[MUSIC] >> There is Keith Pelly all the way back on Friday, when we were young men after or before a weekend. I should say fan morning show, Brent Gunning, Jesse Ruben off there. No truth to the rumor that it's Mike Singletary is now among the front runners for Leafs head coach. I want winners. >> Just when baby, I don't know, seems like a guy to Pelly, would certainly be. >> I want winners. >> Yeah, I didn't even know you had that, good job, look at us on the same wavelength, same man. Yeah, again, there's Keith Pelly, interesting that he was a part of it, but I don't think surprising to anybody, you can be the president of MLSE and that's certainly a job that has a lot of hats and you have your tentacles in a lot of different places. But there is a crown jewel of the corporation and he'd never say it. But I will. It's the Toronto Maple Leafs. So yeah, him being there at the dais with Shana Han in tree, he made a quip about minor hockey in the GTA, saying he hadn't been there since he was watching his kid play for the Humber Valley Sharks, that certainly felt fitting. Yeah, it's not surprising at all that Pelly wanted needed to be a part of that. >> I know you're obviously a big golf guy at the golf show. What did you make about the Ryder Cup metaphors or conversation that he brought up and saying that chemistry is a big reason why the Euros beat the Americans at the Ryder Cup and that's what he wants to have with the Toronto Maple Leafs is chemistry. >> Yeah. >> Team Unity. >> Hey man, you want to get a Ryder Cup reference in there for me? I'm not going to be mad. That certainly carried a lot more mileage for me than him talking about Liverpool. >> I don't care. >> I mean, buddy, you want to go work for Fenway Sports Group? We'll work for Fenway Sports Group. >> Yeah, it was like Liverpool, walk alone. I don't know. I feel like I've been walking with my brethren to a sad pub at the end of the season every year. So I don't know. Maybe walking alone would be better. But yeah, I loved it. Like, you know me, I'm a sucker for that stuff. And you know, as a golf guy yourself, he's right. That was a just a pure team win from the Ryder Cup there. And I wouldn't be shocked to see Mr. Pelly poke around the presence cup, although that is at the beginning of a leaf season, but in Montreal this year, I can't wait. It's like I can't wait for seven o'clock every Monday because it means I get to talk to your friend and mine, Gord, Stella, Gordo, how's it going on a Monday? >> Brent, Jesse, everything is good on a Monday. I hope everyone had a happy Mother's Day when, you know, good weather weekend and I never just seemed to the least being out of the playoffs because I guess we've had a week or so, right? >> Yeah, the the leaf being out of the playoffs certainly made Mother's Day a little easier. I didn't have to fight with a Sunday, a Sunday playoff game or anything there. I could just do my husbandly and son duties to give everyone the Mother's Day they deserve. But Gordo, looking back to, looking back to Friday there, Keith Pelley talks, Brendan Shanahan talks about his contract or lack thereof and extension. He's in the final year there. Just I'll open up the floor to you. What was your, what if anything was your, was your big takeaway from what we heard on Friday? >> Yeah, I mean, I think it was going to be measured response. I know I know people hope for immediate action, big bold statements and just, you know, one and something, you know, we talked about when we did the shows together, Brent, just that I like that the message was that as we got lectured, usually by Kyle Dubas, and this is not many to take a shot at Kyle Dubas, but we get the same for Ross Atkins about, you know, we get lectured as fans. The process is working. You don't understand it. The process is good. Everything's good. >> Well, it's not and it's been acknowledged now that, okay, you know, maybe should this have happened a year or two or three ago, probably. But at least now it's understood, you know, two parts about it. One is that they have to, they have to examine, look at whatever that's going to get you the next round because status quo is not good enough. And, you know, Keith Pelley's one line was that instead of taking, some people taking leaf fans to task about whether or not being supported enough or allowed or whatever it may be, he just says, man, you know what, leaf fans deserve a winner. And I looked at that last game, seven, it wasn't just the people in, you know, Leaf Square. It was the thousands outside of that. They were just ready to party. And again, you know, that's preempted once again. So, I mean, they're not big bold messages, but those are the two things, those are the two things that I took that I deem, I deem as positive. >> Gore, one of the big takeaways I think for me was hearing Brad for a living speak. First of all, I thought he was the star of the press conference and just everything he said was something that resonated likely with the fan base. And I think one of the biggest things was talking about the physicality and the differences between the regular season and the postseason and how the roster was structured and how he wants to structure the roster moving forward. Do you think that, you know, looking at this team, this is going to be the off season where Brad Traleon truly puts a stamp on the roster and wants to make a team that he thinks thrives in the postseason, obviously a little bit more than they did this year because it feels like this team has been structured one way, you know, with orientated around skill for the longest time. And now, Traleon finally says, hey, yeah, we do need skill, but also here's how you went in the postseason. >> Yeah. You know, Jesse, he called it whether it's not, need more snod last summer. And hard, unsexy things is what he said, Gore. >> Yes. Well, it's, and, and, and, and Max Domi and Tyler Batuzo, they, they added that component, you know, mostly the second half of the season and, you know, also in the playoffs. I mean, what, what a great playoff, Domi in particular filling in for Matthews had. And then guys like Joel Edmondson and Delia Labushkin were, were really serviceable. He didn't give up first round picks and making any kind of trades in that regard. So I, yeah, I mean, it's, I'm, well, you know, I'm keen to see what Brad for a living can do, make more of an imprint on things. But yeah, that understanding that you, you, you need that part