[MUSIC] Fan Morning Show Sports at 5.9 of the Fan Bananas. Bright Gun and Game One leaves ruins tomorrow from Boston. Some emotional players on this Leafs team, this edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs, which is like we view as a good thing, maybe it'll make me emotional in a good way. Game One's, I mean, the first round of the Stanley Cup players, it's just a chef's kiss. It is, it is the best round of the Stanley Cup playoffs because everybody starts healthy. >> Yep. >> By the time you get to the Cup final, it's the walking wounded. >> Yeah, but it's like a bunch of warriors on the ice. >> That's right. >> So don't you dare denigrate it. >> Yeah, but Game One, I mean, it's part of the reason, again, we talked about Ryan Reeves in a Panther series and why I think we might see Ryan Reeves tonight, even if it, you know, it isn't the optimal lineup, which I think it probably is anyways, but- >> I think so. >> There's going to be a physical tone set and maybe a tone set by the officiating as well. So we've, we've, we've seen some Toronto Maple Leafs players who are emotional. >> Oh, yeah, we have. >> Play their way out of this city because they didn't understand where the line was. >> Yeah, and then they just, they got to a new city and they still didn't know where the line was. >> Right, and then- >> And then the one in the Cup, yeah. And Michael Bunting was also- >> Oh yeah, that's right. >> Right, but then he did return. >> Yeah. >> I'm like, okay. It's a different scenario than an Azim cadre twice. >> Well, and again, like, where would they be if Michael Bunting didn't knock Sir Nick out of the series? >> Yeah. >> [LAUGH] >> Anyways, yeah, going back to the 2019 of it all, yeah, an Azim cadre, like, how much on your radar will that be of, hey, Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domie, Joel Edmondson, Ryan Reeves, Lesser Extent, Bobby McMahon. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, do your thing where Jake McCabe, I think, needs to be thrown in there. >> Joel Edmondson. >> I said Joel Edmondson, if you were listening. >> Okay, let's clear my throat. >> Yeah. >> Seemon Benoit. >> Yeah. >> Like how much on your radar is the, hey, do the thing where, yeah, you have to set the physical tone. >> Yep. >> But don't be like Kyle Clifford. >> [LAUGH] >> That was the worst one. It was just like, saw the numbers and was like, what have I put him? Clean through the stadium. >> God, I love you. >> And especially considering the penalty kill, the Maple Leafs employ, how much is that gonna be on your radar? >> I don't need to see an egregious act of violence tonight. I wouldn't be like overly mad if it happened, wouldn't be overly mad if it happened. But I don't think that's what setting the tone is about. >> You don't want to see like the second last Bruins game where Jake McCabe is like, hey, I don't care. Like, here's my cross chair. I don't think you need that, but what I do want to see, and yeah, it's about those guys, but it's about what they can do to the other guys. Austin Matthews is not going to go charging into a scrum. But can he look someone in the eye? John Tavares, same exact thing, like be a part of this. I just want to see a bunch of bleep youfests in front of the net. I don't want guys skating away haphazardly and like, I don't expect that from all the guys who listed. But it's about the effect they can, and boy, how many times have you heard this before? It's about the effect they can potentially have. And unlike in years past, it's not been some guy down the line up with Matthews or down the line up that's supposed to make Austin Matthews feel that way. No, it's the two guys riding shotgun with them that are going to provide that kind of life and energy. So I don't think it's about a massive hit or anything like that, but it is about setting a tone that you are not going to back down. It's not about bringing it to Boston, it's about a lack of back down for me. I think it's also important to tell the officials that, hey, we're going to be, we're allowed. Yep. Okay. So maybe call some penalties early. You can't call them all. Okay. You can't call them all. And by the end of the series, when we get to game seven, you're not going to call the things that you're calling in game one. Ask Matthew Goodchuk. We're going to do the same things. Okay. So you have to like, it's NHL officiating and it's the playoffs. And we've seen this work against the Maple Leafs against this very Bruins team. So yeah, you got it. Even if it results in you taking some penalties, you got to let the officials know that that's the way it's going to go now. All right. Time now for our insider brought to you by Don Valley, North Lexus, where you can expect excellence online and in the showroom, visit Don Valley North Lexus.com. It is Josh Kloke, the athletic Leafs reporter from Boston. How's it going, Josh? Not bad at all. Staring out at the ocean, kind of contemplating my seafood lunch. So yeah, that's what my head is at, are you guys doing that? Yeah, lots of roll might break the budget for the day, that's kind of an end of series treat. You know, it could be a long series. You got to, you got to face yourself. That's good. Okay. We know Luke Fox was not prepared to go from the state of Florida to the state of Massachusetts. Where's your level of preparation? Are you properly clothed for this series? Did you bring pants is what we're asking? Look, I love the Fox dearly, but I was so disappointed in him. Like that's a rookie move. Fox is a dad, Fox knows you have to be prepared for multiple scenarios. And I was really worried about him. I was ready to kind of give him my jacket, give him my sweater, like really help him out. No, listen, I brought, I packed for both. So like I'm lacking in like, you know, I've got my sweaters, but I don't have a lot of them because there was space also taken up by flip-flops, you know, and shorts. So I'm very thankful my hotel has a coin operated laundry because it's, yeah, it's strange though, it was genuinely strange like kind of coming into that last, those last few days of the regular season. And you know, you've got friends and family kind of saying like, well, where