The Toronto Maple Leafs were without a key piece in their lineup during their latest matchup against the Ottawa Senators, as Morgan Rielly was ruled out by Craig Berube due to a lower-body injury. Rielly was listed as day-to-day just hours before puck drop on Saturday. Craig Berube spoke pregame on the reasoning for his absence: “I just made a decision on Rielly this morning.” “With him being sick earlier in the week and coming back, he aggravated something against Carolina on Friday, I don’t want it to be an extended-length thing.” This latest report should have the Maple Leafs worried moving forward. The defenceman has been dealing with a lingering injury all season that he can't seem to shake off. Difficult season for both Rielly and the Maple Leafs It’s been a difficult season overall for Rielly, and his absence only adds to the challenges the Leafs have faced on the back end. He has struggled at even strength, having been on the ice for a high number of goals against compared to others around the league, with his plus-minus currently at -17. For a player who typically logs heavy minutes and plays in key situations, those numbers highlight just how tough this season has been defensively for both him and the team collectively. This has been a similar situation seen with Matthew Knies for the entirety of the season, with the Maple Leafs far out of a playoff spot and destined to miss the postseason for the first time in a decade. They should opt to give these players the rest and recovery time needed heading into next season. If Morgan Rielly is still a member of the Maple Leafs next season, they need him to be at his very best and much better than this season. Morgan Rielly's future up in the air Along with the on-ice struggles, Rielly's future with the team is up in the air. Many believe the Maple Leafs management staff has begun having conversations on if he is a potential fit within the lineup moving forward. Rielly still has four years remaining on his 8-year $60 million deal, with a full no-movement clause making any trade or decision that much harder. Rielly will have the leverage in any potential trade, ultimately having the deciding factor on where he plays next season. For now, the focus remains on getting Reilly healthy. With this disastrous season coming to a close, it may be time to let him rest and have his time as a Maple Leaf come to an end. Morgan Rielly has proved to be an effective defenceman in the NHL; however, this season has been one that he would like to forget.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a whole lot of problems on the ice this season, but perhaps their biggest issue is finally getting the spotlight. Over the course of the season, the Maple Leafs have struggled to control play, regularly getting outshot and out-chanced. This isn't a new trend for the Maple Leafs; last season, Toronto relied heavily on its goaltending and often won as it had the second-best save percentage in the NHL. If their goaltending, as we have seen this season, is average, they struggle to win hockey games. Maple Leafs sorely lack puck possession That lack of puck control is at the center of the problem. They are spending far more time in their own zone, forcing their goaltenders to face a heavy workload night after night. The Maple Leafs consistently getting heavily outshot will mean they spend far more time in their own zone than their opponents. Looking at their possession time last season, they ranked 29th in the NHL, not an improvement from last season and a huge drop since Sheldon Keefe was behind the bench. The Maple Leafs, if they want any chance of success over the final 11 games of the regular season, will need to shoot the puck far more often. Too often throughout the season, especially in December and January, while they were slumping, the Leafs were too cute with the puck and would look for the right opportunity instead of hounding rebounds and playing in the dirty areas of the offensive zone. With the Maple Leafs lacking speed and skill throughout the bottom half of their lineup, they set themselves up for failure, which allows their opponents to create most of the chances. Turnovers and costly giveaways lead to extended zone time Turnovers and defensive lapses have also come far too frequently. While the Maple Leafs were consistently outshot last season, the quality of their shots and chances was not nearly as high as this season. Their structure throughout the defensive zone has led to these chances and the volume of shots the netminders face. Too often, breakouts are disrupted by turnovers or missed assignments, leading to extended zone time for opponents. When you pair this with only Chris Tanev playing 11 games all season, they are set up for failure. Moving into the final 10 games of the season Over the course of