of it. I mean, so you take a step back a bit. Okay. >> I think we lost Gordo there. God, it was going to be so good too. In the big picture, I just was ready, dying to hear Gordo just rev up into, into, into that answer. And, you know, I think, I think there is an, an element there that what, what I think he was going to get at is in the big picture, there's been some changes here, but it's not been a complete sea change. I won't speak for him. We'll see what he says when we reconnect with him here in a second. But that is the thing I think is going to be the most interesting to watch from this is how much of it is a true sea change and we're going to be able to look. Now, obviously, if there's a massive trade this off season, that will kind of be a mark, a pointed demarcation. But I am curious to see if we will look back on it as kind of two definitive different versions. We've been waiting on baited breath Gordo. We lost you there. We welcome you back in. >> Yeah. No, I heard, I was saying about the big picture and I use that in a article I did in a comb that Toronto Star was, you know, seven years ago, Joel Quendold's were lying when he came in with Chicago about seeing similarities to this leaf team and his team that won three Stanley Cups. And here we are seven years later. So it's a huge disappointment that they haven't come close to realizing that, but, you know, you look at this particular team, there's been a lot of positives in this team. They're probably not as good, much of a contender as they were two, three years ago. So, you know, small picture, big picture, you have to kind of separate the two. Big picture, no question, disappointing, small picture, there's work to do. There's an attitudinal change, which I think is a positive and we'll see, we'll see what happens in making some strides. >> Yeah, they definitely, they definitely want to kind of make some, make some strides there. All right, you mentioned Quenville. Let's talk about it. If you had your druthers, the NHL is not standing in your way. We don't care how much this coach is going to get paid. We don't care what the term is. Gord Stella, he has a blank check and all the powers in the world to name the Leafs head coach is Quenville, the guy that makes the most sense. That's the one I think, I go back to, you've referenced that Chicago story before and you know, I think it's one thing to be able to say, I've coached guys. It's another thing to say, I've coached a group that I thought was as good as you and you all should be able to do this. Is Quenville the best candidate for this job? Do you, do you have somebody else maybe in mind Gordo? >> Well, I'm sort of, you know, leaning more guy like Craig Barouby about that, you know, I think it's going to be a bigger name and Quenville's one of those. I mean, his status is still not clear. So that's a big, big problem or impediment. So, because I think they want to get this done on the sooner side, Rod Brindemore is just an interesting name out there, like what truly is his status in Carolina. So, I mean, yeah, those are the kind of names like I, Brad, you're living, I don't have any feel about a history like, I mean, Darryl Sutter is definitely out of the game now. You know, as far as any particular GM, you think he might want to get reunited with. I mean, because hypothetically, maybe Kyle Dubas gets reunited with Sheldon Keefe and Pittsburgh down the road, for example. So, yeah, so I mean, that's the kind of name. I mean, Quenville's a great name as well. I just, I just don't think his situation unless there's something I don't know is going to be cleared up in the near future. >> This has been a theory I've kind of bandied about it. I talked to about it with Wachinsky on Friday and he kind of gave me the opposite view. But I've been of the belief that, you know, and again, it's not going to be written down on a memo because that's how you get sued. But that the NHL, given their druthers, if they want to reinstate Joel Quenville, I don't think it would be to put him into a market like Toronto where it becomes the biggest story in the city, the biggest story in the country. And then we get a redux, you know, the news reporters have a redux of the Blackhawks story as well. Do you think the fact that the Leafs are, I shouldn't say they are, if the Leafs are interested, do you think that is a little bit of an impediment for the NHL reinstating Quenville? Because given their druthers, they would probably like him to take a job, I don't know, literally anywhere else than Toronto Gordo. >> Yeah, that's an interesting, you know, interesting storyline. I also, you know, let's face it, Brendan Shanahan came from the league and, you know, he's viewed as a league guy as far as, you know, what the league is looking at or which way the wind's blowing, I mean, for very unfortunate reasons and unusual reasons when it all broke at the time, you know, this is just a very different story that there's no, you know, definitive parameters about which way to go or not go. But I don't think, I think, yeah, I think that point has some validity as well, I'm not sure. It's one, you know, you kind of think through as the process keeps rabbling or unraveling or not rabbling, whatever. >> Well, those three guys sitting up there at the press conference quarter, they didn't rule anything out. They certainly were non-committal, I think, to the core, whereas in past years, you would hear Kyle Dubas and Brendan Shanahan say, you know, we do believe in the core, we think this is a team that can get the job done, there wasn't much of that, and he got the sense that they were going to look at all ways to improve the team. Do you anticipate the Leafs, you know, approaching a Mitch Marner or John Tavares in terms of waving their no-move, is that something that you think they need or does this time sort of heal all wounds and over the off-season, they decide they want to bring the band back together next year? >> Well, obviously on the surface, we don't know anything, but a tricky topic that would have to be handled right. We always think about Matt Sundine and, you know, the way he left the Maple Leafs, it was unnecessary that he became the face for the Muscoza 5, you know, way back when, because of how it got, how it got mishandled and ultimately he didn't acquiesce to a trade. So all I can say is, in Tavares' case, to me, he's owed another year wearing the sea at least. He made a big commitment coming