Craig Berube confirms 3 Maple Leafs are done for the season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs may be throwing in the towel.

On Saturday, the Maple Leafs officially confirmed that they were shutting down 3 pretty important players just prior to playing what I believe is a must-lose game against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.

It was head coach Craig Berube who made it official when he informed reporters that goaltender Anthony Stolarz, defenseman Brandon Carlo, and forward Dakota Joshua were all being shut down for what remains of the 2025-26 National Hockey League regular season.

The timing of these moves is certainly going to raise some eyebrows, especially given the conversation around the Maple Leafs 2026 first round pick, a pick that belongs to the Boston Bruins unless the Maple Leafs finish with a record bad enough to pick inside of the Top 5. The Maple Leafs are currently in the top 6 with 79 points on the season and a loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday night would go a long way to ensuring they continue their descent down the standings.

The Maple Leafs also have two more games beyond tonight's game remaining on the schedule with upcoming clashes against the Dallas Stars and Ottawa Senators next week, and having 3 regulars out of the lineup will make those games that much more challenging to win as well.

While all 3 men are no doubt dealing with legitimate injuries and that is an unfortunate situation for all 3 of them, the timing of this decision could very well play out in the Maple Leafs benefit if they do manage to retain their pick at this year's NHL Draft.