The Toronto Maple Leafs hit rock bottom in Game 11 — falling 6-3 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in what Zack Phillips calls “one of the most embarrassing efforts I’ve ever seen.” From straight-legged shifts to lifeless backchecks, TLN After Dark pulls no punches, breaking down an uninspired night that raised serious questions about leadership, identity, and effort inside Toronto’s locker room.
Zack sounds off on a group that looked disconnected and disinterested — from John Tavares’s milestone 500th goal being overshadowed by another defensive collapse, to Auston Matthews and William Nylander struggling to spark any response. He examines Craig Berube’s frustration, the “country-club” mentality haunting this core, and why the Leafs’ lack of buy-in, attention to detail, and compete level is dooming them early in the season.
From Columbus’s hustle led by Adam Fantilli, Johnny Gaudreau, and Zach Werenski to Toronto’s alarming five-on-one giveaways, this episode is as raw as it gets — frustration, accountability, and truth about what’s really happening in Leafs Nation.
Presented by bet365 and Uber Eats, this edition of TLN After Dark delivers a passionate postgame like no other — the rant, the reality, and the reaction Leafs fans have been waiting for.
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32 Comments
It's called insanity
I have 100% pushed the panic button
The Toronto maple leafs need a Retool. It’s time. Their window has come and gone. If they start now they can possibly be good in the next 4-5 years
When are you going to admit Babcock was right the entire time. These guys suck
Don’t talk about Willy styles negatively buddy!
Matthews looks depressed. He’s not trying or moving or caring.
Bérubé was and is the wrong coach for the team, last year and this year.
I wanted Claude Julien or Bruce Boudreau.
Leafs defence traded away Liljegren, Timmins, picks and prospects for a defensive 3/4 Winger (maybe 4C) and a big, slow, soft 8th defensive man. Carlo has been soft since his concussions a few years ago and covered by the bruins team around him.
Reilly had two passes to the bluejackets that directly led to goals tonight.
If this lasts till game 16 (20% of season) then fire coach and start trading players for picks and prospects. We have 3 picks total next year.
I made comments on athletic when trades happened last year for Laughton and Carlo. I hated Laughton trade and cost and was meh on Carlo.
Bérubé is moving forwards too much to have any chemistry, while not having any accountability for 34, 44 or 25/Carlo.
the problem is. its worse shit. you at least had a shot. now you have no shot.i wish you all the best
The people saying that Mathews should be considered for the Selke trophy are delusional. He has no idea what to do in his own end. Sometimes, you have to cover for others in your end. He does none of that.
Knew the show would be fire tonight.
Marner drove it all. 34 getting paid $13m and can’t drive his own line.
Remember when Lou said all those years ago, “we have to make it safe…”
That was the creation of a country club atmosphere from day one. And it’s been so engrained in these players, they are softer than puppy shit.
And the softest is the captain. What a joke!!
Not looking good. Very few prospects, no 1st round pick until 2028. Team is old and have long costly contracts.
I have to say I hope you leaf fans love the new DNA changes that you asked for lol SAD …game 7 dry hair does not win and change DNA
Listening to this guy rant is like experiencing a brain aneurysm
wow most favorite player ever is mattewss,get rid of him he sucks
In 58 years since expansion: 3 division titles, 5 third round appearances. That's it!
