Real Kyper & Bourne - Leafs Hour: Dueling the Devils

Episode Date: December 10, 2024

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee look ahead to the Leafs' matchup tonight against the New Jersey Devils. They discuss Jake McCabe's lingering injury, the ideal defensive partner for Morgan Rielly, expectations for Max Domi's return as he's activated off IR, the sense of urgency in the bottom six, Max Pacioretty's role and Auston Matthews still working back to 100%. Later, Devils analyst Ken Daneyko (33:55) shares a Jersey POV of the game and discusses how they differ from last year, their up-and-down offence and the addition of Jacob Markström.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.

all right let's get her going here on game day the real kipper and born show nick kiprios justin bourne sammy mckee derek Brandeo, Jake the Snake Schultz. We're live on Sportsnet 590, The Fan, Sportsnet 360, and Sportsnet Plus. In about 35 minutes, we'll welcome in Ken Danico, three-time Stanley Cup champion, doing color analyst with MSG, covering the New Jersey Devils. Tonight, Jesper Bratt, who leads the devils in scoring will go up against austin matthews and the toronto maple leafs with what could be tonight sammy a preview of a four nations final between sweden and usa okay does that excite you at all?

Yeah. Yeah, I'm in. I'm in. You know what? There's three results I accept. From tonight's game? No, from the Four Nations VESA. Okay. Canada wins, number one.

Yeah. Number two. Canada wins. America doesn't win. Number three. Everyone comes home healthy. That's all I care about. If Sweden or Finland wins, who cares? America wins? number three everyone comes home healthy that's all i care about if sweden or finland wins i

who cares whatever event america wins then we got a problem i'm sure brat feels wonderful about that you know uh sheldon yesterday on our show sure talked up mr brat didn't he he did he talked about his lifestyle and how he lives and how he handles himself that's one of those things you never really know yeah unless you follow a team well his leafs were boozing it up all those years that's right bunch of drunks i don't know we made that up that's not true guys i just i can't get a lineup right like i just what'd you do now well i just got a text from our boy jake the snake he's like horrendous spelling of my name i just can't i can't there's no c and yeah i think it might be time for me to quit make everyone happy leave that part out of the lineup

or something make everyone you are trying your best right i am i am okay that's a scary thought that's not the answer you wanted you wanted to hear you were mailing it in? I don't know what the heck's going on. I suck. Now, you don't have a good feeling about tonight, Sammy? Oh. I'm starting with you because you did kind of, you know, we don't talk much before our show. Yeah.

But you did squeak out a little bit of a, I don't feel good about tonight. Yeah, I still feel this. I do think tonight, you know, I felt pretty good about the Leafs in this last little while, just in terms of how they've been playing and how they've looked and some of the wins they've had. I even thought that they were okay against Pittsburgh

on Saturday night with some mistakes mixed in there. I thought they were brutal on Friday against Washington. But going into this one, I don't know. I just don't have a great feeling about it. I really don't. I think that Keefe, after they lost that second game of the year, he was pretty pissed off after that game. I think if they're really going to show up for their coach tonight,

tonight's a game where they're kind of buzzing around. They got Bastion back. I know it's not a big deal, but they're getting guys back in the lineup. Mark's from starting. He's been hot. They got thumped 4-0 the other night. Yeah, coming off a bad loss. So with the thought of Max Domi going in again and the need for secondary scoring, you don't get that vibe, JB,

that coming off a couple of losses on the weekend that they can find a way to get a second win in New Jersey? There's lots of reason to be optimistic here. If you're a Leafs fan, you know, Austin Matthews, they've talked about how he struggled a little bit to find it, but he's had enough games now getting his feet back under him. Max Domi is back. We've complained about depth scoring a little bit,

so maybe he can come back and provide some of that. Oh, yeah. Coming off a couple of losses. He's had a ton of goals. A ton of goals. Coming off a couple of losses themselves, you would think they'd be motivated. Patcher Reddy back in the...

There is reasons to think the Leafs should be fine tonight, but I can't shake it either, Kip. I kind of feel like Sam does. A couple of losses here, playing a good team in New Jersey. A really good team. I think they're in tough. They're in tough tonight. tonight okay let's go to craig brooby for our first kippers clipper of our show on what he may see from the new jersey devils

we got some great players over there um you know with tons of speed and talent power plays obviously number one in the league um they play a good brand of hockey. You know, they do a lot with the puck, make a lot of plays. Like I said, great speed and very good power play. But at least the Leafs have Jake McKay back, right? Guys? Guys? No?

He's not playing. No, he's not playing. So they're overcooking him. What, you think concussion? I do. I mean, I'm not. Listen, we've been told day to day, they're trying to downplay it.

