Real Kyper & Bourne - Battle Of The QEW Returns

Episode Date: February 21, 2023

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee begin by revisiting where Ryan O'Reilly should play, if Sheldon Keefe should hold his cards closer when talking to the media and what to think of John Tavares being moved to the wing. They then get into the Leafs' matching up against the Buffalo Sabres, if the they can bounce back after a poor performance against Chicago and if Noel Acciari can keep up his energetic play. After, Hockey Night In Canada's Gary Galley joins the show (40:42) to share his thoughts on the O'Reilly trade, if the Leafs are done making deals and how the team will build chemistry before the playoffs begin. Later, GM of the Sabres Kevyn Adams discusses his team's season so far, the superstar jump from Rasmus Dahlin and where they can grow in the remaining games this season (1:07:04).  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

This is Real Kipper and Born on Sportsnet 590 The Van. Right back in the saddle. Game day. Toronto Maple Leafs skated this morning at the Ford Performance Center ahead of their matchup with the Buffalo Sabres. Nick Kiprios, Justin Bourne, Derek Brandeo, David Sig. Nope. Did I screw it up?

What the hell's your last name? Sis. Sis. Short for Sisyphus, because you're going to be pushing that rock up the hill every day trying to remember. And they were in Buffalo. I had screwed up that, too. Nick Kiprios.

You got that part right. Take two. Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Real Kipper and Born Show. I'm Nick Kiprios. Justin Bourne. Derek Brendio. He's back.

David Sisboomba. Yes. How's that? Yes. Better? Nicely done. I hope he sticks around long enough this time so I can kind of lock that in. That's right.

I like his odds. And seven. McKee. The Leafs skated in Buffalo this morning, by the way. Not at the Ford Performance Center like I put in the lineup. Where did you get that from? Boys, let's just move past it. You know I'm Will Ferrell. I'll just read it if it's there.

I know, and I was thinking about it. As soon as you started saying it, I'm like, that's not right. Whale's vagina. I was like, that's just not right. That'll just read it if it's there. I know. And I was thinking about it as soon as you started saying it. I'm like, Whale's vagina. I was like, that's just not right. That's just not right. I screwed you over. It's my bad. Sorry, bud. No, no. It's my fault. You know why? Because I almost never read your stuff. I don't know why today

I decided to read it. Wherever you're watching me screw up the intro, we're glad you're aboard. Sportsnet 590, the fan, our YouTube channel, Sportsnet Now, iTunes, Spotify, side of a building, under a bridge, wherever you are, we're glad you're aboard. And getting ratioed by our own Sportsnet Twitter account. We did. We did.

I don't know if you saw this, Kip. No. What? The Sportsnet account tweeted out a clip from our show yesterday, and in fairness, they clipped a thing we said. And they tweeted the thing we said, which you mentioned,

which was, worst case scenario is this is Nick Foligno 2. Is the tweet. And so we got just killed. Killed. Killed. For negativity. Murder. Where if you listen to the show, I was here with pom-poms. I thought we had a very. And even Kip likes it.

I thought we had a very rational, fair conversation. And that's what they tweet. I don't think it's Nick Foligno too. I'm saying the scenario is. Worst case Ontario, that's what it is. A ton of futures for a UFA. They lose in the first round, and it is Nick Foligno, too. That's the worst-case scenario.

Sure. I'm just stating the obvious. You set the range of parameters. Yes. And most people thought we talked about the bottom parameter. Are we not allowed to mention that that could be a worst-case scenario? Are we not allowed to? Oh, we're allowed to. that that could be a worst case scenario are we not allowed to oh we're allowed to okay then once everybody getting over uh listen it gets it gets the people going it's provocative you can't even think that no no not if you're true blue and white this is

sam's leaf nation by the way. I don't know, man. Sammy's. I know. They're on Sam's negativity lately, too. I've been getting killed recently for being Mr. Negative. Oh, Kipper's robbing off on you. Everyone you're getting. Oh, people are killing me constantly, Kipper. It's like, you know, I just didn't love the trade.

It's like, you idiot. How dare you have an opinion you're looking for clicks which by the way we do not get paid by the click no yeah it's like no i said my opinion on an opinion website that's what happened anyways we should clarify that you know you can disagree with the sports opinion without making it personal sammy is he's sensitive the one i do not agree no i know you're not at all that has been established early in this trade you can tell me if i'm wrong happy let's do it that when you give up the the draft picks that the leafs had for for a big trade yeah it should come in with definitive, this is who he is, this is where he's playing. No. No?

No. Disagree. So if they were to have gone out and spent a first, a second, a third, or fourth on a defenseman, you would be still questioning where he would be slotted in? Like we are questioning already a couple of games in where ryan o'reilly's best fit is no see it's how you frame it to me it's versatility to me you have the option to do different things you have the option to load up your top six you have the option

to run three centers you have the option for achari to play center the option for him to play the wing in a play out for playoff rounds you expect to see different opponents you might have to do different things i think to me it's options it's not but there's no lack of clarity but some could be more successful than others yes some will be not necessarily if you went out and traded for chikrin or gabrikov you know he's going to be on the left side he's going to play top four he'll kill penalties he'll that is a much simpler trait to process and you know what you're getting yeah it's simpler it's a little more complex right now and already do we we do find and this isn't us leading the narrative here

no there are some people that don't like tavaris and oReilly on the same line. For sure. I would say most of the, and I air quote, hockey people on this don't. To be fair, though, I mean, they traded for a center, and he's playing center. O'Reilly, right? It's not like you're talking about them not knowing what they're doing with him. He is playing his natural position. It's just that they happen to bump the captain off the team. The captain, the 33-year-old captain

who's never played wings. Which is a little bit of a story now. I absolutely think it's a story. I think there's a lot of ways you can take that if you're looking at it from a 10,000 feet view, no? That's not us trying to get, what do you call it, clickbait? No, it's a real conversation.

We expect the same lineup that we saw in chicago which includes tavaris on the wing let's go to sheldon key for our first kippers clipper i think he's adjusted fine you know i think uh i've gone back and i've watched all the all the shifts um for that line in two games and trying to see if there's something there that maybe there's some difficulty or anything like that, and I don't see that. He's handled plays on the wall really well.

So to that end, I think he's done a really good job, first of all, embracing it and going with it. And the advantage is I think it's less of a workload. You know, you don't have to skate as much up and down the rank and getting all the way back. So, you know, to that end, I think there's some advantages for anybody that plays on the lane there. It can help them on offense especially,

but just to have a little extra gas in the tank. That clip brought to you by Ketamine. Is he okay? A little life in his voice here? Yeesh. No, it's just like, I don't know. Listen, I am

going to say something very bad for our show, but I think he's talking too much. Just in general? Coach is going to keep his very bad for our show. Let's go. But I think he's talking too much. Just in general? Coach is going to keep his mouth shut. Just in general. Yeah, I'd like more of that. No.

No, stop that. Kipper, what are you doing? Kipper, we got to grind you to the end here. I'm not speaking as a broadcaster. I'm speaking as a hockey guy that would prefer him to keep his cards closer on a lot of things including even Tavares and where he sees him short term and long term yeah and that leads me to our next clip and I want to play it and then I'm going to come out and explain where I'm coming from. Like I said here, this is something that we would have tried and would have wanted to try at some point and I just like the ability to go right to it here now.

And as I told John when we first made this move that it's going to be a one-off or anything like that. We're going to stay with it for a little bit and give it some time to come together. I actually thought that they had a good night the other night. I'm going to look at some of their offensive chances. They're really close. Look to me like a group that's close to breaking out.

We'll see how it is tonight. I think those guys, I see them talking lots. I see great chemistry there that way. We'll stay how it is tonight. But I think those guys, I see them talking lots and see great chemistry there that way. So we'll stay with it. Okay, I appreciate his honesty, especially for our show, because he gives us so much. Right. But I don't see, and maybe you or Sammy can explain to me,

why you have to reveal your cards that Tavares on the left side is not a one-off that this is where I want to go and I'm shooting for the top and this is the way I'm going to see success and in the event that you don't get it and you've got to kind of come up with plan b then there's less people like you and sammy to throw it in his face and say you made a mistake yeah well you know there's actually no no it is it is weird to especially as a guy that's such a tinkerer in game for him to come out and make these like definitive comments on sticking with it for a while listen we just saw kyle Dubas blatantly lie to everyone about not wanting to do a rental, and doing a big double rental, in fact.

So I think maybe he's just saying this, maybe just to hear the sound of his own voice, getting back to your point about talking too much. When it happened, there's a quote today, Anthony Petrelli, he's a good writer for Maple Leafs Hot Stove, I like his stuff. He mentioned he had a quote from Keefe, like right when the trade happened, he says, it gives me a lot of options i expect between now and the end

of the regular season we will try a number of different things we will try to get a feel for what our best mix is and be potential adjustments and looks we can throw out depending on what the gamer opponent calls which should lead to sheldon saying and we're going to try a lot of different things where i'm just watching and observing. And you don't have to say, you do not have to say it's not a one-off. You don't have to say, this is something that I believe in.

This is something that I want to go to right now because everything underneath it is potentially waiting for you as a plan B i just it's the same thing with the five forwards just hey shift to shift game to game that's all we're focused on and i'm not i'm not saying anything else and that way the expectations aren't there for somebody to turn around and say yeah you wasted two weeks on this. It was never going to work. It does go to show how you end up with guys like Daryl Sutter

or just some veteran guys who just don't give you anything because you're kind of right. Managing expectations is such a huge part of that role. And so, yeah, there is part of that for me where maybe it is better. I did want to weigh in on JT on the wing, just in general. Please go ahead because I got a ton that Sheldon revealed to me in that quote. So two things, I think.

One is that I don't like it. I don't like him as a winger. Okay. Two is that I thought that line with O'Reilly and Marner, he said they look close to breaking out. I saw that too. I saw a lot of ticky-tack little stuff in the offensive zone that was like inches away.

JT going on the back door, almost put away an O'Reilly pass. There was a post. I could see what you would like about this group. All the good sticks and little passes and smart guys, I can see what you would like there. Yes. Don't like Tavares in the wing. Yeah.