here. It's been a solid captain, you know, maybe can they use a more dynamic captain? Probably. Probably a change, but it's a leadership group that's, you know, a part of it, and there's others that can be part of that leadership group. Marner's case, I mean, if he really wants to stay here, then that's what he said, then he stays. I mean, he controls that. Now, if there's other things that maybe, okay, it's time, and they go about it quietly and again, Brad, we're living, did this in Matthew Kachuk's case about a year early about figuring something out, and, you know, maybe in Marner's case, it might be as much business-driven that whatever new contract he's living, looking for is probably a better chance somewhere else that maybe someone hypothetically would sign him to that new contract after July 1st now and help make a trade happen. So, you know, so we'll find out. I mean, behind the scenes, they're obviously, I guess, in-sync about where they are at or where they aren't at, certainly publicly all seems good from both those camps, Marner's and Tavares's, and they have absolute control as far as no moves and no trades go. Yeah, they hold the hammer. You mentioned Tavares there in terms of, you know, what he's owed, just financially, obviously the money, the one-year left on his deal. I did think, I don't think this is everything, and I'm not surprised by this at all. I thought it was interesting that he was named captain of Canada at the World Hockey Championships. You know, we, and I don't think I'm guilty of this, but we all get a little down on Tavares, you know, especially as this deal is kind of dragged on, and his salary becomes such a focal point. I didn't think it was kind of telling how he is still viewed by all his peers in this league that he gets over there, and, you know, he wasn't with the team through KMP, he just showed up after the Leafs got eliminated, and he's named captain. I didn't think that was kind of telling in terms of the way he's viewed. Maybe who, you know, you mentioned Tavares, maybe not always the most exciting guy, at least personality-wise. Somebody on the exact opposite ends of that spectrum is Max Domi. Do you have a read on him? I mean, I think given their druthers, both parties would love to find a way to make it work, but Max Domi's got to, you know, he's got to take, this isn't a lateral spry well, he's going to be able to feed his family still, but, you know, this is a guy who wants to set himself up well for his future. Do you have a read one way or another if you think the Leafs and him will be able to find a way to get him back? Because I think if you were just asking fans, "Hey, bingo card, what do you want to see?" Yeah, there's the big picture stuff, maybe a marner trade, reshuffle, but I think just in terms of people, they want back from this year's team, it feels like Max Domi had a 100% approval rating. Well, I would think Max Domi, a better chance than say Todd or Bertuzzi, and again, unrestricted free agents we saw last year with what Justin Hall signed with in Detroit. You know, it's the defense that tend to get the bigger deal. So we'll find out what the market is out there, I think, last year. It was a bit of a surprise for a lot of people that, you know, Ryan O'Reilly didn't really have the kind of interest to stay in his hometown that a lot of people thought he would. So in Domi's case, I would view it as being, I think, pretty favorable, but yeah, but we'll find out, it's nice to be saying a year later, you know, about two guys that signed one-year contracts and did the job and also did the job in the playoffs. Yeah, it is amazing considering how slow they both started that now, Leaf fans, look at them and say, "Ah, man, it would be fantastic to have both those guys back." One guy who's a playoff didn't end in the greatest fashion was Joseph Wall, Gordo, 'cause he got injured. Once again, you heard in the press conference Brad Trilevine come out and flat out say, you know, Joe is having trouble staying healthy. May have to look at his off-season workouts to see if there's a trend there that they can change. What are your concerns about Joseph Wall as the guy in Leafland? Because it seems like he has the talent and the skill to get the job done. It's really just a matter of, you know, can't he stay healthy? Yeah, exactly. I mean, I'm really bullish on him. Look at how, when he's been healthy, I know it's not been a lot of playoff games, but two years in a row, you know, come up under, you know, kind of difficult situations and played really, really well in the playoffs. So I'm really bullish on what probably would be the best developed internal goaltender since Felix Plottend decades ago, but again, again, that whole thing about getting injured and particularly for goaltender. So I'm, you know, obviously very, very cool with him being number one. I don't know what they're thinking beyond that. You need a, you know, you need a capable other goaltender, whomever that may be. But I'm really, really big on a healthy Joe Wall. Yeah. We all are. It's just the, the first part of that, the health part that is the, the question mark and God, it wouldn't be, wouldn't be leafy if there wasn't, wasn't a little extra part of it there. One last one before I let you go, it is always fun playing spin the wheel of justice in the NHL. Do we think Cartons, Carson Soussey is going to going to have an appointment with George Paris after trying to decapitate Conor McDavid at the end of the Oilers and Canucks game last night? Oh, big time. Big time. Not a hockey play at all. It got to be suspended. Absolutely. I know, you know, I think, I think Brian Burke would say that a playoff games kind of works two or three regular season games, right? But he's got to be suspended. Yeah. Yeah. Which means Michael Bunting suspension was six games last year, funny, funny how that works out. The other, I do wonder, and this is just so funny of how the NHL looks at these things. It was his own teammate who did it. So he shouldn't get the benefit of the doubt here. But if Zadora and look, greasy play should be suspended regardless. But I know in that meeting, in the hearing, it's going to be, look, if my teammates, Zadora doesn't cross check him from behind, it's a way less dangerous play. And I just think that's hilarious that that is definitely going to be a defense in that hearing court. Well, so what if two guys fired a gun at you, one guy missed and, you know, I