He lies every day. What else can it be other than that? We know their playbook on this. Yeah. Right? And it always comes about with, tell us how you feel is it mccabe now going i don't feel right or is it the leaf saying you don't feel right take another night off i feel like they wait for the player to say i'm good and then the staff says i'm good and everyone's like we're good okay we're gonna be two more days like

they just are being so careful what is your thought on players telling them i'm not ready i get some vibe from you on these sort of the player telling them stuff under this scenario where a guy got a pocket of the head i tend to be on the side of being very careful so other? Well, I just think at some point, do I believe if this was a must win or the start of the playoffs, I think Jake McCabe would be playing. And I do believe, I do buy into the theory that I've told you guys earlier that they've got a lot of depth now, and they're not scared to keep guys out a little extra longer

than we've ever seen in the past yeah old philip myers played 18 minutes the other night alongside morgan riley and i believe he's again going to be in that spot if there if there's a team that you want to get jake mckay back in the lineup to have your number one shutdown D pair back together. This is one you probably would have circled. Not Thursday against the Anaheim Ducks, no respect to the Ducks who fought valiantly against the Montreal Canadiens last night. But the Ducks as a team,

that's like, oh, you don't need to prioritize that. Tonight's the type of game that you need to prioritize. What are we on? Is this like day four of day-to-day for Jake McKay? Because we went, no, game four of day-to-day for jake mckay because we went no we're game four of day-to-day this is game five he's gonna miss no yeah but i'm just saying it's okay you missed one and then it was like ah no he's day-to-day but we everybody got real tired of you got real tired of the austin matthews day-to-day when it went to game seven or eight yeah so i'll give him one more game outside of this one to come back.

And then I'm like, I'll jump on board with you. Okay. I will give them the benefit of the doubt here with this one. One more game. No, I think there is some, you know, I think with a perceived concussion after getting hit in the head with a puck. I mean, I'm not sure what else it would be. But I think there's a little bit more up and down nature to that where you're maybe not quite as sure and when they when he because i forget what game it was before he took part in full practice where he was skating in the line like they had the lines he was part of the line rushes main main unit out

there and then he didn't play in the next game then he kind of went back off a little bit so there's a bit of a benefit of the doubt with him with that with matthews they just i think it's bad that's a bad thing yeah let's get craig ruby's thoughts on jake mccabe uh jake mccabe won't play tonight uh max don't move be a game time decision you're expecting jake back at some point this week? Or is it kind of a day-to-day? Yeah, it's day-to-day right now. But yeah, it's day-to-day. It's probably the best way to put it right now.

Is there any other way to put it? There's a lot of days in the month. And on one of the days, he'll be back. That day or the other day. And yet another media availability where they're having it beside a blacksmith. I don't know where the hell they do these press conferences. Ford Automotive Plant. Old-timey jail.

Rattling a tin can against it. So he misses tonight. And we see the Leafs play Anaheim at home on Thursday and then go on the road Saturday night in Detroit. So we'll be covering that game Thursday night. We sure will. For Sportsnet Ontario. I wanted to ask you, when McCabe comes back,

are we sure that come playoffs, they're going to want to load up a pair, which is McCabe and and tanev is the shutdown pair yeah or do we think there's a chance it goes back to riley and and tanev mccabe benoit which was a good shutdown oel in the third pair and i love tanev and uh me too i love it too it's amazing but this is like this is matthews marner to me where it's like, are we sure it's best for the team that they're together? Me personally is that your job is to get those other two pairs going by then. Like we found one.

That's right. Now we're going to get you guys feeling comfortable enough over a very long stretch here of the regular season so it's seamless going into the playoffs with our number one shutdown and arguably one of the best shutdown Tanev's now in the league yeah so you go Tanev McCabe Riley Shen Oliver Ekman Larson and Connor Timmons and then you're that's perfect but this is the point that oel and riley don't work that's not a pair i like and play i don't want either of them playing on their offside one's got to play on the offside and it's been all so oliver and larson i don't

want that riley and is is we're back to that question well the two games hawk and pop played he started with riley right then now it's myers like riley's got to be like well you know like good lord he's the he only gets the 70 so is that the onus on your partner or is it the onus on hey morgan you need to step up here and you need to we need to see the best mor Riley possible. And if you're really as good as we still think you are, you should make anybody better. Yeah, I think they want to squeeze whatever offensive juice they can out of him because they don't have any offense on the back end.

And when he plays with someone like Shen or Labushkin or Hainsey or go through the list, he's a little more free to go they know that someone is back in oel you can't guarantee that myers you can't sure be sure he can defend you're just not sure so i don't know maybe they still need a d-man is kind of where this is going but i think that's what they thought they were gonna can it was gonna be no from hawk and pa too oh yeah you know i mean they did give him a guaranteed contract for $1.5 million. Yeah, but he didn't bring him in to be your first pair. Yeah, but I don't think we can think of