They play in small areas. Yeah. They play in small areas very well. That's exactly what I see. Like, no one's zipping around, but they're tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, and guys are going, you know. Which could be great in the playoffs in small areas and tight checking. And maybe they go to that when they need one.

All you need is a split second where you're kind of in and out of a one-foot radius, and boom, it's in the net, right? need is a split second where you're kind of in and out of a one foot radius and boom, it's in the net, right? The one thing, again, where I just don't think Sheldon needed to go

and you know what, can you play the clip one more time for me on Tavares on the wing, please, and see if you can pick it up. Yep. I think he's adjusted fine. You know, I think I've gone back and i've watched all the all the shifts um for that line and two two games and trying to trying to see you know if there's something there that maybe there's some difficulty or anything like that and i don't see that he's handled plays on the wall really well um so to that and i think he's done a really good job,

first of all, embracing it and going with it. The advantage is I think it's less of a workload. You don't have to skate as much up and down the rink and getting all the way back. So to that end, I think's some uh advantages for anybody that plays on the lane there uh that can help them help them on offense especially but just more just to have a little extra gas in the tank is that last part isn't it yeah of course it is the workload you don't skate as much if i'm john tavaris i don't necessarily want my head coach

telling me that he's he he doesn't think I can handle a workload. It's less of a workload. I need a position where it's not as much skating. Because now you're telling me that skating's a bit of an issue here. Yeah. Yeah. No, I agree. I thought that at the end was a bit, you know, we all know that.

We know that there's less skating at wing. That's why people have talked about Tavares as a potential winger. I think that's a part of the assumption of why you would want to do it. But, yeah, I'm with you. You wouldn't want to hear that about yourself. Yeah, Justin, you know, we got him in a spot where he doesn't have to do the thing he's not very good at. Don't you think he's talking it out like it's not a demotion? Like every time he's talking about it, it's like, ohotion like every time he's talking about it's like oh

he's looked great over there like oh we like what he does over there you know just trying to keep his workload down or whatever it's like isn't this guy the 11 million dollar captain of the toronto maple leafs like wouldn't you want him to be able to handle the workload isn't that kind of the point the other thing is before any of you on that real stupid kipper and born show start saying that uh you know he could have his nose out of joint. I'm telling you right now. He's embracing it. He's embracing it.

Yeah. Right? Yeah. It's like he's trying to get ahead of no distraction here. But it is a fair question. A hundred percent it is. And it's smart to mention it first. I'm not saying it was a dumb move.

No, yeah, yeah. But you're not flying that one by us on this show do you think it would bother him i i don't know how it doesn't don't know how it doesn't with i'm with sammy here yeah right you're uh one of the top paid centermen in the league at 11 million bucks i think for the most, he's spent his whole career being that franchise face of the New York Islanders, number one center, no questions asked. He comes here.

Only in Toronto do you find someone that makes more money in your position than $11 million. I think he's settled in quite nicely to be the second guy behind Austin Matthews. But now you've lost that job. And that's your natural position. And I get that we've seen him on the wing on occasion. Certainly instrumental way back in the Olympics

when he never stood as a number one or two guy on a Team Canada and gladly one of those star players, much like Taves, I think I remember, in Vancouver, where you take on different roles. I think Eric Stahl went through that. There's a few others that you know that they're number one positions on their respective club but when you go to a team canada for an olympic gold you're going to take on a lesser role you're going to find your your checking role that's all fine and dandy but that was a long time ago yeah and so the only difference for me would be that you know the one thing really missing for him in his career is a Stanley Cup, right? That's the thing. He's done individual accolades, you know, All-Star Games, Olympic gold,

all that sort of stuff. And he wakes up the morning of the trade and he finds out Ryan O'Reilly's there. And the chance to play with, all of a sudden your line is O'Reilly and Marner and not Kerfoot and Marner. And I think you go, yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's get this thing. Let's get this cup, okay? Like, I can see him being

more excited about what it could do for his chances of winning a cup now let me ask you something i mean that's i think that's a fair counter that you know it's not like he's getting moved over for nola chari here right oh go ahead do you think kyle or or sheldon would have had a discussion with John Tavares? Oh, yes. I was kind of led to believe that the thought of him going to wing, Sheldon gave us the impression that the thought of JT playing the wing was there even well before they traded for Ryan O'Reilly. Did you get that impression?

In that particular clip, I don't know that I got that impression, but I could see how you could take that. He's mentioned it before in the past, though. Yeah. Mostly in response to questions from people like our own Luke Fox, right? Of course. But no, he has mentioned, like, it's not the first time that it's been brought up. And I often remember, too, that one time we maybe had mentioned it too with a certain guy the only thing i'm trying to get to

is that the moment the moment the trade is made would that have been something that tavaris was preparing for would he have known that the moment they traded for Ryan O'Reilly, I'm heading over to the left side? Or would that have been still a real sit down with your captain and then the process would have started like this? John, we just traded for Ryan O'Reilly. I want him in the second hole, and we're going to bump you on the left side,

and I hope you're okay with it would that have been more of a realistic scenario you know i could yeah i could see a scenario where they say okay we know we're going to call and tavarez are talking about the lines because they i don't know how early they would know they got o'reilly but not much before they announced the trade presumably and i think you sit down and go what does it look like when we have them you call in tavarez you say here's one thing we think might help you you know we give you the bet the chance to play with this guy and what do you think you know and let him kind of have his say do you think if tavarez was smashing pitcher frames in the office they wouldn't have said all right okay

you can have a line you can be the guy like i'm sure there was some that's interesting you know some sort of cooperation on it doesn't appear to be that type of guy uh frame smasher yeah no i i think that they know who john tavaris is in terms of like i don't think there's a lot of guys in the league that they would even bridge this with but i think i don't think they were worried about this conversation with john Tavares. Is there a more consummate professional kind of guy in the league? Deep down, maybe when he goes home, he has a conversation with his loved ones saying that it pisses him off a little bit. Stalking us, yeah.

But he would never, ever let it show to the media, to his teammates, to his coach, to anything. He just really feels like you know whatever is best for the team i will do don't you guys agree like i i don't think there's a lot of guys you can bridge that with it's a credit i do agree i do agree but i understand competitive elite guys and wanting their you know look at making sure that they're doing what they want to be doing but i i could i think he's at that point in his career but again speculation your honor i think there's a fine line too because there there is the pride factor here for john tavaris that he's still a top centerman and he is the captain of this team and ryan o'reilly

comes in as a captain like yeah leadership does does it look in a week or two like this is more o'reilly's team than it is john tavaris's team no based on based on uh your thought of hey i'll do whatever it takes for the team i don't think so you mean one thing he did mention sheldon that they you know the the line itself looked like they had chemistry looked like the line itself looked like they had chemistry, looked like they were talking, looked like they were working through this. Like, I don't think you resent someone and you sit there and really do your best to make it work with them. Like, I don't know. But there is something to be said that this guy knows the secret sauce

to winning and this guy's still learning. Yeah. I mean, that's part of why you trade for Nick Foligno and you trade for Ryan O'Reilly. And who did they trade for the year before? It was another captain. No, but there's only... Well, Giordano.

But there's one guy that won a Stanley Cup here. Right? Yeah, I guess. You know, like, I see what you mean. But, like, I just feel they've got a good player they want to win. I don't think that anyone's going to take their individual stuff and pout about it. I'll be interested, though like because he said they're gonna you know it's not a one-off but i don't i think they'll probably be off wednesday

after tonight's game and then they'll probably practice again thursday travel day i think that makes sense right even though it's from buffalo it's two hour drive but um i bet i bet we see a different lineup on friday against the wild like i'm not convinced that he's going to stick with this after tonight. I think result dependent still. Like, what if they go out and pour three in tonight as a line? You know, like, they're... Yeah, no, you're probably right. But, like, I just...

If they have another similar night that they had in the last... Yeah, but you don't understand, though, Sammy. If you are correct, it doesn't make Sheldon look good to tell everybody on a Tuesday that it's not a one-off, and then you're changing it by Friday. No, you're right. I'm going back to your point of talking too much, maybe. It's a part of the plan. I feel like this is the creating options,

finding out what your optimal lineup is, finding out what you have behind that. You know, this is actually yesterday. I made a brilliant point, let me just say. We will decide that. About putting Ryan O'Reilly in a position around leaders on the team where, you know, you're a part of the big moments and the systems and communication

and you're in with the core guys on the team. Sheldon talked about putting him and Achari in that mix. Let's listen to that clip. We're going to have two of our leaders alongside O'Reilly in particular, and then even with Kerfoot with Achari. You know, Kerfoot in particular has been here a long time. The guy that talks a lot, smart player. You know, keep them alongside each other in the penalty kill as well.

So I think with no practice time and even without that, just a quick turnaround coming from one team to the next and playing right in games, I think it's important to utilize that. Utilize your leaders. Utilize your guys that are the best communicators. And, you know, in Riley's case, some of our best players. So I think all of that helps.

And then, as we talked about even before we made the trade, you know, I've been wanting to see Yarncrock, Engvall, and Kerfoot, or excuse me, Camfez online. So that in itself has given me more time to see that play out. And I thought those guys were exceptional in Montreal. Maybe not as good in Chicago. But still, I think there were some things to like about it there too. And then the Achari group has, you know,

it's the best our fourth line has looked in, you know, all season. He almost said, since I've been here, but he caught himself short. He loves Achari. Loves. I'm with him. I should dig up that clip from yesterday that we never played of him talking about Achari. I don't know if he's talked as glowingly about someone.

I'll try to find him. Just one more thought on loading up, because that's what it is. It's loading up your first two. And, you know, in that quote we just heard from, there's also the fact that he loves Camp, Engvall, and Yarncroft. That's his third line. Again, the danger is that the chemistry isn't great with Tavares and O'Reilly, and that forces you to change two lines not one

because that'll affect the third line which would also mean that my vision you know didn't come to fruition yeah you know I think do we want to hear the clip of him talking about Achari from one sec one sec on that

the you know the way I see these lines playing out, I don't love... The reason I said at the top of the show that I don't love Tavares in that spot is because to me, the huge advantage you gain by having O'Reilly is a third line centered by Ryan O'Reilly.