are you going to be? And I don't know. And I don't think the Leafs do either. And I think that's really added to kind of the drama and suspense of this series because there hasn't been as much build up for Leafs Bruins as there, you know, has been in past seasons. But we're here now and like what it's, it's got to be at the top of the most anticipated first round series this year, do I think? Yeah, I think you can. Now that there's no Oilers, Golden Knights, that was the one I think everybody had circled in again, like another last minute change. Do you think that that benefits the Leafs that they haven't been sitting there? And again, you'd never get them to admit it of, oh, yeah, this is great that we haven't been sitting here worrying about Boston. But do you think it does help them that it's like a bit of a kind of change of what they were expecting? Do you think it benefits either team or it's just kind of a weird quirk in the way we're headed into the series? Yeah, I do actually think it benefits the Leafs that, you know, they didn't have an increased number of media coming to them in the final few days of the regular season and asking them about, you know, ghosts and exercising demons and the Bruins and all that. I think it's a genuine benefit to the team to start this series on the road, right? And they made a conscious effort not to come home, even though they had a day off yesterday and I suppose they could have flown home. You know, I think they're relishing the opportunity to be underdogs. They haven't been in most of their past few playoff series and we know how that's gone. I think it's been an opportunity for the team to kind of hunker down. But again, but also not get overwhelmed by questions about, you know, the Bruins and what went wrong in the past, you know, like I just, I think about a guy like Mitch Marner who's going to wear, you know, any success or failure really, really heavily, you know, and the fact that he didn't, you know, he wasn't asked about that by, again, an increased number of media over the past few days, I think that could be good for the team. I don't know. That's where I stand. I don't know how you guys feel about it. Yeah. I think in the first media availability you've got before this, the series this afternoon, maybe some of those questions arise, but you're right. It's not like two weeks of it. It's a day. But yeah, we will. We will see them practice for the first time, first and only time before tomorrow's game one today. What's the biggest question you have about how Sheldon Keefe is going to align his players this afternoon? Well, I think it's probably, there's probably two questions for me. First of all, what does the top six actually look like? Like it's kind of come down. I think to, is it TJ Brody or Timothy Lillegrin that's in? I think Ilya Labushkin gets in and I think Simone Benoit gets in. And so then you're kind of down, I think Joel Edmondson gets in as well. So then you're kind of down to that last right D, you know, player and I think it's going to be Lillegrin if only because I don't know who else really runs PP2 that well. But then the big question for me besides that is, you know, the player we just talked about briefly like, is Mitch Marner going to get back on Austin Matthews wing? It's felt I think inevitable in some ways. But is it a matter of, you know, Sheldon Keefe going to that if the Leafs go down to one in a series or if they need some offense and, you know, game three or four or whatever? Does he like the idea of spreading out the offense a little bit more and forcing William Neelander down to the third line? I think we've seen more of a frustrated William Neelander over the past few games than I don't know. Maybe we've ever seen like frustration in William Neelander don't go hand in hand. So I wonder if that's something Sheldon keep a sense that he wants to move them up and just have, you know, two top heavy lines. We'll see. That's a big one for me. It has always felt like an inevitability that Austin Matthews and Mitch Marner would play together in the playoffs. But, you know, in doing that, you might hurt Max Domi who's played really, really well. So a lot of dominoes to fall around 130 today. Yeah, I, the way I look at it, and I wouldn't be shocked one way or another, you're right, because it's like it is the safest combination that he has consistently gone to throughout his Leafs tenure has been Marner and Matthews together. But I just look at it is, and you know, I was having the same thoughts when you were mentioning William Neelander there. It's like, I agree with you. I think the best thing for William Neelander is for him to be in the top six. But I think the best thing for the Toronto Maple Leafs is for William Neelander to be on your, your third line. I also think it's, it's easier to go with Marner and Matthews as a reactive thing if game one or game, the first two games don't go the way you want. Like, how much do you think starting on the road factors into his decision with that as well? Like, I think that's another wrinkle we, we all should be thinking about with this, that it's entirely possible that he has one line up in mind for games one and two, and I don't think the players will change. I just think their place is will for the games three and four at home. I think Sheldon Keefe has multiple lineups planned. And like, that's something that, you know, really helps the team at times, and I think you could argue that that's a hindrance at times, that, you know, it's, it's not unlikely that we see three different lineups in games one, two, three, like that, that's become a hallmark of Sheldon Keefe's tenure here with the Leafs, is that he likes to move things around. He likes to shake things up with his lineup, you know, sometimes in game. Yeah, I do think starting on the road kind of forces you to, to kind of play the Bruins and how they want their matchups. I guess that the big question too that I have now that we're deep in the lineup discussion is like, if you keep William Melander down there on the third line, are you making the best use of him with Pontus Homburg as your center? Like, I think Pontus Homburg is going to be a good