Analyst: Maple Leafs Can’t Win With Matthews and Nylander as Leaders

The Toronto Maple Leafs and their superstars have been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons of late, and losing four consecutive games to fall further behind in the Eastern Conference wild card race has somehow taken a back seat to it all.

From Auston Matthews not speaking to the media before or after Mitch Marner’s return-to-Toronto game, to William Nylander flipping off the camera from the press box during Sunday’s loss to Colorado, it was a rough weekend optically.

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As a result, the Maple Leafs’ two superstars have found themselves squarely in the crosshairs. On Monday, Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala couldn’t help but point out how that apparent lack of maturity has — and ultimately will — affect Toronto’s hopes of winning with Matthews and Nylander at the helm.

Bukala said:

“I don’t know what to do about it, I really don’t. And people are going to say, ‘Well, Jason, you’re overreacting,’ but I’m not. Because if you can carry yourself a certain way outwardly when you’re in the public eye, you can only imagine how much more immature you are inwardly.

Outwardly, you’ve got to be buttoned up, and you’ve got to be more professional than that. I’m disappointed in it. I don’t know what you can do about it. But the whole sequence stinks — from the captain not showing his face to the media to what happened yesterday. And it makes me believe this: when you’ve got $24–$25 million in salaries tied up in these two individuals, and we want to go somewhere, are we mature enough to ever get there anyway, even when we’re really good?”

The 29-year-old Nylander remains out of the lineup with a groin injury, though still leads the team in scoring with 48 points (17 goals, 31 assists) in just 37 games. He’s in year two of the eight-year, $92 million extension signed with the Maple Leafs in 2024.

Meanwhile, Matthews, 28, has tallied 42 points (25 goals, 17 assists) across 46 games this season. He’s in year two of the four-year, $53 million extension he signed to remain in Toronto back in 2023.

Where Do the Maple Leafs Go From Here?

It’s a difficult question for the Maple Leafs to answer: can they win with Matthews and Nylander leading the charge?

They showed they couldn’t for nine years with another superstar in Marner alongside them, so it’s hard to believe that without him — and with more wear and tear on the body as they approach their thirties — they’ll suddenly be able to do so now.

We’ve seen it firsthand in 2025–26, as Toronto appears poised to miss the playoffs for the first time in the Matthews era. It’s a sign that times may be changing — and that shift could come as soon as the trade deadline, with the Leafs potentially selling after years of buying as the norm in their pursuit of a Stanley Cup.

Next: Does Artemi Panarin to the Oilers Make More Sense Than We Think?