Editor in Leaf

The Toronto Maple Leafs blew a two-goal third-period lead and eventually lost 5-4 in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night. Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko scored for the Leafs, while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 29 of 34 shots. Like the Maple Leafs had this game wrapped up, I had a positive and uplifting article ready to go until there were10 minutes left in the third period. Let's dive into the ** takeaways from the night that was.

The Toronto Maple Leafs collapsed to a brutal 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres after holding a 4-2 lead into the third period. But beyond the loss of two points, the one major thing that stood out about Thursday night's game was that top rookie Gavin McKenna was held to just six minutes an 36 seconds of ice-time. Head coach Jim Hiller was asked after the game why McKenna barely played, and more specifically how he had zero shifts through the last 30 minutes of regulation.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were coasting along to potentially a solid win over a divisional rival when disaster struck. Center John Tavares had a horrific collision that caused him to be helped off the ice and head straight down to the tunnel. In the early moments of the third period, with the Leafs holding a 4-2 lead over the visiting Buffalo Sabres thanks to a Kirill Marchenko hat trick, something awkward and a little scary happened.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made an under-the-radar move by acquiring center Aatu Raty from the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. The move itself shouldn’t register on the Richter scale. Raty was clearly on the outs in Vancouver after failing to truly establish himself as a regular NHLer. Things came to a head when the Canucks placed the 23-year-old on waivers. The Leafs didn’t bite, opting instead to make a deal happen. So, they did. And it makes a lot more sense than folks think.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that they have acquired former second-round pick Aatu Raty from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jacon Qullian and Brandon Buhr. The deal comes just before they start a home stand against the Buffalo Sabres, with puck drop set for 7:00 p.m. The Maple Leafs under John Chayka have been one of, if not the most active, teams in the NHL, and again with this deal, he proves that he isn't afraid to make changes to the roster if he feels it'll improve the team.

Much of the early attention on the Toronto Maple Leafs' backend has centered on goaltending with one netminder being steady out of the gates, while the other has been surprisingly lackluster, though the underlying numbers tell a different story than the results suggest. Newcomer Sergei Bobrovsky arrived in Toronto at 38 years old and has won just one of his first four starts, with a 2.97 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan is back in hockey. Shanahan is now joining Kilmer Sports Ventures' as a strategic advisor on the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), which is an exciting role for him and the league. The women's game has continued to grow over the last few years, so adding another valuable hockey mind to the group will only help moving forward.

There has been plenty of talk regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs’ plans amid the mess that has become the Chris Tanev injury. But according to insider Elliotte Friedman, fans shouldn’t expect a massive move anytime soon. In the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the notable insider discussed the Maple Leafs' plans for dealing with the Chris Tanev situation, summing up the strategy in a single sentence.

The Toronto Maple Leafs nearly pulled off one heck of a comeback on Tuesday night. Down 5-2 in the third period, the Leafs clawed their way back to one goal, nearly tying the game in the dying seconds. It was great to see plenty of pushback after Toronto had been outplayed for most of the night. But the bottom line here is that the comeback couldn’t paper over the club’s biggest weakness. No, it wasn’t the defensive miscues that led to goals.

Alex DeBrincat's new extension is going to make things interesting around the NHL, especially when looking at what some of the league's biggest stars are making. With DeBrincat earning $13 million per season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have to be pretty happy with the contracts Auston Matthews and William Nylander are currently playing under.