third line center, a really good third line center, somewhere down the road, but like, you know, we really need a little more offense beside him too. And I don't know. And then if you put, you know, Matthew's with Marner, like, is that force max? Don't be back to third line center. That's not where he's been at his most effective this season. And I do think all of these things are going to come into play, like it really wouldn't surprise me if we're talking about two different lineups from the start of game one till the end of game one. That's just what Sheldon Keith does, you know? Yeah, that's his deal. Yeah, and the knee lander of it all, I mean, the way he finished the season now wasn't playing on the third line for the last couple, at least when Max Domi was out, it was Mitch Marner back up alongside Austin Matthews and knee lander was playing alongside John Tavares, but the way he finished the season wasn't ideal. I mean, the way the Leafs played down the stretch, the regular season, not ideal. Do you think there's any carry over to that? Or is it just like, hey, that's over. We're moving on, that we can't take anything away, and we certainly hope that none of the goaltending stuff carries over because it's a totally new world starting tomorrow. It's hard to flip the switch just in life. Like you really can't, I don't know about you guys, can you really just wake up one day after four really bad days at work and say, oh, today's going to be fine, today's different. Still waiting for that day. Well, right, stuff carries over, and the Leafs just like, you know, Sheldon Keats was, you know, quite honest after the game in Tampa, and he said, I couldn't tell you the score of any of those four games, which, you know, could be deflecting pressure, but, you know, are we sure that's honest? We're sure? Well, he also admitted to watching or pre scouting the Bruins during the intermission of those of the game against the lightning, like, I don't know, I think there has to be some carryover, because they've, like, the goaltending hasn't been where they want it to be defensively. I mean, sloppy is probably putting it politely, and you can't just flip a switch, especially when you're, you're going to be putting guys in the lineup who haven't played in some time, either. Like I expect Callie Yarn Croc to play. I expect Max Domi to play. I don't know about Bobby McMahon, that one, it doesn't feel like as likely to me, but I expect those two players to play, so you're also asking your guys to develop some synergy with players who they haven't played with in a while. So all of this is to say, I think those four games matter, and I think flipping the switch is going to be a lot harder to do than, you know, I think a lot of people think it might be. Yeah, and man, if McMahon can't go, like, you know, I know it's Bobby McMahon, who's kind of found money this year, but it does change the complexion of that second line and what you, what you want it to look like. You know, you mentioned Domi at center there, kind of looking at Boston. How much does their lack of center depth? And I know it's a classic, like, you're overlooking them, and one of those guys is going to have four goals in the series, but how much does their lack of elite center depth make it more palatable to play Domi at center? And just to let you know where I stand on that, I think he should be firmly on Austin Matthews waiting with Pertuzzi because I've liked it so much, but I would be maybe more open to it just because of what he'd be up against. This isn't, you know, the, the, the monsters that he's been facing in, like, a bark off or if it was, if it was Florida or somebody like that. Yeah, I think the reason Max Domi has worked so well on the wing is he's been allowed to really lean into his strengths, which is just like a natural playmaker, right? I don't think playing Max Domi in third line center really helps you out defensively. And we know that the game's tightened up in the playoffs, right? That goes without saying, and that's why, you know, that that's a pro in terms of, you know, playing Pontus Homburg because he is kind of defensively responsible. You know, David Camp hasn't had his best season, but you can count on him defensively, you can count on him to do that dirty work. And, and things just really change when you have a center like, like Max Domi, who's, you know, best strengths are not his defensive work. And I think that's really, I think that's a real concern for Sheldon Keith because he doesn't want to get at work defensively. He knows that like just, again, defensively, he's lost, he's lost some juices here, right? The team is not as solid defensively as they were last season. I think he knows that. So to double down on that and put Max Domi at center, I don't know if that's a risk he's willing to take. I could be wrong. That's my read on it right now. And I think that's why there was such a concerted effort late in the season to get Max Domi on the wing, get tired, but juicy there as well because I just think what we saw earlier in the season was, you know, just defensive miscues exposed time and time again. And you can make up for that because what Max Domi has shown offensively has been really beneficial to the Leafs. Like this is a player that was fifth in the NHL at five on five assists. This was a player that if you're going, you know, five on five assists per 60 minutes, he was second only to Conor McDavid this year, right? He gives you a lot in kind of limited ice time offensively. And I think that something cute is really going to lean on. Okay. Goal tending seems pretty clear that the Bruins have the advantage in this series no matter how they deploy their goalies, and it does feel like they're going to alternate, which is weird when it comes to the postseason, but it's what they've done all season long. Ilya Sampsonov is going to get the start tomorrow in game one. He was not very good down the stretch, but neither was Joseph Wall. I just wonder where your head's at as far as the leash because I go back to game one against the lightning last year where Ilya Sampsonov did not finish that game. He gave up six goals in the first 40 minutes and