Real Kyper & Bourne - Leafs Hour: More Questions Than Answers

Episode Date: October 22, 2025

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee look back at the Maple Leafs 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils, Jack Hughes' growing star status after registering a hat trick in Toronto, the Leafs' top line's slow start especially coming from Auston Matthews, and Anthony Stolarz's performance in net after his critical post-game comments after their game vs. the Seattle Kraken. Then, the guys discuss some updates coming from the hockey club, including Joseph Woll and the future of the goaltending tandem. Finally, they dip into McKee's Midweek Maple Leaf Mail Bag to answer your questions!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.

It's the Leaf Hour edition on Real Kipper and Bourne. We are live on Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet 590, the fan in Toronto. Streaming always on Sportsnet Plus. And if you miss our show, look for us, find us. Send out a search team, Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube. This hour, Real Kipper and Born brought to you about, Brought to you by Bet365. All right.

Just put an eye drops. I look like Brad Marshand out here. Sorry. I'm okay. And you're cut off. I like the once in a while you just get cut off. That's fun. I think you could call that borderline ugly cry last night.

That was not going to cry. Jack Hughes scores a hot trick and the Devils beat the Toronto Maple Leafs. The devil's fifth straight win. we did talk about yesterday in our Leaf Edition hour about the challenges of a game against a pretty darn good team even though they missed the playoffs. You want to start there just on

what they were up against and how they fared in your eyes? You know, give the New Jersey devil's credit where it's due. Like they weren't healthy, very often last year. I remember a time where they had all of their de-healthy and they actually had a really nice run during last season. Everyone was hurt all the time.

They're healthy now. Jack Hughes last night looked as difficult to handle as anyone in the league, basically. So, you know, we're going to get to the Leafs and I'm not going to give all the credit to the devils, but that's a pretty darn good hockey club they played last night. And they did not look up to the task of playing with one of the league's best teams. Just for me, speed and quickness and it kind of fell into a familiar feeling for me.

I caught the game live so you know how I feel about how I can focus differently on my coach than I get live so I didn't get to see the smaller details of the game but in a big picture it just felt like the Leafs can't keep up with this team. Well, you know, part of that is, I think, turnovers. You know, I'm looking last night at some of the sport logic numbers. The scoring chances off the rush were, you know, New Jersey had twice as many as the Leafs did. And that, to me, really spoke to actually three times as many. Why they looked faster, right?

Like, turnovers and off they went. Turnovers and off they went. You know, I've heard Barubi talking about protecting the puck and managing the puck and all that. they don't look like a team of veterans like they're an older team and they don't look like they're making great decisions so far do you have the high danger chances in front of you there yes they do high danger chances for the game we're 16 11 for new jersey 16's a high number 11 seems surprisingly high well that that's at both strengths if you care about even strength there's only 10 9 at even strength really this is kind of a leaf's thing though they get out possessed you know the tucks in their end

the whole time whatever shots are out of whack high danger chance chances they kind of hang. Even this year when they look ugly. But would you have thought that eye test-wise? No. I would have thought the devil's had way more dangerous. What is going on here? I think that the Leafs have enough skilled, talented guys that when they get in the zone

and they have possession, they can make plays. They try to make risky plays. When they get through, they get a chance. When they don't, they turn it over. To me, it's like trying to do too much, trying to be fancy, trying to hit the home run every time. What clips do you have out of Craig Baruby? Boy, what clips don't I have? What are you interested in?

What do you need? He opens up his coat and he's got clips in the Jack Alley. What do you need? J.B. just mentioned that they do get chances, even though it doesn't feel like it. They're getting enough. So where's Barubi on his top line? We have an odd man rushes one.

How about you want to do the... Speed one? You want to get hot right out of the gate? Let's start with the Matthews line clip on clip. What's making it? get tough, do you think, for the Matthews line to get it kind of rolling? Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, I think early on in the season, I thought, you know,

they were getting their opportunities and looking pretty good now. It's like, you know, it's obviously not good enough. I don't feel like they have any sustained pressure in the offensive zone at all. It's one and done or out or, you know, they don't have any sustained pressure. in the offensive zone. That's what I see. I'm sorry. You said at the start of the year

that might be a long process of experimentation. Well, it could be, but I'm getting tired of it, to be honest with you. Okay, so let's wait, let's be patient, let's get, you know,

chemistry might take a while to develop that. Did he just punt that out the window? I don't know. I'm getting tired of it. Yeah. Well, and I think you can stick with something even though you're tired of it, but I am curious to see,

felt like the domi experiment ended last night see that bothers me yeah that bothers me because i've seen so many changes it's half a dozen games and this guy's in this guy's out this guy's in this guy's out now you're telling me domi's back out it's like stop it enough just leave somebody there even though you didn't look very good leave max domi there unless you're convinced you got another plan that will be a difference maker, but the revolving door's got to stop. Austin must be incredibly frustrated every other game, not knowing who's going to be on that side. Well, go ahead.

