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OTTAWA – The only silver lining in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ final game of the season is that it finally ended a long year of disappointment.
The Leafs finished their season with a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators Wednesday night.
Toronto (32-36-14) saw its nine-year playoff streak come to an end, marking the Leafs first absence from the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2016. The squad finished the campaign with seven straight losses.
Players struggled to find the words why things unravelled after the Olympic break.
“Just disappointment and failure,” said Troy Stecher. “You play this game obviously, to try and win the Stanley Cup and you can’t do that unless you make the playoffs. So, as a group, we struggled after the Olympic break, and these are the results you get. We’ve got a long summer ahead.”
Stecher admitted there were a multitude of things that didn’t go right for the Leafs, and he expects the organization will evaluate every aspect.
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“We’re definitely aware as players what went wrong within the room and in saying that I think we’ll probably just keep that private for the organization.”
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There’s no denying the team’s collapse felt long and arduous.
“You know it’s a tough finish, but I guess kind of relieved a little bit,” said Nick Robertson. “I mean, we were in the thick of it after the break. You know, it’s just frustrating hockey and we’ve just got to regroup here and kind of forget about it. I mean, take away what we can, but just kind of put this behind us.”
Robertson will be a restricted free agent this summer and is unsure what his future holds.
The 24-year-old, drafted by Toronto in 2019, admits the season took a toll and couldn’t identify exactly why things turned out as they did.
“There’s a lot of reasons,” he said. “You know, lack of execution, buy in, emotion … It’s hard, it’s unfortunate how it ended.”
Robertson said the one thing that stands out after this kind of season is learning to appreciate how difficult it is to win in the NHL.
“I think last year, you know, felt like we were winning all the time and (we learned) to never take your foot off the gas,” he said. “We’ve got a good team here. We’ve got a playoff team. But, if you don’t, you know, push the gas and buy in and play hard, we’re not gonna make the playoffs.”
It’s also a disappointing end to Easton Cowan’s rookie season.
With 11 goals and 28 points through 66 games, Cowan is a bright spot who showed growth as the season progressed.
“You know, I’m an NHL player, and you know, I feel comfortable, but I’ve still got a lot more to give,” he said. “And I know I’ll have a good summer here and, you know, get bigger and faster.”
Leafs head coach Craig Berube said he liked Cowan’s development over the course of the season.
“Good future ahead of him,” said Berube. “He’s got a great IQ. He’s got ice water in his veins. He’s a worker. There’s a lot of upside there.”
Cowan is hopeful to extend his hockey season by playing with the team’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, but said he hasn’t heard if that’s what the organization has planned for him.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