the next 11 contests, the Maple Leafs can play a more stable structure called the box plus one. A box plus one is when you are set up for a penalty kill with both wingers and defence in their quadrants, while the centre skates around the zone supporting each quadrant. Because this system helps protect the house, the Maple Leafs will face far fewer high-danger chances; however, they may spend about the same time in their zone. The only way their opponents could score would be through missed assignments or defensive lapses, but this will happen far less often if everyone sticks to their quadrant. The Maple Leafs will have some serious numbers to dive into this offseason, as the shot totals night in and night out are not a stable way to win, as we have seen this season. Last season was a result of pure luck, and now we are beginning to see the flaws in Craig Berube's system.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a very disappointing season to say the least. Heading into the offseason, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. This most recent development from Luke Fox has a player emerging that nobody expected. According to Luke Fox on the Real Kyper and Bourne Show, the Maple Leafs management staff will discuss whether or not they see William Nylander as a part of their future, and road back to success. With recent Matthew Knies rumours swirling, it seems that the Maple Leafs are open to moving anyone on the roster if the correct offer presents itself. By all means, it is not expected for the Maple Leafs to shop Nylander out of Toronto, but they may be willing to put him on the trade block heading towards July 1st. Many Maple Leafs fans believe he is not part of the problem, but rather part of the solution. William Nylander's game has been trending in the wrong direction Nylander has not been at the top of his game as of late, as he has struggled to produce offensively, and more worrying hasn't been shooting the puck nearly as much. Craig Berube spoke pregame on Nylander's struggles, discussing his conversation pregame: “I don’t know if you are a playmaker now, or are you going to shoot?” He needs to shoot the puck, and he understands that. That is on the power play, too. He understood, and he agreed. Be more direct and shoot the puck. He scores goals. We need him to shoot the puck." The thought of the Maple Leafs moving Nylander can create more concern heading around the organization, and their plans for the future. If the team decides his time in Toronto has come to an end, they will be heading towards a rebuild, depending on the return they can get. There are only a few players in the NHL that the Maple Leafs could acquire that would actually make them better. Moving Nylander will lead to the end of an era in Toronto. Maple Leafs stars future in question The Swedish forward's departure could spark a larger conversation about Auston Matthews and his future with the Maple Leafs. There has already been a question of whether the Maple Leafs may look to move Matthews, as he could demand a trade if they aren't heading in the direction he pictures. Matthews' decision with the organization will likely lead to their decision with Nylander, and if they see him here long-term. Moving on from the superstar duo could be the direction the team needs to take to get back into the playoff race. Moving forward, and towards the offseason, the Maple Leafs should be coming up with answers on how to build around players like Nylander, not whether they should move on from them. The idea of questioning his place in the future feels more like frustration from a disappointing season than a logical roster decision.

ALBION, Mich. — The Albion men's lacrosse team rolled to a 14-8 victory over Carthage College on a sunny afternoon at Alumni Field. The Britons came out strong, opening the game with four unanswered goals. Junior Joey Pipesh, senior Cal Stearns, and senior Carson Farkas, who tallied two early scores, led the initial surge. Carthage responded late in the first quarter, trimming the deficit to 4-1. Carthage carried that momentum into the second quarter, adding two more goals to make it a one-goal game. Albion answered with Stearns' second goal of the contest, and despite a late push from Carthage, a goal from sophomore Luke Schuemann helped the Britons take a 6-4 lead into halftime. Albion pulled away in the third quarter, scoring three straight goals out of the break to extend the lead. Although Carthage briefly cut into the margin, the Britons responded with a four-goal run to close the quarter and build a commanding 13-6 advantage. The fourth quarter slowed into a defensive battle, with Carthage scoring twice. Albion added a late goal to seal the 14-8 win. Up Next The Britons hit the road on March 29 for a matchup against Elmhurst College.

