Leafs Talk Mobile

14 Aug 2026 04:19:47
Since it's the most boring time in hockey news, the Jays are something and we can only hear about Kawhi so much; I'm sure everyone has heard the chiropractor interview about Mathews at this point.

I think to a certain extent it's being read into to much, but at the same time if wr actuat take a step back, Mathews has not been the same player since that 69g season.

Some of this is Berube and his defensive style, much akin to myself expecting a dip in McDavid's production, but something had not looked right in 2 years. I think we have all watched this with Mathews and wondered what it is.

Mathews was on a 50g pace with Johnson and Kapanen, two guys that are not even NHL players after leaving his side and he suddenly dropped off a cliff.

I know everyone wants to say "This is because Marner propped him up" but if this is a Thornton/Cheechoo situation, then Marner should have 100pts no matter who he is beside and msking them look better. What I saw from Marner was very different. He lost his centre and fell off a cliff. Mathews fell off a cliff no matter who he has.

What's the injury? If it's something that is going to hamper his career then we all know it's a rebuild around McKenna, but I wouldn't necessarily blame anyone for the failure in success beyond Dubas and Shanny as everyone else inherited a far inferior superstar.

14 Aug 2026 20:15:58
Good post. It is worrisome how much Matthews looks like an average 1st line centre over a top end one. And it's not just less goals to me. It's that he doesn't look dominant most games. He rarely looks like the most dangerous player on the ice.
I agree with where the biggest blame lies. Most seem to forget what Treliving inherited. Including that when Shanny fired Dubas, he called the core and told them not to worry, they won't be traded no matter who replaces Dubas.

Hard to blame Treliving for not trading Marner before his no trade kicked in because he couldn't even if he wanted to. I'm not trying to defend Tre, he made mistakes, but I'm not blaming him for what he wasn't responsible for, which includes a diminished superstar centre as you said.

14 Aug 2026 23:03:16
The thing with Matthews that drives me and others as well on here is that penchant for immediately skating away from a scrum. I get it that he has had injury issues, but he has always been this way regarding the scrums. So many times he has done this and one of his teammates has to contend with 2 players because it is now 5 players on the opposition to 4 on the Leafs.



The NHL does have an unwritten code that if you at least grab another player and tell them "My shoulder or my back is acting up" they will lightly grab you and you both go to the outside of the scrum action and they respect that you are hurt and nothing transpires. But the way he literally scoots away is embarrassing and not a good look at all for a Captain at all.

15 Aug 2026 00:32:16
@Suffering I have never liked how a monster of a man does not physically impose himself either, but that has nothing to do with how dropped off a cliff 2 years ago. He hasn't looked like a top 5 player in the world like he was when he was winning rockets and a Hart+Lindsay.

@RLF I also liked some of what Tre did even though he made a couple bad 1st round pick trades. Unlike some, I do not believe Minten will be something that haunts us for years to come. I'm more worried about Hildeby winning a Vezina than that.

You already know how I felt about Dubas/Shanny as well. They handed out these monster contracts and now Chayka/Tre can't do much beyond tinker around the edges. Chayka had a better chance as a GM because Marner was gone, but Tre really inherited nothing.

Turning Marner into a 1st when he was 1 week from UFA was one of the best things I've seen.

Matthews has not looked dangerous at all. He looks slow, his release doesn't look the same, he was never a fighter or one for scums as Suffering mentioned, but he used to win board battles and was great defensively in the middle of the ice on the back check and now he just looks like he's always chasing the play.

If Matthews is not a number one centre this year the way he was for the first (almost) decade here, then it's time to ask everyone over 25 if they want a trade and try to make it a quick turnaround with JT as 1C to help McKenna along if JT is ok to stay.

16 Aug 2026 15:30:14
LL. Agreed for the most part. And yes, him never wanting to engage in any scrums etc. bothers me. I have said for years that the main issue with the Leafs core, including JT and Rielly, is that none of them have a mean streak at all.

Hard to win a Cup when your top players are all adverse to engaging physically in anything other than a few body checks or battling for position.

16 Aug 2026 17:17:52
@RLF I at least give Mo credit, he's not a mean guy, but he's been in a few fights, cross checked some guys, etc.

I have never seen MNM or JT do so.

