As things look right now with no background context, the Toronto Maple Leafs season looks pretty good, on paper.
The Maple Leafs currently sit at the top spot of their division despite loads of injuries to some of their top players, they boast one of the top goaltending tandems in the league, and they'll (likely) have a favorable matchup in round one of the playoffs.
What's not to like? Surely there's no red flags people are still concerned about, right?
Well, that's the issue. At a glance, things look fine, but since the beginning of 2025 the Toronto Maple Leafs are 7-5, which is fine, but not spectacular. In those five losses, the Leafs have lost four of them by three or more goals. As for their wins, six out of seven have been by two goals or less. Also, of their seven wins, two were against Philadelphia and they also beat Montreal and the Islanders, not exactly great teams.
Things could be looking much better for the Leafs, and this run of inconsistency needs to change soon.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Inconsistency Becoming a Real Problem
Injuries
As mentioned before, injuries have not been doing the Leafs any favours this season. Auston Matthews looks healthy for good and has rounded back into form, but recent injuries to John Tavares, Matthew Knies, and Connor Dewar have exposed the forward group for its lack of depth, with the Leafs only managing one goal or fewer in their last seven games.
In goal, Anthony Stolarz has been out since mid-December with a knee injury, but looks to be recovering well. Lacking a steady #2 goaltender has put immense pressure on Joseph Woll, who has done a decent job with Stolarz out.
But the Leafs next options in net, Matt Murray and Denis Hildeby, have both been unreliable at the NHL level, putting more pressure on Woll.
These injuries should be a wake-up call to add more depth to the forward group, and a sign that Denis Hildeby needs more time to develop before he's ready.
Division Outlook:
The Leafs remain first in the Atlantic Division, ahead of the Florida Panthers by one point with a game in hand. The Leafs have been lucky the Florida has also had their share of injuries and inconsistent play, as they themselves are only 6-6-1 in the calendar year.
The Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins are six points behind the Leafs, and the Tampa Bay Lightning are seven.
Final Verdict:
In short, the Leafs are finding ways to win, whether that be a tight 2-1 game, a 6-4 thriller vs the Bruins, or scoring seven-straight vs Montreal to rally from a 3-0 deficit.
But when the Leafs lose, they lose hard. Four of their five losses this month have been by wide margins, and a 7-5 record is fine, but with their overall goal differential being -2 in twelve games, that's not a good look.
Winning most of their games by small margins and getting blown out in most of their losses isn't a great look, but I have hope they can turn it around.
The Leafs gave been enjoying a short break but get back into action tonight vs Minnesota.