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Toronto is Not a Playoff Team This Season

Originally posted on Inside The Rink
By Jeremy Ridgewell | Last updated Jan 28, 2026 2:07 PM ET

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube still believes in this team. He believes the Maple Leafs have the right pieces to salvage their season. Hard to believe that after the disastrous homestand they went through. The proverbial mountain has become much harder to climb.

After a long stint near the bottom of the Atlantic Division, the surging Buffalo Sabres handed Toronto their third straight regulation loss at Scotiabank Arena with a 7-4 victory on Tuesday. The Maple Leafs finished a forgettable five-game homestand with a 0-4-1 record. They are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. Not looking like a playoff contender at all.

“We gotta keep the puck out of our net, is what I learned,” Berube said of the last five games during his post-game press conference after hearing the Leafs get booed off the ice. “Until we decide to do things right and keep the puck out of our net, and that’s the goalies included, this is what you’re gonna get.”

When asked about the identity of this Toronto team, the 2019 Stanley Cup-winning head coach stated the team is straightforward, structured, and plays hard-nosed hockey.

“We look at scoring as everything, and it’s not everything,” said Berube, still sporting two black eyes and a gruesome gash from what he described as a gym accident last week. “You’re not going to consistently win in this league by focusing on just scoring goals. You’ve gotta play the full rink, and right now we’re not doing a good enough job without the puck. That’s it.”

Toronto Has Little Hope of Making the Playoffs

That’s “it” for the Maple Leafs, which is what many fans are already thinking in a season full of disappointment. Toronto (24-20-9) is seventh in the division with 29 games remaining on the schedule. They are eight points back of the Eastern Conference wild-card spots. They need a miracle now if they still hope to make the playoffs.

The Maple Leafs haven’t registered a regulation win since January 10th. They will now head out on a four-game road trip ahead of the NHL’s Olympic break. The trip starts against the Seattle Kraken before moving through Western Canada to face the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Edmonton Oilers.

“We just have to have more sense of urgency,” said Toronto captain Auston Matthews, who registered a goal and two assists on Tuesday. “We have to be a more desperate team than the opponent every night, especially where we’re at.”

The Maple Leafs were on the wrong end of some bad luck against the Sabres. The first two Buffalo goals went in off Toronto defenders. However, the Leafs also allowed some breakthroughs late in the second period and early in the third, giving Buffalo a lead they wouldn’t surrender.

The Leafs’ only point on the homestand came in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Including the win over Detroit, Toronto was outscored a combined 23-11 by the Minnesota Wild (6-3), the Vegas Golden Knights (6-3), the Colorado Avalanche (4-1), and the Sabres (7-4).

Completely unacceptable for a team with hopes of making the playoffs. Fans are outraged and have every right to be.

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