Breaking Down the Best Player Development Systems in the NHL (2025 Edition)

 

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in complete freefall. What was supposed to be a fresh start without Mitch Marner has turned into an absolute nightmare, with the team enduring their worst stretch of hockey in nearly a decade. A brutal five-game losing streak has exposed every weakness in this roster, and the numbers paint an ugly picture of a franchise spiraling out of control. Three hat tricks allowed in five games. Defensive breakdowns every night. A playoff spot that now requires near-perfection the rest of the way. This is rock bottom for a team that was supposed to be better without the baggage.

Hat Trick After Hat Trick After Hat Trick

The humiliation reached new levels during this losing streak as opposing players treated Scotiabank Arena like a shooting gallery. Marcus Foligno of the Minnesota Wild became the first to embarrass Toronto, potting three goals in a dominant performance that left the Leafs defense looking lost. Just days later, Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders followed suit, recording his own hat trick and making it two in the same week. By the time the third hat trick was registered against them, the message was clear: this team has no answers. Goalies are hung out to dry. Defensive structure is non-existent. Opponents smell blood in the water and are feasting on a Leafs squad that looks nothing like the playoff contender they were supposed to be.

"Completely disappointed."

Brad Treliving on the Maple Leafs downhill slide in the standings.#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/ieNcAvGWBU

— OverDrive (@OverDrive1050) January 29, 2026

 

The Marner Effect Nobody Saw Coming

This is the first season in nine years without Mitch Marner in a Leafs uniform, and the results have been catastrophic. Say what you want about his playoff struggles, but Marner was the engine that made this team go during the regular season. His 741 career points and elite two-way play covered up a lot of flaws that are now fully exposed. Without him quarterbacking the power play, setting up Auston Matthews, and providing shutdown defense, Toronto has become a one-dimensional squad that can't defend, can't generate consistent offense, and can't win games when things get tight. The decision to move on from Marner was supposed to bring a new identity. Instead, it brought chaos.

The math is staggering and demoralizing. To reach a playoff spot from their current position, the Leafs would need to play .700 hockey for the remainder of the season. That means winning roughly seven out of every ten games against opponents who now have Toronto completely figured out. With injuries piling up on defense, goaltending inconsistency, and a forward group that lacks the depth to compensate for missing a superstar playmaker, that level of excellence seems impossible. This isn't a team built to go on a historic run. This is a team that looks like it's playing out the string, heading toward a lottery pick rather than the postseason.

“Yeah, I think there’s still a lot of hockey left, and the standings are really close," Knies said. "I haven’t really looked at it much to be honest with you, that's how confident I am that we’re going to get there."

Brad Treliving gambled that this roster could survive without Marner, betting that addition by subtraction would unlock something special in Matthews, Nylander, and the supporting cast. Instead, he's watching the entire season slip away in real time. The five-game skid has dropped Toronto out of playoff position entirely, and every night brings a new level of embarrassment. Fans are booing. The media is circling. Management is scrambling. This was supposed to be the year the Leafs proved they could win without the player who defined their regular-season success for nearly a decade. Instead, it's becoming the year that proves they never should have let him go.

This is Christopher Hodgson from TheBigFaceoff