Are you buying that it was tough for Marner to leave Toronto?

Are you buying that it was tough for Marner to leave Toronto?

Harvey’s Hot Takes with Brian Hayes. Brian did great work on Free Agent Frenzy despite not a lot happening on Free Agent Frenzy and he was kind enough to stick around with us to talk a little bit about Mitchell Mner uh officially being introduced in Las Vegas. Spoke with the Vegas media on Tuesday afternoon said it was tough to leave Toronto while he simultaneously had the largest grin on his face I’ve ever seen him have. Are you buying that it was really tough for him to leave Toronto? Hazy. Well, I think this is going to be a first for me, Jay. I don’t generally like to waver on your show, on my show, on any show, but I’m going to give it the classic yes and no. I’m going with the yes and no. No, I do not believe him because of that grin that you just spoke of. I think it’s become very clear here that this has been in the works for probably at least a year, year and a half, maybe two years, right? like he even indicated that during his press conference today in Vegas and he got to Vegas as quickly as he could, you know, to put on that jersey today. And I think from a playing standpoint, he’s he’s been checked out of Toronto for quite some time and he’s wanted to get to Vegas. He’s been preparing for this for a long time. So, from that standpoint, I’m not buying it that it was that difficult to leave Toronto because I think it became very clear with his actions throughout the year, the way that he handled negotiations, you know, the communication with the Maple Leafs and how quickly he got out of here and he jumped to Vegas and again, like you said, how happy he was today. I think he was he was very prepared for that. And I I think he was um you know, obviously looking forward to it. So, from that standpoint, I’m not buying that this was that difficult or it was some snap decision that just happened yesterday and now his life has been turned up upside down. He’s clearly been preparing for it for a long time. But I I do believe he’s being honest in the literal form of leaving Toronto because this is all he’s ever known. Like, he was born and raised here. He grew up here and he’s worked here his whole life. He spent three years in London playing junior hockey for the Knights and I’m sure he came home a lot. So, he is about to, you know, take on this this new voyage in Vegas and he’s leaving the only place he’s ever known. His family’s here, his friends are here. This is the team he grew up watching and paying attention to. It’s the only team he’s ever played for. So, from that standpoint, I’m sure there is a little bit of anxiety, the fact that he’s changing it. And I think for the most part why I would not buy into the fact um or that I would buy into the fact that this was difficult for him is that once he’s left and now that it is official he’s gone. His reputation and his legacy in the city is cemented. He can’t change it now and he knows what it is. He he knows how Leaf fans predominantly feel about him. The large majority of Leaf fans are not happy with Mitch Mner and not happy with the way his tenure ended. And ultimately with him leaving and putting a stamp on it, that’s exactly what came to a conclusion today. That all that promise, all that hope that arrived when he was drafted by the Leafs, when he first started playing with the Leafs, it just never materialized to the dream ending that I’m sure he had and his family had, his friends had, and all of Leafs Nation had. They just they never got it done. They won two playoff rounds in nine years as a Maple Leaf. Now that he’s gone, he doesn’t have the opportunity to change that legacy where the guys that he’s leaving, the core four that he has broken up because he’s gone, those guys are still here. Austin Matthews is still here. William Knander is still here. John Tvarus is still here. And they have to redeem themselves to an extent as well with the fan base, right? They’ve got to prove that they can get it done. But I’m sure in the back of his mind, Mitch Mner’s thinking, what if they do and I’m not a part of it? What if they actually end up living out that dream that he was dreaming about his whole life and got a chance to to take a crack at nine times as a Maple Leaf for the last nine years? Matthews is still here. He’s got a chance to do it. Williey’s still here. Tvarus is still do here. And maybe they don’t do it. And maybe they have a very similar ending to the one that MNER’s currently going through in two or three or four years down the road. But I’m sure in the back of his mind, Marner’s thinking, “What if they do and I missed it and I jump ship and I’m out and I don’t get to experience it?” I’m sure that’s something he’s probably gonna think of for the rest of his career. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s thinking about it for the rest of his life. Brian, you think about the last couple of days for Brad Tree Living, the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs. There’s some positive things. Uh the John Tavvaris deal, incredible. I mean, you talked last week, uh the Leafs need to win a deal. They won that deal handily, especially if you look at some of the numbers thrown around to lesser players on July the 1st. The Tavvaris extension looks incredible right now. Uh, and even the NY extension looks terrific. You bring in Matias Michelli, you bring in Nick Wah, those are serviceable, good players, but at the end of the day, you haven’t replaced that 102 points that Mitchell Marner provided for you last season. Where do you stand on the state of the Toronto Maple Leafs right at this moment, Brian Hayes? I think they’re still a very good team. They’re still a very good team. Both goalies are here. Their top six defense are all still here. They have a Stanley Cup winning head coach and Craig Baruv, who I thought had a very successful first season, and there’s still a lot of talent here, right? Yes, Mitch Marner’s gone, but that had to happen, right? It had to happen. The core four had to be broken up. They had to allocate their money uh differently. They had to spread it out throughout the lineup. And Marner’s gone and you start a new era. But Matthews is still here. Knander’s still here. Tavvaros is still here. Matthew Ny is still here. There’s still a lot of talent. They’re still a really good team. So Mner leaving doesn’t mean all of a sudden they’re a lottery team or they’re chasing Gavin McKenna next year. That’s not going to happen. They’re still very stable. They’re in a very good position. And ultimately Brad Trey Living’s job, it’s going to be diff difficult between now and opening night to improve this team if you’re comparing it not to last year’s team, but to the Florida Panthers. And that’s what I think everyone is comparing their their team to. And the reality is there’s nothing Brad Tree Living can do between now and opening night that’s reasonable, that’s realistic that on paper is going to make the Maple Leafs look better than the Florida Panthers. Like that’s not going to happen. I don’t think it’ll happen in Tampa. It’s not going to happen in Carolina. It’s not going to happen in Montreal or Ottawa or Jersey. I go down the list. Florida is the best team in the league. They’re likely to be throughout this next regular season. But if you’re the Leafs and if you’re a Leaf fan and you’re looking at this, you got to realize they have money. They have flexibility when it comes to their caps. Something they haven’t had in a long time. I think again like you mentioned, Trey Living’s done a really good job with the Tavvar signing, the NY signing. Nicholas Wah, yes, he’s not Marner, but he’s someone that will play likely a third line center, big body right-handed shot, something they haven’t had in that position in a long, long time. And there’s an interesting tie to MNER leaving here that again I think once we get to training camp will become a bigger story and that’s Eastston Cowan and his potential arrival which again didn’t happen today. It didn’t happen yesterday. It’s nothing that Brad Shiv has had to work on uh considering he got drafted by the Maple Leafs a couple of years ago but Marner was a London night legend that his last game as a London Knight was winning the Memorial Cup. That’s exactly what Eastston Cowan is. He’s a London Knight legend. His last game with the Knights was him winning the Memorial Cup. So, I don’t anticipate he will be Martner. I think that’s asking way too much. Mitch Mner is a great great player and he was ready to go the second he walked into the league. But Eastston Cowan’s a really good player and it would really soften the blow of losing those 102 points and the aura that comes with Mitch Mner if Cowan can step in come training camp and be a piece for this team. So, I think Tree Living’s got his hands filled to continue to grow this team and build them out so they can be competitive with Florida, but they’re still a really good team. They have some cap room, possibly cow coming. And again, they don’t play games starting tonight or tomorrow, Jay. He’s got a few months to work this out. So, I think Trey Living’s got a really good team. He’s got to keep improving it. Marner had to go in the end. It’s the beginning of a new era. I think this is a positive for the Maple Leafs.
All right. There’s a nice uh spin on it for you, Leaf fans. Uh, and like a lot of Canadian NHL teams, it wasn’t so much about what happened on July the 1st. We will be following for the weeks and months as we head to the next season. This is Brian Hayes. This has been Harvey’s Hot Takes. Hot Takes is presented by Harvey’s. Customize your burger and get it delivered from our app to your door. Harvey’s. It’s a beautiful thing.

Bryan Hayes joins SC with Jay Onrait for another edition of Harvey’s Hot Takes, where he gives his thoughts on whether he’s buying that it was tough for Mitch Marner to leave Toronto and how he feels about the current state of the Maple Leafs.