And if it's with Engvall and Jarnkrok or Kerfoot or whoever, they're going to get a couple for you over the course of a series like a few yes and this they just haven't gotten that in any series columbus montreal tampa boston like they've never had depth scoring in the playoffs and i love the idea of them being able to have a third line who gets one when the other two lines are going toe to toe was a hitch who's talked about the top two lines sawing off?

Yeah. You're going to saw off with Kerfoot, Engvall, and Kampf too, or whatever the third line is. Yeah. You're going to saw off with that line. Whatever any other great team's third line is, it's going to look something like that. O'Reilly lets you have an advantage there.

Whereas if you have Marner and Tavares together, Willie and Austin together, you've got something on every line for me. And agree. Love it. and tavara's together willie and austin together you've got something on every line for me and agree the the the brilliant comment you made wasn't the one that you just mentioned you know which one it was which one i don't know when you said it two shows ago maybe that the tendency for sheldon is to go big right away and the best example over the last few years is throwing joe thornton with the big boys right away yeah and just trying to drive that thing right through yeah and it it just

square peg round hole yeah it never happened no one ever really saw that and now you're you're backpedaling and that kind of feels the same way for me that i hope you're right i really do that you find tavaris o'reilly and marner as a very tough line to play against tampa bay hopefully finds that out you're set on your third and it's a non-issue and there's a there's still a possibility that may happen but if it doesn't now you're in a little bit of a backstroke how would you feel go ahead sammy he also did it with michael bunting too last year if you remember yeah well nick ritchie too though right started them in the big spot right away and then had to demote them and then had to put them back up

obviously yeah ritchie ended up in phoenix but i I think it is a bit of a thing that he tends to do. Maybe he just gets a little bit excited like the rest of us. He wants to see the shiny new toy in a big spot. Let's see what this thing can do sort of thing. Just go open it up on the highway before you drive it around the neighborhood. A little bit. All right. Just to touch base on the rest of the show,

Gary Gally will be joining us in about 15, 20 minutes. And in the second hour, Kevin Adams, general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. Not too long ago, a lot of people, and I'd be one included, that, you know, questioned Kevin Adams. Inexperienced, coming in, where is this team going? Had a huge anchor around his neck with Jack Eichel. And I'm the first one to say that this guy's done a hell of a job up until now. There's some really good pieces in there. Hedging contracts has been another strength that we saw through Tage Thompson

and Cousins most recently. He's going to be joining us in the second hour and we'll get uh a real in-depth look at uh the buffalo sabers which will be great just looking at their draft i mean they're they're cap friendly and their draft picks and everything like they are they don't have other than jeff skinner who is on pace for 30 goals again this year so it's a bit of an overpay outside of that it's in really good shape like they are longer skinner for a while uh quite a while 26 27 at nine mil really yeah yeah but he's got 30 goals like he still scores he's still a decent hockey player he's not a nine million dollar hockey player obviously but like he's not

what's he have left he's got till 20 27 till 20 27 at nine mil 9 mil. There's still room there for that maybe not to play out. They wouldn't be in a position to move him now because they're so close, and I think you owe it to the fans to push. But that might be one of those contracts in the last few years. You eat 25% of it, and someone's willing to take some scoring help at a couple of years left at seven, six and a half. Yeah, cap goes up, his hit goes down with some retention. All of a sudden it's like, yeah, we'll take Jeff Skinner at six.

They're in good shape, Sabres. All right, which leads us to Sheldon hoping that his team rebounds off of that loss against Chicago, against a team that we assume is going to be very hungry against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Let's have a listen. Incredible skill, speed, both on forward and defense. So an exciting team to watch that way, but a dangerous team to play against. I thought when we played them back in November, I thought we did an exceptional job of defending,

and that's going to be required tonight. You know, the top five team in the NHL in goal scoring and strength, power play is dangerous. Lots of guys that can score different lines. I mean, they had two first overall picks on the back end and a number of top picks on the forward, and I don't know how many first-round picks there are total on the team, but there's a ton of talent on the team that's taken a big step. As you say, it's right there in the thick of the playoff push. In fact, in win percentage, I think they're in as of today.

But, yeah, it's a teamwork certainly you have to be prepared for in all facets. I'm expecting a really good game tonight. It's going to be fun. By the way, find someone that loves you the way that sheldon keith loves every team they play against that's why i love have playing the club city has about the other team because he says good things about them all the time yeah they're the best arizona coming great off the rush oh yeah just they're actually you guys don't know this he's actually they're actually number one in left-hand shooters from the slot on the weekend scoring on backup goalies. I don't think anyone knows that. On an afternoon game.

This is clearly though a team that this is always David and Goliath and we saw what they did to them last year. Yeah. I think the Leafs are 2-3 in their last five against Buffalo. 1-3

last year. They beat them pretty good. Yeah, this year they beat them soundly. 5-2 or 6-2, wasn't it? last year they beat them pretty good yeah this year they beat them five or six two wasn't it yeah i'm pretty good um but yeah so the one thing about the sabers team they remind me of the 2018 toronto maple leafs uh rough thereabouts i think where they had all the skill and people were excited and here come the leafs and they score at will i think the sabers are third in the nhl in goals and they just can't defend a lick yeah they don't even try to defend they're like you know 30th in goals against third and goals for you know top team in power play 31st in penalty killing like everything goes one way it's a track meet against the sabers what's the over under tonight. I have no idea what it really is.

Seven, maybe? So I don't want to necessarily shoot my shot here, but Auston Matthews does not like Darlene. Hates Darlene. Okay. I'm not going to say that Auston Matthews is going to get in a fight tonight. But. You want some uh animosity i will be i am predicting some serious animosity between

austin matthews and rasmus i would welcome that big time and lovely and dylan cousins he he got out in that outdoor game he got after matthews pretty good i get the feeling that you're watching this team play that they're not really afraid of the toronto maple leafs like i think they really kind of would you know take this as a big opportunity to show what they're what they're about like this is a big week for them and foolish yeah like i just really excited for tonight it's not that i'm not i gotta tell you after the last five games montreal chicago i don't know who else they played rockportport. This is good. I'm looking forward to a Sabres match up here. Albany River rats.

But there is that continuous storyline of Leafs underachieving against the worst teams in the league. A loss tonight would just pour gasoline on that. Would it not? I'm going to be honest. I'm invested in tonight's outcome. Like, I'll be very disappointed if we're covering a Leafs loss tomorrow. I don't think the Leafs are looking at this as, I don't think this is the let-up spot.

No. I think they're going to be fine. I think they're going to have a good reaction to the loss against Chicago. Yeah. I do too. And the Sabres are a good enough team that they know they have to take it seriously. Yeah. It's actually the perfect spot for Leafs success.

Coming off a little bit of a wrist whack. Is that what we're saying now? I don't know. You can't say the other one. All right. Coming off one of those, and then you play a fairly good team. You've got O'Reilly. There should be some excitement here.

And they know that this team is an up-and-comer and probably thinks they're pretty good. This is the cub coming at the lion king here we have a whole bunch of quotes with the game in buffalo the sabers would want to score a goal early to take the crowd out of it fair should be about 50 50 tonight 50 50 i bet you it's more than that oh i think you guys think so i mean i never really paid attention blue and white yeah like i went in when was that october late october i went to buffalo and it was half empty tickets 75 bucks on a saturday night it was half empty so like you know i think there'll be least nation will be well represented at the

key bank center oh good chance to see uh ryan o'reilly and nola chari the great nola chari yeah do you guys want to hear the clip of keith about Achari? Sure, let's go to it. Just a reliable and responsible player on both sides of the puck, offensively and defensively. Plays a very hard and simple offensive game, but yet plays with confidence and plays with his head up to make a play. Obviously gets rewarded tonight going around the net, but he's been around the net in both games.

And then defensively, just in good spots, has an incredible defensive stick, and he's just really heavy and hard on the puck. So when he pushes on you or leans on you, you stop, generally. So very, very, very encouraging what we've seen from him. Okay, before we comment on that, let's piggyback Noel Achari on the Leafs having interest

and then we'll lump it all together. I understand that the Leafs maybe had some interest in you as a free agent, too. Were you aware of that? Is that true? Yeah, we were talking. Yeah, there was always a possibility that it'd be a maple leaf, and, you know, here I am now.

So shout out our boy Luke Fox, intrepid reporter. That was not on camera, so he had to send me that audio, so I really appreciate it. So there you go. Okay. So why wasn't he a leaf? He's at 1.25. That's what it is to me,

is when you're a guy making close to a million bucks and someone says they'll give you 1.25 instead of 1.15, you take the $100,000 and go somewhere else. That's fine if you're a Chari. Yeah. Give me an explanation on the Leafs. Not ponying up? Ponying up. No, no, no, no.

Let's go another level here who's the guy that said uh no achari but let's go two million times four for yarn croc i would take noel achari all day long over yarn croc all day long wow bold i mean yard cro's got like 5 15 goal seasons or something the least i don't care that guy does not play hard like all the charries already showed me that guy achari's more playoff built than yarn croc will ever be i got news for you i agree yeah i listen million. I'm more on the, I don't mind the uncross. And you're telling me 100,000 over one one to one two? Like, why? Why? How about the quotes from Keith?

