Real Kyper & Bourne - Leafs Hour: Marner's Future + Debuts in Denver

Episode Date: March 10, 2025

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee start the week with trade deadline fallout and reports about the Leafs attempting to trade Mitch Marner for Mikko Rantanen. They discuss Marner's comments, how the reports impact his perception and future in Toronto and whether this story will distract the Leafs down the stretch. Later, they look back on the Leafs' 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday and dig into the forgettable Leafs debuts for deadline additions Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo.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.

Hope everybody got a good rest this weekend because we are right back at it on the real kipper and born show. I'm Nick Kiprio. So long alongside for the ride, Justin born Sammy McKee, Derek Brandeo and Jen roll neck. You know what I love about trade deadline so much once it's over, everything's just so calm and relaxed and we can just focus on the game. Hockey. Yeah. Tonight, the maple leaves in Utah, a game that will feature yours truly and Justin Bourne, albeit a 10 o'clock puck drop. That's a late puck drop for dad. I'm the old guy here.

You gotta keep me up. I know. Don't worry about yourself. I'll get us caffeinated. Is Freage doing that one too? Freage is on that one as well. Can he work harder, man? Oh my god. Plug in McKeever. Seriously. This kid's calling him uncle just because he visits every once in a while. It's that time of year. That's alright. Okay. So Okay, so I don't even know where to begin after this weekend. I think

So We had kind of gone through the whole trade Situation with the Toronto Maple Leafs and yeah, once again, this is the leaf hour edition of our show So I'm not sure how far we're gonna get to actually talking about Utah how far we're gonna get to actually talking about Utah. But may I? To heck with Utah. What I just wanted to remind everybody, the owner of the Utah Hockey Club, Ryan Smith,

will join us at the top of the hour. I shouldn't have said to heck with Utah. I meant we have other leafy topics to get to. Then we'll address Utah. Okay, recap. Leagues make a couple of trades. They shut down at 3 p.m. Eastern with the rest of the league Scott Lotton's a member

Carlo's a member ranting and goes to Dallas and you think we're kind of putting a bow on everything and then Our very own Elliot Friedman ends up reporting about the ask Will this go down In leaf history as just like the ask? Like to Marner, will you waive your no trade? So you guys tell me where you want to go with this

because I actually kind of find the whole thing a little silly, but yeah, you guys go ahead first. You know, it feels like one of those things that has to be addressed You know that they asked one of their best players if you'd be willing to wait is no wave has no trade Idea being to get ranting in in You know rumors in you endo sounds like ranting and would have considered sign. No, no no rumors. It's you would have it's fact Okay,. So, you know, I have a hunch how you feel about it. We haven't talked about it. My guess, and I'll just tell you what I think.

I'd love to hear it. I feel like no one, I don't really blame anyone here. Like, I don't blame Carolina for trying to get a great player for their asset. I don't blame the Leafs for asking Mitch to say, we don't know if you're going to stay, but we know this guy who we think is also very good would. I don't blame Mitch for saying no, because he has a no trade clause by all accounts. And if he doesn't want to sign there and he's not sure here, he has every right to say no.

I don't really blame anyone the whole process. Makes sense to me. I'm totally on board with that. So I'll go to Sammy now and say, Sammy. So what's the big deal? What is the big deal? Because apparently I heard that you went off a little bit on your Leaf Talk Saturday night.

JD did a bit more talking than I did. Okay. But what else? You also had some very strong words that I don't agree with. Okay. But what are you you also had some very strong words? Yeah that I don't agree with okay. I'm surprised. I'm surprised to hear you're not agreeing with them. Uh, I'm joking Tell us tell us how you feel I think the way this played out and the way

You know this leaked out here now and the fact that mitch marner Waved his no trade clause and said that he's, you know, wants to say here in Toronto and- Sorry, enforced his no trade clause, yeah. Yeah, sorry, enforced his no trade clause. I think now that if he leaves in free agency, the way this is going to be perceived by the fan base, myself included, is he's not gonna be very popular here,

Kip, and that this now puts it into the John Thavaris realm in Long Island. That you were asked by the team to waive, and you said no, which is your right. You negotiated that in your contract. You're allowed to have that. But you won't know as well as anybody the perception, Kipper, of this guy in this market.

And this did not help. So the idea is if you didn't wanna stay, then you should have left the team. And if you wanna stay, they've clearly made a ton of offers to you. If you wanna stay so badly, why does this have to go down to the 11th hour on July 1st where you have to grind for every dollar?

If you wanna stay, then just stay if you want to Go there's an opportunity to go. You don't want to go to Carolina. I understand that but the perception to me is it's just You kind of have your cake and eat it here, too here That is what I feel and you don't agree with that no, not at all because First of all he's looking at it through the eyes of being selfish right now as a Leaf fan or what's best for the Leafs. He's not taking into any consideration that...

