Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - What’s Next For Auston Matthews And The Toronto Maple Leafs?? 😬 | BB Clips

Episode Date: February 2, 2026

Boomer, Pinder & Rhett break down the nightmare season unfolding for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team searching for answers as losses continue to pile up. The guys discuss how the absence of Mitch Marner has exposed major holes in Toronto’s lineup, before diving into the future of Auston Matthews and the growing questions surrounding leadership, urgency, and whether this core truly has what it takes to win. From roster construction to accountability, we examine what’s gone wrong in Toronto — and whether the Leafs are finally nearing a breaking point.Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/MgOflPnH7Bg#nhl #nhlshorts #nhlplayoffs #nhlpredictions #nhlhockey #nhlpicks #stanleycup #stanleycupfinal #leafsnation #toronto CHECK OUT OUR STUFF ⬇️BARN BURNER MERCHhttps://nationgear.ca/collections/shirts/FlamesnationBARN BURNER SHORTS https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj_bcGtvvo-cW2DHEDZ6dEO5ePDmlhZc9&si=jo8iNGxT4ImhS2Y8📲 Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fnbarnburner/X (Twitter): https://x.com/barnburnerfn?lang=en🎧 Listen on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/barn-burner-boomer-pinder-with-rhett-warrener/id1648562889Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mc6Qd5U22R2zbMlQ7RxIiProducer: Jack Haverstock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Marner thing has, I don't know if it's been catastrophic, you know, not to overstate it, but as bad as you thought, and it would be outraged because the body language and the give a shit and all of that, they're just nowhere near as good. They don't have the explosivity, the 17 regulation wins. There might be some overtime. There might be some late regulations, some shoot. He's a world class hockey player that they, he left for nothing and they did not. Yeah, Nick Wop.

They didn't replace. So we had noodles and drag around last week talking about it and Rose. So there was a lot of Leafs Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. And if there was one thing that was just the problem, then you could just plug that one hole. I think they'd try to do it. But it is Marner. It is a ton of injuries. It's suddenly a slow and old blue line.

It's goaltenders that were both good last year, who were both below average this year. It's a lack of depth scoring we've seen for a bit because of the cap trouble they're in. It's bets that have not panned out while having a bad year. Micelli having a bad year. Like, it's, it's all over this roster. It's not one thing. And to be fair, when Mitch Marner was here, boy, do they still piss you off and let you down at the biggest moments last 10 years.

And I'm not saying great trade Mitch Marner? Absolutely not. That's a bad one. Tree was in a tough spot. He arrives there. He's got one year to move him. And they actually win around in the playoffs. And he was going to have to trade him that summer.

Like, I get that it's a trade. But it's really not. It's, they lost, you can look at the, the Kachuk, Florida. Like that was a trade. They got. Yeah. They turned a dollar to 15 cents. It didn't work.

That was basically, he was leaving the sign as a free agent. It's like, oh, there's some stinky shit in here. Throw something there. Way, McCrimmon. Yeah, like we're going to look into tampering if you don't give us a piece. That's kind of the word on that one. So I, no one expected Wa or Machelli or any of that. Okay, we're going to have to be a little, I guess, quicker, stronger, deeper, more of a tier.

They made the read that the Corps couldn't win. and Marner had to move on, and they couldn't move them before because they were going to make the playoffs, and they could have won that series. They were up against Florida. We went into Florida. We needed to win one game. Five and seven at home, is that right? Games five and seven at home?

I'll tell you, man. Soil themselves twice with a chance to move on? That would be, it would be, if you're a Leafs fan or you watch that team on a regular basis, I guess I'm just curious because, like I said earlier, on any given night, it looks like Matthews just doesn't care. No. And then some nights like, this guy's, this is the best. shooter in the world. This guy can do them.

This is probably the only guy that could actually take a run. Nealander, the same thing. I think, geez, I don't know. Taking the subway or the games. I'm not sure he cares. And that's this guy's, this guy's made one of the top five players in the frigging world. And then other nights, I can't watch this guy. They would have to be among the most maddening teams to watch in the national hockey league.

100%. Big time. Because they're so talented. Yes. And at their best, you're like, these are goddamn superstars. and at their worst, you're like, where is the give a bleep? This is the playoffs. You can't play through a migraine.

You're hanging out with your buddies watching game seven. What the hell's going on here? I don't know. Yeah. He didn't play game seven. Those two years ago, it was Boston. Oh, my God. And they had some bad luck.

I think their goal was Red Hawk got hurt in that series. Yeah, but they didn't. But they just, there's a decade where bad luck comes and goes. It's a decade where they have nothing to show for it. And they've slapped the goaltending together. This was not a plan. Yeah, they had to. It's a budget.

find them guys to put in there. And it worked last year. It's not working this year. You can't get Connor Ingrams and Tristan Joe. You can get a pick dog right now. It's a perfect tandem. It's a perfect compliment there. Just the perfect fit. I still think that it's,

there's enough proof in the pudding. Careful. And that they've, this core has been, my point is they've been together long enough. Yeah, we know about this. We've seen the failings. And that's why it's kind of hard to just say this, Marna deal sunk their battleship was like they had

Martin for a decade and did nothing. That's a bad it's a bad to lose that guy. It's nothing to do with Marner in my opinion. I mean it does because they were making the playoffs every year. Yeah and it's almost like in here it almost gives them the like okay now we actually get a reset. Yeah. Because they need to. So what do you do? You trade McMahon

you trade Morgan Riley. Try the guys that actually show up and play hard for her. That's the shitty part. I'm not criticizing you. I'm actually saying if you look at it from a rational point of view, you're going Oh, we're going to trade McMahon, the guy that's playing. You do what Boston did. Boston traded a bunch of guys that were playing big minutes for them last year,

and they got right back in and surprisingly looked like a playoffs. Is that kind of bad? I guess it depends what's totally been, but it worked. What's the end goal? Is it to make the playoffs next year or to become a, here's the trade the big guys? This is the issue I have. Matthews, from a million miles away,

doesn't look like a guy that's going to go through the wall for you as the captain. I said it last week. Wendell Clark is a captain of this trauma. That's what a captain is. I agree. Not Matthews. And I don't think Matthews, yes, he's stayed. Why has he stayed in Toronto?

