Maple Leafs vs. Kraken LIVE Post Game Reaction | Leafs Talk

Maple Leafs vs. Kraken LIVE Post Game Reaction | Leafs Talk

Leafs talk. JD Bunkas, Sam McKe. The Leafs drop a game to the Seattle Kraken in overtime. Another late minute loss for a Toronto team to a group from Seattle. Sammy, too soon. Yeah. Nah, whatever. It’s going to be too soon in 25 years, bud. So, uh it’s it’s always going to be too soon, but uh don’t need to bring that up. But yeah, uh again, not the most thrilling hockey game. Uh some guys looked very good for the Leafs, I thought, tonight. Some guys looked very bad for the Leafs tonight. Uh a very, very disinterested crowd at Scotia Bank Arena with a lot of empty seats in the Lower Bowl during overtime, which I thought was kind of peculiar. But yeah, uh you know the when are the least gonna play like a a fun like exciting team like a team outside of the Halves? I guess the Red Wings who’s a division rival, but like any Tampas coming up here, any Florida coming up or somebody to wake them up because these all these games just have so little life. Yeah, I I do think Okay, so it’s interesting that you raised this point because obviously you and I are watching and the rest of the country, let’s be honest. If you’re a Leafs fan right now, the odds are that you’re at least paying some attention to the Toronto Blue Jays. And and listen, like we’re not doing Jay’s talk here, but it’s hard not to get wrapped up in the intensity of the moment that is the Blue Jays on this incredible run to the ALCS playing these extremely highintensity games with rockus crowds that are full of just overwhelming energy. and then flip over to the first couple of games of the Toronto Maple Leafs regular season in which the team is searching for energy on the ice and also in the crowds, right? So, yeah, I I think that we are going through a compression chamber between these two things. It’s like uh when a scuba diver needs to take his time coming up from the water so that he doesn’t get the bends. We are just going too fast. We are getting the bends. So, every time we’re at the bottom of the ocean or whatever, uh, with the Toronto Blue Jays and then we got to go all the way up to the top and breathe normal air again watching the Toronto Maple Leafs and it’s tough and so I think that’s a natural part of this. What I will say though in terms of but like just on that point, don’t you think the fans at the rank feel the same way? Yes. like it just felt like such a juiceless crowd and that the other night against the Rangers when you probably watched a whole lot of that game when you weren’t doing Leafs talk. I’m sure you were dialed into that Rangers Leafs game across from game every the ALCS. I’m sure you were dialed into that one. I watched the first period and a half. Yeah, of course. Yeah. Like the rest of the country and then the game started and I watched maybe two more seconds between innings. Totally lifeless crowd in that game. And listen, you can make the jokes about Scotia Bank Arena being a a lifeless crowd at the best of times, but like listen, the Saturday night crowd usually down there is always a rowdy spot. Yeah. But the one on Thursday, the first roar from the crowd was when they posted the Andreas Gimenez home run on the crowd and the fans are going goalie, go Jays, go. Everyone is thinking about the Jays. Yeah. All the fans, all the people, like the whole crowd, it’s just it’s such it’s all-encompassing. It’s hard to care about anything else. And I think that’s going into some of them playing not exciting teams to start the season where they’re playing just mushy teams that like are not exciting and there’s been no fire from anybody including tonight which we’ll get into. Like it just feels like they’re stuck in mud, dude. Okay, so the the mud boys are back and they’re on the ice, bud. It’s the mud boys, man. Yeah, but I got to tell you though, like if we’re doing Jay’s Leafs lessons, because this is the way we’ve decided to start yet another Leafs talk, Jay’s cabin talking about the other team. Uh I actually think that this is such a reminder for the Leafs of what this city will give you if you have an entertaining product and a lovable team, which is it’s it the Rogers Center has advantages that Scotia Bank does not have. It seats more people. There’s more people standing up and moving around and it’s more conducive to drinking because you’re out in the sun and you’re it’s it’s a more passive watch, right? You can watch a baseball game without paying hardcore attention. More casual fans go for just the fun experience. It’s more affordable so more people can get in, right? Like it it’s there’s a litany of reasons. Although I would say that it’s not affordable right now for the postseason. Like it costs an arm and a leg to get in. It costs far more than a lease regular season game. And yet that energy has persisted because of the excitement. But if you’re the Leafs, I got to think that these guys remember what it was like, the Knanders and the Matthews when they first showed up on the scene and every night was a party and the city was in love with them and they