Riley as the first pair guy. Like, he plays the, like, I guess he plays the most, but, like... Yeah, don't think he does. Well, he's up in over 20. I think Tanev's under 20. I think McCabe plays the most. So, I just don't think you can think of him like that. I think Larson plays too much

yeah yeah he's over 20 right yeah and then but this is like if you had someone for riley then you have oel in the third pair with someone like benoit or timmins whoever that's probably where you want him to win a stanley cup you've talked about him being a third pair d before Benoit, you're Luke Shen, maybe a Hockenpah that's too much of this similar type of guy Sammy I know but you've been talking about how Hockenpah

isn't actually going to contribute for the whole his knees are made of chalk I don't want to do the Shen thing again so we can move on from it I've been doing it every show, I don't feel like I need thing again so we can move on from it all right uh i've been doing it every show i don't feel like i need to say my piece again where do you want to go jb the domey i think is interesting you know they're so desperate for someone outside of

six guys but really four guys to score goals he is a great offensive talent he skates he's the sauce king he is you should call him Prego or whatever your sauce of choices. But yeah, he's not scoring much. And Luke Fox asked him some questions today that I thought were. So this is from yesterday at practice. And yeah, like he's,

they officially activated him off the IR today. Grabenkin got sent down. He's a game time decision for tonight, but yeah, you got asked about the scoring from Luke Fox. If you want to play that clip there, Domi won there. How much pressure are you putting on yourself when you do come back to

score? I mean, I'm just guessing that the lack of goals has to be bothersome at least a little bit. I would not say that at all. You know what? I mean, I think we'd all agree that if the team wins, that's all that matters. I could care less if you have 90 goals or zero goals.

If you're on the ice and you're helping the team win, you're doing your job and you're helping out. So there's always other ways you can help out, but certainly you want to play your best hockey and keep getting better on a daily basis. So I'll just focus on that. Pretty good answer. Yeah? Yeah. You have a problem with it? time okay tell me why i don't

believe well they need you think it took him off the hook yeah like i think he took himself off the hook yeah you know and i think he is expected to provide offense that's one of the reasons they paid him doesn't work that way though right that you pay guys for offense they don't give you offense and i don't necessarily i could think of a few other guys that you would put that type of heat on, but he hasn't scored. He's never been a true goal scorer. No. So for people now to think,

or for Max to give the impression in a pre-interview before the game that I'm going to come in and save the day like Mighty Mouse. It ain't happening. I don't think it's unreasonable for him to say, hey, I'd like to get some goals, but, you know, or whatever. He had 50 points last year. He's on pace for 23. I'll try my best, but I'm just one of 20 guys.

I'm going to go out there. I'm going to go out there. I'm going to push as hard as I can, and I hope to get a bounce, and I can help the team out. But, like, I'm just one of 20 guys here. I don't know what else he could have given you that would have made you feel better about. Would it have been too cocky to come out and say, oh yeah, don't worry, I'm here now. No, I would like him to say, yeah, I'm frustrated.

This is, you know, I'm meant to be an offensive player and I can't produce, I'm on the power play. But listen, good to step away. Happy to have a regroup here. And hopefully tonight I can come out and help us get on the board. We haven't been scoring enough. That's pretty good.

I mean, outside of the four forwards he makes the most so i think when you slot it in the energy that i just got off of you here would tell me that you've been off for how many days we'll find out in a second but there would be a level of frustration that you're bringing into my energy when you've been off all this time and i don't think necessarily it's a good thing to hear your frustration after being away for three weeks to come in and say i'm frustrated or i'm i'm disappointed and and that i haven't helped the team out more like that's that's not what I want to hear from him. I want to hear exactly what he said,

that I'm going to come in here and I'm going to be one of many out here. I can find a help. Do you think that's authentic then? Let me ask you that. Do you think it's authentic? Do you think he genuinely is whatever? I do.

I don't care if I get points. I think he's absolutely correct in saying that there are ways that I can help contribute to a win, and it might not necessarily mean pushing the puck over the goal line. The problem, I would buy into that if it were David Kampf being like, yeah, I win draws, I kill penalties, I defend like a hornet out there. I'm not saying that he needs to avoid that. I just felt like he just needed to avoid it there.

Yeah, yeah. Okay, fair enough. If tonight they get shut out to nothing and he wants to say that in practice tomorrow or going into Anaheim, then I've got a better reason to say, yeah, maybe that could work. But I just don't think that would work right now

being off for the amount of time he's been away. But you will agree that they need him to produce. Yes. Yeah, I'm not dumb enough to sit there and say that he is, he's been signed as a 50-point-plus guy. He's the highest-paid guy outside the core four players. They need him to score. That can move up and down the lineup.

That's fair that the team can expect that from him. He can at least not come in with some sort of negative energy. that can move up and down the lineup. That's fair that the team can expect that from him. He can at least not come in with some sort of negative energy. Why don't we listen to Berube, his coach, on his thoughts about Domi scoring the clip five. How important is it for him to find his game even before the injury? Yeah, no, for sure. The score sheet, good goals.

