The Media’s Pulse: Leafs Slow Start — Best Quotes and Reactions from Across Hockey Media
October 31, 2025 — The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a rocky 5-5-1 start, plagued by injuries, defensive lapses, and a lack of urgency. While the Blue Jays’ World Series run has provided a welcome distraction, the hockey world is weighing in on the Leafs’ early struggles. Here’s what the media is saying about the team’s slow start. For more on the latest lineup changes, quotes, and updates, visit our Maple Leafs Hub.
Insider Trading (TSN)
“Great news for the Leafs. The Blue Jays World Series run is providing a great distraction for what’s been a really rough start.”
“They have had sluggish starts in the past and come back from them just fine.”
“There’s a recognition, of course, they have to clean up some turnovers and aspects of the game, but they actually think things are trending in a good direction.”
“Brad Treliving continues to explore the idea of moving both David Kampf and Nick Robertson.”
Source: Insider Trading
TSN Hockey’s Jamie McLennan
“The Leafs, they aren’t healthy right now. They don’t score enough and they get scored on too much.”
“In goal it’s quite simple. With Joseph Woll not being available… you’ve asked a lot of Anthony Stolarz to be your number one guy.”
“He’s a fantastic tandem, but you haven’t had that since the start of the season.”
“Chris Tanev… He’s the stabilizing force. What he does is help settle the rest of the group down.”
“Life without Mitch Marner hasn’t been pretty either.”
“It’s a work in progress. If you get Nylander back, he is a puck transporter and that’s going to help Auston Matthews.”
Source: TSN Hockey’s Jamie McLennan
The Ray & Dregs Podcast
“We’ve seen this a lot from Craig Berube on the bench of the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
“We can talk around the edges of the lineup all you want. It’s like any team — if the best players aren’t out front, you’re probably going to have some problems.”
“Every coach without fail that we’ve talked to this season has mentioned lack of practice time.”
“It’s not been an impressive start.”
“Maybe there’s four or five teams that are a little unsettled… maybe that piece can help us.”
Source: The Ray & Dregs Podcast
Real Kyper & Bourne (Sportsnet)
“Auston Matthews is not working hard. Doesn’t work hard for me. It’s that simple.”
“It’s almost as if the most basic principles of competing for loose pucks or outworking another team are gone.”
“They are as disorganized as I’ve seen probably in 10 years.”
“I keep looking at the group and saying if they become the Blue Jays at the end of this year and they start to figure it all out — it doesn’t seem like it’s going to come externally.”
Source: Real Kyper & Bourne
The Leafs Nation
“Mercifully, the month of October slate is over for the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
“They look like a team that doesn’t want to be there.”
“They look like they are a team that would be rather watching the Blue Jays game.”
“We’ve always wanted that Leafs team to have contributions up and down that lineup.”
“They’re not playing together. They are disconnected and discombobulated.”
“But as long as you’re not doing that yet, I am going to want to see some heart and the willingness to do anything to change it and to let everyone know that you above all do not accept this. And again, like you say, I don’t see that.”
Source: The Leafs Nation
TSN’s Overdrive
“That was ugly last night. Like that first period that there was a five on one in the National Hockey League.”
“How many times can you see that guy yell at his team saying, ‘Let’s get going here. Let’s wake up.’”
“How many times has he done that this year? Eight.”
“How many times and they don’t wake up.”
“It’s crazy…”
Source: TSN’s Overdrive
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