were the darling of the town and that in order for them to recapture it, all they need to do is play an exciting brand of hockey, make people believe that they can actually make a run and actually go on one. So I I do think it’s there. It’s available to them. But if you are the um the people in charge of making sure that there is a great atmosphere at Scotia Bank Arena, I would be putting over a call to the folks at Roger Center and going, “What do you think? What what do you guys think that we should do?” Because here’s the one difference between the two arenas. At the Roger Center, loud is encouraged constantly. And at Scotia Bank, there’s always that feeling of, oh, don’t be too loud at the wrong time or you’ll upset the people in the Golds, right? It’s it’s there. And anybody that’s gone to games knows it that there’s like an etiquette to going to a Leafs game that’s starting to feel more and more like you’re at a tennis match where you need to be quiet during the play, which to me is very odd and a direction they don’t want them to go in. Anyways, the story of the game tonight for me is obvious. It’s that Craig Barube is searching for a spark. He shuffled the lines to an extraordinary degree. Yeah. Searching and searching and searching for something that was going to look like it had real chemistry. Starts the game with the doi line looking for them to give him a spark. They brought Eastn Cowan up. They need something from him. And I already think that there’s a real Cowan conversation based on his minutes and the role diminishing and we can get into that later. But they put William Dellander up on the top line. They’re moving Michelli around. They’re moving Dakota Joshua around. They tried just about every random combination between their middle or their their top three lines tonight in hopes that they would get a group that really popped for them. And I think that the story kind of remains that nothing really seems to be jelling in a way where you can look at it with the new guys and say, “Well, that’s a thing that you’re really noticing as a positive.” Yeah, there there’s this saying about, you know, shuffling deck chairs on a certain ship that didn’t have a ton of luck. And that’s kind of what you’re feeling like right now. It’s like what what is it that you’re looking for? Like if you’re you’ve now done the thing where I mean, what was the amount of time tonight that Willie and Matthews have they played together? It felt like that was the go-to thing in the third period. You tried it. Yeah. But like it just it really feels like we’re heading to the point where he where Bub is thinking I’m going to have one dominant line here like we’re heading towards the nuclear option already of N Matthews and Knander where he’s just going to put these guys together and hope that they’re so overwhelmingly good that they can create offense and kind of you know pick up the bootstraps for the rest of the offense. And listen, Johnny T was great tonight. scores a power play goal and you know that that other one was a vintage Johnny T rip where he’s playing with Willie on that play but like it just feels like it’s not really going to come from anywhere else. So they put those two guys together like certain guys are better. I thought Joshua was a little bit better tonight. I thought you know they like he had some noticeable moments including not shooting it in the net in a wide open net or whatever but just they’re just moving things around and nothing’s working. Yeah, I agree with you. Joshua was the guy that stood out tonight. But it feels like these three are taking turns in terms of who’s going to do a little something that you go, “Oh, all right.” Like, yes, I liked him the most out of the three guys tonight. And and this is kind of a bit of the story to me is you got to be patient because it’s early in a regular season, no doubt, right? This is game six, so no one’s hitting the panic button. So, everybody chill out in the chat. But yeah, that what what are you really saying so far about the way that these guys are kind of balancing out the lineup? Craig Brew doesn’t trust Nick Wah to anchor a third line, right? To just be the third line center and have somebody else play that fourth line role. They take a penalty tonight, by the way, uh with him in the first period where he’s behind the net. I actually was thinking, man, it’s nice having a big center who can battle down low with guys, and then whoopsie, he gets his stick in, somebody skates, draws a penalty, they go to a penalty kill, which all of a sudden involved Nick Robertson for a second, they get scored on, you go, “Oh, okay. I guess that’s his important role is penalty kill.” You lose Nick Raw from that unit, and it starts to feel really thin when you scratch Cali Yarnrock, which we can get into later, but they’re just when they’re moving these pieces around, nobody’s doing something awesome. No one’s doing something sparky. There’s nobody that’s laying a big hit. There’s nobody that’s kind of controlling the play or making some beautiful plays or snapping it on the net. Joshua’s moment was the best one. What would you