You know, it's important. I think Max has got to maybe take a little bit different approach and not be such a selfless player and shoot more and just get into the net and greasy areas a little bit more. He's that type of player that, you know, he can score goals there. He's a strong guy and heavy guy um you know so i think for him and a lot like nick robertson they got to get in the inside more and get around that net and score some recent goals and we need them to we need

those guys we need secondary scoring okay okay one more can't like the toronto maple leaves head coach is speaking can you stop pushing around the shopping cart right beside him right anyways like what the coach is talking just stop moving for two minutes all right construction like a basketball game what's going on anyways but the clip is good the clip is good do you though, I don't always feel great about a coach being like, our small guys need to get to the greasy areas more. It's like, hey, Domi's, you know, great vision, great passer. Just let him do his thing. He knows what he's doing.

As far as everyone else is concerned, in the bottom six here, like where are you now in a sense of urgency? Because I do get it a little bit out of Craig Berube in those last couple of comments that, okay, that's enough. We need somebody to get to the net. I think part of the reason I'm leaning on Domi here is because if you look at, they have so many guys in the bottom six who you literally expect to never score.

Like you're never askingyan reeves to score never holmberg you know minton's played four games in the league whatever it is lorenz doer they have so many guys camp you just don't expect to score so the guys who are expected to score a little have to score a little or you're not getting any offense yeah we do have a clip on would you would you put patch ready into that no i expect him to produce a little bit okay and what's he got two goals yeah but in how many games i feel like it's i don't know 12 has he played a dozen i mean what would you expect he has a season recently with four goals in 48 games i know it's you know he's got six points in 14 games how many goals two yeah Two goals in 14 games. Yeah. And he's seen.

Good minutes. Some decent minutes. Good lines. Yeah. But listen, I told you guys earlier, I mean, what can you truly expect from a guy that you invited on a PTO? Yeah. Do you think they need to make a move sooner than like March 2nd or whatever the deadline is?

Like, do you think they're going to need to bring in offense? I think if this trend continues, then I believe that they shouldn't waste much time. Yeah. That's not to say that there's a deal waiting for them anytime soon if, in fact, they want to push it. But I'd be a lot more aggressive yes because i do believe that the atlantic division is still up there sammy are you kind of me you're losing a little bit of luster on on a division win let me pull up the last two losses negative nancy is in our

desks before talking about i'm No, I'm not negative Nancy. You were. Talking about playing the Bruins for sure in the first round. Well, if they were to start today, guess who they're playing? The Bruins. Yeah. And I tell you right now, they're going to be playing the Bruins. Remember this conversation right now.

But I've remembered it the last four years in a row. Right now, though. I'm saying I'll call my conversation right now. But I've remembered it the last four years in a row. Right now, though. I'm saying I'll call my shot right now. December 10th of the year 2024. They are 100% playing. Bold pick. Great. That's why it sucks.

Thanks, Gary. It sucks. There's no intrigue into the regular season. You're playing one of three teams every year. Oh, stop it. Oh, we've got to create rivalries. Great. Stop it.

It's a done deal there's two points out of first what happened this feels different this year i think the team feels different i 100 think that but they're playing the damn bruins in the first round so maybe it's not so different last year at this time last year at this time they were nine points out of first in their division yeah right now they're two now, they're two behind Florida with a game in hand. But I think Florida's better. It's not the same. I think Florida's better.

I think Florida's a better team. So I think they're going to get... That's great that you think they're incrementally better. I think they're going to accumulate more points over the remainder of the NHL's regular season to finish above them. And the Leafs will finish in second. The Boston Bruins will finish third. And so, therefore, they play.

And also, by the way, were they to play today, it would not be the Boston Bruins. By points percentage, it would be the Tampa Bay Lightning. Oh, well, I'm looking at the... That's because you're a dumbo joke. I'm looking at the standings according to NHL's website, and it says the Leafs and Bruins are playing. Check the games played column. Listen, you need to go to the nurse's office and get a note

and just go home. Why? Because you're not feeling well. I'm feeling great. And I actually... Here's something I'll say. I actually would feel pretty good. What's going on?

I would actually feel pretty good about a playoff series against the Bruins right now. Okay. So that's different. Okay. That's positive. But this is how it is, you know? You make playoffs, you play a good team in your division.

That's just the way it goes. Yeah. All right, let's get Craig Berube on Max Pacioretty. I thought he was excellent in the first period. You know, he's heavy, physical, won battles for those guys, created loose pucks for them, things like that. That's what he needs to do. And it was his first game back, so I thought that, you know,

he died off a little bit going into the third period. First game back, it's expected. But that's what he does. He's a physical guy, big guy, good hands. So that's what we're looking for from him. Died off. I tell you what. Just vanilla for me.

Died off. Just okay. He may be black and blue by the end of the season because the ask from him will be more than he's ever had his whole career. When was the last time he was on a hockey club that said, we don't care about anything, just go out there and hit everything that moves? Do you think he knew he was signing to be Matt Martin? Was he aware of the role that he had signed up for here?