Joe Wall cleaned it up in a seven, three loss and then they bounced back and of course won the series and he was a big reason why. I wonder like if you play it out that way tomorrow and the Leafs lose game one of the series, which I mean we just have to go to a recent memory and say that that's not a death knell because they just won a series after doing that. But like if the same scenario plays itself out is Joe Wall not starting game two for this Leafs team? This is very inside baseball, but you know last night was out at dinner with a bunch of writers and we were all kind of going around the table sharing our you know, biggest questions, biggest storylines. We were also researching where you know in Boston to get Luke Fox a jacket, but you know it came around to me and I said goal turning as well and I firmly believe that if Ilya Sampsonov does have a bad game his leash then is one more game right I think with Sampsonov they've made a concerted effort since he came back from everything that happened with him you know in December they've made an effort to try and build him back up and I think you know it's conceivable that if the Leafs go on a let's just say a two round run you're going to need both goalies and you're going to need them kind of back and forth. I don't think we're in a scenario here where you know if Joseph Wall steals the net it's his for good right I really do think that they could be entering Bruins ish territory where they have to go back you know back and forth between goalies. So again in this scenario if you lose or if you pull or if Ilya Sampsonov has a bad game and game wanted you immediately go to Joseph Wall I think given what Ilya Sampsonov has gone through this year mentally I think you run the risk of losing him for good if you don't try and give him the net again if that makes sense like I really think if he has a bad game in game one and that's a big if we haven't seen him in a week you know we've seen him play in a week I think he gets game two right now the kind of the flip side of that is what happens with his bad game is game five you know that game one and game five are different points right so I think he gets another game because I think if you don't go back to him you lose him for good. Really weird to have two goal-tending situations with both teams that are not all that clear. Josh can't wait for this thing to kick off tomorrow well done packing for all scenarios thanks for doing this man I appreciate it anytime boys Josh cloak the athletic Leafs reporter he was our insider brought to you by Don Valley North Lexus where you can expect excellence online and in the showroom visit Don Valley North Lexus dot com when he started chuckling before you even asked the question you were just like Luke Fox is a man he's like oh they've all been talking about this I did that or he's just fan of the show I'm not ruling out either either either possibility man the this will shock you just quick little travelogue for me Boston great city I've actually been there but there was a reason like Fenway Park exists so I went there to watch it you know good ball park I was there the 100 year anniversary Fenway Park I saw Ted Williams um anyways congrats thank you well greatest hitter in his ball yeah yeah awesome fighter pilot to eat yeah so I've heard I feel like I don't like and they could tell me anything about that and I'd believe it and also if you're a Boston sports hater which I guess you weren't because you're a Red Sox fan time but like if you're bought he also hated Boston sports he did he hated the guy anyways to the Samsonov thing let me ask you the same question yeah because again played out where Samsonov was a god awful mm-hmm and the Leafs were god awful in game one against the lightning yeah it was ganked yes after 40 minutes after allowing six goals got to start in game two games two through six had a save percentage of 919 including some crucial crucial saves yeah in over times um and none better than game six where he only allowed one goal against uh in a victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning so same thing happens yeah and it's yeah it's not like Joe Walz there he's had like this incredible finish of the season either no what are you doing for game two you know what when Josh was when he first uttered the answer to that question I think I actually physically winced because that sounded like such a bad idea the more I think about it though I think he's right especially with both games being in Boston if like let's just let's play out this the worst doomsday scenario of that Samsonov gets pulled in in the first game and you go to Joe Walz and you say all right you know what Sammy we trust you we're going back to you and he gets shelled again he's done but you lost two games in Boston that you could have possibly and there's no guarantee that wall was going to come in there so I do like the idea of giving him a second crack he's right about game five being a completely different scenario I thought he was nuts when he first said it but the more I think about it with it being in Boston these games are at home it's a very very different equation for me but with it being in Boston yeah if it is if it is he can't find the puck then I think you don't go back to him but if it is your standard bad game whatever that means to you then I think I think it does make sense to go back to him which I would not have thought again I did not think it a minute and a half ago when Josh was telling us this I think you just you got a Joe wall for game two and sorry if you you end up losing Ilya Samsonov for the rest of the series yeah I if that's what it's listen if you have to go back to Ilya Samsonov after going to Joe wall in game two the series is over anyways because you've lost twice and then you have like no confidence in either goaltender it is weird though the ruin well it's weird that I feel like a bad Samsonov game begets the start of a trend in more bad Samsonov games but if everything that and I'm not saying and I'm just going off what everybody has said is true about Joe wall I don't think him having a bad game but gets another bad game like I think it's more likely that