say Machelli did tonight? Like what what was his moment? Because I I I could barely notice him out there other than trying to discern whether it’s him, Robertson, or Cowan that is on the ice when you see just kind of like a small body move into the screen for a split second. He loves the giveaways, too. Yeah, he coughs the puck up. I think he ended up plus I think he was on the ice when when Dvaris shot that one in. So, I think he ends up plus one. So, like I I I don’t know that, you know, it’s just they traded for him as sort of this offensive sparky guy and you can clearly see it at moments where the puck’s on his stick and he can make a great pass, but it, you know, you got before you before you pass it, you have to find a way to get it onto your stick. It’s like the old you can’t steal first base situation here where he’s got, you know, he digs him out on along the boards once in a while and when it lands on his stick and he’s got somebody streaking it feels like he can hit him and he’s got these offensive skills, but it just he gets bumped off of it so easily or like if a guy just leverages him, he just has no play because of the size. I just Yeah, I I I don’t I don’t see it with him really. Like I I really they they’ve gone away from him on the top line immediately. like they tried it and then they tried him with Willie and and Tavvaris and then he just benched him. Yeah. Like Well, this is kind of the troubling thing though, right? Cuz Okay, so I was thinking about it this game when you go into the next one that this would be my proposition is you’re putting Eastston Cowan down in the minors now. Like you got a couple good games from him. He got some confidence. He can see that the NHL game is not too fast for him. But dude, there’s a there’s a he’s eating some hits in He’s too young. But I mean, the AHL is not like it’s any better, but I guess it’s like for sure. But like at least he’s going to be playing top minutes and actually getting consistent ice time. Tonight he plays up with the top group. He gets completely buried in front of the net with a cross check. Jaws a penalty. Drew two penalties tonight. So good for him. Other teams seem to hate East Cowan. Like they’re This is the Toronto prospect thing where the rest of the league knows who you are and when you look like a little boy and you’re hanging out in front of the net and your nickname is cowboy. My guess is some of these journeyman NHLers are going, “We’ll see how cowboy you are.” Cross check time. Yeah, exactly. Let’s Let’s see how you like this. O, that’s a nasty one. That first one, that cross check to the face left a mark on his face all night long, too. I just For me, when if you’re moving him off and you’re you’re playing with his minutes like that, I don’t like it. I want to see him down in the AHL. I’d rather have Cali Arn Crok in. And I would say there’s a stronger case that you scratch Machelli right now. But what does it say to your general manager if one of your acquisitions that was supposed to be a no doubt about it top six attempt? You’re scratching in game six and like or sorry like benching in game six and then potentially scratching in game seven. I just think it’s too early to give up on him. That being said, okay, cool. You send Eastston Cowan down. you decide to go with uh more of a you know gritty group, right? Maybe who’s you are you calling up camp Pazetta or like what what’s the move? Well, I think you’d just rather have Pazetta sit in the press box than Yeah. any other like they haven’t gone to the BL move yet. Yeah. And so the BL that’s where we’re at here. Yeah. Leaves 2025. The dice roll. Here comes the Blaze. Here comes Sammy Blle with his I I don’t even I would if I had to guess Sammy Bla’s careerhigh in goals. I’ll guess seven. Definitely. I would say over five under 10. So yeah, around seven. Oh, it’s definitely in that pocket. He’s never had double digits. There’s no way that guy’s ever cracked double digit. Honestly though, yeah, I he’s I think he uh Bourney talked about on the show like in terms of hits per 60 over the last many years, I think he’s like second or third in the league. Hey, guess what? Be nice to bring a guy in and just run somebody over and get something going. Run some do something aggressive. Yeah. So, when we were told there were going to be nights of breay hockey that were painful, Christian says his career high nine goals. Oh, I was rude. Sorry. But we I was right but wrong. We were We were both We nailed it. We nailed it. But okay, when we were told Bub was going to have some boring hockey, right? Some dump and chase, some nights of just, hey, play it safe, safe hockey, try to capitalize on the big moments, some cycle play. the one thing that you were really looking for, especially when it comes to if you’re tying it with Brad Tree Living and the identity change, right? Or the DNA change, it’s that they were going to be a more physical hockey team. And the thing that is probably driving me the most insane right now is not the giveaways from Machelli. I didn’t think that he was going to come in here and be new Mitch Mner. Okay. Yeah. I I I I