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Scott Laughton, Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo by Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Laughton, Tanev, Joshua & Rifai

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By The Old Prof | Last updated Jan 29, 2026 12:55 PM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t get out of town fast enough. An 0-4-1 homestand wrapped up with a 7–4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, and suddenly the math looks ugly. Eight points back in the playoff race, very little margin for error, and now a four-game Western swing before the Olympic break. This is the part of the season where teams either stabilize… or quietly drift.

Head coach Craig Berube flat-out said what a lot of people have been dancing around: scoring isn’t everything, and the Maple Leafs are still acting like it is. Even when the stars put up points, the team keeps getting burned without the puck. Soft coverage, missed reads, and goals against at moments where awareness should be automatic. For example, the Maple Leafs gave up a goal 16 seconds into the third period, already trailing. It’s becoming a pattern, not a one-off.

That context matters when you look at the smaller stories swirling around the team right now. None of them are earth-shattering on their own, but together they paint a pretty clear picture of where the Maple Leafs are — and what they’re trying to steady.

Item 1: Scott Laughton Sounds Like Someone Who Wants to Stay

Scott Laughton isn’t hiding his feelings about Toronto. “I could see myself being here long-term,” he mentioned in a recent interview. Then, he added that contract talks will eventually come down to his agent and Brad Treliving. For now, he says he’s focused on playing and helping the team. That’s the standard line — but it doesn’t sound empty coming from him.

Timing is the tricky part. The trade deadline is March 6, and the Olympic roster freeze from February 4–22 complicates everything. If the Maple Leafs are going to make meaningful roster decisions, they need to happen quickly or wait until the team returns from Italy. There’s not a lot of runway for “we’ll see how it goes.”

What stands out with Laughton is that he’s not angling for a massive payday or a final cash-in. He’s talking like a guy who knows where he is in his career and wants to be part of something stable. He’s healthy, he believes he’s got good years left, and (maybe most important for fans to hear) he sounds like someone who’s bought into the room.

That matters for a team that’s constantly accused of being too transactional, too talent-first, and not invested enough in the grind parts of winning. Laughton isn’t flashy, but he fits the kind of identity Berube keeps hinting at. Whether that turns into a long-term deal depends less on words and more on where the standings go over the next month.

Item 2: Tanev and Joshua to LTIR, Flexibility Over Fixes

The Maple Leafs placed both Chris Tanev and Dakota Joshua on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) this week. While that may sound dramatic, it’s mostly paperwork.

Tanev continues to deal with a groin injury and has already served the minimum LTIR time. Technically, he could return whenever he’s ready. Still, there’s no clear timeline. Joshua, sidelined with a kidney issue, isn’t expected back before the Olympic break anyway.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have not had defenceman Chris Tanev for most of the season. That hurts. (John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images)

What this does is give Toronto some cap room to breathe. It doesn’t solve problems, but it creates options. That’s important heading into a stretch where the team may need to shuffle bodies, manage workloads, or survive a few rough nights without forcing rushed returns.

The key thing here is patience. Neither player helps the Maple Leafs if they come back at 80 percent and immediately gets hurt again. Given how fragile things already are, the last thing this team needs is another short-term patch that turns into a longer-term issue.

Item 3: Marshall Rifai Gets the Call (For a Reason)

Marshall Rifai was recalled to the big club yesterday. The Maple Leafs sent Henry Thrun and Dakota Mermis down and brought Rifai up as depth insurance. He hasn’t played an NHL game since appearing in two during the 2023–24 season, but he’s been steady with the Marlies. He’s put up four assists, 23 penalty minutes, and a whole lot of unglamorous work in 12 games.

Marshall Rifai, Toronto Marlies (Jenae Anderson / The Hockey Writers)

Rifai is physical, direct, and doesn’t try to do too much. In a stretch where Toronto keeps beating itself with mistakes, that kind of simplicity has value. If he gets into a game, no one’s expecting puck-rushing highlights. They’re expecting structure, physical engagement, and fewer self-inflicted wounds.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

Auston Matthews had a goal and two assists against Buffalo, and even he pointed to desperation, not talent, as the missing ingredient. That’s the uncomfortable truth hanging over all of this. The Maple Leafs don’t lack offence. They lack consistent urgency without the puck, which has to come from the inside and doesn’t just show up when the standings start yelling at you.

This Western trip isn’t about finding chemistry or hoping for a scoring spike. It’s about whether this group can finally internalize what Berube keeps saying: play the full rink, every shift, no shortcuts. Seattle, Vancouver, and the rest don’t care about Toronto’s potential or playoff math. They’ll just try to beat whatever team comes to town, and right now, that team is the Maple Leafs.

If the Maple Leafs change how they play without the puck, this trip can still be a reset. If they don’t, it’ll just be them playing poorly in a different arena. The big question: will the same mistakes follow them west?