‘I think they’ll lift themselves up’: Mats Sundin discusses Leafs’ struggles
This article first appeared on hockeysverige.se and has been translated from Swedish to English.
—
From NHL contender to last in the Eastern Conference.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been unrecognizable over the first months of the season. After Wednesday’s road game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, only five teams in the league have collected fewer points.
The Leafs have 23 points through 23 games and have allowed the most goals of any team in the Eastern Conference.
It’s a stark contrast to last year. Then, the storied club put up 108 points, fourth-most in the league, and won the tough Atlantic Division. The drastic difference between last season and the start of this one has sparked strong reactions.
Toronto media have not been gentle in their criticism of the roster construction. Everyone, from general manager Brad Treliving to the players and even assistant coaches, has been singled out for the poor results.
Mats Sundin knows all too well what they’re going through.
He was named captain of the Leafs in 1997 and wore the C for ten straight seasons before finishing his career with one season in the Vancouver Canucks. During that time, he experienced his share of adversity and missed the playoffs more than once.
“You have to learn pretty quickly to grow a thick skin and maybe not follow the day-to-day media coverage. Otherwise, you get a bit eaten alive by all the opinions about both the team and yourself as an individual,” says Mats Sundin when hockeysverige.se meets him at HBO Max’s press event in central Stockholm.
Sundin, who will serve as an expert analyst for the streaming service during the Olympic hockey tournament in Milan in February, points to several reasons why this year’s Leafs have struggled. Not least the loss of Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights this past summer.
“He was, if not their best, then one of their absolute best players — in his prime,” Sundin said. “Losing a key player like that, someone who has basically put up more than a hundred points over the last five years, a player who is as good without the puck as he is with it, both offensively and defensively — of course that’s going to be noticeable.”
The long injury list has been another problem for the Leafs.
“They’ve been hit by injuries at the start of this season, with key players like Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies and (Chris) Tanev, one of their best defensemen. The goalies have also been injured, so there have been different circumstances that I think have made for a tough start.”
Despite the precarious situation, Sundin isn’t worried about his former club. He believes the players’ experience and routine will help them solve the situation.
“I think they’re pretty battle-hardened by now. A lot of them have been there for many years. You know what kind of climate it is. It really is the hockey mecca of the world and there’s enormous interest in the Toronto Maple Leafs all across North America, and especially in Ontario and Toronto. I think they’ve learned that, and they have a good enough team to make the playoffs if everyone is healthy. If they can just get the group together and everyone is back playing, I think they’ll lift themselves up.”
But in a situation like this, when things are going poorly, as a leader in the team, what do you try to do?
“You have to make sure you have a good everyday routine, a good working environment, and that you can shut out the noise. In Toronto’s case, that noise is louder and there’s more of it than in other clubs. If Tampa or Florida loses ten games in a row, not that many people care. But if Toronto does it, then it’s a catastrophe. So you block it out and make sure you work on the things you should work on as a team. Make sure there’s a good atmosphere when the guys come to the rink and when you spend time together. I think that’s important.”
He points to the team’s Swedish star forward, William Nylander, as a role model for handling the pressure.
“Both last year and this year he’s had a really good start to the season. You have to remember you’re a professional hockey player, and even if the team has problems you still have to do your job — which the guys are paid to do. I think William has managed that. I think he’s showing a very good, very professionally executed start to the season. Then he can’t do everything.”
Nylander is a player everyone has an opinion about, whether it’s positive or negative. He himself comes across as completely unfazed by what people think and say about him — a teflon mentality Sundin believes is necessary.
“Yes, you have to have that to survive in a market like Toronto. If you start taking to heart what’s written, whether it’s about the team or about you personally, then it gets tough.”
Sundin’s former teammate, Czech defenseman Tomas Kaberle, recently suggested on Leafs Morning Take that the players should go out partying together to strengthen team spirit.
Sundin laughs heartily at the idea, but isn’t sure he believes that’s the solution.
“I don’t know if I would say ‘party,’ but it ties in with what I said. It’s important to have good unity, and sometimes when a team goes through tough stretches, loses a lot of games or loses important games, if you have the right character in the room and the right values, and you care about the team, it can actually make you stronger and help you come out of it — even as a better team. It’s a long season.”
SPONSORED BY bet365
Recent posts from Uffe Bodin
- ‘This is not the beginning of a European NHL’: Bettman, Daly on league’s overseas plans
- Sidney Crosby on stick exchange with Peter Forsberg: ‘Someone I really admired’
- ‘This is coming down to the wire’: Gary Bettman on 2026 Olympic arena construction concerns
- ‘I was crushed’: Penguins’ Rickard Rakell not letting injury ruin return to Sweden
- Henrik Lundqvist wants to bring same expertise from NHL career to the TV screen