agreed. I knew I knew you would have a great way to put a bow on that way better than I could. It's the highlight of my week. Every Monday, chat with you. I love you Gordo. Have a good week, bud. Okay. See you, Brent. See you, Jesse. Take care. There he goes. Who are at Stella? Stella Christody himself. I knew it. I knew it. I knew they'd be away. You do have a great point though. What? Like if Zadora doesn't hit him, he's not falling down. No, it's just a hard time believing that since he's just going to cross check him right in the face. But it happened. Then he just cross checks him in the collarbone or the neck, which as we know is so much better than the face. I just, they all suck that I got what I'd give to be in that meeting when they're definitely going to bring up. They're like, "Look, this mutant we traded for, this six, seven mutant defenseman, cross check them." How was I to know? My defense partner was going to do that. Yeah. The men's rea wasn't there. The men's rea wasn't there to cross check him in the face, just to the neck. Great 11 law. Coming back to me there. That's right. In that class. Yeah. Oh, God. Shut up, Mr. Rudan. Great law teacher. That was fun. Always love talking to Gordo there. In terms of the coaching stuff, is it interesting to you or maybe not that they haven't named somebody yet? It felt like Baroobay all the smoke was, if they bought Baroobay, they got to act. They got to act. And I don't know why I expected it to be over the weekend, but I don't know, the longer this good drags on, it almost feels, and I don't think this is the case, but it almost feels like they're playing chicken with Craig Baroobay saying, "All right, how bad do you want the job?" Yeah. I would hire him. I would imagine. And Craig Baroobay, clearly, I think, you know, just all the scuttlebutt would say, he wants this leaf job. I think now that the way this hurricane series is trending, it's impossible not to, at least in my mind, connect the dots and say, "Are they waiting?" Because we all think the Brendan Moore thing's done. If they get bounced in pretty quick succession and back-to-back years, does Dun Dun wanna, does he want to pay up for a deal like that? I think it's very telling that there hasn't been, there hasn't even been smoke of, "Oh, this is close. Leaves could name somebody in the next day or two." So, yeah, I don't know. Interesting. Yeah. I do feel like the Toronto Maple Leafs as an organization are very thorough and they don't rush into things necessarily. And a part of me is like, "Well, this is a pretty significant decision here. You have a core who is right in the prime of their careers and you want to get this head coaching call correct." And I don't know what the timeline is in terms of interviewing guys, but I would imagine that everyone seems to believe that Baroobay is the guy, but it would make a lot of sense to actually interview multiple other candidates. And that might actually take some time. These guys are scattered all across the world. There's a picture of McClellan in an airport yesterday, apparently, born in the flight to Toronto. Exactly. Everything will take a little bit of time. And I do think your point is a good one with Brindomor. I mean, the Leafs are probably hoping that that series ended in four so that you could at least know one way or another whether Brindomor is going to re-up with the Carolina Hurricanes. It does feel like they're waiting for him and for that series to be done. And then if you don't, yeah, if Brindomor says I'm staying in Carolina, then yeah, you just sound in the... You get Baroobay to sound in the dotted line. I'm in such an odd spot with this coaching search because I both don't have someone I'm riding for. Like generally speaking, when this happens, you know, especially when it's one thing when a coach is fired in a day later, somebody else is hired, you don't even have time to do it. But we've been, I mean, we've been talking about this since the season ended. I mean, we've been talking about this with Keith going back to January at times. I both don't have someone I'm riding for and that this is my guy. This is the right hire. I think it would be Brindomor giving my druthers, but I'll be honest, it's like back to back short playoff sweeps, even there's, you know, gentlemen sweeps, whatever it ends up being in the second round, even would have me feeling a type of way about that. But I also don't have somebody and, you know, I'd say this about GM searches as well. Generally speaking, there's a candidate out there that I'm going, anybody but that guy. And I don't feel that way either of all the names they're looking at. Like I've made my quips about McClellan and I don't need a third member of the Thornton Marlow now McClellan sharks to come in here and teach this team how to lose in a cup final, although wouldn't that be great if they lost in a cup final? I've made my quips about it, but I don't think that's a bad hire. I think that is a, I think that is maybe the best thing about what I've heard for this coaching search is there doesn't seem to be, generally speaking, there's a name out there that you go, not that guy. And I just haven't seen that person bandied about, yeah, I mean, there does feel like the top candidates are sort of, you know, guys who have been around, but I also, but I also don't have anybody that I'm like, give me that guy. I think I think Baroobay is that guy for a lot of people. I think Brindomor is the pie in the sky for that. You don't feel that way about Brindomor? I don't know. I have long felt that way, but I'd be lying to you if I said that the whole thing he's supposed to do is be able to get the best out of a group and get him over the hump. That's what he'd be coming here to do. And he, he raised them as pups and I'm not going to sit here and tell you it's his fault. They had the bright idea of playing Freddy Anderson, a must win playoff game. So it's, it can't be Brindomor's fault, but I'd be lying if the bloom wasn't off the rose a little bit. I still think that if they announced that higher, I would be very happy about it and think they got the best guy. But I'd be lying if I'd say I hadn't shifted a little on that. It's such a good point because if you look at broad Brindomor, what he's able, been able to do with the Carolina Hurricanes, I mean, three straight hundred plus point seasons, obviously, the, the results look pretty Sheldon Keefe. It's very similar to the