Ex-NHL GM Craig Button drops scathing take on Maple Leafs despite epic comeback against Penguins

The Toronto Maple Leafs earned a 4-3 comeback win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday. Pittsburgh led 3-0 through two periods with goals from Erik Karlsson and rookie Ben Kindel. Toronto managed only eight shots in the first two periods. In the third, the Leafs scored four straight goals to win. Auston Matthews, William Nylander twice, and Bobby McMann each found the net in the comeback.

Despite the win, TSN analyst Craig Button was not impressed. Speaking on SportsCentre with Jay Onrait, he criticized the Leafs’ effort. Button said they were terrible for 40 minutes and called them an average team.

"Even despite coming back and winning this game, quite frankly, they were terrible for 40 minutes," Button said. [0:25 onwards] "They got some breaks, took advantage of them. You want to play like this? You want to start your game like this and get behind like this? You're not going to win."

Button believes the Leafs are not a Stanley Cup contender at this point. He added that Matthews and Nylander saved the game after being “invisible” early.

"Listen, they're an average team right now, the Toronto Maple Leafs," Button said. "The Penguins have had this fantastic start to the season, but they're not a team that is a contending team. And I don't think the Toronto Maple Leafs are a contending team either.

"And you start to look at Nylander and Matthews, who bail them out in the third period and who were invisible in the first two periods, along with the rest of the group.

Button added that Anthony Stolarz kept the game close with key saves. He said Toronto struggled in the first two periods but improved late. He gave the Maple Leafs credit for finding a way to win, but mentioned that their coach, Craig Berube, was not happy about it either.

Button also pointed out issues with the team’s defense and goaltending. He said the Leafs are worse defensively than last season, and miss Mitch Marner’s playmaking, who got traded to Vegas on July 1.

"When you look at this team defensively, they're worse than they were last year," Button said. "The goaltending hasn't been as good. This year, the power play is awful. We talk about how the absence of Mitch Marner has affected the offense."

Button believes the Leafs will have to fight hard to secure a playoff spot.

"This is simply not a contending team right now for a Stanley Cup, and they're going to be in a dogfight for the playoffs." Button said.

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The Maple Leafs need to improve their defensive game

The Maple Leafs now hold a 7-5-1 record and sit third in the Atlantic Division. William Nylander leads the team with 18 points, and captain Auston Matthews has scored seven goals through 13 games. Toronto is allowing 3.62 goals per game, and its power play ranks near the bottom of the league at 12.1 percent. So, they need to tighten their defensive game and goal-tending for improvement.

Craig Berube, who is in his second year as the team's head coach, was upset with the team's play on Monday.

"What upsets me is we come out in the second period down 2-0, " Berube said after the Penguins game.

The Leafs have struggled to maintain focus, and they must improve both their structure and special teams. The comeback win was positive, but the weaknesses are still clear.