expected more from Dakota Joshua. I’ll be flat out honest. I thought that fresh start, big body, guy with some hands that he was gonna do more. Nick Wah not playing uh anything more than the fourthline center role that’s like a max 13 minutes a night thing is a little disappointing but I also didn’t have the highest of hopes of him either 49 again tonight. Yeah, exactly. Like it’s just and that’s with overtime and obviously he’s not going to get on the ice but still like you know just not not cracking the 13minute mark. I don’t know why these guys aren’t more physical on their back end with their blue line and with their forche. And so if you need to tell me like, hey, you know what they’re going to do is they’re going to put in a couple of bombers and have some guys sit and let Sammy Blle and Nick Pazetta get in there and muck things up and be modern-day Colt No, Jay Roseill just in terms of, hey, just be Bash Brothers of some kind. Like, go do that. Give me something. Give me something to watch here. And this brings me now to the pissoff moment of the game for me, which is Anthony Stolars is so far the team’s MVP without even a shadow of a conversation of like it’s that’s it. He’s been their best player consistently night in night out. Has not had a bad game. Brandon Carlo pushes a forward into the goalender, which is whatever. He’s trying to clear the net. Kevin Baen knows better than I do, and I watched him during the intermission. He claims that uh was it Jaden Schwarz? Yeah. Like kind of turned into the goalender, could have gotten pushed out of the way, whatever. Results in a goal. Sucks. Bad play. I don’t really know what I to me, I don’t think that’s a good box out. I I’m not really sure like how much Jaden Schwarz could be manipulating the play there to fall back into the goalender, but whatever. It’s a bit of a greasy play, smart play, but Carlo obviously like pushes him in. Like again, where’s he turning? I I don’t I I don’t personally understand the the BXA finer point of this, but he got he pushed him in there and then gave him no room to turn back out and then rode him into the goalie. So, yeah, it’s tough to it’s tough to sit here and disagree too much with. But like I I I guess I kind of do. Yeah, so do I. I just I I don’t really see like I see Carlos shoulders completely square pushing a forward into his goalender and then this happens a a play or two later which is Mason Marchman coming down the wing here that you’re going to see on YouTube. He just goes right into Stoolars. Vintage greasy kind of rat play by Mason Marchman. Knows exactly what he’s doing. You can’t tell me otherwise. Sorry. Just watching Stolars blow. Yeah, but this this is uh the this is the most upset I’ve been all season watching anything of the Leafs. Sloppy plays against Detroit, whatever. How is it that Brandon Carlo, all six foot six of him, a moment after shoving a guy into his goalender, is standing over the net watching the player that just crunched his goalender. And McCabe, same thing too, like not really doing anything. And Stlars has to stick up for himself. And there was a moment in this game where uh it was Bobby McMahon sticks up for Nick Robertson on a play that was I thought a little unnecessary to stick up for a teammate, but I went, “Okay, Bobby, like show a little jam. I’ll yeah, I’ll take that penalty.” Anthony Stolars is your second most important player right now behind Austin Matthews. Maybe even most important player considering like the drop off. Like you can make a case. It’s a 1A 1B situation. You have to send a message to the league that if guys are going to do this to this guy that they’re going to pay a price. And if you’re 6’6 and the team gives up a first round pick for you and one of their top three prospects, I can’t have you have more nights like this, Brandon Carlo, where anyways, I I’ll get into him a little bit more, but I want you to give me some thoughts on this play because this this aggravated me to know. And then like after Stallards goes in, Carlo’s like, “Oh yeah, I guess we should do something about this.” It’s like gh you just can’t teach a dog how to have the bite. The thing is is like the most concerning part about this for me is what person who’s ever been anywhere close to associated with hockey played any level of hockey. Yeah. Like how your knee your knee-jerk reaction at any moment when the goalie gets touched should be go in there and get an arm around a guy. Sure, if you bump a goalie a little bit and it’s not too bad. This is one of the, you know, cheap shot cheap shot artists in the league in Marchment who’s been doing this his whole career who clearly falls into your goalie. And for him to stand there and just look like that and not react until the goalie reacts is one of the more offensive things that can happen in a hockey game. Like, wake up. Yeah. Like, I I have nothing other to say than to just wake up. Like, lock in, man. I the guy hits your goalie and you’re supposed to be allowed to basic like how many times the officials let things go after someone hits a goalie because it’s such an unsung like an unsung rule of