Toronto Maple Leafs, it lost and obviously they made it to the conference finals twice, which is, is, is not leafy at all. But there's no cup win. There's three hundred plus point seasons and there's a first round loss. And now if they lose in this series to be three second round losses. I think the interesting thing for Brindomor, if it was him, if that's the route they went, is that it'd be such a departure of the way the teams were built. Brindomor Forever has had great teams in Carolina, but, and I don't say this as a knock on the player, but Svechnikov is where he is in the pecking order of NHL forwards. That's a good player, but that's the most talented player that Brindomor's ever coached, at least offensively. It'd be very different to all of a sudden have, and, you know, who knows how many of them are here, but Matthews, Marner, Neelander, Riley, it'd be a very, very different group. And I don't say that to say better. I just very, very different. Yeah. When I look at this, I do feel like there's, it doesn't feel like there's anyone that can come into Toronto and you feel so great about it that it's like a foregone conclusion that they're going to make the second round or make the conference final. Because Quenville, I guess does feel like that guy to me, but it's because it's because he's almost an unknown at this point. He's been out of it for so long that you just think of a mishear's success. I would agree. And I hear you all out there saying, I think of something else. The NHL has to make up its mind on that. And if they clear him, then they've cleared him as just where I stand on that. Yeah. A lot going on in the NHL. A lot going on in the NBA. We got, we got some good second round series there. Some great second series in the Stanley Cup playoffs. And what type of justice must be served by George Paris? Who knows? The NHL Department of Player Safety. We'll try to figure it out. When we continue, we're halfway through fan morning show with Gunting and Rubidoff on Sportsnet 5.9 of the Fan. Unrivaled insight, analysis, and opinions on all things Blue Jays, Blair and Barker. Be sure to subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your passes. Brand Gunting Jesse Rubidoff here. So problem with a little school YouTube banger. I kind of forgot doing the show. Good one. Good one. Say, man. Nice job. Cooking it up. Then, you know, I got a talk about sports and everything happened. Yes, we heard it. The war crime committed against Connor McDavid and the not dying seconds, the debt, the dead seconds whistle had gone, can actually pick it up a 2 1 series lead after a 4 3 win against the Oilers last night. Rubidoff, we were talking about it quickly off, off mic, off air in the break, whatever term you want. Yeah. Yeah. It's been the wheel of justice. The George Perris will inevitably, I think, spin for this. What do you think? It's funny. It's funny. It's funny. Five games. Not five. The, it's funny you say you think because Sam Bennett got nothing for a sucker punch on Brad March and a cloak and dagger sucker punch, but the camera angles came out after the fact that that was definitely a sucker punch and that got absolutely nothing. I mean, the fact that this is Connor McDavid, I think, is the most significant part of this. And the reason why I do think there will be some supplemental discipline, I think we'll get a game. I think that's the absolute maximum. And honestly, I wouldn't be completely shocked if there's nothing. You think of a little 5k fine. Five k fine. And that's it. I think there will end up, I think ultimately it will be one game, but I do think there's a possibility where this is just the fine and you look at some of the other things that have happened in the postseason. And there's been a lot that people have gotten away with and I just think this might be another one. The reason I say this potential one is because it's McDavid and that's it. Yeah, the McDavid of it all is, is interesting. You know, this league sometimes protects us, sirs, sometimes doesn't. I don't think that they will go above and beyond. And I think if you see two games, that's maybe a, although I don't know, like a direct cross check to the chops, Morgan Riley got six or five, I should remember this. I don't know. It was five and they knocked it was six and they knocked it down, whatever it was, five or six games for a deliberate, intentional, greasy, again, head, shoulder, road up, whatever. He tried to cross check him in the neck, okay? Yeah. That was exactly what you saw from Carson Susie last night. Now you can make the argument that one of these was premeditated looking at you, Morgan Riley. Well, one of them is in the heat of a scrum and I think there is an element there. But if we're going to do the two game multiplier, I could see in the regular season that being a four game suspension. Yeah. I think that's the problem is you could also see that being a six game suspension in the regular season. And I joked about it, but I do think the Zadorov of it all is going to come into it. And it's insane that his defense partner also doing something greasy on the play could be his saving grace. Carson Susie's in this. Yeah. Does the fact that McDavid sort of kicked it off with a slash factor into it at all? It's so hard because it, it should factor into again the fact that this wasn't, so it wasn't Carson Susie. It wasn't Carson Susie at the end of the game going, I'm getting my licks and on McDavid. He might have said that to himself to begin with, but the opportunity had to present itself. I think that's something that Susie and the Canucks camp will point to, but I also think that the NHL has every right to say, Oh, you got slashed in a playoff game. So you two handed you, you cross check a guy right in the chops. I think it will be brought up and it's not nothing, but I don't think it changes it in any way, shape or form. I think for sure, one game, maybe the more we talk about it, I could see two. And I don't know how you can, how you can avoid thinking about McDavid and all that. And I think that's the thing that the league is going to, they hate that he's involved in this because now it is strictly viewed through the lens of McDavid. Yeah. I just, I think if this is a different player, I really think that it's a $5,000 fine and off you go and that's playoff hockey and it's funny because it cross check from the face. Yeah. So that part of it is awful. But if you're looking at us from