He's like, and he's handsome and intelligent. You should see him solve a Rubik's Cube. But he's not worth one five, one seven to sign him? Actually, that is a really good point. If you guys value this and knew you were looking for this and couldn't find it i need to trade a second round pick yeah the deadline thank you yeah no you're right i i can't disagree with you at all on this and i'm who else did they sign this off season i guess they signed yarn croc was there who are the minimum guys that they brought in

talented guy ass and reese took 800 were they that tight against the cat maybe they were young crocs a serviceable nhl player i like yarn croc i think more than you obey kubel i don't i'm not saying that yarn crocs completely's all it's funny we we talked the other day about like we're imagining imagining a third line depth guy getting you a big goal no one suggested the guy they just signed for four years to be in that spot i could see it being a chari getting a big goal i already love him i'm like keith i watched two games i'm like oh he's big he's strong are we doing the holmberg thing here again though or is he oh my god i know i know come on i don't even want to know what i'm doing here top five hitter too right in the league yeah

he runs into everyone he's got some weight to him too when you run into him you generally stop we didn't for the second day in a row we didn't get to all the clips in their first 40 minutes. No, but we're gonna. We're gonna let you listen to Ryan O'Reilly at the end of the show. Alright, good. Can't get enough of that. But in the meantime, we're gonna take a quick break. We're gonna bring back Gary Gally, former

NHL-er, Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster. One of the best out there. I love listening to him and we've got him after the break you're watching and listening to real kipper and sammy too and born covering the raptors in depth like no one else the raptor show with will lou subscribe and download the show on apple spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Nick Cabrillo's Justin Bourne.

I'm going to track down Gary Gally. Beautiful. One of our favorites. And I'm not... We still owe him an apology for last time he was on what happened last time we asked him about every team in canada it was a synopsis of ottawa and he was like yeah here's what's going on we really it was like a pop quiz really my fault i wonder what he's gonna say in terms of the leaf trade good news all. Like I said before he came on, one of our favorites,

and I'm not just saying that like I do with Doug McClain just before he comes on. That's a lie. Let's welcome in Gary Gally. How are you? I'm doing great. I appreciate that, Nick. Thank you.

Of all the people you know, I'm one of them. Listen, right off the bat, I want to get your thoughts on a trade for two forwards by the Toronto Maple Leafs. And the price that they paid wasn't a cheap one. Are you expecting more? Is this enough to get them over the hump against Tampa Bay? Let's get your thoughts. You hit the nail on the head. They're playing Tampa Bay.

I mean, I think it would be something crazy would have to happen for those two teams not to meet in the first round. So realistically, you know your opponent. You've played them in the past. They have the same players, the star players, and they have the same goaltender, same systems that they play. So you really know everything about them, but you didn't beat them. So what could you add to your team to help win that series,

to tip the scales in your favor? And I think the one player you'd want to add is a real veteran player, a guy who's won before, and a guy that can play a good, solid 200-foot game. So when you put him out against a guy like Braden Point, and you put him out against a guy like Kucherov, he's played in those situations before. He knows how to do it. And Ryan O'Reilly is that guy.

I mean, he's a guy that's won a consummate trophy. He's the prototypical guy you'd want in the playoff battle with you. So I think adding him is a really good thing. You know, I mean, that's the kind of the, when you're trying to make your team better, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a lot of star players. They have a lot of

swagger. They have guys who can score. They have a lot of skill sets. But you need that little bit of extra savvy and moxie. And adding these two guys, I think, to their lineup, you know, are giving them a bit of that. And I think that's what maybe they're missing, and that's what maybe the Tampa Bay Lightning

learned along their way, that, yeah, they can have all these sexy sports cars, but you need these, you know, these other, you know, roadsters that come in that can play in the sandbox and get it done. And that's what the Tampa Bay Lightning figured out, and that's what the Toronto Maple Leafs have to figure out, and that's what they're trying to do.

So do I think they're done? I think they're going to try to add a defenseman. I think they should. How they get that done, I don't know. And is there a defenseman available that fits into what they're looking for and that for the price they can pay and what they can afford to put out there, that's going to be the tail of the tape. But I do like the deal.

I do think it'll take a little time to see it kind of, you know, all gel together. But I do think it's a step forward for a team that has to win. If they don't win, you're looking at significant changes um in the organization and everybody knows that so this is this is all all in so yeah i think uh i think a smart deal to make so a really tough thing with nhl trades is you know you get the piece and now figuring out how to best optimize your lineup how to get the most out of the players you have the sheldon keith has decided to play tavars on the

wing with o'reilly and marner what are your thoughts on how to get the most out of this forward group now that o'reilly and achari have been added i think you gotta he's gonna move pieces around a little bit here i don't think he they he probably knows the best location for him yet and maybe it is the best location for him um You know, Toronto is a good face-off team. Tavares is a good face-off guy. You know, so is O'Reilly. So I think you're good in that area. So that's the one great thing about having those guys together

on the same line. You know, I think they play at the same tempo too, which is something that I like. Players that play with certain guys that play at a temple, that you've got to learn the temple they play at, and you've got to try to play within that temple. If you're too ahead of the temple, it doesn't work. If you're too behind it, it doesn't work.

And the good players, like the Jake Gensels and the guys that learn how to play with star players, they just fit in, they find their groove, and they figure it out. And you can put a lot of guys with a lot of lines bunting in Toronto. You can put a lot of guys on that line last year and wouldn't have the effect that he had. He figured it out. It takes a special player to do that.

And so for Tavares and O'Reilly, they're going to have to figure it out. And they both respect one another, I'm sure, to the utmost. So they're going to work hard for one another and and you know hopefully the chemistry comes together quickly and and sheldon keys is okay i've got the mat i've got the i've got the look i like so let's just stay with it but uh i get the sense it's going to move around a little bit i i do i don't think it's it's gonna uh you know i i think you should move it around a little bit and see if something else pops out that you like better. Coaches love to have the lineup separated so that there's strength throughout it.

You don't just want to have it top-heavy. You want to have strength throughout the line so it forces your opponent to have to operate all their defensive schematics against your whole team, not just one line or two lines or whatever. So this is a feather in the bonnet of the maple east they can move you know riley around a lot of places and and you're getting a good player in whether you play center wing whether he plays on your first line second line third line don't matter he's he's gonna be a handful for an

opponent and i think that that's a good that's a good thing we're talking to gary galley former nhl or hockey night in canada broadcaster and uh one of the best might i add uh gary sheldon keith had mentioned today that uh john tavaris has embraced moving to the left side we certainly take that at face value but you know throughout your what almost 1200 games in the national hockey league uh on occasion i mean have we been on teams where someone's nose may get out of joint a little bit either moving from a position or less minutes uh is that a challenge for any coach uh maybe in this case even sheldon's well definitely because anytime you bring players into your team, these players take up oxygen, right? There's only so much oxygen in the room, and certain players take up, some players take up more than others.

And when you bring in some high-end players or guys whose expectations are high, you know, and they're fitting into the lineup and they're taking other people's positions, yeah, people shift into different slots. But the slotting probably gets better and Sheldon Keefe knows that now he has to figure out how does he keep everybody uh everybody happy how does he keep everybody motivated how does he keep everybody happy and I think the Toronto Maple Leafs as you just talked to the players individually they will tell tell you, you know, like we appreciate our general manager going out and having these pieces. Now we have to all, you know, do our thing, which is whatever role I'm given, I need to perform that role to help the team win.

And that's the bottom line. It's like, you know, when they assemble a Team Canada, and every player is great, you know, and some are certainly above others, but most of the players in that team are used to being the top dog, the alpha dog on where they come from. And it's always you've got to check your ego at the door. You can't bring your ego into this room. And I think it's a similar thing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

You have a plethora of good players, and now you have to figure out how you're going to disperse this talent and how you're going to get everybody to feel important because it's a compression thing if the if the last guy at the bottom of the rung feels important as the top guy you have compression and if you have compression you've got a you've got a good hockey team that's on the right path if if the bottom guy or bottom two guys don't feel like they're important they get lost in the shuffle then then then the compression it opens up there's more gaps in it and you don't so the trick of the tale for sheldon keith is to give everybody the role be distinctive of what the role is and and and the player's job is to just do that role to the best of his ability

so gary when you go to the store and you've got a grocery list and a set amount of money you can't always get everything you want to get. The Leafs don't have a lot of money left to purchase a defenseman here. How much of a problem is that? Can you be good enough up front where you don't have to worry about defending as much? I think you can. I don't know if you can go the whole way like that. I don't know if you can get to whole way like that yeah i don't know if you can get to

the promised land um just out gunning teams and i think you know the oilers are are living proof that they can they can you know they got lots of bullets they can fire away but uh you know they don't got the body armor going the other way and you know and you just don't survive it um i think anyone can tell you that there are teams in the past that were very, very good offensively, you know, that were just so hard to contain that, you know, you were on your heels most of the time, so you really couldn't attack anyway.

So they just were so good. But if you look at those teams and you dissect those teams at the end of the day, they were good defensively too. You just were looking at the bigger picture. They were so good offensively, but when they had to shut it down, when they had to play defense and their goaltending, it has to be top-notch goaltending. We saw what Connor Hellebuck did last night in that game against the Rangers.

I mean, you know, 50-something shots allows just one goal, and the Winnipeg Jets go into New York Madison Square Gardens and knock off the hottest team in the National Hockey League, if you have a goalie like a Jake Ottinger, the way he played last year, if you have a goalie that can play that way, maybe you can get away with it a little bit. But if you're just an offensively skilled team and you're not as talented on your back end,

but I would say that more often than not, it's hard to get to the end like that. Let's set aside what the Leafs have left in in draft picks or or a cap situation scenario what is ideally the defenseman that could help them the most uh Chikrin uh Gabrikov out of Columbus where do you see the need to shore up? Well, everybody wants a defenseman that can provide production, right? Can push the pace of the game, can join the rush,

be dominant, help to create offense. But I think, you know, you look at for many years, and I go back to a guy like Dustin Bufflin that drove the bus, drove the bus, drove the bus, and then everyone else in the blue line just had to stay back and play defense because we already got one guy roaming the field. We don't need to have more guys. But now, the way the game's played now, everyone's encouraged to go. Everyone's encouraged to be part of the offense, be part of the attack.

Every defenseman now in the game, you know, based on skill sets, they're going to jump in when the time is right to jump in. So I don't know if you strictly need a guy that's just that can help you run the offense. They've got a good enough offensive team. They need a guy that can one pass breakout, good teammate, will be able to fit in quickly.