16 Aug 2026 18:45:43
LL. Yes, Mo has, but he has to force himself to do so, which is very rare because I don't think it is really in him to do that in any way naturally. I give him credit for trying at least. Out of 5 stars, 1 of them has very rarely engaged in that way. It's embarrassing, really.

16 Aug 2026 22:26:11
@RLF I'm fine with a leader forcing himself into uncomfortable spots. Wish the rest would do it.

17 Aug 2026 12:09:38
I agree he has. Doing it only a couple of times over 10+ years is better than nothing, but he obviously isn't comfortable with it. Better than the rest? Sure. I wouldn't say that he has established himself that way compared to the rest.

He was willing a couple of times, but doesn't keep doing it as needed. They all act afraid of that stuff and other teams sense it.

17 Aug 2026 15:30:16
@leafslife. A big part of Matthew’s falling off the cliff is where he started taking his shots from after the 69 goal year. A few guys who are more on top of the analytics pointed out to me that he started taking shots from further away and rushing the shots as he was now being time pressured by back checking wingers on gap control. The rushing took away his accuracy and speed of the shots as well as allowing that fraction extra for goaltenders to react.

The year he got 69 he took a lot of after and before the goal hits and he obviously was not fond of the physical price so he adjusted to get further away from that.

We know he is more fragile now but had he imposed himself more physically (not even dropping the gloves just laying out a few guys ) early on he could created more space for himself. That’s what allowed Ovie and Stamkos to do their thing. Stamkos even after all his injuries still plays physical to get his part of the rink.

Once I started looking a few games from the last few years I could see what they were talking about. He just didn’t look right shooting from further away.Maybe he makes some adjustments this year, just nervous how the knee bounces back.

18 Aug 2026 13:52:58
I'm pretty sure we had some discussion son here last year about Matthews shooting from farther out and that his shot didn't have as much zip on it. As far as not getting hit as much, yea he has been shying away. It was pretty much assumed because he was playing through injury and we often discussed why the Leafs didn't just sit him at the start of last season until he was healthy instead of playing him when he was a shell of himself.

The scary thing is if the supposed injury is not something that can really "heal" and therefore never really be his prior self. What if it is chronic back issues that never really heal? Add that to the knee injury and what will Matthews be going forward is definitely a concern as you said. He is playing like a lower end #1 centre instead of a high end one already. If he falls off more, we have a #2 centre in him who will want #1 money probably.

06 Aug 2026 00:50:39
What is with everyone and Logan Stanley lately around here?

Is this guy some kind of stud in people's minds? He's a third pairing/7th defenceman on most teams. He's not some savior, but I'm seeing his name constantly as if he's going to fix this D-corps in some way.



This reminds me of the Stetcher talk. The guy had a few good games and suddenly he can be a top 4 D.

Before Stetcher, it was Benoit. Some were pencilling in beside Rielly.

Before that, it was Justin Holl before everyone wanted him fired out of a cannon.

06 Aug 2026 13:41:04
@leafslife.... I think what blinded people somewhat was him having a year where he got more points than people expected from him. That and his size and that he fights. He is not exactly fighter that scares people though. He throws a few punches but then kind of uses his reach and height to wrestle and tie up until they either tumble to the ice or Refs break up.

Most of us over the years used to look at the main stats on a player and at first glance he had a breakout year point wise. However with teams all hiring multiple people with analytics backgrounds the info they put together about players now is crazy. I only just started delving into some of them over the past year hard. The one stat that has teams backing away from him is Net Penalties. The difference between Penalties Drawn and Penalties Taken. Out of 940 players in the league he is 939th with a -23 Only Zadorov is highter a -25 but Zadorov plays more minutes per game and also lays out a lot more Hits a lot more harder. Stanleys are because he gets caught out of position so uses his stick and reach and gets a lot of tripping and hooking penalties because of his footspeed not being able to to deal with fast forwards.

And his Net -23 is factoring in minor penalties so the fighting ones are not part of that.

06 Aug 2026 20:57:57
I don’t get why you wouldn’t want Stanley at a good price. You guys under estimate the value of having tough guys on your team. Helps change the culture. Star players play better when they feel protected. Plus I’m sick of seeing us get bullied and our goalies get run with no repercussions.

06 Aug 2026 23:13:45
I get your old time tough guy hockey thing Clarky. But he is a terrible defenseman. Plain and simple. Sorry. Just the cold hard facts. I don't care how cheap he is, he still has to not be a liability when he is on the ice.