a scrum perspective at the end of the season, guys, get hands up. Yeah. Yes. That's what happens. You have a slash, you need the guy in the, in the shin pads and then you give a cross check. That's like, it's like reflexive. It's what happens. But the fact, again, that it's the fact that it's McDavid, the fact that Zdorov hit him from behind before that, all of that, and the fact that obviously it was in the face, it was not just any other play even though there is a world where that's what it would have been. Yeah. So could see one game and more, I think about it, I'd be, I'd be surprised it too. Cause I think if you go to two, that opens up the world to, oh, it's only two cause it's McDavid. It'll be one, one game for, for Susie there. So there were other things that, that happened in that game, including the Canucks getting out shot 22 to three in the third period. Oilers were bringing it now. I love to play a little game called, but what if this was the Leafs? It's my favorite game in the world. This will shock all of you out there. Imagine, and I mean, we all know who the funniest guy it would be if they were saying this, but just pick any leaf to have said this after a game in which they ouch and we've, Lord knows we've seen this, this fair share of times in Toronto where they outshoot the opponent heavily in the third period in which they were trailing and lose the game. Just imagine a leaf saying this after a post season. You guys had it in four or five goal posts, you generated the chances. How much of that is bearing down or how much that is just good goal time or luck? Well, post is not good goal tending, but yeah, we can certainly do do a better job of bearing down and, you know, like I said, capitalizing on our looks. That is a Leon dry side all and guess what, he ain't wrong. He's not wrong. The one that he beats C luff on clear is day. Yeah. That's great. Great observation. I hate to agree with you Leon, but you're right, but having said all that, put yourself in a world where, and again, we all know the funny, we know the funniest one would be Mitch Marner. Okay. So just remove him from the equation. And imagine any of the leafs of note saying, Oh, we just, we hit so many posts. You cannot tip your hat to that guy. We would be losing it about these guys making excuses for themselves. And this is what happens when you have the resume, have having won a couple of playoff series is it doesn't all need to be panic and doom and gloom. But man, a second, I heard that quote come out of dry side else mouth. I just, I immediately went to, could you imagine if this was a leaf? And it's amazing how our minds go there. But yeah, I look, the Oilers are, it feels like outplaying the Canucks from a scoring chance perspective, like last night, 24 to 10 with a high danger scoring chances in favor of Edmonton. They are getting currently out goal tended. Yeah. The issue has always been with the Oilers, they have the offense, but can they be strong enough defensively? And do they have the goal tending that can lead them to the promised land? And as of right now, it's the most unlikely of scenarios, but Arthur, she loves is outplaying Stuart Skinner to an incredible degree. And you just cannot win if you have goal tending like this. And I know that the defensive coverage in the other zone has been bad and Skinner's been left out to dry in some respects, but you need better goal tending. You saw it with the jets in the first round with Connor Hellebuk. Everyone expected him to be great. He was terrible. And they ended up having no chance of winning that series. It is the same situation with the Edmonton Oilers now. You cannot outshoot the opposition the way that they did last night and out chance them and lose the game and have it not be reflective of the goal tending if Skinner doesn't turn it around. It's over there. There's absolutely an element to that. But I mean, you know, they lose by one goal last night and you know, hey, you're allowed to make a save on these, but Brock Besser is sitting all alone inside the bottom half of the circle. And you know, I'm not going to sit here and talk about Brock Besser like he's Austin Matthews, but it's pretty good. I mean, that's a 40 goal score in this league. That is his spot. That's his kitchen. You see him going there also tipped goals. You see it. So much like the conversations we had about the Leafs and the playoffs, it's not necessarily about how many scoring chances you generate, but where they come from. And you got to find a way to get in seal offs kitchen. There's an element to that as well. We see it with, you know, we can transition here if you want to the Florida and Boston series, but we see it there. Florida is able to get in Swamans kitchen and he's a different goalie. So I think the Oilers just have to find a way to do more of that as well. You know, the thing I keep coming back to with the Oilers in this, in this playoff run or, you know, push they have here is how much of a all in year this is. They still have one more of these where dry side will makes the best contract in the NHL at eight million or eight and a half. Even though he's a power play, whatever it is, it's still, I mean, yeah, I mean, I make my jokes here, but it's like you take the best power play merchant in the world at eight and a half million bucks, especially when all the goals is postseason seem to come with special teams one way or another. But they got one more year of him on the best contract in hockey. And then he's getting at least, you think, a five million dollar raise. That is a whole middle six winger. That's a whole important defenseman. You're losing here. And if the Oilers fall and it wouldn't just be falling, right? It'd be one thing if you bow out to the Golden Knights or even if it was the avalanche, right? Or, and, you know, I suppose they could say this is what's happening with C-Lough. But if Jake Gottinger stands on his head or something, you feel differently about it. I wonder the little referendum on what it is they've built there that'll happen if you lose to this Canucks team who credit to them. They're finding a way and C-Lough's been the story of the playoffs so far. But I think we all also realize what this Canucks team is. It isn't a world beater and it's not the avalanche or even again, the Golden Knights. I wonder the questions they're going to be asking themselves there. And, you know, the questioner never can you win with