You know, and, you know, I look at a guy like Eckholm in Nashville. I look at, you know, a guy that's just, now maybe he's not going to put up incredible numbers, but he's going to defend. He's going to be tough to play against. He's got a bit of a, he plays a bit angry. And, you know, and he's going to go out there and be a tough opponent and tough on his opponents.

So, you know, there's guys out there that are going to become available as the playoff tough opponent and tough on his opponent so you know there's there's guys out there that are going to become available as the playoff picture really starts to deteriorate for teams so there might be opportunities on players that we don't even really think about right now but i don't think they need to hit a home run with somebody but i do think they need a guy that can consistently play um uh you know uh 17 minutes a night, 17, 18 minutes a night, and play, and be hard to play against. Be hard to play against. That would be the wish list on the back blue liner

that I think that could help them. So they've got, you know, 20-some games left here, not a ton of runway. One of those games is tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. What are your thoughts on tonight's opponent what do you expect they're kind of they're in a playoff spot according to uh points percentage at this point this is a legitimate up and coming opponent for them isn't it i think that if you haven't watched the scoreboard in the last little while um you know you look at Calgary, go, you know, Philly, boom, bang, you know,

these teams are, you know, they're winning 3.8, 4.5 out of 10 games. That's their winning percentage. So they are winning games out of the 10 games they play. So they are going to beat some teams. It might be you if you're not ready to play or you run into a hot goalie or whatever the circumstances may be, these teams are going to beat teams. So you've just got to make sure that you're taking care of what you do best,

and that is making sure that you're running your game plan and sticking to the game plan and not trying to go in and win games in the first period. These games take 60 minutes to win and maybe and then extra and that's exactly like a playoff game playoff games are won right away in the first few minutes of a game very I don't think very often it can be it from time to time but I'm saying it takes a good solid effort a consistent effort through the whole night and I think that's where teams get into a bit of trouble right now and that's where I think the Leafs get where they're you know when

you hear Calgary too we got to play a full 60 minutes. That 60-minute thing has eluded a few teams that seem to have these speed bumps every now and then going up and down, is that you've got to play the right way. And the Maple Leafs had it going early in the season where they were playing the right way all the time. And their record showed it.

And I think now sometimes they get away from that a little bit and it bites them. I do think that you know obviously goaltending is a big issue there too they've got to get their goaltending settled down and get and get kind of get in a rhythm there with that but Buffalo is a formidable formidable opponent I mean this is a team that's got a ton of games in hand and they know they got to win those games if they want a shot at legitimately making the playoffs they got to win those games and to beat a team like toronto uh is is is you know is

something that really can push you forward can give you a lot of energy and build character on this kind of run that they're hoping to have to finish the season and get into the playoffs so i would think toronto will have their hands full sam Samsonov coming off a flu, was not 100% in Chicago. We assume that we're going to see him tonight. Has that been decided? Thumbs up from Sammy. Do you just play him like crazy here, Gary? It all depends on how much he's feeling it.

How, in a very short period of time now, do you get him ready for game one against tampa bay i think you gotta play him i think he needs to play he needs to find a comfort i'm sure there was a rhythm that they had him playing in where they play so many games they give him a rest they play that you know coaches have these plans set in stone they've got to look down the stretch here at these last games and figure out where they're going to rest them and how they're going to play them to get him ready to start game one because I don't think you can count on Murray.

I think this is a guy that over the last little while has had a lot of problems staying healthy. And so I think you've got to really start to gear towards Samsonov and you've got to prepare him for game one. Like you said, Nick, that's the big thing. It's not just where he plays tonight. You've got to get him in a groove so he's ready to go when game one starts, and he's feeling it because I do think he's more than capable.

But right now, I'm sure with the illness and not playing as well as I'm sure he would like to be playing at this point, I think that probably his confidence is a bit shaken, but, you know, that can come back pretty quickly. And the guys in front of him can help with that too. I mean, you know, really come ready to inflate him and play. I mean, it's really important that they really get him back on track, and it takes more than just a goalie to figure it out.

The team can help in a lot of ways by helping them see the pucks easier, clearing traffic out in front easier, you know, like making sure that they're the second, the rebound stuff is cleared. Like a lot of that stuff is insulation through the team system in the D zone coverages, you know, and not allowing, not allowing those second and third chances and making sure you're cleaning up your end and that can help give a goalie a ton of confidence. Hey, Gary, really always appreciate your time on our show, man.

Thanks for doing this. Hey, my pleasure, guys. Enjoy the game tonight. And it should be, I mean, every time I look at the standings, I just think what a finish this is going to be for a group of teams. And it's going to come down to the last couple of games on the last couple of nights. And it's going to be, the fans are going to get a treat.

Agreed. Thanks so much, Gary. Appreciate it. Gary Gally, Hockey Night Canada. I guess this is a big start for Samsonov. Yeah, the only thing is, what if he's bad? There's no one else. Is Joel Wohl going to be the goalie?

No. That's just another. Joel, that is the brother. Joel Wohl. That's just a bad start by Samsonov is what you really need to avoid tonight. It pushes you closer to going, God, we got to outbid someone for jonas corposalo don't we well the only thing is if they are shopping for defensemen and let's just assume again without beating our heads against the wall if they have the assets to do it if you are thinking about a Gavrikov or a Chikrin, then it has to be a package

where Corpus Allo comes with one guy or... Vegemelka? What is it? It's Vegemelka, but I'm trying to pronounce Vemelka or something. The J's are probably silent.

He comes too, and you offload Matt Murray on that. That has to be part of the equation. What? Yeah, he's saying part of the package would be give us the goalie with the guy. So now he's talking about a nice situation. Oh, my God. What's that?

No, that's easy. It's a no-brainer. That if you're thinking about going to Chikrin, then you've got to flip Matt Murray for Vegemelka. We just got Chikrin and Vegemelka for Nyes and Murray. You're throwing my mind into a blender here. I love it. I really believe that that has to be part of an equation.

If you are shopping for a D, then you've got to find a way to unload Matt Murray. Does Matt Murray have a full no movement trade clause? I don't think so. Let me look that up right now. I don't know about that. Friendly. Big stretch coming up for the Sabres here.

I'll look at it. No, am I wrong on that? Would you not? No, you're right. It's got to be me being lost in thought. I guess I'm on radio. I should explain my inner monologue. Ten team no trade clause for Mr. Murray.

My inner monologue is what are the contract statuses of Corposalo and Vigemelka? Is there any additional years on those? What else would have to go where for something like that to happen? This Nize thing. You had talked about it. I don't think Nize is in play here. So what about the 2024 first i everyone's like oh my god it's an asset they have firsts in the next couple years i'm just

asking could have some future can we talk about yes we can talk about it their stars are not 31 they like you still need to insulate these guys with cheap talent at some point point like at some point you need to have a first round pick contribute to your roster well i don't know if that's true when's the last time they get they get them all away tonight we see riley and hall brody and timids giordano and lilla grin yeah that's your six to beat tampa bay no it's not okay so you're talking about a luke shen what are we talking here by the way fellas i don't know if you saw this he's sitting out tonight and believed to be trade related reasons Is he coming to Toronto? I have no idea. I've been saying bring Luke home for like two years on this show,

so I'll continue to say it. Okay, but like, hold on, hold on, time out, time out. And I really appreciate Luke Shen. How could you not? What a career. Love Luke Shen. He's a bottom six guy. I'm with you.

Well, bottom, there's only six Ds. Yeah, bottom third. Yeah, okay. Perry. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. I'm with you. Well, bottom, there's only six Ds. Yeah, bottom third. Yeah, okay. Pairing. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. I'm with you. Bottom six.

I gotcha. Yeah, yeah. Bottom third. Pairing. He's a bottom pairing guy. Right? I know what you mean. So,

I think that if they're not looking for a second or a third, it would cost you Lilligren. No. I'm just, hey, listen, I'm just telling you where the marketplace is for him now.

No. Then what are you giving up for Luke Shen? Rasmus Sandin? No. Maybe. Hey, listen, if you can get away with it, maybe. But let's talk about Sandin for a second. Uh-oh. Can he stay in the lineup please

he's he's getting a little bit of a band-aid i have said this before but i truly believe that physical players who are 5 11 take the most abuse whatever it is about that height it's we need to do we need analytics on let's go to sheldon for a Kippers Clipper on Sandin. Progressing well, just not ready to play here tonight. But I haven't got a report on how things went on the ice here today. But the fact that he wanted to get out there today and was able to move around a bit is a positive sign. So not going to play tonight, but he's not far away. We'll have to see where he is for Thursday's practice.

Kate, I know you just want to throw in sandin but he's also a pending ufa he's got this year next right does he have next year yeah he did he got a two-year contract was that was that not this year yeah yeah he's got one year. That's right, Sandeep. Okay, all right, so he's not, he won't lose him. Okay, that maybe changes a few things. Yeah. But, and how old is he? He's 22. Well, he turns 23 in a week. No, no, I'm not talking Sandeep.

I'm talking about Luke Shen. A thousand. No, are you 34? Are you, whose contract are you talking about here? Luke Shen. Okay, let's do this all over again. Okay, that's what I was speaking of. Yes.

There is something to be said that you've taken a first rounder that you've groomed for how many years now? Four or five. And again, you're just going to... Not yet 23. And you're just going to chuck him for Luke Shen.

For six weeks of Luke Shen. End of the run here, pretty much. You know, there is something to be said about not looking that desperate but they are i feel like if you weren't desperate you wouldn't made the first trade yeah i listen by the way i don't want that trade to happen. I agree. I agree. I can see, you know, it's the type of guy they want. Sandin feels like the seventh D to me in playoffs. Yes. Sandin not staying healthy is an issue.

Well, they challenged him at the start of this year to show us he could stay healthy. That was part of it. How about last year? He was playing the best hockey of his career for a long time. He got hurt, and he never got back in he never got a chance to be the guy he was so we should go by they get frustrated by his injuries yes we should we got kevin adams calling in all right we do have kevin adams general manager of the buffalo sabers up after the break you're watching and listening to real kipper and born

we're back after this discussing the biggest stories that matter to toronto sports fans the fan morning show with alish forfar and justin cuthbert subscribe and download the show on apple spotify or wherever you get your podcasts toronto maple leaf said to do battle against the Buffalo Sabres tonight. It's shaping up for a very important game. Just wait on Kevin. In the Eastern Conference. Yeah, this is big for the Sabres.