hockey that you don’t touch the goalender that if you’re a psycho it’s kind of a dream a guy bumps the goalender because now you’re allowed to basically do whatever you want green light situation of all time where you you could have just jumped right in the net on top of that guy started whailing on and you would have gotten away with it. And like McCabe’s not it’s not a great visual either. I understand that he’s shown he’s shown in the past that he’s able to he’s he’s been able to you know rise the occasion physically or whatever and he was kind of blocked out by stolars. It’s a different route for him. It’s still not a great visual for him. But the Carlo one, like the Leafs have had, like, do you know how bad it has to be for me to sit here and say that’s the worst non-response I’ve ever seen in this era of lease hockey? Do you know how bad it has to be? Because this era of lease hockey has been built on the back of no response to stuff like you think of the the Lilligrin with Marian. You think of all these different things that there’s just been no response. And for me to sit here and be the most disgusted by that, it’s got to be bad. I I just I I can’t I I love hockey, man. And I love what it’s And that’s just not what hockey is. Like that’s just that’s that’s against the spirit of the game. Well, I totally It really upsets me. Like I I actually am very upset about it, dude. Look at the text I sent you when that happened. Uh I You can’t read them on air. Oh, okay. I’m just going to look. I forget. We text a lot. Yeah. But that moment I was losing it. There was Here’s the thing. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yep. That’s That tracks. Yep. That tracks. Yeah. I was livid. That’s embarrassing. And it is. Listen, again, DNA change can’t just be Mitch Marner left and you’re worse. No. It’s pretty crappy DNA change. Yeah. DNA change. you’re supposed bigger, slower, softer, and worse. But that’s it. If if you’re going to be bigger and slower, be meaner. And right now, the Toronto Maple Leafs through six games don’t look a lick meaner. No. No, they don’t. So, that’s my thought on that. Anyway, um and especially after like the 24-hour news cycle after Kipper snapped about like them not defending Cowan and like having it be like a whole thing. And he was right. Kipper was bang on. He nailed it. But like having it be in the lexicon and having it be a conversation and just not why is that not second nature to jump on that guy? How is that not second nature? I dude it I I just I think that unfortunately and this happened again tonight like now we can kind of have just more of a Carlo conversation. He’s having a tough start to the year outside of this. It’s been horrible. Okay. It it’s if if you’re isolating one player and asking, hey, who’s gotten off to the worst start, especially based on expectation, it’s Brandon Carlo. For him to be taken off of Morgan Ri, like no longer be Morgan Riley’s definitive partner this early in the season, is a actual your hand is hovering over the panic button moment. Because when they acquired him, the premise was okay, you’re obviously overpaying. Boston’s eating some of the money. He’s not a perfect player, but he’s a right-handed shot who’s a steady defenseman that fits next to Morgan Riley. So to see Chris Tanv have to go in and carry the mantle of Morgan Riley’s D partner. What? Yeah, I know. Six games in, you tra Yeah, of course he does. It’s like there’s multiple times tonight that puck skips back to the point and like he makes that awkward like palm play. It’s in the third period to like try to keep it in and it goes by him and then it’s like there’s a an oddman rush. I there’s I didn’t want him to have shifts at the end of the game. This is supposed to be the defensive specialist. It’s concerning, man. It’s concerning. But it’s not even just the the thing that’s I would say scaring me the most out of anything is you don’t expect a six foot like there’s only one Victor Hedman, right? a 6’6 guy that moves the way a 511 guy does that. He’s a one of one. It’s It’s I’ll never forget the first time I watched Hedman and I said, “That’s possible.” Yeah. That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Oh, dude. It was gorgeous. Like this guy is just This guy’s first B. First time I saw him in the World Juniors, I’m like, “First ball of fame.” Yeah. I saw him live at the juniors in Ottawa and I remember watching him going like, “This is a problem.” Yeah. This guy’s a problem. Hope he doesn’t end up in the Leafs division for 15 years. bag and he’s got some starl to him too which is annoying ton but hey guess what more than the leaf 6’6 guy who doesn’t move like Victor Hedmond and I didn’t even think about when we did our whipping boy draft of like Brandon Carlo because I just thought hey he’s going to be rock solid steady is what he is and quiet nobody’s really going to think too much of it okay so not great in space not nasty not making anybody pay the price not sticking up for his teammates but also when you’re watching watching him and Morgan Riley. Riley’s engaged in battles almost more than Carlo is. Riley’s been