Good point. It's going to be fascinating to see if he can stick with it. What happens if he starts to get challenged a little bit here and there? Because the tendency is with these type of guys that go around and try to knock people's blocks off is that somebody's going to get tired of you. Patch here, Eddie. Hockey fight. I don't know if he's ever.

I mean, he probably had one in his life. Let's check out this fight card. Oh, yeah. He's had a few battles. So one in 2024 against Tage Thompson. Then it was 10 years prior his previous fight. Oh, my God. Tage, you fought Tage?

That's a big man. He fought Wade Simmons in 09. Really? Yeah. In 09? Jeez. Oh, this Wade Simmons in 09. Really? Yeah. In 09? Jeez. Oh, this is not chronological. Ignore me.

Okay. I don't know exactly when they were. That one was 09, though. Okay. So, Brendan Shanahan. Yeah. We got a couple of clips of his. Do you want to get into that now?

Down at the Board of Governor meetings. Yeah. They wrapped up today. It didn't sound like there's anything exciting going on other than the fact that they may have to negotiate a higher salary cap if it works for both sides. Would you like to hear what Elliott Friedman tweeted out as the highlights of the BOG?

Okay. Commissioner Bettman says there will be a negotiation with the NHLPA about the cap going up more than 5%. There are no active tampering investigations. The Florida Panthers are closing in and hosting an outdoor game. Florida Panthers outdoor game. Sounds like it could have been an email, boys. Anyways, anyways.

That's worth $1,200. Shani, I mean, he gave some, you just realize you hear him talk about hockey so little shanny yeah right it would be lovely to hear it more and uh how about we play the first clip derek there's an overview of his of the season so far well you know i think we there was a shift that began uh to occur in the in in our team last year uh starting with uh brad tree living and um an intentional shift in in a style of play. I think over the course of this offseason, he was able to enhance that

with the acquisition of some really key guys that he brought in, including a coaching change. So I think that the players are still kind of adjusting and adapting, but I think just the the way that we began to play last year and now you bring into it more defensive responsibility better structure better accountability from from us as a group and I give Brad and on all of our scouts and and and that team and our coaching staff not just not just Craig Berube but his entire coaching staff a lot of credit for that we've still got a long way to go.

I'd like to get some of these injured guys back. But definitely I like some of the signs we've seen, especially on the defensive end. And the way we defend, the way our goaltenders have played. But definitely a long way to go. There was a shift.

A shift. A shift. A shift. So, hearing that, it's like, it's interesting. He employed Kyle Dubas, and he obviously was okay with the direction of the team for a long time with Kyle Dubas, right? Pretty much nine years. Yeah.

And chose to keep Kee too yeah and him like you know him saying the shift it's like well you i mean you were the boss the entire time like you know you he's undergone a shift i guess i think it's healthy for people to change he he so he shifted he shifted that's what he's talking about the shift is internal yeah i find that interesting yeah i mean are they fundamentally that much different to you outside of roster construction like to me they're getting way better goaltending than they've ever got way better and after that they got some better players like some better defenders more discipline i think that's the accountability i think i don't see what that part is there more accountability i think how many odd man rushes how many games point how many uh how many blowouts

i see i was thinking of accountability as like individual players being held versus no accountability to play on the right side and i get. Sometimes it's not pretty to watch and sometimes it can affect your stats. We had Christopher Stieg, Stanley Cup champion in Chicago, come on our show last week and talk about big boys giving up their points. That was like an underrated part of that interview. It happened early, so we kind of moved on,

but it was a great point. It was a great point. So, look, Austin's not going to come close to what he's done two out of the last three years. No. I mean, does he end up with 40? I don't know. Maybe.

Could he get hot and show us another level like he's amazed us in the past when it comes to putting the puck in the net? Maybe. But it's not trending there. So, like, what is everybody in for right now? Just trying to win, right? And it's not going to be about your points. Now, in saying that, Austin Matthews has got to get going, boys.

Yeah. I'm not taking him off the hook either. I watched him Saturday night. You never have.. I'm not taking him off the hook either. I watched him Saturday night. You never have. When have you ever had him on the hook? The second clip, Eric, is very interesting too. On defense, team defense. Play that.

For all teams and all individual players, sometimes there's an arc and a career in which you sort of figure things out. And all we can do sometimes on the management side, and we can't go on the ice and play, is help people get there, give them the support they need. I've been really impressed with our players and their commitment to the defensive side of the puck. And it's going to be an ongoing year-long process.

But if you want to win the big trophy at the end of the year, we've seen teams in the past that have decided and made a commitment. Sometimes it's personnel-driven, and sometimes it's just team-driven where a group of people have banded together and decided that they're going to play a certain way. So there's a lot of parity in the league right now. Every game is tough. But I do think that those metrics on our defensive end is really important if we want to get to where we want to get to.

