Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Tavares, Dubas, Marchment & Now What? – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs
There is something strange about the way this season is ending for the Toronto Maple Leafs. It doesn’t mean anything in the standing. But with so many unanswered questions, the season still feels unfinished — the kind that still lingers in the offseason.
Last year, they swept the Ottawa Senators and won the first round series, 4-2. There was a purpose, an edge, something at stake. This year, they’re just trying to get through one more game before they get their summer gear ready.
Related: Morgan Rielly Opens Up About Future With Maple Leaves
Toronto enters tonight’s contest against the Senators on a six-game losing streak, still wearing the scar of that game against the Dallas Stars when a 3-0 lead somehow turned into a 6-5 loss. Meanwhile, Ottawa prepares for the playoffs, probably treating this as a tuning skate with just enough bite to stay sharp. A role reversal that says a lot without saying much at all.
Item One: A Map Leaf Security Question That Won’t Go Away
If you’re looking for a central riddle this season for the Maple Leafs, start here: why didn’t the defense hold up? This isn’t one bad night or a bad week — it’s been a steady trickle throughout the season. The lead doesn’t feel safe, and the structure disappears at the worst times.
(Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
The case was great thanks to the famous players, but it never felt monotonous or overwhelming. The biggest problem has been the inability to close games. When it’s really important, a lot of theater slips through their fingers, and they keep letting go of opportunities they shouldn’t throw away.
So now the questions come, and they are not easy. Was it the system under coach Craig Berube? Was it murder? Were the players a step too slow to react, or weren’t they as connected as they needed to be? Or is this a roster problem – a blue line that doesn’t have the right balance to play the way they’re trying to play?
Related: Joe Bowen and the Maple Leafs’ Unforgettable Goal
The truth is, it’s probably a little bit of everything. And that’s what makes you uncomfortable. These last games, even without the pressure, still tell you something. If the same divergence appears now, when there is nothing on the line, then you are not looking at a decline. You look at the trend. Habits don’t fix themselves.
Thing Two: Tavares Just Continued to Show Up Every Game
While there has been a lot of shaky ground this season, one thing hasn’t: John Tavares shows up every night. All 82 games. In 35 years.
(Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
That won’t be in a prominent package. But it tells you something about the player. He did it in his first season in Toronto, and here he is again, doing it in a year that may have tested his patience as much as anything he’s had here. This is a player who has grown accustomed to making playoff beats in this city. This year, that door closed early.
You can’t help but wonder how that feels inside. Is there a sense of relief when it ends? Or are you so wired that you just keep going, no matter what the situation? With Tavares, you already know the answer. His way does not change. His work is not going away. He prepares the same whether the games are important in April or not. That’s the norm – quiet, steady, stubborn.
Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Tavares, Nylander, Quillan & Lottery Hopes
And for a team that will spend the offseason asking tough questions, he’s still the kind of foundation his team should be around.
Thing Three: Trade That Still Concerns Dubas
On the management side, here’s a blast from the past. Former general manager Kyle Dubas offered a credibility that caught some attention. When asked about his regrets about living in Toronto, he didn’t shy away. He pointed directly at Mason Marchment.
That makes sense. Marchment wasn’t just another name on the payroll — he was an organizational project that the team came up with a little bit, from the ECHL to the program. Those are the ones you tend to believe in for a long time.
(Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Photos)
In 2020, the Maple Leafs traded him to the Florida Panthers for Denis Malgin, looking for more talent at the time. It was a logical bet. But Marchment ended up being the type of player Toronto was looking for. He became a middle-six forward with some bite, some edge, and enough touch to make it count. Not a star, but the kind of player you notice when he’s not there.
After watching Brad Treliving, who was fired as GM in March, stumble through some kind of trade, you have to wonder if that’s part of it. Is there a lesson here? You don’t easily sell players you’ve invested in for so long.
Related: NHL Rumors: Leafs Use AI, Bowness Snaps, Lowe Blasts Pronger
The team found that with Fraser Minten and Bobby McMann. Both probably feel a debt of gratitude to the team that gave them their first shot at their NHL dreams. Now that they have succeeded in different organizations, they may have been shown that, for them, the grass is greener on the other side. Both will likely continue to develop into what the Maple Leafs need, just as Marchment did for Dubas.
What’s Next for Maple Leaves?
And so it doesn’t end with a bang, but with a little shrug. There is no fixing the season now. No late push, no sudden jump in situation. The rest is simpler than that – can they put together a game that looks like the version they’ve been chasing?
Because what happens next is about whether there’s anything worth carrying into next season – or whether the whole thing needs a deeper rethink than expected.