But he's saying fans will look at it that way, right? Yeah, and that's okay. He won't, he's not the first and he won't be the last. That's what happens with unrestricted free agents. If they leave, there's always the feeling of, you left us at the altar, you didn't like us, there's egos involved in all of that, that's fine. That's just life.

But for me, to have watched this thing play out since the summer, and Mitch was very clear, I think Darren Fer Mitch was very clear. I think Darren Ferris was very clear. We're not negotiating. Mitch made it very clear when he said, I'm not talking about my contract the rest of the season. Everybody was on board that he wasn't going anywhere. Everybody.

There was not even a mention all season long about is Mitch gonna wave his no trade? We all came to the conclusion that he's just gonna play out the year. So now a scenario with Rantanen at the 11th hour comes up and he's supposed to just flush that down the toilet because he's worried about how he's gonna be perceived if he leaves, that's not happening.

I get Carolina asking for Mitch Marner and I get that the Leafs have to go back to Mitch because if they don't, they're just not doing their job. Right. But please tell me that Brad Tree Living had a very strong indication that this guy's gonna say no. Yeah. That's what I want to ask you.

He's gonna say no. Are you sure they needed to go to him? To ask him? Like really? Was there any way in a million years that Mitch Marner is actually gonna wave his no-trade class kid. I Think if they had been honest with themselves and read the tea leaves We know what the answer is and that's why some of this to me seems like PR Right like you have to say we at least did our due diligence.

Yes, but you know, I wanna play a little bit for the leaf management side too here because there is a level of frustration with disengagement and I think it's pretty well clear now to everybody that the leafs have tried to sign him. Okay? And he stays consistent with his message. I'm not doing this.

I told you I'm not doing it during the season. I'm doing it at the end of the year. Can I stop you there? Was it clear that they weren't gonna talk during the season? I don't- Yeah. Yeah, from the Marner side. Okay, I don't remember that being part of the story.

So there is a level of frustration on the Leaf side because now they see Rantanen and we think we can get him. So you gotta go back to Mitch and say, by chance, if you want this, it's there. We don't want you to go. We don't wanna do it. We'd rather have you sign here, but we gotta also cover ourselves here. And Mitch said, yeah, I respect that.

No problem, but I'm not going, I'm saying. And that should have been the end of it. So I don't see what the big deal is. If you really ask the players involved in management from Dallas to Toronto to... I bet you they went through 12 different names. Carolina didn't stop Carolina for asking for Rupee Hints or Wyatt Johnson. Right. Right? I mean, let's just throw names out. Let's see if something sticks here. Mitch was one of those names to throw up on the wall and see if it's stuck. It didn't. Why are people so upset now? Because the difference is, did they approach those guys to ask them to wave in the final years of their contract in the biggest

media market in the sport? You know, like, it's just a different scenario here than it is anywhere else kip, you know that better than me like The fact that that news got out is a huge Makes this a huge thing and We talked about it. I mean you saw everything yesterday. He's getting asked about it Trilliving has to do a has to do a damage control press conference yesterday It's been the number one talking point amongst every leaf fan from that moment till now. Like it's a different situation between Dallas and all these places. The fact that Brad True Living went to the best

player on the Toronto Maple Leafs this year, no question, and asked him to waive his no trade clause in the middle of a season where you're trying to contend for a Stanley Cup is a massive deal. Like I'm sorry, like you can downplay it. I can understand that part of it. The downplay is. There's no downplay to that, Kip. It's a huge deal, man. It is.

They're sick of trying to deal with this contract and they tried to get out of it. All that's happened, all that's really changed, Sammy, is you and everyone else woke up to the fact that the trade deadline's over and there's a real possibility that this guy's going to leave and walk out the door for nothing. And that was a reality sledgehammer that came to surface because of this. When really it was out there this whole time and nobody believed it because they just thought he was just being a greedy pig and wanted

13 or 14 million you misread and most of leaf men or leaf fans misread the Situation they thought they knew and they didn't have a clue What was going on behind the scenes and they just woke up to it now and going? Oh My gosh, sure. oh my gosh. Sure. Oh my gosh, he could leave for nothing and they're still offering him 13 or 13 and a half million and he doesn't wanna sign it.

Right. So I think that is what's changing perception wise for sure and I think you're totally on point with that. It's about then that it's not, it's not about the money at that point, It's that you don't want to be here. You know, it's that either if Mitch wanted to be here and he says he does want to be here, the contract and the dollars are there.

