Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews tells sad truth about Toronto before trade deadline originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are collapsing for all to see.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIf there had been any hope of them avoiding a trade deadline sell-off, it's long gone now.
On Saturday, they were blitzed by the Ottawa Senators in a not-close 5-2 loss.
Ottawa outshot the Leafs by a 40-23 margin in a game that Toronto never really seemed to stand much of a chance in.
Afterward, Leafs captain Auston Matthews summed it up succinctly.
“It was embarrassing to be honest with you," Matthews told reporters. "We have to have more pride in our play.”
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Pretty soon, all Toronto will be playing for is pride.
This loss pushed Toronto into dead-last in the Eastern Conference's Atlanta Division.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Leafs have 27 regulation wins compared to 24 regulation losses, but they have also lost nine times in overtime.
Their negative-15 goal differential also tells the story, as that's the worst mark in the Atlantic Division, too. Their spot at the bottom of the standings is indeed representative of how they've played.
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Since the Olympic break, the Leafs have lost 4-2 to the Lightning, 5-1 to the Panthers and now 5-2 to the Senators.
They get Sunday off before hosting the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementVery soon, the Maple Leafs will look much different than they do right now. The fire sale is coming.
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