06 Aug 2026 23:33:11
That’s a little dramatic. He is a +29 over his career and he would have been 2nd on our D in goals last year. How bad is he really? Knows his role and plays his 15 minutes a game without touching a second of PP time.

Having that sheriff on your back end goes a long way and the goalies will appreciate it. Yes I am old school and so are the GMs that are controlling the teams around us. Eat or be eaten.

06 Aug 2026 23:52:45
How bad? I already said. He takes more minor penalties by far than he draws. And who are all these big brutal teams in our division? You keep mentioning Florida, but who else is there running us out of the rink that we need a fighter than can't play defense without taking penalties because he can't keep up to the play?

07 Aug 2026 00:09:23
@Clarky I respect your opinion on things, and we have been back and forth a lot on these types of things. It seems more like just a fundamental disagreement.

Stanley is a subpar, 3rd pairing D. He is very poor at moving the puck and below average on D while taking a lot of penalties.

Chayka signed 2 guys in the bottom 6 that will fight if need be and Tre brought in Joshua. If nobody stands up for teammates at this point, I see it as a leadership issue instead of a personnel issue.

Everyone wamts to crap on Mo recently, but he cross checked a guy for a slap shot into an empty net. He has also been in fights for teammates even though he is very poor at fighting and it is not his "MO" (lol).

Moving out Rielly, who should be captain, will change the culture of this team more than anyrhing else (negatively) than anything else done.

He is always accountable, always gives his full effort, is always standing up for teammates before the "core 4" and has been here longer than anyone. He never complained about being captain, he never made excuses, he never said someone else was to blame.

If you want a TRUE culture shift, it does not come from new guys in the bottom of the lineup, but from guys like Mo being on this team. Stanley will take a bunch of penalties and punch someone because that's the only reason he is not an AHL player.

Just my opinion of course, but it reminds me a lot of Maurice leaving the Jets and then winning multiple cups. It isn't something that is changed by bottom 6 players or coaches, it's the core leadership of a team.

07 Aug 2026 00:15:13
Just all the teams we need to beat to make playoffs. TB, Boston, MTL - Xhekaj runs around trying to goat guys into fights every time we play them and he usually goes after Joshua because he thinks he is our tough guy based on his size.

Because we really don’t have someone to answer that bell. If you guys don’t think toughness is important in this game, then we are at a difference of opinion. In playoffs those are the guys that standout.

07 Aug 2026 00:22:47
Fun fact for you, since you love your facts. TB, Boston, Florida lead the NHL in PIMs last year. Panthers were 1st and 2nd in PIMs the 2 years they won the SC.

07 Aug 2026 01:18:36
Fun fact back at ya. This past year Carolina was 26th in penalty minutes and Vegas was 31st.

07 Aug 2026 14:46:41
It's not about pen minutes to me, but about team accountability and unity. Leafs have very little. It is hard to change culture when the top players do not buy into team toughness, but rather team protection of themselves. It's great to have an Olivier, but few exist. If Leafs don't have one, they have to have a team mentality that no one will push them around. They don't have it. Too often, the main core don't push back. As for Stanley, bottom pair NHL D imo.

Yes, he has his warts, but when he is on the ice, 5 on 5, goalies tend to have excellent save percentages. His mobility is an issue, but he does force lower danger shots and is good at clearing the crease and preventing second chances off rebounds. Is he worth the $4-$5M he apparently wanted? Of course not. $2M on a show me deal? I would probably do it if the Leafs plan on using him as a 6/7 D depending on play.

07 Aug 2026 21:43:26
Thanks RLF, that is a fair post. People were making him out be Bambi skates. He is good for what he brings to the table. I’d play him against the tougher teams and play Andrae against the more finesse/mobile teams.

But I definitely think he could make this team more confident. No, he isn’t an Olivier, but he is in the top 5% for tough guys in the league.

28 Jul 2026 01:23:14
Am I on an island here or would anyone else here rather pay Robertson 3.25M then pay Roslovic 4M? I feel Robertson is gonna come back to haunt us.

28 Jul 2026 01:54:16
I would have been fine keeping Robertson as well. In a better system he's probably a 20g scorer. I don't think he comes back to haunt us as in he's a superstar, but I can see him being a decent middle 6 guy.

28 Jul 2026 02:50:34
I don't know whether Roslovic will be better or not, but I'm happy Robertson is gone. He's a ME first player, not a team first guy.

