Maple Leafs Collapse Puts GM in an Uncomfortable Position

The Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t just losing games right now — they’re losing control of their season. And with every ugly result, the pressure shifts more directly onto general manager Brad Treliving, who is quickly running out of options.

After their recent 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken and Tuesday’s chaotic 7-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, the Leafs are 2-6-2 in their last ten and have lost four in a row. They now sit ten points outside a playoff spot. What once looked like a team trying to steady itself has turned into a full-blown collapse.

TSN’s Craig Button was blunt in his assessment of where things stand.

“It’s over. They’re not good enough,” Button said, calling Toronto’s earlier stretch of strong play “a mirage.”

That sense of finality is spreading fast. Around the league and across Toronto’s media landscape, the tone has shifted from frustration to resignation. Steve Simmons described the season as “the sad ending to the most pathetic Maple Leafs season in more than a decade,” while Jay Rosehill could barely believe what unfolded during a disastrous homestand.

“They just gave their season away… Just flabbergasting,” Rosehill said.

Deadline Decisions Are Getting Ugly

With the trade deadline approaching, the Leafs should be talking about upgrades. Instead, analysts are asking whether this team should be tearing things down — at least partially.

Insiders like Frank Seravalli are calling the idea of Toronto buying at the deadline ridiculous. “I think any talk about this team potentially being a buyer… is lunacy,” Seravalli said. “This team is not good enough. They are not close to good enough.” The team has allowed 45 goals against in their last nine games. It’s the most goals allowed by the Maple Leafs in a nine-game stretch in 34 years.

That puts Treliving in an unenviable spot. Standing pat feels like surrender. Buying feels reckless. Selling could mean admitting the season — and perhaps this version of the roster — has run its course. It forces him to look at every player on the roster and wonder where they fit and if moving on is the best plan of action.

Treliving has little choice but to take and make phone calls to everyone. And, if there is a reasonable offer out there, consider it. For players with trade protection, it means asking whether they’ll consider waiving it.

The Leafs still have games left, but the mood is unmistakable. This is no longer about adding one more piece. You can rule them out of any Artemi Panarin speculation. It’s about whether the core can be trusted going forward.

Next: Insider: Maple Leafs’ Trade Return From Oilers for Bobby McMann