychrun was far more dangerous than any of the Maple Leafs’ forwards. He had a great night, scoring two goals and almost adding a third. Aliaksei Protas helped out by scoring the first goal of the game. Then the Maple Leafs seemed to skate around the perimeter, as if they were waiting for something to happen. It didn’t.
There was no bad luck involved in this loss. The Maple Leafs flat-out played a bad game.
There were at least three key problems the Maple Leafs need to solve.
Problem #1: The Maple Leafs’ Offence Has Gone Flat
Let’s start with the obvious. The Maple Leafs cannot score, and worse, they don’t look like they can even come close. Auston Matthews still works, still competes, still draws attention. That said, he no longer feels like the inevitable force he once was. He’s gone from inevitable game-breaker to just another very good player on a struggling team, and that’s a massive difference. When he’s not rocking the ice, everything else gets exposed.
At five-on-five, this team doesn’t generate much. There’s no chaos or second chances. No forced panic at the other team’s end. They play tidy hockey that goes nowhere, and tidy hockey doesn’t scare NHL defences.
Problem #2: The Maple Leafs Never Replaced Mitch Marner
As much as I don’t like saying this, it’s a point that keeps coming back because it matters. The Maple Leafs didn’t just lose Mitch Marner’s points; they lost his ability to make things happen when nothing else was there. They miss his puck retrievals and defensive reads. He had a knack for turning broken plays into something dangerous. You don’t replace that with “depth” and good intentions.
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Instead, the Maple Leafs spread the responsibility around and hoped it would add up. It hasn’t. They lost a core piece and haven’t replaced him. Or, at least, the math so far this season hasn’t added up. That’s both a coaching problem and a roster-construction problem.
Problem #3: There Are No Obvious Fixes Left for the Maple Leafs
If there were some obvious fixes, as a fan, you could talk yourself into being patient. But there isn’t a straightforward fix. The team has gone all in on what seems to be a failed philosophy.
A coaching change might come, and it’s probably past time that Craig Berube hears that noise. Perhaps, however, that’s like rearranging the chairs on the Titanic. The issues run deeper. The defence isn’t strong enough. The depth doesn’t help win games. The stars aren’t productive enough to mask the team’s other flaws anymore.
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General manager (GM) Brad Treliving deserves heat for this roster, but swapping GMs in-season won’t magically turn this team into a contender either. The new DNA talk, it seems, was vacuous. What fans are watching isn’t good enough to be a contender, not even close.
The Worst Part Is That the Maple Leafs Play Boring Hockey
The most unsettling part? The Maple Leafs’ play isn’t just disappointing; it’s boring. Past Maple Leafs teams broke hearts in the postseason, but they were at least interesting. This group looks stuck, and worse, it seems to know it.
Right now, the season feels like it’s slipping through their fingers — and there’s no obvious way to grab it back.