you lose Samsonov than you completely lose wall yeah I I and I know again recent history would tell you that you're not gonna lose him after one bad game but this is a different Ilya Samsonov after what he's gone through this season what's on the line yeah and the pending free agency like all that I I think you get one kick of the can with him and yeah to your point like if Joe wall is bad in game two whatever he's your starter for the rest of the series anyways because then at least oh god the nightmare scenario but like at least then you're like well what do we have here going into next season yep you know playing for next year it's like a team playing out the stream in September you got to see what you got what I got here what we got and Timothy Lilligren who's a restricted free agent what do we got here and if you want yeah you're not experimenting in playoff games but yeah there's no guarantees either way no Ilya Samsonov gets one game for me stinks thanks but no thanks goodbye forever thank you for your service yeah anyways oh lots on the line feels like for lots of people individually all of a sudden it got very tense in here yeah all right when we come back man who knows that feeling former Leafs defenseman Jay Gardner who was on the ice last time Leafs played the Bruins in a post-season series in 2019 he joins us next the fan morning show continues Ben Anis Brent Gunning sports at 590 the fan covering the blue jays from an analytical perspective jay's talk plus with Blake Murphy be sure to subscribe and download jay's talk on apple spotify or wherever you get your podcasts fan morning show sports at 590 the fan Ben Anis Brent Gunning time it just you can't stop it it's true it sounds of time yeah like sand through the hourglass these are the days of our lives whoa look at you 2019 is a long time ago okay people somebody even say like four or five years yeah i mean that would i mean if you want to get into like that that's an ult of it yeah awesome Matthew Adam coming up with that one awesome Matthew's was in year three of his existence again like go through the box scores from those games in that series and the one that preceded it in 2018 and the guy that was standing on the bench and even the guys that are carried over into this series against the Bruins again like how different is Austin Matthews today a guy who already has a heart trophy under his belt the guy who's going to get selkie votes this season after scoring 69 goals and i mean i guess we're gonna do that like how different is john Tavares today than the guy that played in 2019 i'm sorry the ghost stuff it's it's you just miss me with that well the ghost there like the ghost are real for all of us talking about it and the people who care but i don't think it's real for the players you're right like you're right to point this out Austin Matthews that year now he only played 68 games he had 37 goals it's like think about the player he is now does that in now a week seemingly at times all right let's talk to a man who was on that 2019 Leafs team former Leafs defenseman Jake Gardner kind enough to join us this morning how's it going Jake thanks for doing this yeah you bet how you guys doing doing well man what have you been up to these days oh well three kids now so that's taking up a lot of my time all of it yeah recently just got a new job um we're kind of a place called camera road so that'll be exciting actually my territory is gonna be Toronto so i'll be up there quite a bit hold on but we're doing what what is this new job it's uh so basically we lease equipment to venture back companies um mainly early stage fast growing companies that are backed by venture capital so be an exciting challenge for me and i guess that'll be in Toronto so that'll be fun yeah okay well i mean that seems like yeah an obvious uh benefit to you working in your former territory now becoming your present territory you can slap on the old Leafs jersey well you're going around selling your wares here in Toronto let me just FaceTime 34 here before i get to you yeah that might help Jake yeah that might help a little bit yeah i think you might get some fine merch i don't know we'll see smart move yeah great uh all right speaking of 34 well let's let's go back to that 2019 postseason series and what awesome Matthews was then and what you've seen from him now again like as a heart trophy in between he scored 60 goals which we thought was cool but like we didn't know he would almost score 70 in proceeding years how different a player do you think awesome Matthews is now than he was in 2019 i mean i i just watched the game the other night he was a he was a man amongst boys it was it was impressive i mean he was he was it seemed like he was possessed to get that and his teammates were too which was i thought was even cooler um just watching the support those guys gave him trying to get him in 70 years playing in that final game i thought that was awesome but yeah he has he has come a long way not that i mean he was a great player before but he is he's a machine right now so it's it's fun to watch and i can't wait to watch him to play us i mean you were you're part of some good Leafs teams you played some great Leafs players but like can you even fathom what it would have been like to play on a team with a guy chasing not 50 not 60 but 70 goals i mean we've heard Domi he's been the guy kind of most talking about it about how much of a team accomplishment it would be there's been a lot of talk about if that's a bit of a momentum sock or how much of a gut punch it would be like how do you think the guys in the room are feeling that they and you know no one's feeling guilty about it but that they weren't able to get 70 for him no i mean it was a team effort i think it's it says a lot about the the Leafs and his teammates i think he knows that too obviously he is a very special talent but it's not just one guy and they got darn close it's it's pretty cool so so i i just said that the you know 2024 is a long time from 2019 2019 was a long time from 2013 but yeah did you guys i mean that that was so much the discussion around those brewing series like how how much did it actually factually