The Toronto Maple Leafs were back in action last night in their first game after the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. They came into the game hoping that after selling assets there would be some relief and a sense of direction amongst the players. However, that was not the case. They came out playing very well for the first five minutes and then after scoring the opening goal of the game, it all went downhill. They allowed four goals on the next 12 shots and looked instantly defeated.
Which makes sense to a certain extent, but there were still 40 minutes remaining in the game. During that time, they lacked effort, looked disinterested and because of that they have now extended their losing streak to seven games, the most in the Auston Matthews era.
Berube’s Time is Up
It is baffling that even after how bad this season has been, Craig Berube is still behind the bench. Yes, sometimes it isn’t just on the coach and they are the ones who take the blame. But in this case, it is very much on Berube. His coaching style and systems don’t align with the skill on this team. We’ve seen that with Matthews. Under Sheldon Keefe he was a top five player in the NHL. Now, after two seasons under Berube, he is in the top 15 or 20. They need a coach that is offensive focused but still stresses strong defensive play. Not the other way around.
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It truly doesn’t make any sense why after all of the stuff this team has gone through that Brad Treliving didn’t make a change. Instead, he moved on from Marc Savard and replaced him with Steve Sullivan. That isn’t a culture changing move. It is time to move on from Berube. His time is up. There is no reason why this Maple Leafs team should be this bad. They have the skill and have shown just how good they can be. Unfortunately, it seems like bad line starts and lack of chemistry has hurt them. There has also been the injury bug that has hit them quite hard this season. Regardless, if they would have made a coaching change earlier and potentially some roster moves, they could have saved this season from going this far off the rails.
Power Play Needs New Life
This has been a talking point all season. The power play (PP) has struggled and even after making the change to Sullivan to run it, it hasn’t improved. From a fan’s perspective, there are a few noticeable issues. The first one is Morgan Rielly. It’s time for him to take a seat on the bench and let someone else run it. That someone else should be their best defenseman this season, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He should be running point on the PP. He has shown he has the offensive talent to do it, but more importantly he can hold the line, something Rielly struggles to do, and he will look for the shooter on the PP.
Who’s the shooter? Well, that would be one of the best goal scorers in our generation, Matthews. There is really no reason whatsoever that he should be looked off when he is open on the side boards. He and William Nylander occasionally switch sides, but whenever Matthews is on his strong side, he needs to have the puck on his stick. Did the Washington Capitals look off Alex Ovechkin? No, they got it to him every time they could. Now, if Matthews isn’t open or his shooting lane is blocked, then look to the other side wall for Nylander and let him get the puck on net. This is something that isn’t happening, and then we wonder as a fan base why the PP is so bad?
Well, because instead of letting our best players have the puck, we pass it around the outside, get it down low for a tuck play by John Tavares or Matthew Knies and then when it’s cleared down, Rielly can’t keep it in the zone and they have to restart the setup. It’s the same thing time after time. If our PP was near the top of the league, we’d have a much better chance to win games. Obviously, there are exceptions to this, like the Colorado Avalanche whose PP is one of the worst in the NHL but they are still the top team. However, the Avalanche and the Maple Leafs aren’t even in the same conversation. One is terrible and one team is the best team in the league. It’s like comparing apples and oranges.
Matthews’ Olympics High Wasted
Remember just a few weeks ago when Matthews was coming off the high of winning the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics? Everyone was wondering how this would affect his game and were excited to see the boost it should give the Maple Leafs. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it didn’t help. In fact, he can’t buy a goal. He had a great chance last night and rang it off the post. He hasn’t scored in the last seven games that they’ve lost and fans can start to see the frustration on his face.
Related: Maple Leafs’ Hot Streak Fizzled Into Worst Stretch in the NHL
Some may say he needs to try harder, but even if he was giving 200 percent each night, the team’s morale is so low it is hurting his confidence. Which now has sparked the conversation about his future and how he and the team are going to meet this summer to discuss it. Yes, it has gotten that bad. And you’d think that Treliving would consider a coaching change before the end of the season to see if it rejuvenates the club. Or, he could be at risk of losing one of the best players in franchise history. The last two weeks for the Maple Leafs have been difficult. They’ve lost seven straight, saw some of their best friends be traded and have heard the front office starting to consider a full rebuild rather than a retool.
And unfortunately, for Matthews, his high of winning the gold medal at the Winter Olympics is over and he is starting to look miserable. Which is not a good sign for a Maple Leafs team that can’t afford to lose a player like him.
