Leafs officially eliminated from 2026 Stanley Cup playoff contention

It’s official. The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ streak of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs will end at nine seasons.

With their loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, the Leafs are now mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Adversity struck Toronto this season before it even began. After a crushing 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, the Leafs dealt with a tumultuous offseason that included the departure of star winger Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights. General manager Brad Treliving tried to replace Marner with quantity, adding center Nicolas Roy along with wingers Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli to bolster Toronto’s depth.

While many questioned whether the Leafs could make up for the loss of Marner’s production and defensive acumen, most still projected Toronto, who won the Atlantic Division with 108 points last season, to make the playoffs even while accounting for some regression.

From the very beginning of the season, it was clear the Leafs were missing the winning formula they relied upon last year. Over the first two months of the season, Toronto went 11-13-1. The terrific goaltending they received last season from the tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll was absent, as Stolarz struggled with injury and poor play, while Woll joined the team roughly a month into the season and has never quite found his game.

The Leafs, who for so long had been known as a highly skilled, offensively potent team, have seemingly lacked identity. With Marner gone, center John Tavares past his prime, and captain Auston Matthews unable to rediscover his goal-scoring prowess from seasons past, Toronto has slogged through an uninspired, injury-plagued campaign.

Now, the Leafs will face major decisions, especially regarding the fate of head coach Craig Berube after already firing Treliving this week. That will determine if this season is simply a one-year blip, or the beginning of a downward trajectory for the franchise.