enter the equation that this was the team at which you know the four one third period game seven lead was blown to yeah i mean that certainly entered your mind for sure um not typically you know i would say the Leafs probably don't necessarily want to play boston um just based on the history but i do think it's two great teams um anybody could win you know you look back at those games and a few bounces here a few bounces there and you know suddenly we're up six one instead of four one but that's just not how it went so um that's hockey that's sports that's why it's such a great a great game and um you know just didn't go our way then hopefully hopefully the the the script is flipped this this time oh boy yeah as you said five one six one yeah there are a couple moments in particular i i'm thinking about i i wasn't well i was about saying it wasn't investors you gotta care a lot jake uh yeah it was uh it was a tough one and you see the bounces go that way you know a big thing that's been talked about in all of these series with the Leafs and the Bruins and it's going to be a big topic this year is the the physicality like it has been a big point of emphasis this year for the Leafs to go out and get a little meaner get a little nastier how much is that a part of it when i mean let's be honest it's a team like boston like they want to get in your face they want to ride marshons momentum and energy how much or how much do you think it'll help the Leafs to kind of have a little bit more of that this time around of guys and you know it goes all the way from like a fourth line guy like ryan reves to somebody who's playing alongside math he's now in a bertusi or domi yeah i think i think both are important i think you know having reves nobody wants to mess with that guy and then yeah having domi and bertusi i think just a team toughness has gotten a you know a lot tougher even on the back end to edmondson and mccabe i think that was those are both good ads and um so yeah it's more of a team toughness than just one guy i think they did a good job of that those guys can all still play and um like i said it should be a great series should be you know very physical especially in the first couple games well what's it like to play against brad marshland like in the moment and in these in these big series and yeah him his attempts to get you off your game and understanding the ultimate goal is to not end up in the penalty box but like you're only human i mean what is that like i mean he's he's annoying to play against he's a gamer that's for sure he uh seems like he thrives while he's trying to really get under someone's skin so the more you can kind of ignore it and don't get him fired up i think the better but um yeah i mean that's my advice yeah if we're gonna talk about Leafs playoff paths i mean there's so many inflection points one of them on one of the teams you played on is is nasm cadre jake debrausk i mean if we're gonna sit here talk about team toughness god cadre you look pretty tough then but uh obviously it hurts you guys not having them for for the rest of this series like how hard do you think it is for players and you know i i don't want to say you played the game without emotion obviously you did but cadre was a kind of a different level and the Leafs have a few of those guys now how hard do you think it is for those guys to kind of walk that line and i mean look on the other side of things marshaun's been the guy who's like honestly i think sometimes he crosses over the line the league gets let's him get away with it but he seems to find that line as well like how important is it for for players like that to look you want to stick up for your teammates you want to set a tone but obviously you can't get yourself booted out of a out of a series as well right yeah that was that was unfortunate i don't think you know looking back that i don't think he was obviously wasn't trying to you know get suspended or do anything too malicious and um just an unfortunate situation it is tough to you do get emotional and at times sometimes you cross the line but um it's you know it's just being smart at the right time so you were you were gone uh the next season when Mike Babcock was fired in the middle of the regular season but did you have a sense by the end of that post-season the may be his tenure in toronto had run its course um you know what i was actually a little bit surprised you know the media certainly thought that um which tends to happen you know someone grabs onto something and they kind of run with it um but i you know he's i thought he was a great coach you know he did some questionable things sure but he knows what he's doing that's for sure uh want to get further into the questionable things like we all heard the the rumor about the marner stuff right like that's pretty much now agreed upon that that's at the end you know Mitch has said yeah wasn't great and he apologized and we got past it like do you ever go through your phone we don't have to talk about that you know it's it's all written down with um i respect him a lot he's he was great to me he was a great coach so um that's all i say is he there with you right now jake it sounds like he's sitting right next to you maybe not hey so yeah yeah you obviously you've spent a couple of years in carolina as well um but yeah your your best seasons uh remembered as a toronto maple leaf is that is that where you're rooting interest live when when you get set to watch the Stanley Cup playoffs it better be if you're selling equipment up here yeah yeah although i don't know if carolina is in your territory as well like when you do carolina radio this week are you gonna say it's obviously with the canes obviously love david ars no i'd love to see i'd love to see the least win for sure uh still still keep in touch with quite a few guys and um that'd be it's it's the coolest place to win and it's probably the worst place to lose so i uh every time i see them get eliminated in the playoffs i feel for them i uh i would love to see them when a Stanley Cup i think to be the coolest thing in the world well and i think you know people you're you're you're talking about are talking to and