The 2025-2026 NHL season has been an unmitigated disaster for the Toronto Maple Leafs. For the first time since the 2015-2016 campaign—the agonizing cellar-dwelling year that earned them the right to draft Auston Matthews—Toronto is officially missing the postseason. But the true rock bottom didn’t come from their five-, six-, or eight-game losing streaks. It came on March 12, when Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas took out Matthews for the season with a vicious, dirty hit.
The hit earned Gudas a five-game suspension, but the ensuing controversy centered entirely on the Maple Leafs’ bench. The team took an immense, justifiable amount of criticism from media and fans alike for failing to stick up for their superstar captain in the immediate aftermath. Tonight, they share the ice with the Ducks once again, and the oddsmakers have zeroed in on the inevitable retaliation.
The Five-Minute Major: A Near Certainty
If you are wondering whether the Leafs will finally answer the bell, the market has already made up its mind. The prop for “Will Radko Gudas receive a five-minute major for fighting?” has the “Yes” heavily juiced at -450. The sportsbooks are essentially treating a Gudas fight as a scheduled event. The real value for bettors lies in predicting exactly who will throw the punches.
Targeting the Dance Partner
The board heavily favors Gudas fighting a Forward (-250) over a Defenseman (+175). When looking at the specific player odds, Dakota Joshua is the odds-on favorite at 4/5 (-125), followed closely by Michael Pazzetta at 3/2 (+150).
However, the narrative value rests with Max Domi at 2/1. Given the Domi family legacy and Max’s role as the emotional heartbeat of this roster, it is hard to imagine him passing up the opportunity to be the one who balances the scales for Matthews. If you want a longer shot, Simon Benoit at 7/2 (+350) offers excellent value for a depth defenseman who makes his living playing heavy minutes.
Carnage Props: Blood and Multiple Bouts
If you expect a full-scale line brawl, the exotic props offer some lucrative plus-money payouts. Both “Will Gudas fight multiple times?” and “Will Gudas bleed?” are sitting at +200 (2/1). Given the pent-up frustration of a lost season and the sheer embarrassment of their previous lack of response, betting on a bloody, multi-fight affair isn’t just a wager—it’s expecting Toronto to try and salvage whatever pride they have left.