Why? Like, you usually decide when this needs to happen. Mitch said it could happen at the end of the year. I'm not here to decide. I'm not here to decide, but he is at the mercy of what comes of not deciding the fact that people are frustrated and annoyed and it seems like you've got an indifferent girlfriend who's choosing between you and someone else pisses people off. And I think that's the risk Mitch runs when he has the potential to be everything he could

want to be here in this market by just being like by just having done it. And so yes, he has all those things. But he's not everything he can be because he's been 10. Yeah, okay, we could all could be something. Yes. But he's had 10 years where he has been a bit of a whipping boy, been no doubt the scapegoat above anybody else, most polarizing, and what's the point,

Justin, if he signs today or tomorrow at 13 times eight and they lose in the first round? He's done. He's cooked here. He knows it. Not if he signed for eight years. That would change things for sure. Then if he doesn't it doesn't sign losing the first round and everybody's gonna sit there and and and and he will be the first guy that they blame guaranteed it's happened but it over and over again changes how Sam I know you want to get a good letter it changes how people feel about you like I know myself with like with relationships and whatever if I got a vibe for me from a partner the way that Mitch She's kind of does with Toronto. I'd be like you obviously don't like me that much

I'm just not gonna waste my time in this and so people are now feeling like okay people have changed their minds That's what happened. They changed their minds what you Marner this guy has told everybody for how long now? I'm good You can sign this contract, but I'm gonna plug my nose Why are you plugging your nose Sam because it's not worth it. You've told everybody because of the reaction from This like this whole feeling nobody wants to sign an eight-year deal and then have someone on national television go I'm gonna plug my nose at the contract on a national in the Leafs hour so I don't worry about that but I understand all you're saying you changed your mind that's what's happened everybody's changed their mind

what do you mean no Mitch goes and he makes a big play to winner oh now we can now we can show up and I said that right I said as much but then now you want a splash of cold water in my face of the return to reality, the way he's acted the entire time, every negotiation, everything, he's taken them to the cleaners and there's this perception. Where is he taking them to the cleaners?

Where is he taking them to the cleaners, Sam? He got paid way more than he was supposed to at the start, Kipper. When he got his first contract negotiation. When Randy got nine and he got 11 I think is where that conversation and he's earned every penny of it. That's not worth it at this point is worth Now Brayden point sign for what nine at that point at hit this like he was overpaid when he was first signed it went into the free agency and it went into the to

Training camp like the whole is earned every penny he's ever made He has absolutely of course of course but at some time He was perceived and if it's right or not, but I can tell you I can tell you Leon dry saddle signed at eight eight point Five and people were saying that he at the time it was oh too much money Okay, that's the way it works with a salary cap. You overpay and then the cap goes up and then you're in the sweet spot. The thing right now, Kip,

and I'll just zoom out from all this sort of stuff, is that it feels like the Leafs would give him the money he wants to be here. And it feels like it's- But that wasn't always the case either. And that's, right? I believe that to be true. This past summer, they didn't know what to do with him.

But everything, you're right. But everything has worked in Mitch's favor this year in terms of salary and what he should get paid. And that's great. He's had a tremendous season. The salary cap has gone up infinitely all at the right time for him. And so that's all worked out in his favor.

And that's great. Because he put his balls on the line his favor. And that's great. Because he put his balls on the line. Absolutely. And that's great. But all that having gone as well as it is, he's obviously gonna make a lot of money. You're talking about, is it gonna be 100 and 400 and 600 and whatever?

It doesn't seem like it's coming down to money. And so people reserve the right to be upset if the guy doesn't wanna take $100 million to play for their team. And so he has his right on the 1st of July to say, I will stay. I'll take 13, whatever. I'll take give me the Matthews contract. And people are going to feel differently knowing he needed to date a few other people first before he did that.

I still think it's wide open whether he stays or goes. How can this not change that? How can what just happen... Why should it change, Sammy? Because they're willing to change. Why would it change? Because they were willing to trade you at the deadline in the middle of the... What a huge season.

It's not your call, Toronto. It's not management's call on when. I control. I know. I've earned the right to make my call. Yeah. And if I want to do it in May, like that's when I want to see it.

Let's see, let's see how I get treated. If we get knocked out in the first round, can I see how I'll be treated? Can I see, will I take the same punishment? Will people blame me because I had a bad line change and Pasternak passed me and the game winning goal is over? Do I get all the blame? Or not?

Those are totally, totally, totally fair things. He's allowed to have those considerations. Can we go to a conference final? Can I play the way I think I can play? People love me for a month and a half and then turn around and sign and and it'll feel a lot better to him and to the Leafs I just think they by all accounts everyone likes Mitch Martin every single teammate I've you know worked with people in the organization for years I know people around there. Everyone likes Mitch.

He seems to be in a stable place here and all that. But it does feel like sometimes he's maybe not getting great advice. Because it feels like- What advice? Well, the advice, I don't, well- Where's bad advice? He's, look at his contracts.

He's maxed out. I know. He's earned it. But that's it, right? That's the whole- Where's the bad advice? If he took $100 million today, or whatever, call it three months ago, took $100 million and could lead this franchise in points, and have his jersey retired in the rafters, Doug

Gilmore is on Sonnet Insurance commercials at 60 years old. You can be, you can make infinitely more money and maybe he doesn't care about being on a commercial. Maybe. Maybe he doesn't, maybe it he doesn't care about being on a commercial maybe maybe he doesn't He cares a lot about the bottom line here kipper because he's just crying and Exactly it like stop saying you want to be a leaf Stop saying you want to be here if the money is a hundred and seven million I want to be a leader if it's there if you want to be a leaf or whatever the number is. If it's there, if you want to be a leaf, prove it, sign again. He is not, he's not shown anybody with conviction

that he wants to be a leaf. But he said that multiple times. He wants to be here. No, it's a tagline, it's just a tagline. That guy doesn't know whether he wants to be a leaf or not. And that's what bugs people. Yes. Well, hey, so what?

