The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a 7-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, widening their gap in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Now eight points behind the final wild-card spot with no games in hand, the team faces mounting challenges in the 2025-26 season. Injuries and performance issues have contributed to their slide in the standings and power rankings.
The Toronto Maple Leafs' struggles deepened with a 7-4 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, leaving them eight points out of the Eastern Conference's final playoff position. Two teams separate Toronto from the cut line, and the Leafs hold no games in hand to close the deficit.
Entering the 2025-26 season with playoff aspirations after capturing the Atlantic Division title with 108 points the previous year, Toronto has been hampered by key absences. The offseason departure of Mitch Marner left a void in scoring, exacerbated by significant injuries to William Nylander, Chris Tanev, Joseph Woll, and Brandon Carlo. Prospect Matthew Knies, expected to break out, has instead regressed, while depth scoring remains a persistent weakness.
On the ice, the results reflect these issues. The Maple Leafs rank 25th in the NHL with a 47.7% expected goals share at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. Their minus-9 goal differential places them 22nd league-wide. In coach Craig Berube's second year, the team has taken a step backward, producing what has been described as an aggressively mediocre product.
As the Leafs flounder, their position in the NHL power rankings has slipped accordingly, raising concerns about a potentially lost season despite the presence of superstars Auston Matthews and William Nylander.