During a recent appearance on the Ladies Talkin' Leafs podcast, longtime Toronto sports columnist Damien Cox didn't mince words when it came to discussing the Toronto Maple Leafs' offseason moves.
Known for his candid takes, Cox criticized the team's front office for what he sees as a lack of direction, questioning whether the changes made this summer bring the Leafs any closer to breaking their decades-long Stanley Cup drought.
Cox's blunt assessment is sure to ignite conversation in Toronto about whether the team's management has done enough to contend or whether the Maple Leafs have taken a step back.
In the view of the longtime Toronto Star columnist, the Maple Leafs didn't do anything to improve the team. Instead, Brad Treliving and the Leafs' ownership made moves to appease the team's fans.
Cox Says the Leafs Didn't Get Better
Speaking with hosts Christine Dimoff and Sylvia Hargittay, Cox opined that the Maple Leafs' moves since the end of last season didn't make a lot of sense. The sports journalist, author, and broadcaster stated that he still thinks the Leafs will have a good hockey team and will be in the hundred-point range again in 2025-2026.
Cox pointed out that the Maple Leafs have strong goaltending, star players, and a "pretty sturdy defense." Despite having many good elements, Cox doesn't see how the Leafs are going to be better.
"Their moves don't make a whole lot of sense to me. I just don't see how they're going to be better.""Damien Cox
If the Maple Leafs are looking to take the next step and advance further in the postseason, Cox feels that they haven't done enough. "I'm not saying they will be worse, I just don't see how they are better," he stated.
Cox felt that the Maple Leafs' dismissal of former president Brendan Shanahan and top-line right winger Mitch Marner was an overreaction by the organization. He said that the team's fans were emotional after another playoff disappointment and that the organization reacted to that emotion rather than making logical and analytical moves.
"I didn't see that happening in this case. I saw scapegoating and I saw let's pin the blame on somebody."Damien Cox
Cox said he didn't see that happening with the Leafs. Instead, he said he saw scapegoating and pinning the blame on somebody (likely a reference to Mitch Marner). He also voiced that he expects the Maple Leafs to take a step back and waste a prime year of Auston Matthews and William Nylander's careers.
Dimoff and Hargittay countered that Shanahan had over a decade in Toronto and that the Maple Leafs had nine years with the same core of players without getting positive postseason results.
It's a debate that is sure to rage on well into next season. It will be months before Treliving, the Maple Leafs, and their fans know if their offseason transactions were enough.