Certainly seen. Love that. I love listening to you talk about hockey. I've seen enough to say that there has been ample proof that there's a style of play that we think that they could be really successful in the playoffs with. Absolutely. Right now? Over the course of 25 games. Oh, yeah now poxton needs to go in he made a very valid point in saying that can you bring it together when it matters most

and like now we're on a two-game losing streak. They didn't play well at all against Washington. Much better. Still not great. Against Pitt, better. Better. So this one to me is an important one here. Well, it needs to be tight game. I don't want to, you know,

if you got a feeling like they could get blown out tonight, that's not a good sign. Like I'm banking on if they don't win tonight, then it's... You're concerned about their ability to bring it when they need to. They better lose 2-1 with an empty net goal. They better not lose, like, 5-1 because they've got better goaltending. They've had better structure. They don't give up a ton of odd man rushes.

They check hard. Like, it's okay if you don't win but it's really important that if you don't win then you still look a lot better than you ever have the last few years when you lost speaking of good points of interviews it was great sheldon talking about their inability to score and he's like and we couldn't score when it mattered most and that's why i'm talking to you from new jersey like he acknowledged their inability to find it at the right time is why he's not in this country right now.

We should go. I mean, the clip, he asked about Marner. He just says he's having a wonderful year and how elite he is defensively, but there's nothing about the contract, obviously. We've got to get to Dan Colness. You want to add to it today? No. Are you sure you want to start that conversation before we get a break i got 15 seconds yeah there you go no not a chance

okay let's take a quick break and we return ken danico tough guy in my day we had a couple battles i think i bet he's a tough guy and today today's day he'll still scare the heebie-jeebies out of us when he comes on board danico after the break on Real Kipper and Born. Hey, it's Blake Murphy. And I'm Matt Bonner. Join us weekday mornings at 11 as we break down all things Toronto Raptors. It's the Raptors show on Sportsnet 590 The Fan. And wherever you get your podcasts.

The Kipper House, Justin Bourne, Sammy McKckee it's the real kipper and bourne show in a couple of minutes we'll welcome in ken danico three-time stanley cup champion color analyst with msg and all around great guy lovely very excited to hear about uh the new jersey devils Fun matchup tonight. Did you play against Danico? Yeah. He was just all meat, no potatoes. How big is he? Big guy. Big guy. Bigger than me. I think he beat

me up on a couple of occasions. Dano, you remember that? Oh, I remember one time in Washington, Kipper, that we had a little bit of a set through there but i i don't remember much anymore in my old days do you remember uh you only remember the ones you want yeah yeah uh any recollection of the leafs beating the devils earlier in the season because we had sheldon keep on yesterday and

asked him if he's going to put money on the board tonight. And he said, no, the boys gave me a big elephant dump on my head in the first game. I'm not going down that path again. Well, yeah, I guess smart. Don't repeat what didn't work the first time around. But yeah, the Leafs, that was early on. Leafs played a very good, I thought, road game.

Very sound. They've been much a very good, I thought, road game, very sound. They've been much better defensively, as everybody knows, and kind of what was expected coming in with Berube behind the bench, you know, a little more structured and disciplined. Although, having said that, I always maintain watching the Leafs a lot last year in the playoffs and doing NHL Network. They played a real structured, solid game as well. They just couldn't put the puck in the net enough because I thought they played pretty darn well

last playoff series against the Bruins. They just couldn't find a way to win, so they were pretty structured again and maybe similar to Berube as well this year, but going to be a good game. Looking forward to it. Devils would like a little revenge, and they have not lost two in a row in a while

where they've been able to bounce back. They showed a lot of resiliency after losing to Colorado the other night, so we'll see what transpires, fellas. Ken, have you noticed a difference in the way the Devils play since Sheldon Keefe, or is some of the success just new players and some better seasons from the players that were there? Yeah, I think it's a combination for sure.

I mean, obviously last year teams never make excuses, but their goaltending was real bad. It was young guys that struggled. They had injuries, and they just could never really find their footing. But a lot of guys didn't play up to expectations. And, you know, that happens, unfortunately, to a lot of teams. And they wanted to bounce back here, so I would say a combination as far as they've made some great additions. They're a much tougher team to play against.

They're able to balance it out with the high-end skill and speed that they have. But Fitzgerald did a really nice job in the offseason of bringing in heavier bodies, guys that can win puck battles. We always talk about that, use that term. But it's half the game. I mean, who has the puck? And you have to be able to retrieve the puck and win some of those battles. They couldn't do that too often last year. And this year they just have a lot more composure.

They're bigger on the back end with the three guys they added that play a little meaner style, a little more physical. And they've been still a work in progress, but a much improved, much better team. And Sheldon's been really good here. I mean, you know, coming in, you know, he had a lot of success in the regular season, and that's important because this team has to become a sustainable playoff team. We'll worry about the playoffs when they get there but but the point is he's brought he's brought in a nice balance of he holds those guys accountable he's gotten through to the star

guys that it's not just about producing offense yes we all know they have to do their thing and they have Bratton he's sure and certainly Jack Hughes and Meyer and guys like that but situational play and I think that's where where sheldon's really improved the club as far as understanding that you got to chip it in every once in a while when you're up three to two or four to two and and the star guys have certainly bought into that more this season we're talking to ken danico color analyst with msg teeing up the New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs tonight. As far as Jacob Markstrom's concerned, that's a name that we heard quite a while last season, and it never came to fruition.