Six months ago, you didn't want him to be a leaf either. Fair enough. So okay, so like treat me like crap, but then treat me like you wanna keep me. Like who's in control here? Not the fans, not management, Mitch. But he's a non-social media guy. Like I don't know, I agree that he's taken some knocks on the chin,

but he's one of the two highest paid guys on the league or on the team. And him and Matthews, those guys, they haven't got over the hump. I don't know if he's taking it harder than Matthews or any of these other guys. He probably is a little bit, but it's because of this stuff. You know, neither Matthews nor Nylander went down to the mat for every nickel at the very end and that it changes how people feel Yeah That's well said I I just I Don't know why?

Like this is a very similar conversation. I'm sure they were having about John Tavares in in the Long Island I don't remember where the Islanders were at. They were fighting for the playoffs. I think they were maybe close to the playoffs or they were in a playoffs but he didn't want to go. And I'm telling you, Kipper, if he leaves, he's not gonna be beloved. It won't matter in his hometown?

It's not gonna matter? How can that not matter? Do you think he's gonna leave? I do. No, I think if they win a couple of rounds, he stays. Yeah. So I honestly, I think if they win two rounds, he stays. I think he wants to stay.

That's the impression I have. And so- Can I give you one more scenario and this is just me off the top of my head. Of course. What happens if he's been here 10 years and goes, can't win here, can't win here. I got no shot at winning a Stanley Cup here. 10 years, 10 years I've been here, 10 years they've tried, 10 years I've watched them make decisions, 10 years I've seen assets go out the door. I can't win here. I want to go somewhere else and try to win a Stanley

Cup. What do you say to that? I mean, what do I say to him in that situation? Well, I wanna go somewhere else and try to win a Stanley Cup. What do you say to that? I mean, what do I say to him in that situation? Well, I think it's like any major star who asks for a trade. Again, it affects how people feel about you, but you're allowed to do what you want. Okay, but no respect for that? No, hey, listen, I get it. I may get it that you wanna go and try to win

a Stanley Cup somewhere else. Yeah, I think, you know, we tend to see these guys get to a certain point in their career where they go, God, I gave them all my good years and I'm running out of them. I better go. I don't believe in this franchise anymore. I mean, in that hypothetical, if he says that and the team's no good, I'm just throwing scenarios out there. It's just it can't be always about just the money.

I agree. I agree totally agree Situation circumstance are you comfortable you happy sounds like he's got a great community here There's just a million things that go through a guy in his last year of his deal with no contract But so the question I have for you is you don't see You can't squint and see Lee fans perspective of this You can't squint and see Leaf fans perspective of this. Listen, if you... You can't, you just can't see the other side of it because... Of course I can.

There's a big flip side of this, Kipper, where everything you've said, he's been a phenomenal Leaf in the regular season. He's been unbelievable. He's been worth every dollar. And we've argued about the playoff stuff a million times. But when it comes to, you know what, cut in time, a lot of the time it hasn't been there. And there's been the puck over the glass stuff

and the big mistakes and big games. Listen, I get he's a phenomenal player, but there's a flip side to this, Kip. There is, and we just can't ignore it. Like it's not like- Sometimes the flip side is there needs to be a change. We can't just keep banging your head against the wall and trying listen For three years now these four guys Get rid of one of them, you know, get rid of you can't win

You know, it's crazy can win with both with all four is Colorado traded ranting in 13 games ago And I looked at their forward group today and I went huh, that's way better Yeah, like they used the money differently. They did different things winning changes everything Sammy I know okay And that's I think that's what his game plan was all along is just go into the playoffs win a couple of rounds Get some momentum show people that you can play in big games If he signs 13 million now and they lose in the first round, the guy's gonna get beat up bad.

And all bets are off. Then Kipper, anybody, they lose in the first round again this year, everybody's getting beat up bad. You think it's gonna be just him? You think Matthews, who's had the worst year of his career and he's no good in the first round, in the first year of being a captain, you don't think he's gonna take it on the chin. He will take it more because he has in the past

Not now man, like it's just they're all to have his has been very well protected compared to Marner But I I just I don't I don't agree with that anymore I think this perception has flipped and I think the four nations face-off was unbelievable for Mars and it did so much It changed your mind. It changed so many people's minds and you did so much it changed your mind it changed so many people's mind and you know what sometimes you change your mind including a Relationship and and people get to say it's just too late. Yeah It's just too late. Yeah, sure and listen Sorry to change your mind that you couldn't open up your eyes and see what you had

Wow, yeah, I mean I've seen what I've had for seven years Yeah, you're on it a lot Yeah, when the biggest games happen and it's crap that did crap that my friend that my friend is what I call having your cake And eat it too for sure. No question like great in the regular season and my cake I don't get to have it too in the playoffs when it matters the most I I do think that so I have long said that like it's going to happen for Marner. Like as you see him in the big games in the four nations and like it's going to happen for him at some point.