McDavid and dry saddle? Of course you can. It's just about how do you surround them with the best version of it and how much of that is to your point, goalie. It does feel pretty leafy again. It's like you have all the talent in the world. But for whatever reason, there's always something that goes wrong in the postseason. And in this case, yeah, it really is the goaltending. It's like when you look back on this era of the Edmonton Rollers, it's not always goaltending, but it does feel like every year there was something, whether it's, you know, the bottom six contributions one year or an injury the other year or the goalie. And that feels a lot like the Toronto Maple Leafs. There's always something that throws you off-kilter in the postseason. Look, they're scoring enough in this series. You know, they have four goals in game one, four goals in game two in the victory, three goals last night. It's not an issue of not scoring enough. It is so obviously defensive structure and goaltending. If they don't clean that up, they're going to be gone. I think one thing that the Canucks have done really well to their advantage is, you know, despite the year that the Canucks had, they're pretty significant underdogs in this series. And I think Rick Tark talk did a pretty good job of using that to his advantage and saying, hey, look, you know, people don't believe in us in playing that card. And I feel like that's coming across a little bit here. The Canucks are a really good team. And if you take a little bit of that pressure off of them, which I think they've done a good job of, you know, you start to see some results from that. Well, they're also a group that's set up to match up well with the Oilers. I mean, you got three great centers down the middle and, you know, I know they've kind of mixed and matched and, you know, these guys aren't always playing on their own line. But between Patterson Miller and Lindholm, that is the old Leafs, Matthews, Tavares, cadre blueprint of three great centers and you should be able to match up against anybody and are there holes with the rest of the team? Sure. But when you have three guys that can drive play the way those three specifically can. And you see Lindholm with a couple of goals last night, just it's, it's, it's a great kind of Cinderella story. And I have to be honest, like, you know, I'm always a little wincing when the Canucks are doing well because they just worry about the, the city at large. But yeah, it's been a, it's been a nice story there. Okay. Other series on the go in, in the NHL, mentioned it, Boston, they are now down three one to the Florida Panthers, Sam Bennett at the center of absolutely everything. Him and Marshawn have just been having a, having a rad off. It's basically the gift of those two guys just flipping each other off in the middle of the street over and over again. That has been this series with Marshawn and Bennett. And unfortunately, a bad guy has to win, but that also means a bad guy has to loosen this series. They're watching them kind of torment each other. Yeah. I know it's, it's, it's a lot of fun. It's, it's interesting. Leafs fans often have this, you know, belief as sort of, not, I don't call it an excuse, but there's this thing out there that every time they lose in the playoffs, that team young goes on to, to make the Stanley Cup final and finally doesn't appear like that's going to be the case because the Bruins have run into a buzz saw in the Florida Panthers right now. Like this team, the relentless forecheck, the, the puck moving ability on the back end, it makes it hard for me to believe that the Leafs would have had any more success against the Panthers and the Boston Bruins are having at this point because I just think the Panthers are, are built differently. Their structure is unbelievable and it feels like it's inevitable that they are, I don't know, not necessarily going to get to the cup final, but the, the class of the Atlantic Division at their scoring point in time. Yeah. I'm not going to sit here and tell you the Leafs would have been, would have fared any better against the Panthers than Boston has, but I mean, you want to talk about controversial plays. The sampenet goal from, from last night is, is right up there. He, I mean, you want to talk about crossjack, he, crossjack's Charlie Coyle into Jeremy Swamin. And again, you know, heaven forbid the Bruins don't have every call to go their way. So I'm not going to sit here crying for them, but I know I would be screaming from the rafters if that was called against the Leafs. The idea that Swamin, it was an incredibly tough save to make to push across. And I don't know, I feel like we've seen them do that three, four, five, six times this season with my, my own eyes. And you know, it's one thing if there's contact, but the fact that Bennett clear his day shoved coil in, I think that was a bad call. Like I understand the idea of you want goals to go. But if that goal doesn't go in, we're talking about potentially different series, right? Where it's not it up at, at twos, I, I think that it's a little overstated. The idea that this is proof positive of how far, or I shouldn't say how far away the Leafs are. Because I agree with everyone that they're far away from a cup contender, but the idea that they couldn't have been kind of right there in this series, and I know everyone's going to point and say it's three one, but I think that that call last night has a pretty big swing factor. I am not as much of the belief that this is proof positive that the Leafs just couldn't hang with this, this Panthers team. I think they would have been in tough. I think they probably would have lost the series, but I think it would have gone something similar to this, where you won or two bounces, and I know we've all heard that too many times before playoffs. It feels like that's, that's most playoff series. You know, you look at the Rangers and hurricanes, every games, one goal game and it just as easily could have the Carolina Hurricanes leading that series. The Bennett, to your point, I mean, I have no idea what goalie interference is anymore. Nobody do this. Like, we almost have to go back to the age of, you know, if any part of you is in the crease, then I need to know, because Brett Hall's was going somebody in Buffalo. It's just, it's frustrating because it takes away from, I think the quality of the hockey. Like every time we have a review that slows everything