Thanks Zack for always doing post game shows 👏🏼
I watched the first 3-4 minutes of this game and I regretted it.. I missed back to back Jays homers lol
50 minute post game show and not a single mention of Rielly's atrocious play. Yeah Matthews effort levels are lackluster, just like Nylanders are on another night. But you're also complaining about a guy who's now lining up with McMann and Robertson – career 3rd liners and playing PK1 and is still a +3 on a team with a -4 in the plus minus department. Why aren't you talking about Rielly who single handedly threw a puck up the middle of the ice to give the blue jackets their 3rd when the leafs were clawing their way back in the 2nd period and killed any momentum they were building? And this isn't new. Rielly hasn't had a good stretch since lightning series in '23. For years, the excuse was well Rielly is an offensive guy so he needs a partner.. BS. He's had a solid d-core around him for more than a season now and it's the same crap. And you could argue his game has really gotten worse as other dmen have picked up the slack. I get the frustration with Matthews but sometimes you're just throwing complaints at the wall and feeling like you're making a good point when you're missing the key moments in the game that always kill us. And even if you don't want to believe that, go look at the defensive stats – they reflect this atrocious play. Rielly is our worst plus minus dman. We went from being around top 10 best teams in goals against last season to now being in the bottom 4 of most goals allowed so far, and Tanev is the only one who's been missing. Matthews has been captain for a year and it's fair to say it wasn't the right call but then you have to be consistent on your leadership complaints.. The most consistent lack of leadership through this era of leafs hockey is in the guy who has been here the longest of the core group – Rielly
Theres no "assets" to trade. The only player that would bring a team massive value would be JT. Great contract and he produces.
pretty goals versus gritty goals…enough of the former, not nearly enough of the latter…
Ninja crispi hot take…the leafs are not playoff bound this year. There are multiple teams in the East that are better than the leafs ie. Most of the Atlantic except Boston. 4 – 6 teams in the Metropolitan.
I remember last season everyone laughing and giving up on the Oilers 1st month. Weak men these days, like Mitch the Bitch.
This is a bad team. They live and die with the play of their stars. The goalies haven't been great ( they carried this team all last year) and, for some reason, the greatest (supposedly) goalscorer looks worse than Max Domi on most nights
Lmao you lose an 100 point player and the team is the same? They’re obviously worse, come on
No more excuses for #34..He is not Captain material and honestly he has already passed his prime!! At best he is a good 2nd line center making 13.25 million?
There may be individuals in the Leafs Nation group who knew all summer that I was expressing frustration through fervent comments and super chats, advocating for the team to buy out Morgan Rielly if he insists on not being traded. Such a move would not only be beneficial for Morgan, helping him evade the criticisms he currently faces, but it would also serve the team's interests. While this may not be the most idealistic approach, the organization appears to have limited options.
Does anyone in the chat recall what Zack and his boss, Nick, stated? Their dismissal of the buyout suggestion as "ridiculous" and "nuts" is perplexing. I have reached my limit with this podcast; their commentary and analysis are excessively biased and immature. If they continue to to have full confidence the Leafs will undoubtedly make the playoffs while disregarding the concerns that everyone recognizes, and wait till everyone on the planet knew the will miss it then voice out their concerns,they might as well shut down the channel and pursue regular jobs, as they risk losing all credibility.
Zack, shame on you. My harsh comments stem from years of following your work, and I had hoped you would emerge as a reliable Leafs fan podcast, distinguished by a commitment to advanced analysis that sets you apart from other part-time, low-view Leafs podcasters. Fans are seeking intelligent, insightful predictions, particularly regarding the current state of the team.
Continues to spend time to criticise your followers who dis agree with you or commenting on the intangible of the willingness of the players to show up is wasting time not fruitful at all actually is boring, how you know they don’t tried may be they did however is the fact the might not are as talented as you think , I went to a burger place in London it’s was always perfect for years however they no longer taste as good now. Face the reality Matthew is who he is when he scored 69 he was also a chill and super relax player, Hope the team can realise Matthew is perfectly positioned as a second line centre because they signed him then map out their master plan according to this acknowledgment otherwise they will be a master shithole ten times more we can imagine
Agree with everything, there is something wrong at the core here, individuals not really playing as a team. its embarrassing. We are the laughing stock of the NHL. and all that pressure….. lol
Jackets never had it this easy.
Very simple the window has closed. It was closed before Mariner left for nothing I might add.
Trade Matthews…get yourself a couple of picks and a young 2nd liner. Go from there