T-minus 50 days until Toronto’s season opener in Montreal.
And thanks to a trade on Monday, there will be some added spice to the storied Original Six rivalry in 2024-25. That’s because the Habs acquired Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Of course, back in 2016, Auston Matthews and the former went first and second overall in the NHL Draft. That said, it’s a stretch to suggest a potential return for that player debate. This is very much a reclamation project for the Canadiens whereas Matthews – as we’re all aware – is currently one of the best players on the planet.
That’s where the conversation started on the latest summer episode of Leafs Morning Take. After that, we got into Edmonton’s decision not to match the St. Louis offer sheets for Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. Ultimately, the Oilers have three colossal extensions to hammer out over the next year, they can’t be spending aimlessly and hoping that things work in their favour.
After that, we briefly discussed Tessa Virtue and Morgan Rielly welcoming their first child —baby boy McCormick. Naturally, we talked about Rielly and what we expect from him this season. The Leafs finally got the 30-year-old some help, which in turn, should mean a fresher Morgan Rielly. Furthermore, the topic of who should wear an A came up as well. It as a fun debate. Where do you think it started?
Presented by Greta Bar YYZ, we dissected some of Brad Treliving’s comments from last week following the captaincy presser. The Leafs GM hinted that the Leafs might not be done tinkering their roster. So, how did we interpret that? Also, he didn’t say much about Jani Hakanpaa’s status. What a bizarre situation.
Then, we got to our feature presentation. Former Leafs captain Rick Vaive dropped by the show. As per usual, the 65-year-old wasn’t afraid to give his opinion on the captaincy change. On top of that, obviously as someone who held the honour in Toronto, he shed some unique perspective on the matter, too.
I’m going on vacation for two weeks. Zack Phillips and Jay Rosehill will have you covered on the next two episodes of Leafs Morning Take. Enjoy!
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