Leafs lose season finale, secure spot in NHL’s bottom five

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That’s a wrap on the 2025-26 Maple Leafs season.

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Fittingly, it was a former Leafs goaltender who formed the bookends on a season from hell.

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Cut from a tryout by Toronto last fall, James Reimer recorded the victory on Wednesday in Ottawa as the Senators beat the Leafs 3-1.

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William Nylander ended Reimer’s shutout bid eight minutes into the third period when he scored his 30th goal of the season. It is the sixth time in his National Hockey League career that he has scored at least 30 goals.

Out of the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, the Leafs ended the season with little interest, losing their final seven games while being outscored 35-18. Their last win came in Anaheim on March 30 when they beat the Ducks 5-4 in overtime, hours after general manager Brad Treliving was fired.

The good news for Leafs Nation is that the club will finish 28th in the overall NHL standings, putting them in the top five for the 2026 draft. The catch is that if a team higher than Toronto in the standings wins the draft lottery on May 5, the Leafs will be knocked out of the top five and the first-round pick will go to the Boston Bruins.

How do the lottery odds break down for the Leafs? They have an 8.5% chance of picking first and an 8.6% chance of picking second. They have a 24.5% chance of keeping the fifth pick, and, gulp, a 44% chance of falling to sixth. There’s a 14.2% chance the Leafs fall to seventh. Either of the latter two scenarios happen and the pick goes to Boston.

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It’s likely the game was the last behind the Leafs bench for coach Craig Berube, whose Toronto future is in much doubt. And it might have been the last Leafs game for defenceman Morgan Rielly, who may be asked to waive his no-movement clause by the incoming head of hockey operations.

“It was a tough year, but you keep grinding and keep trying to find different ways to get out of the situation you’re in,” Berube told media in Ottawa after the game. “We tried to do a lot of different things this year and it didn’t work out.

“I don’t think buy-in was an issue. I think we’re trying to play a certain way here, and I don’t think that we fully grabbed that, (so) I guess it was buy-in that way.”

The Leafs will hold exit interviews on Thursday, when captain Auston Matthews is slated to speak to media for the first time since the Ducks’ Radko Gudas ended his season with a knee-on-knee hit on March 12.

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Joe Bowen called the last Leafs game of his legendary broadcasting career from the press box in Ottawa, along with longtime partner and colour commentator Jim Ralph, after not being on the road for games for the past several years.

Dennis Hildeby had a fine night in the Leafs net, making 35 saves.

Some final takeaways:

WHAT’S NEXT FOR COWAN?

Easton Cowan ended his NHL rookie with an assist on Nylander’s goal, bringing the 20-year-old to 29 points (11 goals and 18 assists) in 66 games.

Once Cowan gained his confidence in his first season in the league, he made a greater impact, both on the scoresheet and from a physical standpoint.

“I know I’m an NHL player and I feel comfortable, but I still have a lot more to give and I know I’ll have a good summer and get bigger and faster,” Cowan told media in Ottawa.

Cowan’s future is bright, but what does it involve immediately?

Berube indicated that is to be decided, but for him, the best avenue is for Cowan to join the Toronto Marlies for the Calder Cup playoffs.

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“Definitely a benefit for him playing in the playoffs,” Berube said. “You can look at the league and dissect it any way you want. It’s a good league. It’s a good experience for him.”

What would Cowan think of playing for the Marlies?

“I would love to play more hockey, but it’s not my decision,” Cowan said. “Whatever management thinks is right, I’ll agree with them.”

If the Marlies are done before the world championship gets underway on May 15 in Switzerland, Cowan could be an option for Canada for the tournament.

ROBERTSON NON-COMMITTAL

Nick Robertson will be a restricted free agent this summer and will be eligible for arbitration.

The 24-year-old winger set career highs in goals (16), assists (16) and points in is his third full seasons. Trade rumours have been a part of the deal for Robertson in Toronto and they’re not bound to dissipate with change coming for the roster this summer.

“I’m not going to take a deep dive into my future,” Robertson said. “I don’t know what my future holds, but I will say that everyone here has been unbelievable with me, for my family. I love these guys.”

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A fresh start could be best for Robertson, but the Leafs would be foolish to give him away. A 16-goal season for a player who averaged less than 13 minutes of ice time a game shouldn’t be taken for granted by the team, but Robertson would not be faulted for thinking he could get a better shot with another team.

What did Robertson think went wrong for the Leafs as a whole?

“There’s a lot of reasons,” Robertson said. “Lack of execution, buy-in, emotion … it’s unfortunate how it ended.”

SOME LAST BITS OF UGLINESS

The Leafs had the worst record in the NHL after the Olympic break, going 5-15-5 in 25 games.

Toronto (32-36-14) finished with 78 points, 30 less than a year ago when it won the Atlantic Division.

The Leafs were outshot 38-20 by the Sens, marking the 62nd time in 82 games that their opponent won the shots battle.

The seven-game losing streak (0-6-1) was Toronto’s second-longest slump in team history to end a season. The 1957-58 club went 0-8-0 in its last eight games.

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As for the roster re-tooling that will be the task of the new hockey boss, that person will have their work cut out. Teams won’t be lining up to trade with the Leafs, and there are just two unrestricted free agents — forward Calle Jarnkrok, who did not play in Ottawa because of injury, and defenceman Troy Stecher.

“Really special to put on that crest,” said Stecher, who was claimed off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers in November. “I know I had my good days and my bad days, but one thing I can say is I never took the city for granted. I was very proud to come to the rink every day and put on that jersey and try to represent the city as best I could.”

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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