Because they've said, what do you want? He doesn't dislike Toronto. He has said, what do you want as far as, yeah, but they haven't even tried to extend him to Max's term. He has dictated and got it. It's the Huberto effect. He gets whatever he wants. It's, yeah, same with McDavid. Every contract.

Right on your number. Yes, but McDivin has a fucking track record of leading a team to a Stanley Cup finals. To compare the two is completely different. And you always go to stats and numbers. I go to successes. And yes, we have fun that the Oilers didn't win. But McDavid drags his team into when it matters, are we questioning whether McDavid's going to show up? Never.

We're all taking McDivodev. The point I'm getting at is that just anyone feel like when Matthews is a free agent, unless they say, hey, whatever you want, he's not going to leave? So the word on the weekend is that they're still happy. There isn't a need for him either to want out or for them to move on. But we're playing our game. We're not the GM and we're not. So the rub here is can you move Matthew?

and actually be a better team down the road, or is this a flawed superstar you have to live with? Because I still think he's one of the top five to ten players on planet Earth. And you wonder, like, is there a mix you can put around them? Or has it been 10 years? And it's impossible because they tried for 10 years. I don't know how if you're going to rebuild, you've got a piece better than Matthews in his prime to build around.

And that's kind of the conundrum they're in, right? Because they've accomplished nothing with him. He's still probably the best peer score in hockey. No, that's What's his Right now today, right? What's his, I'm putting on the spot.

13 and a quarter, two more years. I'd need to be very confident that he's staying. And that was the conversation on the weekend. Even if I know he's staying. I'm with you. I would be, I'd be moving on.

Even if I know he's. I don't disagree with that. I'm telling you, Elliot's reporting on the weekend. 100%. We're just having, but we're having a conversation. We're not reporting on what's being said.

I'm giving my opinion that, For me? Absolutely. Yeah. And these guys aren't even the San Jose sharks. And is it, do you find any similarities with Ikel where it's like, we can't even win with this guy.

We got to get rid of them where it's time to change. No, because the organizations are different. Matthews can go and win somewhere. Yeah, but Ikel never won anything in Buffalo. They were the shits. Like it's the similarity with Matthews, right?

They were in last place when Ickel was in Buffalo. What are you talking about? I just mean like there's, you talked about like, what have you accomplished? Eicholist never was never in a position to help a team win in Buffalo into playoffs. Yeah, the teams were worse.

They were terrible? Yeah. And so were the Sabres better off having moved away from them with a new court to build around or are they like, shit, we probably should have kept that guy. That's kind of what I'm trying to relate to what the Matthews Spock. Because if you move them, I just don't know how you're better. All I'm saying is, I'm not short. Yeah. You're making a different.

I'm not convinced he's staying in two years. So you could, we're going to build around. They kind of did that here. We're going to build around Kachuk. we want to get Eichael. We don't want to trade Kachuk because we're going to build around Kachuk. We want Eichl to be here with him. And that's like, oh, shit. Well, we didn't get him.

And he's gone. I just, I'm with you. And it's probably way too far into the eye test. But he does not look to me like a guy that hates Losen. Or like you say, is going to drag you through McDavid. You see it. Right? Like he's visually pissed on it.

The loss is way on. him. I'll tell you who I just don't say in Edmonton for cheap. Matthews. Yeah. And that says so. Yep. And I only just caution this thing. We've painted guys is you'll never win with that guy guys. And you just feel like body language. It hasn't happened. And then we also see those guys go on and win a bunch of cups. Um, well, like Castle. But he was like a secondary piece. He was the best player in Toronto and he couldn't win. Then he goes to a secondary piece and he does win. Right. But we're, that's what we're saying. He's not going to be as the captain.

He's not going to be. Where did he go to win? Boston and Vegas and. He didn't win in Boston. No, where did he? Pittsburgh. Thank you. Who were the captain?

Yeah. That's why it matters. And that's the point I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it. Again, I just think a lot of people, if you went back and looked at the tape, would have said you're never going to win with Jack Eichol.

And he was their best player. You keep going to Eichol and it's a one-off thing and they got mad about an injury. It gets a stupid comparison. It was pissing infight for sure between ownership and players. I understand there's a slight relevance to what we're talking about, but it's kind of that you're putting your flag into the same here, and it's like, well, I don't really see a, I can see some similarities, but it's not, Buffalo sucked.

The team was no good. They never made the playoffs. Ico was injured and they got in a spat and they told them to get lost. I don't how is that the same as Matthews and well I mean those are and I don't remember anyone saying they the sabers can't win with Ikel because they weren't in a position to win he was never put to the test yeah it wasn't about it could they win with him it was like are we building around the sky or is it time to cut bait and start fresh that was the conversation how are they doing now with Massachusetts right now well how are they doing now that they're doing

great seven years later whatever it is yeah