‘The Maple Leafs are not a contender’: Button on his assessment of Leafs

How significant was this Maple Leafs loss to the Sabres? How is Cole Caufield not going to Milano Cortina? Can the Jets make a playoff push? Jay Onrait is joined by TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button to get his thoughts.

41 comments

  3. how come your poster boy captain only has emotions when he scores and when losing he just sulks, and it just looks like he is playing not to get hurt before the olyimpics, and how do you fans feel now driving your best player out of town, look at the standings and you got your answer, lol

  10. Well said Button but before making trades we need a GM who knows how to make them. Remember Minten a 1st and 4th for Carlo,or Grebenkin and a 1st for Laughton,this Gm is useless.

  13. Matthews is a joke. He simply is not a Leader. The organization has no business building anything around him at all. Staying tied to him after 9 years of failure in the post season and other must win games is suicide. At the very least the C must be taken from Matthews. He doesn't need an A either.

  16. THE Coilers of Coilerville are in the same position as the LEAFS "ONLY" the LEAFS have more Cap Space than the Coilers of Coilerville with 275,000.00 Cap today and MICE FEESES in the Cupboard for Trades

  21. Tsn: 7 straight years of "Leafs are gonna dominate" and he gives this hot take at their lowest point since the Shanny/Babcock rebuild. Top notch analytical reporting, boys

  23. last few games have clearly shown the leafs are a slow , older team with limited skills.

    With no first round picks for the next three years, the future looks pretty grim. Time to reboot the lot. Put your assets out there to see a possible return for high draft picks. Buffalo, Detroit, Montreal have all passed the leafs by building from the draft and their farm system. Leafs should do the same. The current group is going nowhere.

  25. Obviously time to sell….and everybody should be on the table….and looks like a new GM and new coach are also needed…..forget about the playoffs if by miracle they might pull off some incredible run….they will just lose any round any way…this team has no heart, simply implode on themselves…..

    Maybe time for something totally crazy….what about a three way trade with the Leafs, Devils & Wild….Stolarz, Danford, Cowan, Reilly, Domi, McCann, & Carlo to Wild for Wallstedt and Quinn Hughes (UFA in 26-27)…..trade Woll, plus Matthews, Nylander, Knies to Devils for Markstrom, plus Luke & Jack Hughes….this might make sense to Devils as Matthews, Nylander, Knies played for Sheldon Keefe…..reunites Hughes brothers….frees up some cap space for Leafs….Markstrom & Wallstedt would make a great 1A and 1B Swedish tandem….Hidebey is 3rd string and takes over from Markstrom eventually….complete remake of Leafs…..not a full rebuild but more than just retool…..then if really want to get crazy sign Jason Robertson as free agent (teaming up on Leafs with brother Nick)…..obviously we would need Leafs to think completely outside the box (as I have) to do so…..a new coach and new GM plus new blood….new chemistry…..

  29. What an asinine question to discuss, buyers or sellers. Moneypuck has them at 95.5% to miss. Might as well ask whether the Canucks should be buyers.

  31. Craig button for somebody that’s an analyst around the league watch teams seeing what Toronto did on that winning streak seeing the mess that they’re in the bodies. The important bodies are missing to say if the team can’t win anything is ridiculous. They probably won’t know long try to make the playoffs yes, the big chunk of that is luck in injuries and injuries in this season in particular with a title Atlantic condense schedule controversy over Marie leaving whatever happened with all whatever at Moore just one thing after another but to save this team can’t win anything is ridiculous if one of the Goalie goes on a heater like Bennington did with St. Louis from Brewer won the cup a lot of crazier things happened. They can’t tell me that this leafs team is worse than the Montreal team Carey Price took to the Stanley Cup finals. I know I’m not comparing price to anybody really it was just an example.

  34. Bruins fan here. I've said it before… Gonna get a lot of hate, but… You have Laughton, McMann (sp?), Tanev and Tavares. Time to build a new identity – be a hard-working team that is just agony to play against (leaf fans could probably point out the other players on the roster that fit the mold I'm talking about). Give JT back the C. Tell Matthews and Willie what's happening, and find out if they want to be a part of it. If not, go stock the cupboard. Most of all – tell the fans, be upfront, and they will back you. As much as some franchise fans make fun, Leaf fans are loyal; you be straight with them, they'll be OK.

  35. Brad trealiving ruins teams .he did it in calgary .he comes to toronto and does the samething. Say what u want about shanahan. Kyle dubas.and sheldon keef .but it was never this bad .we dont even have a team president. The leafs are a complete disaster.

  38. Well let me ask you question this jay as much as it is a question to you they're going to buy with what are you going to buy with when you have when you have no draft picks you don't have any prospects what are you going out to buy? I mean jay they can't go to the dollar store and buying anything that that's how that's how that's how empty toronto maple leafs are right now with terms of draft picks prospects to try to go out and buy the second part of this buy this idea it's ridiculous by for what reason? To extend the pain they are not a contender jay let's be straight forward here they're not toronto maple leafs team that's capable of contending for anything meaningful in the playoffs and so now jay toronto maple leafs need to look square in the mirror and see toronto maple leafs what's coming and it's reality and the reality is toronto maple leafs need to be sellers there's not about buying it's about toronto maple leafs saying we're not good enough they got go do what the boston bruins did last year the boston bruins look at their team and they said yeah toronto maple leafs are not going anywhere we're not going to move forward we're at right now so we go to carve a different path and we got to look toronto maple leafs different ways to add our toronto maple leafs group whether it be through draft picks whether it be through prospects that's what toronto maple leafs have to do that means jay toronto maple leafs they got to win a lot more hockey games than the hockey teams ahead that doesn't seem like reality what seems that are mirage here with toronto maple leafs when they went on that long like streak where they were really good and it was short period of time jay the rest of toronto maple leafs season has been ridiculous and I think you got to know what jay what you are and what toronto maple leafs are are not only a hockey team that isn't a playoff team in my view jay they're not anywhere a Stanley cup contender so you want keep going ahead here jay you want keep trying to go buying something to what jay because this toronto maple leafs hockey team is not going anywhere being a contender and that's is bottom line because jay what blake sheward said so

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