great to start this year, but straight up. Yeah, Riley’s Riley’s got some jump to him, man. He’s trying. He’s flying around and like he’s sniped another one tonight and like he’s really competing and he’s really trying like I’ve been impressed with Riley to start this year. And I I didn’t I didn’t think that I would be like this would be the guy I would be like excited about in that pairing. I thought that, you know, they’d have Carlo as that top pair of guy that can just sort of shut it down. Like, what did Carlo end up playing tonight? He’s been down in like the 17 range for other nights. Mhm. Stick with the Riley stuff, though. He’s 1750 tonight again. Yeah. And Riley played 2413. Yeah. I get also Yeah, overtime, but also four power plays for Lee, which is kind of uncharacterist. I guess one of those power plays ended immediately, but what a shot. He’s out on the ice a lot more now with the power play, and frankly, he’s deserved a lot more. Yeah, that’s a beautiful shot to start this game for Riley. But yeah, you can see how much his offense matters. And yep, again, the I hate to keep bringing it up, but it is what it is while we’re finding our footing here with this new team. One of the things that you’re losing in Mitch Mner is points. So, everybody needs to chip in with more. You need more offense, and the blue line has been doing that. Morgan Riley’s been doing that. And last season, the the lack of offensive output from the blue line was a major storyline. They just did not get enough. And so far through the season, they’ve been contributing a lot more than they were last year. This is now uh what is it? I’ve got it in front of me. Through six games this year, they’ve got 11 points from their blue line. And it took them 14 uh or sorry, I got that wrong. It took him 10 last year to get to that point. So, yeah, way like way ahead of pace. And same with the goals. So, I I like what I’m seeing from Morgan Riley and you look at those numbers and you say like that’s the guy that’s that’s pushing it for them right now. That’s the guy that’s jumping up and working for them right now. Yeah, totally totally agree. Uh need more at a need more to McMahon. I actually thought that their line was all right tonight. Like I I thought McMahon and were kind of going and that Robertson wasn’t as noticeable. They just I I I guess maybe I should go hearken back to our first conversation about wanting more from McMahon and that’s why he makes what he does and that’s just kind of the way it is. But you just see the flashes and you just they should try him up the lineup like top line. Top line. Give him a real look because he can fly and they feel slow. Like if they’re going to if you’re going to just put Willie up there for a few shifts, try McMahon up there a few for a few shifts. If you’re trying everything, try it because they need to kind of wake him up and get him more engaged because he’s one of those guys got to get the cookies going. Like he needs his offense. He’s like a big center. You got to feed him or else he’s not going to like he’s kind of going to go away a bit. So, move him up the lineup. How many times we talked about last year that he’s good in the top six, bad in the bottom six. Yeah, I just I I really do think that if you’re asking me from tonight and again it’s a very low bar because nobody has been consistently good. I would say individually Matthews is off to a great start. Yeah. Uh individually Morgan Riley’s off to a great start. Willy’s production’s been good, but like I don’t think it’s looking particularly awesome. Willie just started to play hockey now. Yeah. Um I Tavvarz has look like Tavvarz, but yeah, I don’t think that there’s a lot of guys individually or groups that you’re pointing to, and that’s why again the coach was blending the lines the way that he was tonight. So, but I just I felt like there were noticeable moments for me where they were at least transporting the puck. They were working some cycles. They were in on the forche kind of working sticks and turning over the Kraken and being a little dangerous. They had the one play too where Robertson I don’t know how the puck doesn’t go in the net but has a wide open cage that goes oh we got it. I I only watched it once but I was like no it’s I mean if you’re the guy that like is the shooter guy Yeah. this one’s probably going to enter the net. Yeah. Sorry. Like I know it’s hard. Hockeyy’s hard but like you’re fighting for a job and like you’re the shooter guy. This is a beautiful pass by that is as yawning a cage as you’re going to see. I honestly didn’t realize on first look how like I just I thought that he just missed it, but he actually got it and Yeah. Yeah. shoved it to the side. Yep. It’s worse than I thought. Okay. So, uh before we kind of go here, like your over your overarching thought about this team, like are you I’m not misfit. Obviously obviously no panic mode. clearly not panicking, but like where is the concern meter above a one or a two? I here’s what I’ll say. My concern meter in terms of doing this show every night for an entire season is an 11 out of 10. Like I’m not sure what