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Truth About Maple Leafs' Group Chat Revealed Amid Team Struggles

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Mar 16, 2025 7:30 AM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled on the ice, losing five of their last six games, and Ryan Reaves and Mitch Marner have revealed how the team is trying to stay connected off of it.

Speaking to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, Reaves and Marner pointed to the Maple Leafs group chat, which has been a staple for the team, as an element that plays a key role in keeping the locker room engaged.

"You see something funny, you throw it up there," Reaves said. "Someone does something stupid, says something stupid, you put it up there. It’s more to talk (expletive) than anything."

Reaves' teammates noted how active he is, with Marner being one of the few who consistently engages with him to keep the conversation going amid the team's recent struggles.

"We’re just the most active because we’re just throwing in ideas to try to get the guys together," Marner said. "If no one responds to Reavo, he likes saying I’ll go F myself.

"He doesn’t like that, so I’ll reply once in a while to him."

Even after being waived and sent to the Leafs' affiliate team in the AHL, the Toronto Marlies, Reaves has remained a presence among his NHL teammates, if only virtually.

The group chat is also more than just a space for jokes, with Reaves acknowledging it plays a key role in team bonding, even when the players aren’t in the same room.

"You’re not together when you’re doing it, but just little funny things, I think, keeps the boys connected and make them laugh together," Reaves said.

As much fun as the group chat can provide, the harsh reality the Leafs are facing has nothing to do with it.

Toronto has lost five of their last six games, including Saturday's 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Ottawa Senators.

While the Leafs avoided a fourth consecutive loss last Monday, beating the Utah Hockey Club following a team-only meeting, the team last won two consecutive games on the last matchup of February and the first one they played in March, nearly two weeks ago.

Following Saturday's loss, Toronto dropped from the second spot in the Atlantic Division to the third, now behind both the Florida Panthers (85 points) and tied with the Tampa Bay Lighting (81) but behind the Bolts due to goal difference.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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