It would be interesting. This year goes great. He puts up a bunch of points. They have success. Just win. Just win. Yeah. Just win.

Winning solves everything guys. Okay. Yeah. And then when you lose, everybody look jumps off an island. Okay. Yeah. And then when you lose, everybody look, jumps off an island, okay, and just finds whatever saves their own ass. So that's what losing does in the NHL. One more point I wanted to make on this is that all of this does feel like people protecting themselves a little bit. You know, like, management had to, we had to find out that they

asked them, right? They had to look out for themselves a little bit. You know, like, management had to, we had to find out that they asked them, right? They had to look out for themselves a little bit and be like, just so you guys know, we did ask. You know, everyone kinda, in this case, like these jobs are hard to come by. The player has to, you know, I just feel, why do we know about it? I feel like there's a lot of people

just making sure everyone knows. We're all doing our job here, we're all trying our best. What do you make of it coming out? I wrote I've had conversation with you. I would have traded Marner last Summer, okay, and I would have been aggressive on him I would have people are suggesting now that the the Leafs may have leaked this to put pressure on them Have you heard that? No About Elliot's report coming out? I'm

fascinated to know who leaked it. There would be zero benefit to the Toronto Maple Leafs for leaking it. I hear that oh they wanted to put pressure on him. There's no pressure on a Saturday 12 hours after the trade deadline. There's no pressure. The pressure would have been if it got leaked before 3 deadline. Right. There's no pressure. Yeah. The pressure would have been if it got leaked before 3 p.m. So wipe that out of your heads right now. There was no benefit of this leaking from anybody in the Toronto Maple Leafs. All leaking would have done was pour gasoline on a fire, which it did, and cause a major distraction.

The last thing the Leafs needed was this to be a distraction to their season. Okay, if by chance the Leafs don't get it back on the rails and they may be losing the first round, this will be the key turning point. This is the Marlar Contract disaster. This is, this is, this is. Every year has its new one.

People will mark this down as the reason where it fell off. 100%. Right? Credit to them for coming out and talking about it. I don't have. Yes, yeah, I think Tree did a good job of saying, we want him back and he knows that and when his time's ready, he's gonna come to us.

Part of what Tree said in his clip, and I don't think we're past the point of playing clips here, I think we've, you know, talked about it enough, but he said this is not a distraction. It's, we don't want it to be a distraction. I gotta tell you, boys. Yes, he knows. But we're past the point of,

we're past the point of this not being a distraction. This is now looming over the entire thing. And it wasn't before that got out. Win tonight in Utah, come back, beat Florida this week, and everything calms right down, okay? But just to my earlier point, for me, I would have pushed Marner harder. I would have said, listen, we're gonna to play out this season, but there's going

to be a trade deadline at 3pm. If we don't have your name on a signature, you got to give me six teams. You got to give me four teams. You got to do something to me. I'm not sure that's happened. I'm not privileged to that information. I don't know if it did. But as far as I'm concerned, I don't think it happened. Going back in time here, the great what if and the great the time to trade Mitch Marner, as we all know, was before July 1st was 2022. But right before he left where the before the no move kicked in before you had more control of what you want to do, he had contract, he had three years left in his contract there.

And it was the first week of Brad's living on the job. He's just getting there. This is the one situation where looking back a fresh set of eyes maybe was a worse thing. We could do a four hour show looking back and we will find a lot of that. What ifs or what happened? It's common in most organizations. not quite like this one. No, no And we don't care about other organizations to say but

Mitch Marner needed to the Leafs needed a hard list of give me something here. Give me something You know, they hate this. Oh, I wrote an article on the ranting and thing saying that the leaf should go after ranting in and though and they did And I'm not saying this because I wrote an article but I'm saying because it made total sense because ranting in was their Plan B Mitch walks out the door ranting and walks right in the time

Brad Needed to ask Mitch If he would wave his no move Was when Colorado had ranting and up for sale not Carolina at the last second That's that's a great point. That's and then you should have had think about a list of three four or five teams And you know what? I guarantee you one of them would have been Colorado Yeah, that's actually a fantastic point like Marner and the people around him just call it his agent whatever

Hate this hate that He's in the news every day and part of the conversation or do you feel like they like this? Because it feels like this is... What's the like? I don't know, but some people, some people just like being in the headlines. And I like this. Nobody, nobody would like this.

Nobody would like this. President of the US seems to like this. Oh gosh. No, no, no, no, no, no. The kid just wants to play. It just feels like this is avoidable to me. I don't know. We shouldn't be here. It was.

