“What the hell is going on there?”



The text came from someone with a Western Conference team, mere minutes after the Maple Leafs’ latest implosion became a 6-1 loss in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.



I don’t know if they were watching the game or not – it was a particularly ugly one – or if, like many around the league, they just had eyes on the out-of-town scoreboard and wondered how things are going so wrong for Toronto.



This was supposed to be a huge year for the franchise. The kids were re-signed and entering their primes. The defence was revamped and the excuses were going to be minimal.



Win in the playoffs – or else.



Now? I’m not even sure if they’ll get there.



Three weeks ago, I wrote that it was too early to blame what was happening on the head coach. The team was beaten up, playing through a horrific schedule and getting really poor goaltending.



Their...