28 Jul 2026 04:30:38
@Tags I really never saw Robertson as that kind of guy.

I always thought the effort was there, but he needed better mentorship when he was young.

28 Jul 2026 09:48:19
The thing that worries me the most about Roslovic is his career -46. He hasn’t been in the + for over 5x years now.

Definitely gonna miss Robertson's shot. That kid can finish. My knock on Robertson is he looked like a boy playing a man’s game.

28 Jul 2026 13:20:45
I didn't want either, simple as that.

28 Jul 2026 14:33:51
Robertson needed a change of scenery no matter what. I do think we could have done better with Roslovic and that $4 million. However... The saving grace is he has no restrictions for moving him at any point.

28 Jul 2026 15:24:21
@LeafsLife
My buddies nephew played on the Marlies with Robertson for a couple of years. He says Robertson is a selfish player, he's all about himself and just looks to score for himself. Btw it's not just his nephew who feels this way, many other players on the team have said the same thing.


Anyways, Robertson is now gone and I wish him the best of luck.
Roslovic is another story, and I'm not high on him either same as you guys feel. I would have loved Arvidsson, but that ship has sailed.
Let's hope Chayka has a couple more bullets in the chamber. We need another solid piece or two.

28 Jul 2026 20:51:35
@Tags I wouldn't have thought before you mentioned it. Good post.

28 Jul 2026 21:39:43
@Tags... I heard a similar thing in regards to his just wanting to shoot as much as possible to score. Similar thing a buddy of mine has a son that is in another organization and that was the book on him. Defenders now know to play him in that he will shoot most of the time, so they push him to shoot from bad angles and low percentage shots, which would drive coaches crazy.

They would tell him over and over to look towards passing more often, and it would separate the defenders more. But he would never listen and kept thinking he could replicate that 55 goal season from Junior.

31 Jul 2026 15:57:55
I mentioned about Robertson being selfish a long time ago and Tags backed it up with this information. He has always come across as a guy who thinks he deserves to be in the top 6 playing with the best players even if he isn't consistent enough in his play.

23 Jul 2026 14:35:38
I know some will want to roast me for this, but what is with Marner and his camp continuing to try and roast the Leafs organization and their fans. Now, it's his agent going off. Some will say he's gone, let it go. I think the Leafs and fans have tried for the most part, but it is very important to Marner and his camp to be portrayed as the victim and they just don't stop. I don't think he has been mentioned here since the end of the playoffs. I've seen players go on about ex-coaches (Babcock top of mind) because they hated the guy, but continuing to go after an organization and it's fans while in the prime years of a career, is just weird.


If the plan is to make sure the Leafs organization and fans are glad he is gone, then their plan is working. That said, if I was a Vegas fan or player/management etc, I would begin to wonder how long before this guy and his agent turn on us or what will he say when his Knight's career is over. It's the kind of drama no team wants.

23 Jul 2026 13:44:33
Marner is just like a bitter X, end of story.
I'm just tired of this guy and his team rehashing old news, it's already been said repeatedly.
Time to move-on with your life.

23 Jul 2026 14:26:04
Tags, your reaction is exactly what I am talking about and I am with you. I was interested to see how the playoffs went for him and he definitely had his time where he looked good, but was invisible the first 5 games and last 3 games of the finals.

To me, that was the end of the story. It had played out. Why they continue to stoke the fire is beyond me. It's not helping to get anyone to feel sorry for him.

23 Jul 2026 18:07:42
Marner still has to come back here as he grew up close by. I really think they're just trying to soften the blow on him with the public and blame the organization.

Bringing up the Lou situation with no bonuses on his ELC actually made me lol when I read that. That's a bitter man. He needs to chill.

24 Jul 2026 20:12:41
He seems to be on a long road of recovery from his Toronto tenure…
He has some real issues going on in his mind.
You are miles away.
You have millions in the bank.
You have a beautiful wife and child.
I for one am not understanding any of it….

24 Jul 2026 21:05:50
He doesn't want to get boo'ed when Vegas comes back to Toronto.
I'm sure many fans will boo him this time around because there won't be any Marner appreciation video for the fans to cheer/boo (mixed reactions).
Sounds like he is trying to put the blame solely on Leafs management for their false promises and saying nothing bad against the fans.