your new line of work they're you know maybe the purse rings open up a little bit more if they they're celebrating a Stanley Cup victory you know come on who's not true you're right yeah yeah you're going boys yeah it's good for business high tide raises almost baby uh jake i appreciate the time today thanks so much for doing it all right thanks guys take care all right too there's jake gardener former it was a gold leafs at the end that was awesome yeah yeah that was a lot of fun i like it i like a bull fella man like obviously um polarizing guy at times and by the end of his tenure not healthy like yes pretty clearly and unfortunately for him at the wrong time especially considering his free agency well just a guy who like health like it's like he was his game is so predicate predicated on movement and quickness and being a great skater and all that yeah brutal timing he scored he scored one of the nicest goals i've ever seen in person with my eyes it was like a marley's game i don't even know what i was doing there and he like spun to his back he was like walking the blue line he spun to his backhand he like walked out of the net he roofed its shelf it was one of the most beautiful goals i've ever seen it's honestly every argument i ever had about jake gardener while he was playing here it's like these little moments they just stick in the back of your mind i was like but the goal was so nice how can you say a bad thing about it it's unfortunate for him that he like had to play the Larry Murphy role like it's always a defense man it's always a it's a it's a guy and the blue line who's yeah i mean not a perfect player yep but that is the the meat shield for every defensive issue that plagues of may beliefs team i just thought about this because generally speaking that guy has to be in the lineup and playing is there one right now i well i was going to ask you the same thing like who i was going to phrase it differently but yeah who is the the guy that i was going to say who's the guy that gives you most anxiety when he's on the ice right now and i guess it's kind of like a a brother question to that it's a proud marshall just so clear yeah is there a guy who is is wearing it it's hard like i mean to me it's it's going to be elia samsung off yes that's the thing if that goes haywire but it's not going to be simon benwa if he get anything he gives you has already found money this year i mean maybe it's elia labushkin but we've seen him be a pretty good player for this leafs team in the postseason and also the expectation that's the astronomical but we did see proof of concept with Luke Shen last year i think it might be whoever that six guy is whether it's timothy little grinder tj brody that's the one is look because brody feels like that guy now but he's i think for a lot of us and we'll find out i guess today our practice he feels like not one of the six and it's hard to be the larry murphy figure when it's like yeah connor timmons isn't the larry murphy figure sorry and even with i think lillagrin he's he's in that perfect realm where there are not like huge expectations on him but we keep waiting for him and again it's just like it's sandeen all over again he just shoots with the right hand of like it's gonna get better he's gonna make strides and it's like i was guilty as anyone i believe in it was gonna happen with sandeen and we're just watching the same exact thing play out with timothy lillagrin i mean but the lillagrin thing is just so unfortunate because he's he started finding his game during the riley suspension yep right and then he gets hurt down the stretch too yeah and he returned for what did he play both games down the stretch anyways i care meaningless games down the stretch during the regular season for this leafs team and we've seen him return to the lineup at different points when he's been injured and it'd be a slow burn for him to get back to to game strike now he's playing on a third pairing we assume if he's the guy over tj brodie which changes things but i think the one guy who has the expectations but again it's funny like all the guys who you expect enough from to be the larry murphy figure it's like morgan riley is kind of bulletproof because what happened last year it's not to say he can't be criticized but it's not going to go full larry murphy for him i don't i don't think and then jake mccabe because of his style of play like jake mccabe's not going to be pulling up going into the corner or something like that and that's what you expect from him i don't i just think and hey like lee's nation i know you can do it prove me wrong but i really don't think but the way this group is constituted that there's the like built-in whipping boy on the blue line if it's anybody i think it's a lillagrin but what are we doing here's the six d like you're gonna you're gonna lose the series because your six d was bad i'm on high alert for jake mccabe because of yeah it's it's great the style he plays when it when it's going well and he's hitting people banging bodies and the shutdown pairing that that's expected to be but that's the shutdown pairing right again simon benwell bulletproof yeah because he's found money and they signed on the dotted line for just over a million bucks and who doesn't love a good simon benwell yep now jake mccabe's cap it is only slightly more than that yeah but he's expected more of that pairing is hugely critical very much so yeah the make-beliefs success being deployed against the bruins top line and jake mccabe loved the the hitting love the aggressiveness physically physically we've seen him at times you get away from him she thinks he's like it's gonna do it and we we've seen him at time chase those hits and it's resulted in odd man rushes the other way and goals in the back of the net i mean there's more than a few occasion last post season where that's been the case damn you why don't you talk to me and jake mccabe in the larry murphy but you're right i i i think i think it's a very like specific instance where it's him going for the blow-up hit like twice in a game and he gets beat and it's a two-on-one and then benwell's like sprawling out and we go oh what is he supposed