ALBION, Mich. – The Albion baseball team put together a strong performance on a sunny Friday afternoon, sweeping a doubleheader against Grace Christian. Game 1 vs. Grace Christian Albion set the tone early behind a dominant outing from Quinn Lewis. The right-hander delivered a complete-game performance, tossing seven scoreless innings while striking out seven to keep Grace Christian off the scoreboard. The Britons broke through offensively in the bottom of the third inning when Evan Schuster launched a solo home run to give Albion a 1-0 lead. From there, the offense began to roll. Albion opened the game up in the fourth inning, plating five runs to take control. Doubles from Tyler Murphy and Carter Stahl sparked the rally and gave the Britons all the momentum. The bats stayed hot over the next two innings, as Albion added five more runs. Max Holser highlighted the fifth inning with a three-run home run, while Gavin White drove in two runs with a double to extend the lead even further. With strong pitching and consistent offense, the Britons cruised to a convincing victory in game one. Game 2 vs. Grace Christian The second game of the doubleheader proved to be a tighter contest, but Albion once again came out on top with a 4-2 win. The Britons wasted no time getting on the board, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jack LaPorte provided the early spark with a home run, giving Albion an immediate advantage. Grace Christian responded in the top of the second, cutting the deficit to 2-1, but Albion answered right back. In the bottom half of the inning, LaPorte delivered again with an RBI single to help extend the lead to 4-1. On the mound, Tyler Murphy turned in a solid performance, going five innings while allowing just two runs. Brandon Lipson came on in relief and shut the door, pitching the final two innings to secure the win and complete the sweep. Up Next The Britons will travel to Grace Christian on Saturday to finish the weekend series.

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Friday in overtime. Despite the Hurricanes being the clear-cut better team, the Maple Leafs had a chance to pull off the win. The Hurricanes fired off 78 shot attempts with Woll making 32 saves; in comparison, the Maple Leafs only had 43 attempts. This did not hold Craig Berube back from speaking about his goaltender and how he played. Craig Berube's thoughts on Joseph Woll's play "He's played well, but tonight in the end, I don't think, I know we need a save, whether it's the OT or it's one of the breakaways. We need a big save there." Berube said postgame. Woll later spoke to the media and explained how he feels behind the pipes. "I feel pretty solid, pretty solid in net.” “Just hoping to play as much as I can and do whatever I can to help the team win, and with that, learn as much as possible.” Pinning the blame on Joseph Woll Blaming Woll for the loss seems wrong to do, especially with how the team has played in front of him. Whether it was the extended zone time that led to the first goal, William Nylander not hustling out of the zone to Max Domi's costly giveaway in the offensive zone that opens up a penalty shot, or Morgan Rielly's turnover on the power play to give K'Andre Miller a break, the team did not perform and often left Woll out to dry. This kind of play hasn't been new to the Missouri native, as he has faced 175 shots over the previous five games, which is the most of any other goalie in the NHL. Anthony Stolarz is predicted to get the start for the Maple Leafs as they head to the nation's capital for Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday. Since returning from injury, Stolarz has played better hockey, but has lost the net to Woll. If the New Jersey native is able to play a strong contest on Saturday, we could see Stolarz getting more starts as the season comes to a close. The Toronto Maple Leafs did not deserve to win The Maple Leafs simply had no business winning the contest on Friday, and pinning the loss on Woll seems like Berube is trying to take the easy way out rather than assessing his team's play. 78 shot attempts are far too many for a goalie who has nearly played every game over this most recent stretch of struggling Maple Leafs hockey.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday for their third and final matchup of the season. The Maple Leafs and Hurricanes to this point have split the season series, with the Maple Leafs winning 5-1 in December and the Hurricanes winning the Hall of Fame game in November 5-4. Leafs coach Craig Berube reveals new-look forward lines Ahead of the matchup, the Maple Leafs were spotted trying different line combinations during the practice portion of their fan day event. John Tavares remains as the first line centre, but will look to have Easton Cowan and Matias Maccelli on the wings. Easton Cowan will look to get his chance on the top unit as he looks to build momentum heading down the final 13 games of the season. Cowan has shown some spark to the Maple Leafs top six at times this season, but as the Maple Leafs were in dire need of wins, Berube opted to keep him out of the lineup. With Cowan on the top line, we will see William Nylander on the second line, alongside Max Domi and Matthew Knies. Nylander and Knies will look to get their first true shot alongside one another, as Knies has spent a good portion of the season on the third line or up with Auston Matthews. The Swedish forward has been the Maple Leafs' most