And then the trade in the offseason and just what has he brought. I mean, you of all could speak of what a solid goaltender behind you can feel like all those years in New Jersey winning Stanley Cups. Yeah, well, I mean, obviously I was very fortunate to have one of the best, if not the best, if I'm being biased. And not to mention he could handle a puck, so the way he handled it, he probably prolonged my career, Kipper, for five years.

When you're going hard back for the puck, I realized after about five years with Marty, I go, I don't have to get my face smashed in the glass and protect it every single time. I can peel off and he can beat two four-checkers a tape to tape that so that was kind of nice being able to kind of ride off to the to that excuse me to the half wall and it was right on my tape and then out of the zone uh we joke about that still to this day but uh he said yeah i wanted to i wanted to help you with a little wear and tear dano so that was kind of nice. Saved your TV career, right? Yes. Even though I still have a face for radio, they're still putting me on the TV. But kidding aside.

And, you know, Markstrom's brought some consistency. Look, there's been at times he'll have a hiccup or let in a goal that he'll tell you he wants back or maybe have a bad period or bad game. But what he does bring, and that's why I think it was important for the Devils with Marty part of the team now as well, and the executive in Fitzy was the goaltenders are veteran guys. I know Allen's banged up and won't be the backup tonight, but it's day-to-day. But both guys have brought that veteran presence and steadiness

where they make the big saves when you have to. Markstrom, no question, is the number one. After, you know, he'll maybe let one in that you go, ah, he's got to have that. He'll make three spectacular saves to keep you around. And he did that against the Rangers the other night where it was a 5-1 final score, but I don't think that was indicative of the game.

Devils got off to a good start. And then he made three or four just fabulous saves, and that's what he's capable of. He's athletic. He's a competitor. He's a guy you can tell wants to win bad. He enjoys being here, and he's certainly done a really nice job thus far for this team. And when your guy makes a big save, you know how you make a mistake. It's a game of mistakes, whether you're a defenseman, forward, turn the puck over. And if it's in the back of your net every time, it gets frustrating.

Well, it's not always in the back of your net. He's been bailing them out when they do make that mistake, even though they are, like I said, much, much improved defensively and harder in their zone. And you have a lot of guys with good sticks. Pesci's been a great acquisition. Dillon's, everything is advertised. Physicality and the one guy that's probably been a pleasant surprise,

way better than any of us anticipated. But he has been damn good, and that's Colbert Savage. He's just a real good, long-reach, tall guy, tough guy to get around, and he certainly uses his stick well and brings a little physicality too. So it's a completely different makeup on the back end with Dougie Hamilton healthy, doing his thing on the power player offensively, where he can beat a goaltender clean with that shot. He's got a terrific shot, as we know.

So it's a different dynamic back there, and they've kind of worked together with Markstrom, certainly making the big shave when he needs to bail you out. Dan, I was going to ask you about where you see the Devils slotting in that Metro, but I think the most important piece I want to get from you, you know you work for MSG Network, is what is going on with the New York Rangers? This is a team that the Devils are one spot ahead of in the Metro standings,

but God, they can't get a win right now in New York. As a rival, it must break your heart, eh, Ken, to see them struggling and in turmoil? Well, look, Tipper, I mean, obviously everybody knows I bleed red and black, no question about it, and rightfully so. I've been here 40-plus years at the organization, whether as a player, a broadcaster, ambassador. So I certainly want to see their success.

But as a hockey fan, look, nobody wants to see me go through complete struggles. I've been there. We've been there as players. I've seen the Devils go through it for years here after my career up and down and in between. And when you start to second guess and start to play a tentative game, and I guess that's kind of what I've seen from the Rangers right now, that you're going to go through ruts.

I always say it's a lot better now than maybe later on if you figure it all out. I mean, they have too much talent not to be a playoff team, not to be a top team really, but their back end a little bit has struggled. They haven't played as well.

That's the bottom line and I don't know what they're going to, what they're going to do as far as maybe adding some depth defensemen, whatever it may be, but defensively they haven't been as good as they need to be. And they've got the all-world goaltender in Shusterkin. Has it been his best year? Maybe not.

It's still damn good. But sometimes you get comfortable when goaltenders mask your mistakes for so long that when they're not superhuman and they're just real good, sometimes you're not going to win games. So maybe my analogy, how I look at it, I have no doubt. Not that I'm asking them to figure it out, but they're a pretty damn talented team and a good team that I think eventually will figure it out, but you just don't want it to prolong

too long, and you can say that for any team, really, right? I mean, every team's going to go through their struggles. It's getting through it, even though top teams are going to lose three, four in a row, but it's how do you respond? Can you get out of it quickly? This league is so tight. The competitive balance

is at an all-time high. And I look no further with the Devils being improved, yet they've been shut out a lot this year. I think five times, which is crazy because they played very well in some of those games. Probably four of the five. But the Pucks just don't want to go. They get goaltended.

