No Bad Luck Here: Maple Leafs Were Built to Self-Destruct

Hockey is a tough, punishing sport. Injuries happen; it’s part of the game, everyone accepts that. But the Toronto Maple Leafs this season have been injured far more than usual, and it’s hard to ignore the pattern.

I believe the way this team was built and coached has contributed to the spike in injuries. You can argue scheduling, age, and random bad luck, and sure, those matter. But there’s a strong case that Toronto has, in a sense, set itself up for this kind of wear-and-tear.

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Considering the Great DNA Experiment of the Offseason

Let’s start with the team’s DNA experiment. Management set out over the past few years to clearly target a certain type of player: bigger bodies, older players, ones who thrive on north-south, physical hockey. That’s not a knock—it’s a philosophy. But physicality comes with costs. Boards, hits, blocked shots, and hard forechecking. Each of these actions take their toll.

When you stack your roster with players who do that night in and night out, it’s a natural consequence that more injuries will appear, especially as the season grinds on. It follows logically. The more physical banging around, the more players will be injured.

Considering Craig Berube’s Coaching Style

Then there’s coaching style. Craig Berube’s approach is very much in the “contact and compete” school. He expects to hit, forecheck, and engage heavily on every shift. That’s a style that produces results in the right hands, but it’s also a style that pushes bodies harder than a finesse, puck-possession system might.

Mix that with the Maple Leafs’ roster choices that brought in older, more physical players who log lots of minutes. Again, it’s no surprise that it’s a recipe for more frequent injuries than the team has historically experienced. On its own, that approach isn’t reckless. But layered onto a roster already built for contact-heavy hockey, it compounds the physical toll.

Considering the Maple Leafs Eliminated the Sports Science Position

Add to that the gaps in staffing and authority. Last summer, the Maple Leafs eliminated a high-level sports science role and a supporting sports scientist. These weren’t easily replaceable positions—they were designed to oversee player workloads, anticipate potential injuries, and mediate conflicts between strength coaches, therapists, and the coaching staff.

Now, assistant strength coaches are carrying these responsibilities in addition to their own jobs, and there’s no clear authority to override even the coach or the general manager when a player needs rest. That lack of structure amplifies risk: a player might be pushed one shift too many, or not get the right recovery plan, simply because there’s no senior voice in the room to make that call.

The Evidence Lies in the Patterns

It’s also worth noting patterns in the evidence. William Nylander, for example, had barely missed a game before this season. Now he’s missing significant stretches. Auston Matthews has missed significant time over the past two seasons, and his production has fallen in each season.

Other core players are being shuffled in and out due to injury. This isn’t just a coincidence. It’s a system that, in many ways, works against its own players. A fully empowered sports science department might not prevent injuries, but it can reduce risk — and that safety net no longer exists.

Hockey Always Has Injuries, But the Maple Leafs Have More

So yes, hockey injuries are inevitable. But in this case, a pattern emerges. The combination of roster construction, coaching philosophy, and organizational decisions about authority and staffing has almost certainly contributed to this season’s record of wear and tear. You can point to age, schedule, and bad luck—but it’s hard to escape the conclusion that the Leafs helped create their own injury spiral.

If the team wants to avoid a repeat next season, it starts with acknowledging that reality. The DNA, the coaching, and the gaps in authority all need to be addressed. Because no matter how tough the sport is, you can still give your players a fighting chance. Right now, that chance hasn’t been fully realized.

Related: Who Should the Maple Leafs Actually Trade?