consistent forward this campaign; however, he has struggled over the past two games, as he hasn't registered a point. Nylander will play a massive role if the Maple Leafs want any chance of defeating a tough Hurricanes squad. Defensive group looks to remain the same The bottom six and the defence core will look to remain the same, and there is no telling who the starting goalie will be in Friday's contest. Morgan Rielly was absent from the fan event, as he was dealing with the flu, which doesn't appear to impact his availability for the contest. The practice featured Brandon Carlo alongside Philippe Myers, while Jake McCabe was with Troy Stecher, and Simon Benoit alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Rielly will likely take Carlo's spot on the first pair, while he shuffles down to play with McCabe, with Stecher on the third pair with Ekman-Larsson. The Maple Leafs are set to have a tough weekend ahead of themselves as they play a desperate Ottawa Senators team on Saturday at the Canadian Tire Centre.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be facing another major setback heading into the offseason, as their captain and star forward, Auston Matthews, is expected to require surgery to fix his season-ending injury, according to Sportsnet. Leafs' Auston Matthews requires surgery to fix season-ending injury The procedure will be part of the recovery process for his Grade 3 MCL tear. This should have no effect on his recovery timeline as the expectation is still that Matthews will be ready to return for the start of the 2026-27 season. Matthews suffered the injury against the Anaheim Ducks following a knee-on-knee collision with Ducks captain Radko Gudas. The play of the injury consisted of a pass to Matthews from William Nylander, as Matthews positioned himself to the front of the net, Gudas cut across the crease to clip Matthews' lower body. The Scottsdale native immediately hit the ice in a noticeable amount of pain. Matthews was visible in pain, needing assistance off the ice, and later did not return to the game. The Maple Leafs later received a lot of criticism for not sticking up for their captain and not immediately responding to the play. Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews continue to struggle The following day, Matthews was ruled out for the remainder of the season, delivering a major blow in an already struggling Maple Leafs lineup. Gudas was later suspended for five games for the incident. The focus will now be on Matthews' recovery as they will need him at his best with any chance of qualifying for the postseason. Matthews' injury ended what was already a disappointing season for the Maple Leafs captain, as he registered a career low 27 goals and 53 points in 60 games. The 28-year-old had taken a step back in production during the 2024-25 season, but this season provided another reason to believe Matthews is no longer the player he once was. The Maple Leafs are hoping for an easy recovery as they gear up to retool the roster for next season. With only two years remaining on his $13.25 million deal, the next couple of seasons will prove to be very important regarding both sides' futures.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' season took a turn for the worse, on what has been a disaster of a season, when captain Auston Matthews suffered a season-ending MCL tear following a knee-on-knee hit with Radko Gudas. Trying to replace Matthews for the remainder of the season is impossible; no one in the Maple Leafs organization can provide what Matthews does. Although Matthews has struggled offensively over the past two seasons, he has taken a massive step forward in his defensive play, becoming a more well-rounded player. The Scottsdale native has the ability to drive the offence at both even strength and on the power play. With Matthews out of the lineup, the Maple Leafs have had to depend on others to step up when it matters most. Players who need to lead the charge offensively William Nylander has been a player who has been tasked with carrying the offence. Nylander has been the Maple Leafs most dangerous threat this season, registering 63 points, including 23 goals, which leads all Maple Leaf players, in only 52 contests. The Swedish forward will also be tasked with the harder matchups of their opponents on a night-to-night basis, which were originally Matthews' responsibility. While the Maple Leafs are well outside of a playoff spot, if they want any chance of winning games coming down the stretch, Nylander will need to be firing on all cylinders. At the same time, John Tavares will also be forced to take on a much bigger role. The veteran centre is now playing heavy minutes, whether that be on the first line, special teams, or late in a game when either trailing or up by a small margin. The 35-year-old has had an up-and-down season, beginning the year on fire, while cooling down towards the middle half of the season. Despite his age and contract, he has exceeded expectations and has been one of the silver linings in a disappointing season, where they are set to miss the postseason. Craig Berube needs to find a new way to win Beyond the star players, Craig Berube will have the spotlight and the opportunity to give players the chance to play in roles they are not familiar with. Berube will need to emphasize structure, defensive responsibility, and more balanced ice time throughout the lineup. Without Matthews scoring ability and responsible play, Toronto