So just every night, it's a different adventure, I think, for a lot of teams, and the Rangers are going through it right now. We'll look forward to the adventure tonight between the Devils and the Maple Leafs. Dano, thanks for doing this. Have a great call tonight, okay? My pleasure, Kipper. And I can't remember that fight completely,

so maybe you'll have to look for that. I'll keep it aside. Always great being on. Take care, man. Thanks, man. Appreciate it. I was on the bottom, I'm sure, of the pile. I found it.

Yeah, I just watched it. It wasn't awful at all. It's a tingle up. I don't think you'd get hurt. I showed up. You did show up. You fought a tough guy. I showed up in the dressing room with needing new underwear.

You're a brave guy. I would have showed up in the dressing room with needing new underwear. You're a brave fella. Yeah. Five times he said that they've been shut out. Chalking. You kind of wish the Leafs could have come off a devil's win. Yeah, that would have been much better. So much better. Yeah, I know one thing.

You're going to get a good effort out of that team tonight. So at least you're going to have to bring it, which is nice to hear because I think the Leafs are going to bring a good game too, so we might get ourselves a fun hockey game. You know I love hockey TV pages. Ken Danico, he must have the highest games played to goal ratio maybe in NHL history. What do we got here?

He played 1,283 games in the league. How many goals? 36. I wonder what the longest stretch he had between goals. Do you know? Can you look that up real quick? Was it like six years? We had TJ Brody go like 130 games here or something.

In from 1999 to 2002, he did not score a regular season goal. Zero, zero, zero. Now, granted, I didn't either. That's just some hard luck. I couldn't get a break. Poor guy. I mean, he played 78, six assists, 98 pims. In the playoffs, he scored one, 23 games, and they won the cup.

Like, you do think that you're on the ice enough, you hack a couple towards the goal. That's amazing. This is an amazing hockey dp and he played 175 career playoff games what is i will say it even impresses me guys in the nhl and the leafs have several who end up with no goals like david camp so you know like a guy who played 15 16 minutes a game for the leafs just stand in the crease the The puck goes to the crease. It's hard. It is so hard.

So hard. Good league. Good league. So hard. Good league. I get it. I get it. I do.

How many games has Max played this year? Right? Ah, 20. He's a pretty talented guy. Yeah, of course. And yes, he could shoot more often, as Craig Berube has alluded to, but it gives you some idea. Very talented guy.

Hard to shoot it in the net. But Berube's point is like he needs to just go, like if you stand around the goalie and it's a hard place to just stand, they don't let you just stand there, but the puck will go there. We've also seen probably in the last week or 10 days when Nick Robertson was in,

he was just almost tunneled vision. Yes. Oh my God. Put it in the net. It's like must score. Yeah. Hockey and Nick Robertson are two different sports. Yeah.

It's just like, I'm Nick Robertson. I'm the goal shooting machine. Kind of go over the top too. Sometimes it's hard to find that balance. Yeah. Yeah. We talked about him celebrating that goal.

He scored to break the 19th game drought. And he was just like, that was a little bit. him celebrating that goal he scored to break the 19th game drought and he was just like that was a little bit i did the thing i need to do for me and i haven't done it since he's back in there tonight yeah off a healthy scratch he played uh nine minutes against uh washington didn't get in against pittsburgh they need goals he needs to get rolling i mean i will say if this is a for me to say this about Nick Robertson, this tells you a lot about Alex Nylander, but, like, he should be in over Nylander. Oh, good Lord, yes.

Like, there's no. Is Alex still with the team? Yeah. Grabenkin went down today. Okay. So, like, I guess he's a healthy scratch. He's still around the team or whatever. He may get in still if Dolmy doesn't play tonight.

Game time decision, right? Like, Alex Nylander may make hundreds of thousands of dollars this year just because they need Grabenkin to play and have the puck and be in the minors and Willie loves having Alex around and if you're going to have a body. I think that matters. What's that? You think that plays a... Willie thing? Yes, I do.

You do? Kipper? I'm sure it came up in discussions. I don't know that he's... During his contract. I think he chose this organization in the first place. Yeah, yeah. You're right.

You're right. Was it a clause? A clause. Now we're just being nasty. We should go. Pull my brother up. No, we're just kidding. You know what?

He played well in the minors. He had double-digit NHL goals last year. We're just talking about how hard he is to score. He was next man up with the Marlies. Absolutely true. I know a lot of guys that were next man up but couldn't make that next yeah okay don't go away when we return steve valicat analyst for the new york rangers on msg good time to have him on tons to talk about nh about NHL trade. Trouba. Can't wait. Don't go away.

More real Kipper and Bourne after the break.