is going to be fun. I’m watching this team going what could be fun about They’re not exactly a barrel of laughs right now, are they? No. Holy. I’m just telling you, man. It’s just it’s so weird to have a team that’s a Barub style team, but right now with Cowan up, have three tiny guys spread across the three biggest lines. To have still the the three stars forwards of your team not be the most physically engaging nasty stars around the league. To have Matthew Ny playing like Matthew N does, but still I I like it a little bit more where it’s bull in the China shop than it is modern skill guy, power forward. Um, you’re supposed to have this blue line. That’s a team identity that I want the blue line to be boring. Okay. I I want the blue line to b be boring. Mabe had a big hit tonight. He does that from time to time. That’s nice. Yeah, it was great. Um, but it’s not really feeling like they’re so good that it’s the identity of the team. and you’ve just got a bunch of guys that it’s the pairs thing again where you feel good about the pairs and not really about the three and they’re moving stuff around and I keep looking at it and going I’m just not really sure how it’s going to happen. Like even if they trade Nick Robertson, right, which is what everybody wants like he needs a fresh start. Soon as they trade shoot Robertson, it’s like you got past Robertson out there. You’re gonna be going what are we doing with past Robertson? Honestly, I think it might be time to put the Robertsons together. Just fire them together. Pass and shoot Robertson together and just see what happens. Can I give you actually my hottest take of the night? Even though the power play scored. Okay. Hottest take of the night. I want to see more of Power Play, too. Yeah. Yeah. You know why? Yeah. Because there’s a bunch of guys that can just pass it around little jitterbugs and I thought, you know, Michelli and Doy out there in with space. I feel like something’s going to happen. And I texted this to you during the game during I think it was the second power play opportunity the Leafs had. Have we ever seen them execute a nasty crossseam pass like 10 times in eight years? Got to be like the tops. I challenge any video coach, anybody with time to go find me all the beautiful highlights. I bet you it’s 10 cross ice clappers. I bet you it’s like 10 to 15. When does it happen? Cuz they they broke one up tonight and that’s why I sent it to you. Knander made the attempt to Matthews and Seattle was like, “No, you guys don’t do this.” And I just watching those three little guys out there all playing together. The shoot Robertson and me and Pass Robertson. Here’s what I said on I said this on Guns on uh the other night, the on the least listen to show of all time across from game four of the ALCS with with technical issues. Well, yeah, it was just a fill in host technical issues across a barrel of laughs. Holy smokes. But, uh, the two units on the the power play, it’s full of guys who want to shoot. Yeah. And the other one’s all guys who want to pass. So, if you just take a couple from each and put them together, it might work. I know, man. I know. Is that crazy? No. And but I I just I watched Yes. But it’s the stupid Okay. Identity change, DNA change, DNA change up the idea that there is a hierarchy with the team. Yes. Still there. Yeah. You got the five guys out there where it’s like you’re the five most important guys and now N makes money so you’re important now and the other guys you wait for your turn and team make the team come together. I don’t want to have to have it be like even seeing the line where it’s knander N and Matthews. I go okay yeah. So get the important guys together. All right. Last thing for me. Last thing for me because Yeah, let’s wrap this up. It’s too long. I’m in a sour I’m in a sour mood. This is just a cheap shot, but nice to see Martin on after hours tonight, eh? Guy hates the attention. Hates the media. No. Holy smokes. Holy smokes. Like this guy had to run away and it’s the first chance he gets. Anyways, every every commercial every commercial like everything it’s like, “Oh god, Toronto’s so hard.” But boy, I’m I missed that below. You got any of that attention? I’m craving it, baby. God. Uh, all right. Subscribe to this podcast. Sour. Uh, reach out anytime on Twitter and Instagram, JDBunkas, Sammy McKe. Uh, wait, there’s a stol quote. Is this worth reading, Luke? Uh, yeah. No, not really. Uh, yeah. Uh, Luke put it in there. I just drifted over. I was like, “Oh, it’s gonna be juicy.” He’s throwing it in right at the end. And then Luke’s like, “Eh.” Anyways, reach out anytime on Twitter, Instagram, JDBunkas, Sammy McKe. Uh, hit the thumbs up, like it, do all that stuff. Share it. And, uh, yeah, thanks to Luke and Christian for all the hard work tonight. We will see you what, Tuesday. Yeah, Devils. Yeah, the Devils. The hits keep coming. Hey, Keith. All right, see you then.

JD Bunkis and Sam McKee will react to tonight’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Seattle Kraken immediately following the final horn!

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