Dave Litman
MLSE head honcho Keith Pelley sent a letter to ticket holders of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. A sort of ‘State of the Union’ for the team, if you’ll pardon the expression. The letter outlined why they can’t discuss the team’s deadline plans publicly, and their continued goal to build a Stanley Cup winner.
But also, more importantly, it addressed why they believe they find themselves in the disappointing spot they’re in. The Leafs are six points back of a Wild Card berth with 25 games to play.
The letter, as reported by TSN, was sent in an email, and outlines injuries as a main contributing factor to the team’s poor standing to this point.
The 2025-26 season for the Maple Leafs, so far, has been a series of ups and downs, and unfortunately with a number of key injuries that have affected the team, we are not currently in the position we had anticipated, but that is professional sports…
Being able to witness and be a part of the passion and commitment that Leafs Nation has for this team is an honour and we will not stop until we deliver a championship to our loyal Leafs fans and the City of Toronto.
We understand this team’s strengths, as well as the areas we need to address, and we know that with the support of our fans, we will achieve this ultimate goal together. While we always strive to be as open as possible, I know that you understand, in the world of professional sports, protecting competitive advantages is paramount and limits our ability to reveal team strategy until the appropriate time.
The injuries excuse is as old as the game itself, and let’s just say it isn’t going over well with Blue & White faithful. On TSN’s Overdrive Wednesday afternoon, Bryan Hayes & the crew made it clear how they felt.
“If they’re selling, ‘Hey…What do you want us to do? Stolarz has been hurt, Woll has been hurt, Tanev, Willie (Nylander) has been hurt. We’d be a lot better, but injuries…’ That’s not gonna fly with the fans,” Hayes said.
Co-host Jeff O’Neill, former Maple Leaf, agreed.
“They used injuries as an excuse and I think it’s ridiculous.”
Are injuries really the reason the Leafs have been so disappointing?
O’Neill was also quick to point out that the first-place Tampa Bay Lightning have been without the likes of top defenseman Victor Hedman (only 21 games played) and top forward Brayden Point (only 37 games) for big chunks of the season, and it hasn’t affected them much.
Yes, of course, injuries are a part of the game, and they certainly can impact teams. No need to look further than the defending Cup champion Florida Panthers to see that. Losing their top player, Aleksander Barkov, for the entire year, and Matthew Tkachuk for half the season, has left them reeling.
But as Hayes notes, the way that “injuries” line reads in the MLSE letter, is “Maybe it’s a couple of smaller moves at the deadline, (and let’s) get through the season. If you make it, you make it; if you miss, you miss, but… ‘Next year we won’t be injured so we’ll be fine’?… I think (staying the course) is on the table, (and)… I just don’t like how that reads.
“They are misreading the market and the fan base completely.”