Like we mentioned, they're in the playoffs based on points percentage. You got to win your games when you're behind in real points. But, boy, it's a cluster. And they are the best goal differential team in the hunt here, which I believe in as a stat. 25 games to go. Leafs holding on to home ice advantage in the first round. Barely.

With a trade like the one that we just witnessed where would you where would you rank uh not holding on to that spot of importance yeah yeah i actually i think it's really important for one just a mindset thing like you know you're looking for every edge you can get on the tampa bay lightning in a game series that went seven and was a one-goal thing. Home ice advantage is worth caring about here and worth fighting for. But they also did beat you in game seven at your place. Yeah, but does that mean like, oh, then play Tampa next time, it'll be better?

I don't think on either. Oh, Kevin's calling in right now. All right. Don't have to tell Kevin Adams this is an important one, how they've been able to really climb up that ladder in the Eastern Conference. I mean, we are talking about a number of teams that were almost dead and buried maybe a month ago,

a month and a half ago. All right, let's welcome in Kevin Adams, general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. Kev, thanks so much for doing this. We know this time of year, especially for a guy in your position, is real busy. How did you manage to give us a few minutes? We assume that your phone's ringing off the hook here.

Well, you know what? Kipper, my first NHL training camp, treated me amazing and is one of the veteran guys. So whatever Kipper needs, I'm here for him. Oh, man. I'm a full Buffalo Sabre fan. Just the fact that you've been able to get your team, Kevin, in a position to even be in the mix here,

how rewarding has that been the last few months? Well, you know what? It's exciting. You know, I'm happy for our players because, you know, coming into the season, obviously, we knew that we're the youngest team in the league, and that's exciting. But we also believe in our players and know there's a lot of talent in our room and now we're just learning we're learning we're growing um but they put themselves in a spot where um it's exciting coming to the rink and these are good battles and good tests for us to learn and grow so it's a lot of fun and i think our players are embracing it yeah and i mean rolling along the way you guys are it brings up some questions for you that maybe you hadn't anticipated having.

Maybe you do, but, you know, do you add now to this group and reward them, maybe give them some playoff games if you can get in there and the value that that would have for the young guys? Where do you stand on that as an option for this group, or is it just sort of this is the next step in your guys' progression? Yeah, I mean, I don't, to me I don't really look at it like kind of, hey, we're buyers, we're sellers, we're this. I just look at it as we're following along in our vision,

the plan, and the process that we're in the middle of. We're evolving as a group. I think starting two years ago when we had to kind of reset this, we knew that we were going to have to build around a core, identify, draft well, identify talent, and then retain the players that wanted to be here for the right reasons. And that's what we're in the process of. So nothing really changes in a sense.

If there's a way to upgrade our team and make a move that makes sense, of course we're going to be involved and in every conversation. But we're also not going to just do something, trying to skip steps or fast forward. And, you know, that doesn't make sense for us, you know, in the big picture long-term. We're talking to Kevin Adams, general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. Part of the tough job that you guys have had,

and I'm lumping all of you general managers, is hedging on future contracts in a flat cap era, Kevin. And, you know, sometimes you really need a player to make you look good when you sign him to a long-term deal. And I think Tage Thompson's made you look like a genius, actually. Well, you know what? It's funny. When you think about long-term deals, you know, there's so much that you're taking into consideration.

I mean, clearly, you have to start with, does your vision align from where we are as an organization and where they are as a player? Do you want the same things? I mean, that's really important. So you start with that. Then you are taking everything into account of what is their, you know, what are they bringing every day within your team, their role, their statistical profile, their analytics, all that stuff you look at. But then some of the things you can't quantify are, you know, what are they like in their daily habits? You know, are they a player that you believe is going to continue to get better every day? Are they still putting the work in no matter what type of contract they had

that's going to give them a position to grow? And so those are all the things that we look at. And certainly with Paige, he checked every one of those boxes. You know, I really watch practice closely. I believe in practice is a big deal, even at the National Hockey League level. And the last, you know, three years I've been watching him do things in practice that I believe that this was going to be something that started to translate to games in the right situation.

And he's got an incredible work ethic, and he's a really, really good teammate. So it's exciting to see him perform well, but I think it was a good deal for both sides, for sure. You know, the rebuild stage for a lot of teams i think one of the tough questions is when do you kind of flip the switch and you look at the detroit red wings this past season i think they added seven new players and said okay you know now we're going to get more aggressive with this thing what will you be looking for with your group you know it seems like you have amassed some real talent here good lord that the young defensemen that you have

are unbelievable what what for you will be the signal that okay time to see if we can kick this thing into gear well i think you know that's a really interesting question and a good question but part of what i what i look at and talk about every day is you know when you have when you draft well and then you have the young players in place, you want to let them perform. One of the things that we were really careful about this past offseason was blocking the development opportunity from some of our young players. I'll use Dylan Cousins as an example. We could have gone probably out and signed a 28- or 30-year-old that was maybe a you know, a centerman that may be a little bit ahead of Dylan, you know, last year at this time. But we were really wanting to make sure we were giving him every opportunity

to take big face-offs, kill penalties, be out there on the power play, and let him start to push. So I think that's one thing that we think a lot about, so you have to be careful there. The other thing is you want to, in my opinion, you want to round out the edges, but where we believe we're going to take the most steps is by seeing our own internal group get better. You know, like Owen Power a year from now is going to be, you know,

21, 22 years old, he's going to be a bigger, stronger, he's going to be better. Dylan Cuzz is going to be better. Jack Quinn, J.J. Paterka can just, you know, I believe Rasmus Dahlien is going to be better jack quinn jj peterka i can just you know i believe rasmus dalene's going to continue to get better so that's to me where our real growth is going to come from but you're going to certainly look around and see is there a way to kind of round the group out and um the core is really what we focus on it appears that you've got a goalie in the future and uh devon uh levy if i'm not, and yet you've got a guy in Lukonen that's in the net. How do you make sure you don't have another all-mark somewhere in between these guys?

Yes, you know what you cut out is the very beginning of it. Sorry, can you say it again? Yeah, I'm just saying that, you know, Justin Boren just mentioned that you've got so many great bodies at forward and defense, and yet you've got this prospect in Levi, who's considered one of the better goalies not on an NHL team right now. And then you've got your present goaltending situation. You know, Allmark was there, and now he's doing great things in Boston.

How can you really sure where you want to focus? Yeah, okay, no, good question. I think, you know, when I look at our group now, you know, this is kind of what I'm talking about when you look at a player like Ukapeka Lukanen, you know, we believe in him. We believed in him last year. We just knew he needed to get reps, whether that was going to be in the National Hockey League or American League would play itself out.

He's shown great stride, you know, steps and made some great strides. And now he looks confident and comfortable, regardless of we're playing on the road, home, the opponent, he just goes and plays. And so that's been a big step. And we'll continue to support him and let him grow. We really, you know, I'm glad you brought up Devin. I think we're really excited about this kid. I mean, he was the player of the year in college hockey, the goaltender of the year last year. He's performing at an extremely high level again right now. We're excited about the future.

But you don't want to rush that. So we want to take our time. And, you know, I think the biggest thing goes back to when you identify players that are here and they want to be here and they want to grow with you then you want to lock them up and you want to get that done and maybe that wasn't the case before with particular players and you know that happens but we want players that want to be here and that's what we're building i'm interested to hear you weigh in on Rasmus Dahlien a little bit. Just, you know, looking at his stats, this is his fifth NHL season, and I think sometimes when players are drafted,

there's the frustration from fans, like, why aren't they a star already? It takes a little time. Fifth year, and all of a sudden he is this guy who's in the Norris Trophy conversation. Tell us about his development and what has led to the giant jump this season. Yeah, Rasmus, he's wired it the right way. And if you want to be, you know,

he doesn't come to the rink just, you know, come to the rink to show up and play. He comes to the rink to be his absolute best and be kind of what I was saying about Tate, where we want players that want to get better every day. And he has that hunger. He is ultra-competitive, and he's always had that, but I think what you're starting to see is he's in his fifth year,

but he's only 22, 23 years old. He's just now becoming big and strong that he might have been trying to do some of these things when he was 19, 20, 21, but his body wasn't ready for it. You know, now he's 6'3 1⁄2 and he's a big physical man. And so that's sometimes just your body has to catch up to your talent. But that kid has been a, you know, difference maker every single night this entire season. And just it's really, really fun to see.

And he's just one of those kids that he loves the game. He just comes to the rink. He wants to get better. He competes in a practice. It doesn't matter. He just competes, and I love that about him. Hey, Ads, tell them that we want to see some fireworks between him and Austin Matthews tonight.

I'll let them sort that out. As long as we're on the good side of it, I'm fine with it. Well, listen, there'm fine with it. Well, listen, there's something always special. You experience as a player, as a general manager, but always something nice, the distance on the 401 between Buffalo and Toronto. So, you know, you remember those games well, don't you? No, they're a lot of fun.

You know, I think that Buffalo-Toronto playoff series in 99 when I was playing was of fun you know i think uh that buffalo toronto playoff series in 99 when i was playing was just you know it was special just the buzz and the feeling and there is something special about elite savers games i know our guys are excited about it um to be honest with you it's uh feels like we should be playing each other more but um we will see each other here down the stretch a little bit. But I'm excited for tonight. It should be a lot of fun. Well, I know Gary Bettman and Bill Daly listen to our show daily,

so no question you sent them a good message right there. They got a tough enough job than me trying to figure out a schedule. I promise you that. Hey, listen. No, it's fun. It should be a good rivalry for sure. We so appreciate your time, and thanks for the kind words. Yeah, remember you fondly, those training camps,

and I'm real happy for your success so far, man. No, I appreciate it. Good chatting with you guys, and hope to be on again soon. All right, Kevin Adams, general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. Thanks so much. Appreciate it. That was great. Yeah.