down and everyone argues, nobody has any idea what the rule actually is. Like, that's not great for the game, and I don't, can't sit here and have an answer for it because nobody really knows, but it's just frustrating to watch stuff like that and have it, you know, ultimately determine the outcome of a game because that's what it did last night. That's a great point. That's a great answer on that one. That was a wrong call, but you're right. It's so, it's so impossible to tell, you know, night in, night out what you're going to see there. It's never consensus. And I also have no problem with the league tilting towards goals, saying, you know what, we want more scoring in this league. I don't have a problem with it. Just kind of put it in writing. So we all kind of understand it, at least have some semblance of it there. We'll get back to hockey in a second with the Wakenrake, NBA playoffs in full swing, NBA Lottery, not in full swing. It's over. It's over, ladies and gentlemen, Atlanta Hawks, surprising everyone to get the first pick. My understanding is there's some French guy, but he's not one, Ben Yama, so we don't really care that much good for them in getting, in getting the topic there in terms of import to the Raptors, they will select eight. And by that, I mean, they will not select eight. They will give that pick to the Spurs. We all need to have the gentleman's agreement right now with the understanding that the Jakob Bertel trade was no good, but you also don't get to complain about how good this eighth overall pick looks when they play next to Victor Weman Yama and don't have to really do anything other than whatever the very specific role, whoever this person is will be asked to fill. Cause whatever they look like in San Antonio, next to that literal alien, they would never have looked to anything like that for the Raptors. So just wanted to kind of get that on record here. Yeah. There's no doubt. Like I think I've been a minority here gunner. I don't think this is the worst thing in the world for the Toronto Raptors that they're not keeping their pick this year. And everyone has talked about the fact that this draft is not the greatest draft in the world. Doesn't have the most talent. 2025 is supposed to be an excellent draft. And I think what this does is it underscores that you're going to have to tank, call it what you will. You don't want to tank, then that's fine, but they're, it's not like they have the talent anywhere where they can control that and try and make the postseason. This team is not going to be good next year. And what that does is gives you a higher percentage of keeping that pick in the 2025 draft where the talent is better. And look, there was never going to be a scenario where the Raptors get a sixth pick overall and a week draft and suddenly they're a great team next year and they're winning playoff series. That was never going to happen. They were really incorporate that pick into the mix. You're probably in the messy middle again, and then you get a not a great pick a year from now. So I do think in a roundabout way, this could end up being good thing. The wraps are going to be bad next year. That's ultimately what it is. And that's just part and parcel of undergoing a rebuild. This is what people asked for to start earlier. I think they're a little behind the curve on where they want it to be at this point. But this is, I think it's honestly a step in the right direction. Yeah, I forget who had the line. This is the first day after declaring bankruptcy kind of sucks, but no more bad as well. One more year of bad is coming. But yeah, you've now got rid of the pick. You get to make peace. That's a great way to put it. It is now time for the wake and rake presented by sports interaction. Your home grown sports book, 19 plus bet responsibly, a lot going on tonight, of course, NHL and NBA playoffs, but we got to start with the blue Jays, blue Jays on the road in Baltimore facing a stout Orioles defense and a dangerous Orioles lineup. Blue Jays heavy, heavy underdog there, plus one 40 on the money line. Orioles are minus one 67 over under total of eight. That is a big, big number, especially for a blue Jays team that has trouble scoring. I don't think the Orioles will though. So I'm going to take the over in this one. You get it at minus one 15. Do you ever read on that one way or another? Yeah, I'm leaning towards the run line for the Orioles just because I have no faith whatsoever in the Toronto Blue Jays offense at this point in time. I know that they're pitching from time to time gets a job done, but I just, I cannot fathom a world. I can't think about it anymore where the Toronto Blue Jays score more than two runs, even though we saw it a couple of days ago, it's just been so inconsistent. Yeah, it is, it is tough to, uh, tough to see. I would have been tough to envision the hurricanes getting swept. They didn't. They stayed alive with the game for when they looked to push it to six tonight, uh, hurricanes at MSG. It is a total of five and a half there, uh, tight one on the money line, basically a pick them minus one oh five for the Rangers minus one 15, uh, for the hurricanes there. I think this thing is going to go a little farther. Give me the hurricanes on the money line. You get it minus one 15. Uh, I just don't think they're done yet. The Rod, Rod Brindomore, not ready, uh, to, uh, to vacate that seat. So, uh, give me the, give me the canes on the money. I'm going the other way. I'm going Rangers. I had the canes, uh, last game and it worked out, uh, quite well. I just think the Rangers, you know, it's been so close about here, about there. And I do think that if, uh, the hurricanes can get this one, then it really plants the seat of doubt in the New York Rangers and they're going to be ready to go to end this thing so that that doesn't become a possibility. So give me the Rangers money line tonight, according to Ruben off, that was the wake and rake presented by sports interaction, your homegrown sports book 19 plus bet responsibly. When we continue the blue chase, they're in very, very tough. Ben Schulman has been calling games. It's been very tough for him. I'd imagine a time to say somewhat positive during these wasn't hard on Saturday though. When the bats exploded, we'll talk to Ben, get you set for a series with the Orioles in Baltimore. one hour left to the fan morning show with gutting and Ruben off on Sportsnet 5-9 to the fan.
