Injuries remain a pressing concern for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sit outside the playoff race as of Monday. But with three wins in their past four games and points in five of their past six, hints of optimism have begun to appear amidst a dreary start to the 2025-26 season.
The post-Mitch Marner era has already yielded a five-game losing skid, plenty of angst, and some open consideration (including from yours truly) as to what an in-season retooling might look like. But with points in their past four games, and looking like an improved team before that, the Maple Leafs offered both an opportunity for critics to step back from the ledge and a reminder that there are plenty of games left.
As much as folks like to use American Thanksgiving as a barometer for the likelihood of making the postseason, the reality is that Toronto has plenty of runway ahead. After all, this is hardly the first Maple Leafs team to start slow and pick up steam as the season wore on. With the team in the midst of a mini-renaissance, here’s a look at some recent teams that bounced back from early-season slumps.
2016-17 Maple Leafs
Unlike many of this era’s Maple Leafs, the 2016-17 club wasn’t supposed to be particularly good. Sure, they had a rookie Auston Matthews in the fold, but Matthews was drafted first overall in the 2016 NHL Draft after the team finished dead-last with 69 points (29-42-11).
The Toronto Maple Leafs managed to dig themselves out of an early-season hole in Auston Matthews’ rookie campaign. (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Even with a four-goal debut from Matthews, Toronto faced the types of struggles you’d expect from a reigning basement-dweller (including somehow losing that debut game). They dropped five of their first six contests and seven of their first nine. By Dec. 19, after a few hot and cold stretches, they were 12-12-7 and tied for last place with the Buffalo Sabres in the Atlantic Division.
Then, something clicked. The Maple Leafs won five straight and recorded points in 10 of their next 11 to put themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff mix. A late-March, early-April string of seven wins in eight games essentially secured their spot in the postseason for the first time in four years.
2006-07 Maple Leafs
First, let me just say that I’m aware the 2006-07 Maple Leafs did not, in fact, make the playoffs. Their resilience, however, brought them awfully close.
Under first-year head coach Paul Maurice, the Mats Sundin-led group endured a seven-game losing skid in late November and into December. When the calendar flipped to 2007, Toronto was 17-17-5 and at the bottom of the Northeast Division. Then, with a new year bringing new hope, the club rallied back to win seven of eight games in January and into February, putting them in the playoff conversation.
A dramatic 6-5 home win over the Montreal Canadiens ended the Maple Leafs’ season on a high note and put them in position to reach the playoffs. Unfortunately, a 3-2 shootout win by the New York Islanders over the Atlantic-leading New Jersey Devils allowed the Islanders to inch past Toronto and secure the last playoff spot on the final day of the regular season. Still, that shouldn’t take everything away from what was a spirited comeback effort.
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2002-03 Maple Leafs
The 2002-03 Maple Leafs should probably have been better than they were. Apart from replacing Curtis Joseph with Ed Belfour in net, the organization returned most of the same roster that came within two wins of the Stanley Cup Final – still the deepest run of any Toronto team in this century.
The 2002-03 Maple Leafs started slow in front of new goaltender Ed Belfour, but pulled it together with a late-season surge.
(Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)
Instead of building on that result, however, the Maple Leafs stumbled out of the gates with just four wins in their first 15 games. Much like this season, the club’s struggles proved particularly alarming given that they had enjoyed a relatively easy opening slate with 10 of their first 15 games played on home ice.
From there, the turnaround was immediate. Toronto reeled off wins in 10 of their next 13 games. While that, alone, wasn’t enough to ensure their playoff future, it helped set the table for a torrid stretch of 10 wins in 11 games in January and February. By season’s end, they were back in their familiar spot as the second-best team in the Northeast Division, behind the Ottawa Senators.
While all of these examples constitute a comeback of sorts, none required dramatically overcoming impossible odds to reach the postseason – and that’s the point. As ugly as things have looked at times this season, there remains plenty of time for the Maple Leafs to right the ship. If their recent games signal anything, it’s that they can make up ground quickly if they do turn things around.