I tell you what, like I said, a lot of things stacked against him coming in under those circumstances. Yeah. And he just, he's done a hell of a job. Yeah. Well, you know, so much of what what he said you love to hear if you're a fan of the sabers where no rushing the plan we're not going to add this year to go get our asses handed to us by boston in the first round we're going to try to make it and if we do we

hope dylan cousins can play big minutes against certain guy you know the big guys and i think that's great by the way his point about doarlene. Darlene is still 22. Fifth season, 22 years old, 6'3", 210. He's 6'3 1⁄2", as he said. This is a force the Leafs are going to have to deal with for a decade. I was going to say, this guy is going to be around for a very long time. And he's going to be probably playing for the Sabres for a long time. And he's probably going to be pissing Leaf fans off for a long time. He just said that he wishes the Leafs

and Sabres played more? Mm-hmm. I agree. I don't understand... Is this it? I don't think so. Do they have one more? I think they'd have one more, right?

They usually play a division three times? Four times. Four times in division except for like a team or two might be three times. Then we're looking... This is only their second meeting,

isn't it, of the year? Yes. The last time they played them was in November. Yeah. So, yeah, there'll be another one. And we're not even really mentioning the fact that Owen Power is almost playing 24 minutes a night. Sorry, how many?

Let me just double check here. 23-33. I was way off. I was way off. I was way off. I knew he was playing a lot, but I was thinking 20 minutes plus, not 23 and a half plus. If you were looking around the league, how many young core, like if you're power ranking the young quote unquote cores in the NHL,

I think if you were choosing a team to coach or choosing a team to be a manager, like this is in the in the very short list of teams here's yeah go ahead i i don't you know outside of tage thompson out front like what's dylan cousins gonna be the oh i love guys 50th best player or beth ford in the league i love you know what i mean like to me he's not but owen power rasmus doleen andene, and Tage Thompson are absolute forces. Here's the problem is that you're going to have to pay them real quick here. Oh, you end up.

This is why it's a fun time to be a Sabres fan because reality comes. They could ask for 10 a year on their next contract. How is Darlene worth a penny less than that? He's worth more than that. He's going to finish second in Norris Trophy voting to Eric Carlson this year. He's got 60 points, boys. It's February. Yes.

He's 22. He has 60 points? Yeah. He has more points than Matthews, than Tavares. Oh, my God. And, you know, a similar situation is going on in New York with the Rangers. And Kendra Miller all of a sudden has put himself in a position where the Rangers are going to have to go, God, can we get them on a short-term deal here?

Or do you just give them UFA money because you want to go that path? Give them, I don't know, eight and a half times eight or something. I don't know, but I don't think they can afford it. Right. I don't think that the Rangers can afford it.

You got Trouba there. Oh, yeah. And you got Fox. And Aaron and Zibanejad. Here's the Rangers. They rebuilt or they retooled. It took them five years to get to this condending spot. And all of a sudden, within a year or two, you got to make some hard decisions.

Great. My friend Sam McKee says, sick league just sickly just what the league wants the one of the premier franchises in the nhl that's finally rebuilt themselves to be a legit cup contender every year time to break it up baby bad news you got too many good players just burn it down it's like what are we doing here you have to get rid of them all you have to get as many good players as you get but not too many but that's the way it works that's the way the system works it's a dumb system it's the stupidest thing of all time i mid i love i love sabers leaves games sabers leaves games have given me a lot of nightmares over the years a lot of guys on their team that i've really hated like

ryan miller absolutely owned the lease for a long time there's guys in that you know they go like patrick coletta back in the day when he's scummy i as a player oh my god i love to hate i didn't hate anyone more than i hated patrick coletta when i was a certain age like i just the sabers leafs game i feel like it's an underrated rivalry because they're not always good at the same time they haven't been good at the same time for a long time and we're heading into a spot where i think they're both really good teams for a while here in fairness the poor leafs and they't been good at the same time for a long time and we're heading into a spot where i think they're both going to be really good teams for a while here in fairness the the poor leafs and they've been good for i don't know since 2018 five years now after the taking year yeah five six years now and all of ottawa basically montreal they had their one year thing

buffalo like none of their direct rivals have been any good. Detroit, they haven't had an elite rival in their vicinity. They did lose to the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. Yes, I understand. There was that one weird year, but Montreal stunk that year. I said it all year, and they stunk. They stunk. Got a text from John Shannon who says to me that the Canucks will announce no Shen tonight.

No Shen, yeah. Yeah. Is he coming here? Is he going there i think his wife is also um very pregnant but i don't but i think it is trade related so uh the other thing that's floating around i don't know if it was frank cervelli that put it out that uh the st louis blues could take some of their picks that they've had the last little while and go timo meyer so i'm talking about doug armstrong love that i would love that move for the blue anything away from the leafs well for sure that

too is that is that your only angle i just think like we talked about it they don't suck like they have guys on their team that are pieces like they have good players yeah and i don't think doug armstrong wants to be a team that is kind of i think they're a attractive destination guys who go there always love playing for the blues if they could swing that for meyer i think that would make a ton of sense and yeah keep them away from boston yeah you take the assets from o'reilly and tarasenko and achari and you turn it into timo meyer you extend them don't need to strip completely right this is why doc armstrong's so good keeps them afloat yeah you know it depends what an extension would

look like but you know cost of living in st louis awfully affordable you know i think you're in the ballpark of eight and a half nine nine two five i'd do it for timo meyer his age but isn't that a thing about guys loving st louis like it feels they, like a lot of people live there after they play. Like, I've always heard stories about guys being really fond of playing there. So, players talk. Yep, yep, yep. Speaking of maybe being in a selling mode, some are suggesting, will Calgary be in a position to sell?

That was a horrible loss. Awful. To the Philadelphia Flyers. So tired of betting on that team. Truly, I am. I'm the first one to say I don't see that. No. Not a chance.

But could they change course with some turnover of players? Like not give up, but trade guys anyway, player in, player out. Anything that is perceived as making your team a little worse, I can't see Brad Tree Living doing. No, me either. So what does that mean? That you're going to give up a body for a pick

that still has value to you? I don't know. Like the flames are two points out of a playoff spot in the West. And there's some gettable teams ahead of you. Like they're, this is not the flames are done, but God, they're frustrating.

Let's remind everybody. Brad tree living is in no different position than Kyle Dubas. Yeah. It's got no contract. Doesn't they? Nope. So, so yeah i wonder if he won't do the opposite of the cell thing and say we need to get in we need to get going we we mentioned yesterday we called the flames islanders of the west because they're a team that's probably not going to get and be good enough to make to do anything when they get there but just it's fighting

to get in for some reason i shouldn't say for some reason reason, but... Well, I think with the Flames, do we all think that they were going to be better this year? Yes. Was that a conversation we had? I think I had them to win the Pacific. Many of them had. Did they finish second in the West last year? Like, they were really good last year.

Yeah, but they lost two unbelievable hockey players. But they got two unbelievable hockey players. No, Matthew Kachuk's one of the best players in the league. No, I think at the time, Sam, it was perceived that it was a pretty good wash. Like, Huberto was third in Hart Trophy voting. Not Kachuk. But what player, what general manager in the

league, if you offered them Matt Kachuk or Huberto, which guy would they be taking? But they also got Kadri and Wieger. If there was a party of you that thought Huberto would never match the 115, you'd probably be like 85 90 95 yeah he could drop 25 points and still have a elite really elite year yeah but that's we know that's not

happening no not happening not happening and then there was cadre signing which obviously you thought okay if he's not going to match his 90-plus points, he can come in at a point a game. Yeah. A point a game. Yeah. And agitate, do the Kachuk things. You know, Gaudreau's out.

You can get that from Huberto. You had Wieger. He scores in the back end, fights a little bit. I like Wieger a lot. Yeah. Whenever I see that guy play, he's doing something greasy. He's scoring. He's hitting. He's a hockey player. He's a good player. The Leafs wanted him at one point. I like Uyghur a lot. Yeah. Whenever I see that guy play, he's doing something greasy, scoring, he's hitting.

He's a hockey player. He's a good player. The Leafs wanted him at one point. Yeah. They were trying to get him. I remember that. If you're Kyle, would you just even just knock on Bradtree Living's door and say, Chris Tanev? Yeah, that guy who gets hurt a lot but plays D really well.

I'll take him. Isn't he pretty elite defensively? Oh, he's a top shutdown guy. Yeah, among the league's best. When he's healthy. Right. Which is not that often. Not anymore because he does block everything shot his way

and engage in every battle possible. And fought Jacob Truba when he was already hurt. Yeah, like he's that guy. Yeah. He's a hot talk about hockey players. Jeez. A lot of people thinking it's a foregone conclusion. I know I mentioned this the other day.

I didn't mention Timo in St. Louis, which I should have. I sat on, but that's fine. But Gavrikov to Boston seems to have many people believing. I was told as of this morning that he's still out there. For anyone to have. Yes. Yeah. And think about this for a second.

If you're Columbus and you think maybe you might be leaning towards Boston, it's a first-rounder, right? We know that. You don't want a 30 second overall why would you lock in 28 to 32 when you could still see if maybe there's a a 20th pick out there an 18th if we're doing a first let's talk to someone who's a calgary let's see what you guys got islanders what do you guys got exactly yeah so i think that may be the case if they're smart they won't give it away now yeah you're in the position to trade for gavrikov in a draft where if you pick 15th to 20th it sounds like that's a 5 to 10 most years or at least a 10-15. So I think it's shaping up. We all believe the rumblings are true

that Boston has their eye on them, but I'm not sure how close it is just yet. Why do they need him? Well, you know what? I saw some Leafs there. Are they not stacked enough? No, but I saw some Bruins fans complaining about their lefty.