It was. But there's a sequence of events that have totally led to this. This didn't happen by accident. This was the stars aligning to get to this point Right and either Those are not aligned. I stars are but but they jagged it wind Wind and they go back. I can't believe you even asked him in yeah That's what I go back to is that I truly can't believe to living even I and listen It takes stones to even take it to him. I guess it's doing your job, I guess.

But like, you just had a guy in Miko Rantan go there, and literally we're gonna play a clip later in the show, be like, he never wanted to be there. And you approach a premier guy from Toronto that's gonna wanna go to Carolina mid-season. Hey, and- I'm stunned they passed. Hey, Miko, it's Mitch Marner.

How was it? Yeah. Yeah. Well, it doesn't sound like Miko, it's Mitch Marner. How was it? Yeah. Yeah. Well, it doesn't sound like Miko went there, looked around and said, this stinks. Sounds like Miko found out he was going to Carolina and said, this stinks. What he said was, I'm like two months away from free agency.

Why do I now be, why am I forced to pick Carolina? It was ridiculous to begin with. And I think in our national hour, we may have a clip from the head coach who all but admitted that he did so it's like Tough learning lesson Oh for two Carolina Oh for two on on picking a potential ufa and Thinking I'm holding all the cards because I'm the only one that can offer an eighth year. I think this happens to Winnipeg and more than people know that

like it's not as easy as can you get the guy it's can you get a guy who wants to be there can you get a guy who you're not on his no trade can you get a guy who wants to stay like it's it's a challenge for some teams more than others out there and I think some GM's come off really good Tampa Bay is a great example where like no one's ever turned them down Yeah, and everything freeze was a genius. It's like well, he has a lot less limitations and other GM's Conference final for the Leaf Sammy Mitch stays you're a happy guy. Yeah absolutely, oh

Honestly that I think the great flaw or the the flying the ointment, I don't even know if that's the right saying, but the whole reason this is like this is because they didn't get a bounce or two in a couple of game sevens that they've played. If they went to the conference finals once the second round twice they went like yeah It's just like we're making pushes. We're getting close. There's so much around the playoff stuff that people just don't feel Great about it. Yeah, there's no doubt like they get they fall to the two three matchup They get smoked in five by Tampa or something. That's like, all right. Well, we got 11 mil to spend because he's gone. I

Yeah Okay, let's go to break and wow we didn't even get it's like a game Saturday night still plenty more on our leaf edition hour as we break down what we saw Saturday night including a couple of new faces plus the show. We'll be back with another edition hour as we break down what we saw Saturday night, including a couple of new faces. Mm hmm. Plus. 10 PM 9 30 pregame show Justin born and yours truly

David Amber Elliott Friedman. We get to do it all over again. More when we return to real Kipper and born. Hey, it's Ailish for afar and I'm Justin comfort. Join us as we discuss the most important the Now Kipper, it's Justin Bourne, Sammy McKee. It's the Leaf Hour edition of our program. Crazy, they traded Marner when we went to commercial. It was wild. I got a text and a text on it. We're not taking texts.

Is this a special edition text? As a Bruins fan, I am really enjoying this Marner conversation. But can Kipper and Sammy just hug it out on camera? Yes. Signed the David-nator. They're besties. Okay, Sammy's like 6'7". I can't reach him. I cannot reach him to hug him. I assure you this. Boys, can you imagine they traded Mitch Marner for Miko Rantanen on Friday? Honestly, I would have just... I would like to go to the universe where it happened so I

could get Kipper's. Are they better? I don't know, man. No, it's not. Okay. That's a fascinating what-if. He doesn't kill penalties, does he, Rantanen? No, he's not much of a defensive whiz, but crazy what-if. All right, you mentioned it in our first block that Colorado looks a little different, in your opinion a little

better. There's no question when Valerie Nakushkin's in the lineup, like they're a better hockey club. His hat trick lifted the Avalanche past the Maple Leafs for their fifth straight win. And somehow some way I thought maybe Saturday night McKinnon could kind of just slide by with not much on the score sheet and then no not so much. How about how good Brock Nelson was? Was he not fantastic? Am I the only one who noticed that? First shift of the game he rings went off the post right down the

shoot. Ran it everyone he could. Is now a bad time to tell you how hard the Leafs Pushed on Brock Nelson. No, it's a great time. Tell us please Yeah, they did. Oh, no, they try to trade Matthews for McDavid Go back go back. He was really good I think most important place to start is probably with the Leafs with their new guys Brandon Carlos got lost I don't really care about the overview of the game. They lose 7-4. They were up 4-2. Whatever. Not so much whatever. That's one that you got to lock down. You

got to come out with points in that. You can't lock down anything without 10-10. That's not a good sign. It's not. Okay, it's not a good sign and they should be extremely disappointed. I don't, I don't buy into, well, we had two new faces and they've, you know, we got to get them acclimated and blah blah blah. It's like no, no, up four two. Close it out. I'll give you that. But I'd like just to hit on the new guys first.