will need to rely more on disciplined, lower-scoring games rather than trying to play an offensive style of play that outscored their opponents. Losing Matthews will certainly erase any margin for errors for a struggling Maple Leafs team. They can no longer afford defensive lapses, inconsistent play, or extended losing streaks, unless they are willing to embrace the tank. Playing without Auston Matthews has not been an issue for the team in the past, but it will be highlighted this season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the 2025–26 season coming off a dominant year, but things have unraveled quickly. Sitting at 29–28–12 and second last in the Atlantic sivision, Toronto has been searching for answers throughout the entire season and is in serious danger of missing the postseason for the first time since 2016-17. The Maple Leafs have struggled in all facets of the game this year, from inconsistent scoring from their stars, secondary scoring, and their defensive structure being nowhere near what we saw just a season ago. The Maple Leafs were set for disaster from the very beginning. The first season without the core four The 2025-26 season was the first time in the Auston Matthews era that the Maple Leafs were without the core four, as Mitch Marner was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights ahead of the July 1st free agency period. The Maple Leafs were then forced to find a different style of hockey, the kind that worked while building around William Nylander and Auston Matthews, but also fit the mould of Craig Berube. The Maple Leafs, during the offseason, went from more of a well-rounded style of hockey, acquiring players of the likes of Dakota Joshua, Michael Pezzetta, to provide physicality, Nicolas Roy to play key defensive minutes as the third line centre, and Matias Maccelli to help the offence continue to score. While in hindsight these looked like great moves, they simply didn't work the way the Maple Leafs had pictured. Roy is no longer with the Maple Leafs, while Joshua has struggled to stay within the lineup at times this season, and Matias Maccelli has been very inconsistent in the Maple Leafs top six. Nylander has had a strong offensive season, posting 63 points, including 23 goals in 52 games, while dealing with a number of injuries throughout the campaign. Matthews, on the other hand, has struggled mightily before suffering a season-ending injury against the Anaheim Ducks, registering a career-low 23 goals and 53 points in 60 games. Mitch Marner may have played a role in the Maple Leafs struggles this season, but the problems stem a lot further than just this one move in the offseason. Secondary scoring has been inconsistent Another major issue for the Maple Leafs this season has been their lack of scoring throughout the lineup. Past William Nylander their hasn't been consistent offensive scoring from anyone down the forward core. Many of the Maple Leafs bottom six haven't contributed to the offence, with Nicholas Robertson leading the way with 29 points. For a team that was losing a 100-point scorer, the management staff was depending on some role players being able to step up in higher roles, but they simply haven't seen it consistently. Matias Maccelli has seen some recent success; however, a lot of this can be attributed to getting key minutes alongside William Nylander. The additions to the lineup by Brad Treliving did not work as effectively as he expected, and it has shown. Defensive play has collapsed The Maple Leafs' structure in the defensive zone, from just one season ago, that led them to first in the Atlantic Division, has faltered completely. From beginning season struggles to a slight improvement throughout the season, they never found their footing to help carry the Leafs to important wins. Morgan Rielly has been at the forefront of the Maple Leafs struggles, as he is on pace for the worst season of his career with a minus-16 rating. With trade chatter picking up, it is tough to say whether he will be with the Maple Leafs heading into next season. Brandon Carlo has also struggled this season, just one year after the Maple Leafs were fleeced by the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline. The Maple Leafs, 69 games into the regular season, sit just one position ahead of the Vancouver Canucks in goals against with 241. At this point of the season, the Maple Leafs have allowed 10 more goals than the entirety of last season. With the offseason right around the corner, Brad Treliving is going to have a lot of questions to answer, as their only pending unrestricted free agent is Troy Stecher. He has emerged as a player that you want to have on your team moving forward, because of his ability to provide serviable minutes up and down the blueline due to the resurgence of his career in Toronto. Heading into the 2026-27 campaign, the Leafs are going to need to find a way to play more consistently while finding players that fit within Craig Berube's style, if he remains the coach of the team. Final thoughts moving towards next season In the end, the Toronto Maple Leafs have fallen out of the playoff picture because they’ve simply been too inconsistent across all areas of the game. While stars such as William Nylander have produced, the lack of depth scoring, poor defensive play, and unreliable goaltending, combined with long losing streaks, have left Toronto well outside of a playoff spot, rather than securely in one like years past.