Sammy wants a fair fight in the complaining about their lefty sammy wants a fair fight come on their lefty is uh lindholm and then it's like forbort grizzlik okay you know grizzlies heard a lot and then riley mike riley like they they they're not perfect yeah i guess it was a difference between plus 92 goal differential, plus 80 goal differential. They're good. They're very, very good. But, I mean, all these teams have spots they'd like to get better. They're plus 92 goal differential.

I think that's the best in the last, like, 10 years. And the year's not over. 91 points in 56 games played. Not fair. President's trophy curse, baby. That's all we got. That's all we got. Come on, witchcraft.

Let's go. Voodoo, baby. That's all we got. That's all we got. Come on, witchcraft. Let's go. Voodoo, baby. Let's go. That's all we got. It's scary that when you look at, like, they've got 41 more points than, like, Montreal. Oh, yeah. No. It's a season in itself.

Yeah. If you eliminated Montreal's points from Boston's currently, they still probably make the playoffs by the end of the year oh my god you know like they're just on a tear so yeah they're gabrikov i mean like that just sucks if they get him does by the way this is the like hidden to me the undis under discussed story about this eastern conference battle to like for the wild card spots it's the islanders florida pittsburgh washington buffalo detroit remember last year daryl sutter talked about colorado whoever get win days yeah it's gonna be always a unfun eight days or be a short eight days it's a waste of eight days so that's what teams are doing now

you're gonna go trade picks whatever to get into the playoffs to waste eight days against the bruins go for it you know is there is there another name out there where would we have it would it be chikrin and uh gabrikov out of columbus is that is that it or love can have these are the teams that are in playoffs that you're fantasizing about giving up guys uh orlov i love luke shen we mentioned him yeah that's the guy i'd love and somehow trade your 2025 or 2028 or 2040 first round pick to get orlov and guarded hathaway on your team and get other teams to double retain so set another fourth round pick and another pick. Just give up the draft for four years. We're talking about 31 and 32-year-olds, guys, for 30 games. Ekholm, I know you love Ekholm.

I am a fan of his game, but he's played a lot of big, long games over his career. And he's at 6.25 and i think he's gonna earn that when he's 33 34 35 yeah do you want that this year can i trade it in summer can i have it for 30 days and then double throw it back in the the lake that's right. Double flip? Get it double retained, then trade it. All right, maybe I'm pushing it now. What did you make out of your Islanders in Pittsburgh? I think the Penguins goaltending stinks. Holy smokes.

Jari with a horrible giveaway. I think he was watching Mrazek in Toronto. No, Bo Horvat is like everything the Islanders wanted. But yeah, I mean, Barzal's hurt that hurts them but wasn't that pitt wasn't that jari's first game back i don't know was it he'd been hurt for a long time so yeah he was looking rusty it was super rusty so sucks that the penguins are in trouble here huge swing huge swing for the islanders they beat the penguins twice in the last week you know that's who they're battling with those are massive outcomes for them is there massive results playoff we envision where there's no ovechkin or no crosby oh yes we are getting there and watch it be like detroit buffalo or

something i just i can't imagine it ain't gonna be detroit by the way the panic that's going on in pittsburgh right now well after the summer they had the commitment to gino money gino letang letang uh jeff carter let those guys go well that's the thing they you know what would bill belichick do probably would have let him go yeah you want to talk about pressure on maybe tree living or or dubas in toronto what about hex doll yeah i have seen his his name come up on my twitter feed a lot lately and particularly last night after that loss about just not getting the goaltending short up and i think when he was in philly before the goaltending never got figured out there this has become like a bugaboo but he had carter hart in the wings he wanted to overcook him in the minors

there was really no pressure on him to go elsewhere it was just a matter of come on bring the guy up he's yeah the next uh carrie price right and they don't have that in pittsburgh no yeah they have all their picks uh for the next three years the penguins today there's no way sid's gonna make uh stand uh still here in the next 10 days he's gonna he's gonna force them to to go out there and do something you have to or the team you think yes oh my god like the way you treated the summer and the way you re-signed all these guys you have to double down on that and trade for something if you're if you're looking to get into the playoffs like if they miss the playoffs that is a disaster yeah disaster yeah certainly could be it's always fun right other organizations have panic too yeah not just leafs every day earlier in the show gary galley mentioned uh hella buck

and his 50 shots in madison square garden like that was a clinic last night. Like, he looked every bit the part of a Vasilevsky last night. Yeah. Oh, he's elite now. He's having a run of years where I don't know how much longer he'd have to do it, but would you ever look back and say this guy ends up being, like, a Hall of Fame goalie? Like, he's, what's he won? At least one Vezna.

Five years as a guy who's in the mix. Needs some playoff success to really kind of solidify. Yeah. He can do it without going to a Stanley Cup final or winning the Cup, but you got to go on some nice runs. Yeah. Yeah, I know. It seems early, but he's just been so good for so long for them.

It's been a while. Would you care to apologize to the Winnipeg Jets, Barney? I have been asked about that. No. I would like to apologize to absolutely nobody. I did. I apologize as well. Barney stands strong. Yeah, they might have a great season.

Their first round matchup is Colorado. I do stand by that this team will look much different in 18 months. That's what I've said all along. I just thought it would. I thought that energy of knowing that this major change is coming with all these contracts coming up and guys wanting out. I thought it would have a really negative effect. Yeah, Rickick bonus has done

great by them they have got sure has unbelievable goaltending they have some elite players i don't know what else to say shifley came up huge last night and pierre luke dubois having a career year when he all but told everybody a nice place but i don't want to stay here yeah i just want to go to montreal please. Long term. So they're still finding ways. And there aren't many dudes in the league when the puck is on their stick in a good spot that I think it's going in more than Kyle Conner. Yeah.

The goal he scored last night. Love Ehlers. Ehlers bombs around. Conner shoots everything in the net. He just catches it at the top of the circle, and it's in the back of the net before. Funny, too, because he's skinny, and he's got that stick, and you just still have such confidence in the heat monster energy drinks it looks like he loves monster

trucks and country music and i did mention timo meyer a possibility there that's that's uh that would change things for me if they got another significant body like that that would change i'd like them to get a little bigger but you back end. But you know what? Yeah. So they have a better chance to advance than a lot of these other teams I've praised because their division is Dallas, a constantly injured Colorado, Minnesota. Like, it's a flawed division. They can win a playoff round.

I'll say this. I can see them making a conference final. I don't think they're a cup contender. I don't think they're one of the five best teams in the league, but I can see them having some success. And that goaltending you never know but probably not is my opinion i i could see it yeah i wouldn't pick it but i could see them going to a final leafs jets final who could you imagine that'd be great that'd be rather horny that would work very well we have two clips from ryan o'reilly one on wearing the leaf and one on the pressure of being a leaf would you like to hear from the yes former blues captain on some of these

things i wanted to get this in for the end of the show yeah i still at times gonna catch myself i still can't believe it obviously you know growing up and family growing up in toronto and such and actually wearing it now it's um yeah it's a little surreal but uh but i'm excited though it's it's it's it's awesome it's something that yeah, I never really think that would happen. And to be a part of it, be a part of this group, too, and such a good team that yeah, like I said, just there's a lot of excitement I have right now.

As someone that's lived through it, I will tell Ryan O'Reilly this. It wears off. Oh, no! Oh, my God! No, no, no. I'm dead serious yeah it's great but then reality will set in that it's extra work and pressure it's it's a beast in itself and it can be at times for certain guys a double-edged sword, the extra scrutiny, the eyeballs, the amount of demand on you, media, your family, whether he brings them here for the remainder of the season or not, they're affected. It becomes work in many different ways.

And I'm saying that tongue-in-cheek, of course. I know what you mean. You know, but it is, it's one of those things where it can be great. And then other times you can sit there and go, this town's nuts. Yeah. But I don't understand how people aren't prepared for that. Like it may be until you've lived it. You can't anticipate it.

You can't. Yeah. And you can talk to guys and they can describe it. Just know that part of your day every day is going to be answering questions about minute things that they didn't notice in St. Louis. It's just not the questions. I noticed you tied your skates up in the corner in practice. It's the noise that comes around it.

Right? That somehow, some way even if you think that you're not going to pick up a newspaper or you're not going to listen to our show or listen to Sportsnet or TSN. You might see the billboards that says O'Reilly sucks and you're like what the noise that was stamco the no the noise can find you yeah and you know it's great and we all envisioned or fantasized about winning here and being the one that can be part of something that hasn't been done since 1967. Has it been since 67, eh?

You're young. But my point is that once you get into it and you find out, you know, the daily stress, it kind of wears on you sometimes. We have a quote on him talking about the pressure of being a Leaf. Yeah, I think we have a ton of good pieces here, and it's a great team. The coaching's outstanding.

I think it's not getting ahead of myself. I think I've got to take it day by day and work and push myself to be better and try to help elevate this team to take another step. But that's not done just by wanting to have success. It's putting the details in every day and competing and doing things the right way. And then hopefully good things unfold from there. But yeah, right now, obviously, he's got so much excitement being here and being a new

player here and a part of this team. And I'm just going to feed off that and try to know, try to make an impact any way I can. Listen, he's a smart guy. High IQ. Been there, done that. Knows the, you know, grew up in this area. So all of it is really lending towards a guy that can certainly draw the line between enough on my shoulders and when it needs to be shared.

Yep. To quote Bruce Boudreaux, you can't just want it. You have to go out and effing want it. Love that. You mentioned listening and reading. Do you think any of the players listen to our show ever? No. I think they...

Coaches? They probably watch the clips that come up on Twitter. I would highly advise not to. Well, none of them had anything to say to us at the blue and white gala, Kipper, so we're safe. I think they read stuff. Read stuff and see it on social. For the record, you hid behind me for most of the night. No, I was hiding behind Wendell.

All right, another fast two hours on the real kipper and born show our thanks to derek brandale sammy justin and david um sis yes boom bah kevin adams great having him on he was very gary. Gary Gally. Always fun with you guys. Give us a rating and review if you get a chance. We'd love to hear from you. Maybe a thumbs up before we go off on YouTube would be nice as well. Oh, I'll do that. All good.

Enjoy the game tonight. We're back tomorrow. Real Kipper and Bourne.