The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a slow start. They started the year at 3-3-1 after losing to the New Jersey Devils 5-3 on Tuesday night. This is a different Maple Leafs team than they have been in years past, and that shouldn’t shock anyone.
Toronto is missing a skilled player in Mitch Marner. It’s hard to replace a 100-point player like Marner, who played all three phases of the game for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not to mention the locker room dynamic is different. Auston Matthews no longer has one of his good friends on the team.
The Maple Leafs are in need of a massive shakeup, and most think the team will struggle offensively, but not to this extent. So it begs the question: Are the Toronto Maple Leafs following a familiar path in trying to forge a new identity, similar to the Florida Panthers?
There’s always drama for the Toronto Maple Leafs
?NHL Thoughts of the Day?
Time to hit the panic button? ️Are Toronto or the Maple Leafs going through similar growing pains as the Florida Panthers? #huntingtime #foreverleaf @CraigJButton pic.twitter.com/OnRh2DUoq7
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) October 22, 2025
Transcribed by NHLRumors.com
Jim Billinger: “My NHL thoughts are on this day. Let’s look at the Toronto Maple Leafs. 3-3-1 in seven games. Everyone is asking, what’s wrong with the Toronto Maple Leafs? Why can’t they find their identity? What are they looking for? After Tuesday night’s loss to the Devils, Anthony Stolarz once again called out his teammates and said we have to be better. Craig Berube stepped up now and said we have to be better players.” Better. We need to get better. This is not good enough. Stolarz also falls into this category.
But something was missing in Toronto. Mitch Marner is no more. He is a dynamic player. to be honest. It’s a player you regret losing, according to TSN’s Craig Button. No matter what happens in the playoffs, he will be a top-five scorer. It’s clear Auston Matthews is not the same player. The top line isn’t the same without him, the power play, everything, the penalty kill.
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Doesn’t that remind you of a team when you’re trying to change your identity because you know what’s not working in the playoffs and it takes time and slow time to find yourself, find your role.
Florida Panthers, 2022-23. That offseason, after being blown away by the Tampa Bay Lightning, they moved Jonathan Huberdeau-MacKenzie Wager and brought in Matthew Tkachuk. Now, Nicolas Roy and Matias Marcelli are no longer Matthew Tkachuk, but you have changed your identities and become a tougher team. Seven games later, the Panthers are 4-2-1. They’ve been hovering around .500 in the NHL pretty much all season.
It took me some time to understand what Paul Morris was trying to do. Yes, the Maple Leafs look slow. Yes, the Maple Leafs are getting a little old. They were beaten by faster teams, but it took some time. It’s still early. Everyone has to relax in Toronto. Yes, they have to get better. But Marner wasn’t there. That’s completely different from who this team is.
They want to be a physical team. Again, they weren’t beating people up like they were supposed to. This will take some time. But it’s a stark reminder that when you change, completely change who you are, it takes some time to find your new identity. “
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Every year, we discuss how teams learn to respond to adversity. If the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to play the way they are playing now, they could be a wild card team this year. This may not be a bad thing. The Florida Panthers have been fighting to make the playoffs all year, ultimately making them a stronger playoff team.
Toronto has had some bumps in the road on its way to the playoffs. So, learning to fight throughout the year and compete for a playoff spot will only make them stronger. However, players have to accept it. It can’t be a 50% buy. Everyone has to buy in every night.
The transition from a fast-paced, high-flying offense to a slower, more methodical offense takes time. But like in any major market, things can be blown out of proportion, and the Maple Leafs’ woes would likely have been bigger news had the Toronto Blue Jays not reached the World Series.
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