The Toronto Maple Leafs' final season of the Core Four experiment saw them win their series against the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. Due to their win, they were going up against the defending champions, Florida Panthers.
What went wrong for Toronto Maple Leafs?
While the Maple Leafs had the chance to knock out the Panthers, they yet again sustained a loss in Game 7. The defeat transformed what was a successful regular season into an abject disappointment.
Here is a look at things that went wrong for the Toronto Maple Leafs' during the 2024-25 season.
Three reasons that derailed Toronto Maple Leafs' season
1. Losing Stolarz in Game 1 against the Florida Panthers
Anthony Stolarz was the first choice goalkeeper during the regular season. He was solid in the first round against the Ottawa Senators and took the momentum into round 2 against the Florida Panthers.
However, a questionable hit from the Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett in Game 1 saw Stolarz out of the seven game series. The Leafs' then turned to Joseph Woll, who was inconsistent in his game. He has a terrific Game 6 against the Panthers.
But he couldn't help his team get past the Panthers. The Toronto Maple Leafs' were left reeling as the outcome would have been different if Stolarz would have not been injured.
2. The Core Four failed to step up against Florida Panthers
The biggest criticism for the Core Four was that they didn't step up in the biggest games of the postseason against the Panthers. In particular, the 6-1 thrashing in Game 5 and 7 led to the criticism that their biggest stars were unable to display their A-game against the Panthers.
Nick Robertson scored the lone goal in Game 5 and Max Domi scored in Game 7. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were the biggest disappointments. William Nylander led the team in terms of scoring but couldn't get past the Panthers.
3. Another Game 7 loss
The Toronto Maple Leafs extender their Game 7 futility during the Auston Matthews era to 0-7. The team collectively failed to step up during the biggest game of their season. After their best outing of the postseason came in Game 6 as they won 2-0, they were completely blown away in Game 7.
The Leafs' inability to shake off their demons and get past the Panthers was the biggest turning point of their season. It might also become the biggest turning point for the franchise moving forward.