I think he's trying to get on our good side.
Basically he thinks us fans are idiots and will just forget all the BS that was spewed!!

24 Jul 2026 22:26:43
In fairness. It was not him saying it. It was his agent who, for years, even for his down home Good old boy persona, loves to talk and hear himself and is not one of NHL teams' fave agent to deal with. Ferris as good of as an agent as he us has a side not many like. Including some clients.

Most of what he said on that interview true if false should not have been said. In my opinion by doing so his ego might have just cost him some future clients. Some things are to be left behind closed doors. We all have moved on. Even Marner …. But not the almighty Darren Ferris.

24 Jul 2026 23:26:21
Suffering.
In my opinion.
If Ferris did that without Marner's knowledge, he would have been fired. I think Marner and his camp knew full well what was going on.

24 Jul 2026 23:49:58
I am not defending Marner. Just saying what a slimy agent he has. Pretending he is standing up for his client, when all he was doing was airing a grudge he had with Lamoriello and private talks with Treliving that I am sure every G.

M is now looking at him in a different light and will be asking for conversations to be recorded and NDA's signed etc.

25 Jul 2026 00:09:09
Agreed on Ferris, he definitely is slimy.
Just for me, I think if someone who represents me goes out and starts spewing this stuff again after so many years without my consent, I would 100% fire him on the spot.
This makes Marner look petty, resentful and vengeful.

It's not a good look for him and he should definitely distance himself from it if he truly had no knowledge.
Again, my opinion and I may be completely off base, but that's how I see it.

25 Jul 2026 00:20:44
All I will say in closing is. If Marner and his Young family are happy. Then good for them. All of us should strive for that. Not just for ourselves but for the world in general. We are in a crazy world.

All this is, is a hockey site and we do have tongue in cheek back and forths at times amongst ourselves. But we don’t need to wish ill will upon anyone. Let’s move on to the next trade wish list. Cheers crew. 🍻

25 Jul 2026 00:25:11
I'm not wishing any ill will on Marner.
It's just time to move on and put all this history to bed.
Cheers 🍻.

24 Jul 2026 00:43:37
I just know that Ferris is and has been for a long while a wildcard. If you give him a forum he will puff his chest out, thinks he walks on water. This is probably Marners last contract anyway, but I think he will at a certain point distance himself (He still has to pay the agent commission regardless), but even he knows this puts him in a worse light than he was in.

All I know is this was classic Ferris. As someone else pointed out, Marner is a local boy and will be back in the area at some point and of course for future games. No player no matter what wants a target on them like Ferris just did. His ego came through when he said and I paraphrase.... I told him not to sign but he didn't listen to me. You never tell the public something like that. Total B.S move by a agent. He is the complete opposite of Pat Brisson who G.M's very much respect.

25 Jul 2026 09:32:43
Marner's perspective of being a local boy is my point.
What would you do if you were Marner and you had no knowledge of what Ferris was going to say?
This is not a good look for Marner. He clearly should fire Ferris, eat the commission and distance himself from this situation as quickly as possible.

25 Jul 2026 12:17:18
I agree. I would be distancing and dumping him. Would certainly be talking to a lawyer to go over that agent contract to void it based on fiduciary breach.

16 Jul 2026 10:49:14
Leafs hired a new head janitor…

Let’s be critical of that move as well shall we?
This fanbase is completely noodles… 🙄😵‍💫
(The word I used got edited out)

Let’s leave all the previous staff in place, because we were sooooooo successful with all of them….
😂😂😂😂

16 Jul 2026 14:13:57
🚨New janitor🚨

Sooo many questions...

• Left handed or right handed?
• How tall and what does he weigh?
• How long is the contract?
• What’s the AAV?
• Does this janitor have a no movement?
• How much experience?
• Has the janitor won any awards?
• Can this janitor lead a team?

@LukeFox

You can’t just drop info like this on us without giving us more info.

Where did you see this? Was it a janitor analyst or a true janitor insider? I’ve been looking all morning and can't find anything. I’m go’n nuts here buddy, Help me!!!!

16 Jul 2026 20:06:34
Chayka offer sheeted him
Vegas couldn’t match.

16 Jul 2026 20:16:12
Janitor is how the press framed it. I believe the position was “Cleaner”. They got the best in the business. Winston Wolfe.

16 Jul 2026 20:29:54
Too funny 😂🤣😂