Carlo, good for me, Lawton, bad. Anyone want to elaborate or disagree? Carlo did have a tough moment. The first five minutes of the Carlo experience, I was like, did they just make a new Tuca Rask trade? Did Tuca Rask trade just drop, new one one but then he did settle into the game but he got barbecued I think on this first or second shift by Nathan McKinnon blue by him didn't look comfortable but it's his first game didn't get to practice flies in there against the fastest team in the league didn't think was the best matchup

for him but I thought he grew into the 20. That's a big ask for sure. It is. And I'm with you. At times he looked a little lost out there, but his head's spinning a little bit and he's asked to play the most minutes. I think Carlo at least showed everybody that he can really help, especially if one of the big boys goes down. Tanev, we got news today that it's not going well on his rehabilitation, on his upper body injury.

So, that's why you got Carlo. Because you envision maybe a McCabe or a Tanev going down and you need a guy that can play 18 to 22 minutes. Couple of days ago, Kevin Pappetti tweeted, the lowest five on five goals against per 60 over the last five seasons and Carlos fourth in the NHL on the list is Tanev Lindholm, McDonough, Forsling good players. He's a really good shutdown quality guy, but a couple times the play was going behind the net and he took the body like really just like stop the rush or the cycle. So those things I found really optimistic.

I know, you know, the end of the day, he's on for two for and two against, but that was really positive for me. So it looks like it should. I think him and Riley are going to end up working out pretty decent. Lawton, tougher start. Yeah, not the debut. I mean, he's local guy. Yeah. Dreamed of this moment, literally his whole life. Yeah. And then you throw on the jersey. And he'll be fine. For sure. You know, it's like Colorado, you're at elevation, Jason Minnate-McKinnon in a new sweater, big ass.

And it just sucks. He makes the wrong decision. He covers off the point for some reason, gives him a full straight line right to the cup and he shoots it in. Like that's not the debut you wanted, but I'm not worried about it. For me, again, going back to the trade, I would have preferred more skill.

I've got a guy that could shoot it in the net, someone that could alleviate more pressure off of Matthews Marner, Nylander, Tavares, now Knies, but it's not him. It's not him. He. It's not him. He's gonna have to come in here, play incredibly gritty. For me, for this trade to work out, he's gotta play more than 11 minutes. Yeah. Like, might as well have kept Connor Dewar

and your first rounder, and it cost him Grabenken. Like, I don't know what Grabenken's gonna be, but the guy came along. first rounder and it cost him a Grebenkin. Like, I don't know what Grebenkin's gonna be, but the guy came along, he's gonna be something here. You gave up a lot for this guy. He has to find a wheelhouse of 14, 16 minutes, 17. They gotta be quality in your face, hard. Shoot it in the net every once in a while, that's where they gotta get this guy to.

Well, they gotta build that third line. Like they, I don't know what the answer is going to be, but I am fascinated that they scratched Kelly Yarncroc, right? Nick Robertson stayed in, he played a star in the fourth line, they worked him up to the second line, which didn't exactly go great.

But yeah, it's just unclear what this third line's gonna look like. Well, this goes to show you that you go into Saturday night and they've got Max on the wing, right? And Holmberg's big and heavy, McMahon's big and heavy, Lawton's heavy. He doesn't want Nick Robertson or Yon Kroc. They're light, they don't push, Robertson or young croc. No, they're they're light. They're not they don't push

They don't run people over. Yeah, they don't get in the way He's no different to me in terms of like physicality like he doesn't hit like yes Nobody can piss people off can for sure just he can stir it up. Yeah, he can stir it up He'll stick his nose in there for Nick. Unfortunately can't and neither can yarn croc So they may bounce back and forth those two guys on croc and Robertson until he gets pissed off at one of the guys in The lineup. Yeah, or there's an injury It is crazy because we have talked for years about Nick Robertson getting traded and now that they keep or get Lawton Instead of a guy like Nelson who can't you know lot and doesn't score?

I'm more drawn to Robertson They need more guys who can shoot it in nice is better than they've ever had and McMahon too, but like there's gonna be games where it's like guys we can't go seven straight game score in two goals a game. Nick might have to shoot a couple in for us. So he's gonna get some opportunity here. Yeah. By the time this thing's all said and done. The thing you worry about is just like you mentioned with his role. Like he's not and I saw him play on the fourth line I Was like oh, he's not playing next game. Like it's just like he's playing on the fourth line wing It's like that's just not you've seen that a million times over the years in hockey

They put like the young skill guy on the fourth line. It's just like that's not a plan. That's gonna work I watched Robertson in that role puck gets dumped in behind him and there's a player in front of him and that role puck gets dumped in behind him and there's a player in front of him and just lets him go hit his D man as hard as he can as a winger all you do in the puck stump is you step in front of the first guy you just get a butt end you slow him down whatever and he just doesn't do some of those little things and that's frustrating so that to me I'm just saying he can't play on the fourth line you're not gonna do those simple little things so better shoot it in sometimes yeah but you do watch Brock Nelson.