to do there's no hope for him back there yeah i think you did lay that out um pretty well i want to go back to something we actually talked about with cloke so bobby mccman and again like we'll find out today but it seemed like based on what cloke was saying that he is the least likely of the three of him doh me and yarn crock to play in game one if there is not bobby mccman on the left side of that second line let's presume it's smart let's just live in a world where that's marner intovaras and then you have doh me bertusia matthews does that change where you put william kneelander does that further embolden you to load up your top six or does it do you want to just stick with the status quo and then maybe you bump yarn crock up one you bump nighs up one is you have do we're alongside you have do we're alongside uh camphen rivo i think the the latter thing that you just described is what i would do because i i want to see proof of concept for the first time all yeah four of these guys on three separate lines and i know the kneelander thing he hasn't looked like the same dude when he's been forced on to a line centered by pontis homburg but yeah i i so would you sorry just to clarify would you want yarn crock or nighs with tavaras and marner i would put yarn crock on the second line and then i would yeah i would put nighs on the same line as momburg and kneelander and then yeah doer gets into the lineup where i think he's going to be the odd man out here going indeed into game one yeah i i i know it hasn't gone well for kneelander down the stretch right he hasn't looked like the same dude he's looked frustrated at times two which honestly might be a good thing like get some emotion out of that guy if you like he needs to prove something into into the post-season despite the fact that he's been the guy that's whose numbers have least dropped off in the post-season um but yeah i i give me proof of concept here with three lines that are capable of scoring with superstar offense offensive players on all three of them against a Bruins team that doesn't exactly have the center depth that it's used to having yeah and you can you can go back to loading it up i think once you load it up it's harder to go away from it because the guys are all happy and it's seen to be taking someone at like you have to if kneelander starts on the left side with marner and jt and then you have your top line that's been the top line if that doesn't work then you have to demote will you kneelander like you have to like you can message it however you want you say oh get the swedish connection though with like you and homburg and yarn crock you can message whatever you want it's a demotion to the third line whereas if you start this way and you say all right it's not working here all right you guys you got what you want you're all gonna play together go show me something i think it's just easier to go about it that way in terms of who gets the spot on the left side there be it yarn crock or nighs i'm really torn i do like the idea of yarn crock being kind of that defensive conscious alongside marner and Tavares and then you do feel really safe about that line but i also worry about throwing that guy in that spot like how long has it been since he's played again how long has it been since bob and mcman played too though you know well yarn crock has been out for forever since march yeah so and mcman missed a couple of games here like i i think that i think that yarn crock i don't i he is the most likely of a type of player that you could put in a spot not worry about it but man like the the idea of the guy isn't played a game in a month and change here and you're just going to throw him on the second line game one of a playoff series embossed and against brad marchon like i don't know yeah the thing we haven't talked enough about and and it's because it feels like he's gonna play tomorrow no matter what is the fact that max domi is in fact injured yes like hasn't practiced i guess isn't just some little management thing like which i was hoping it was when they first know he's dealing with something which man if you're gonna talk about a reason why you might reunite marner and matthews that might be prime amongst them is that like max domi doesn't look like the same dude because he's not a hundred percent you know for a team that should have only and was only prioritizing one thing down the stretch of the regular season there's more than a few injury concerns with this team yeah with not insignificant players so that'll be the excuse we lean on when they lose the first round and we don't have a clear picture on what to do yeah god yeah if if if domi doesn't look like the same guy that was among the league leaders in five on five assists during the regular season and we don't see the immediate chemistry between he bertusi and austin matthews and it's not just well it's you got to give it time here because it's been so good i think don't you think there's a part of shelving keeps brain that might be oh this guy's not a hundred percent and why should i expect this to be as good as it's been because this guy's not physically the same guy that he was down the stretch of this regular season when he was healthy yeah and if max homie's not playing on the flank with austin matthews what are you getting out of him i'm not blind to the possibility that you put him at center in this series given the the almost called the seltics for some reason uh given the bruin center depth there but the best version of him has been a winger this year all year long and just throwing him again back into center when he hasn't played there in a long stretch of time if he's coming off an injury where's the fit for him if it's not beside matthews that was a question we had all season long we might be back to it again uh we uh we'll see the line permutations we will see who's in who's out on that third pairing this afternoon hmm boss and then we'll see him drop the puck for real as the real season gets underway tomorrow can't wait eight o'clock on sportsnet and cbc game one leaves and broons this has been fan warning show ben and his frank gunning sportsnet five nine at the van good morning
