The Toronto Maple Leafs are staring down the barrel of a lost season. Now losers of four in a row, with a pending trade deadline that looks ominous and holding only three draft picks during the 2026 National Hockey League Entry Draft, the Maple Leafs have more questions than answers at the moment.
On Tuesday morning, following the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, former NHL head coach Bruce Boudreau joined Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill to discuss the current state of the Maple Leafs’ season.
Riding a three-game win streak heading into the Olympic break, the Maple Leafs have stumbled on the flipside, losing to Tampa Bay, Florida, Ottawa and Philadelphia, oftentimes looking completely overmatched.
“I’m the eternal optimist here, and even my optimism can only go so far, quite frankly. The way they’ve played their last four games is disappointing to say the least,” Boudreau said. “Their performance in the first half of the Ottawa game was so bad, I was wondering why they even came on the ice.”
The concerning part for many Maple Leafs fans has been the seemingly lack of care or extra effort that has been showcased during what could have been a stretch that propelled this team into playoff consideration.
“There’s a lot of blame to go around. It doesn’t look like in the dressing room they have a player that’s an emotional leader,” Boudreau said. “They’ve got a captain, but I don’t think he’s an emotional leader.”
When disappointing seasons take place, change generally follows. Whether it is trades or firings, the Maple Leafs seem to be heading in that direction with head coach Craig Berube, especially if the feeling is that he has lost his voice with the players.
“Last year, they played a great defensive game, and he [Berube] had their attention. This year, they’re allowing four or five goals almost every game, and he’s a defensive-minded coach,” Boudreau said. “So it’s real to say he’s lost the room. I just don’t know if they are paying attention to the way he wants them to play. It seems like they are just going through the motions.”
One of the many points Maple Leafs fans have raised has been the usage or lack thereof, for the former 2023 first-round draft pick Easton Cowan. Having appeared in 45 games due to being scratched for multiple stretches of the season and averaging 13:25 time on ice per game, many people feel Cowan’s development is being stunted at the NHL level.
“If you are going to play him for only 8:23, just put him in the American Hockey League at this point. My philosophy was always if I can’t play a young kid for 12 minutes a game, he’s got to go somewhere because he’s not developing there,” Boudreau said. “He’s not playing with confidence. I would have him playing 20-to-25 minutes a night in the AHL, because as Jay knows, that’s a good league and you develop there.”
With the trade deadline looming this week, Boudreau kept his assessment of what the Maple Leafs should do very simple.
“I would say in the meetings, okay, we’re not going to win the Stanley Cup this year, so let’s use our assets to get better without completely destroying our team,” Boudreau said. “They’re not going to make the playoffs, so to me they have some guys that they can move.”
The Maple Leafs return to action on Wednesday night when they travel to New Jersey to take on the Devils. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. EST.
PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF TRADE DEADLINE SPECIAL
The 2026 Trade Deadline Special is going LIVE March 6th. Join the Daily Faceoff crew on Friday, March 6th, from 11 AM-3:30 PM ET for wall-to-wall coverage of every single move as it happens. Get instant reaction, expert analysis, and exclusive insights from special guests throughout the day. Tune in LIVE on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and don’t miss a second of deadline day chaos.