That's a different thing. That would have been nice. I guess they offered them reports were over three times seven and a half, like three times eight. I think I did done for Nelson. Yeah. Yeah. He's going to make more money in Colorado and he's going to get another year.

He'll get four years and he'll get north of what you just said No, maybe I don't think you have to go that high Yeah, yeah, maybe eight. Yeah the thing that you said about lot and play in 11 minutes It's just I really hate that the big deadline edition on his first night just slid right into team beat Well, you know, but it's just like that's not it's just I really hate that the big deadline edition on his first night just slid right into team beat. Well, you know, it's just like, that's not, it's just what I mean. It's one game where he struggled a little bit in his own zone. So instead of adding onto it, he backed off his minutes. He maybe established that it wasn't going to be a good night for him.

The minutes that he probably ended up with were more in line to protect him than to expose them for more colossal damage. And I'm going to Lawton's game logs, last five games with Philly, 18-17, 19-19, 18-33, 16, and then Toronto last night. My point is that he can play minutes. Now, typically he's only played about 15 16 minutes a night Tonight which is what you're asking tonight. He needs to hit that average

Yeah tonight. He needs to hit that wheelhouse His average with Philly is 1506 this year, so yeah, okay there. That's good go attending First night that stole ours first night where it's like that's not the guy that you saw all season long. What did you see? I still saw him keep them in the game. A lot of that. He made some big saves. I know five entered the net, but like, God, five could have been seven or eight.

Could have been 10. 10. So I don't know. Like they're playing pretty Pretty poorest team defense right now But I are gonna do TV tonight and kip if I'm not mistaken you have some numbers about that Am I am I correct? Like we got some from from Marsy sent to us about how their D since a certain point has not been very good yes, and

The one thing that is abundantly clear and we'll get into this in our pregame show is that they are spending way too much time in their own zone. And why do you think that is, boys? Can't break it out? Well, Benjuan Myers as a player cannot break the puck out. Neither of them can do it. Especially against that team. That's just for you. You're in. You're in catch up mode here now. Everybody's trying to block a shot and everybody's trying to help the goalies out and what used to be just maybe a block shot and a puck out now is starting to turn into longer time in your own zone or finding ways to get through now and actually beat your goal tender. So they got to clean that up

tonight. Yeah, they're some of the stats I saw today. I was poking through it there like puck retrievals to clean breakout stuff from Sport Logic all really bad like 28th, 29th. They're not going back on pucks and getting them going cleanly the other way. So without guys like Lillagran and Timmons who, you know, okay, I'm fine with that. You're going to need a couple guys to make some plays here. And Carlo can do that. He should help them in that regard,

but, you know, hasn't been pretty for a while. Willie, Saturday night, I think he ended up with two assists, and I'm like, really? Did he? He did? I think so. Yeah, he did.

Power play on the... He was too quiet for me Saturday night. I would agree with that. With pace of play and holding onto the puck and making more dangerous Consistent plays it wasn't really his night either right Tavares keeps shooting it in the net His shooting percentage is through the roof. God. He can lean on a snapper. Yeah, he can spot like that one was he beat him clean Yes, but five on five. I think he still struggles for me. Oh yeah. Yeah.

Oh, absolutely. I was trying to find a stat here. It's funny. I, you know, knee lander for me to my eye. I'm like, yeah, it hasn't been particularly good recently. And it's just, he's got a five game points streak going. Yeah. And how many goals?

35? He has 35 goals. Yeah. It's like quietly like career high He's so talented. He could score 35 with his eyes closed, you know And maybe a good year when he opens them up maybe 50, you know, well, we're before we go to break So since February 1st Matthews and Marner

It's funny. It's like statistically have like flipped rolls Matthews three goals Marner six Matthews 15 assists Marner. It's funny that it's like statistically have like flipped roles. Matthews three goals Marner six. Matthews 15 assists Marner five. Shooting percentage for Matthews is five and Marner's 27. I thought we had Freaky Friday already. Honestly though like, do any goalies check the scouting report on Marner? He shoots in the same place. Every goal in his career is hitting the exact same part of the net. Cross.

Far. It's like. Far side. Cross the seam into the blocker side of the net. It's always happened. Matthews leads NHL since February 1 in assist. First time in his career, he's led the NHL in assist for a span of at least 30 days.

So maybe he's dished. He's been listening. Looking like he's tuning in. Looking like a young Jordan Stall out there recently. What are we making at Utah? What are we about to find out? They're actually pretty good, but they're no high end. But meaningful game still for them, right?

Absolutely, they're in the mix. Sure, next guest is fired up about that. Yes. Good segue, Sammy. Thank you. Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah hockey club will join us after the break. It's got a quick kind of cool owning a team. It must be fun. Look forward to hearing about that. All right. We'll get into that. Plus so much more Brad Marshad. Oh my God.

We didn't even talk about him. We got more meat on the bone here on The Real Kipper and Bourne Show. Do not, I repeat, do not go away.