You know, Domi, I think, shot himself on the foot with that brutal turnover on the three on two where neither guy was the high guy and whatever. I think that hurts him in Bruby's eyes because he really likes taking care of the puck and all that kind of stuff. However, I was going to say, I don't think Austin gets to be. mad yeah when's he's got to have a decent hockey game doesn't he at some point yeah that's another conversation it is you know last night i was thinking of myself you know all season long i've seen him skate in one on two one d or whatever and the same thing he did when he was a rookie that little

like pull and shoot it's not going through they know you're pulling it it's hitting skates hitting sticks develop you know what i see plan b i see him still wanting to do that but what i'm really seeing is a guy that can't do it. I think he can do it, Kip. I just don't know. I think he's trying to do it. He's just, he's too slow at it now.

It's not quick enough for me. The quickness that that fast twitch quickness that he had when he scored 60 goals or even game one as an 18 year old when he scored four goals against Ottawa

way back then, he just moved quicker and I see a slower version of that now. To me it's like that's fair I see what you're seeing but to me it feels like a pitcher seeing going through the order for the third time

you know it feels like they've seen him now and like if I'm a demon he's coming down on me I know I know it's getting pulled six inches at minimum and he's going to shoot it through me he's not going around me can I stay with a baseball he's lost his first

Fastball. I think that's fair to say. Like if I'm a D, I'm sagging off him because he can't, he's not going to beat me wide. I'm not saying he can't find it again. Same here. He's young. He's in, he's at the peak of his physical career. You sure about that?

Find your fastball. Yeah, I don't know. It is. So that's one of the concerns, you know, like I'm with you that it's not like he's not good or he's not going to, whatever. I'm out. It's just. It's not been there. He hasn't had a game this year, really, where you're like...

I think how I, you know, viewing him and viewing the season, his start reflects the team start where it's inconsistent, where I have seen flashes over this season where he's looked dangerous. Game two, he had 12 shot attempts and nine shots. There's been two or three games where it's like, oh, he's carrying the puck, he's getting shots on net, he looks great, he looks dangerous, you know, he's however many goals he has. I mean, a cup happens to empty nets. he hasn't beat a goalie clean ripping one yet but like you've seen it but the games that he's that haven't been good have been deeply concerning it's just it's not there at all there's no juice

there's no juice there's no it's hard to quantify what it is but it's just it is not there what jack hughes had last night is not watching nathan mckinan go or whatever it's he used to be able to get into the offensive zone and he was never a guy to carry it through the neutral zone like Connor McDavid or Hughes last night but once he got into that zone and started with

holding on to the puck he almost had a jogger in his peak where it's like you're not getting the puck off 34 and you know still he's so strong like in those puck battles it like getting pucks back but I do think that you know

watching like LeBron that giant of a man, get leaner as he gets older. He's not handling the puck. It's a bit of a grenade on his stick. Boy, you think his wrist is bad? Is that? Oh, my God. Please don't go there.

Well, listen, you keep saying he can't shoot and he can't handle the puck. Are you just saying that it poof went away? I'm saying, I assume you're hinting something. I'm not hinting. I'm not going with injuries. I'm just saying it's no longer there right now. And he's got to get it back.

Rookie of the ear, break his arm. I'm just saying. He just, he's, he's not handling, he's not handling the puck cleanly like he used to. Yeah. I think it looks tired. He just looks tired all the time. What? Video games every night?

What? Yeah. Probably late night video games. That's probably what it is. I don't, I don't, if this is going to look like this, and last night was my, you know, because I've been, I've been trying to get rid of the, this team might actually suck demons. I've been kind of like pushing those guys back. and try not, because people, believe me.

I don't think they're going to suck, by the way. Believe me. People in my DMs and mentions and everything like, this team stinks, this team's no good, blah, blah, blah. It's happening to me every single day, every single person I talk to is telling me how bad the Leafs are. They're like, oh my God, the Jays, but the Leafs. Like, it's every conversation I have.

But, like, I'm trying not to go there. It's creeping in. I know it's creeping in for people. I don't think this team is in big trouble. I actually, so I wrote. Is it creeping in for you? I told you guys I was a little concerned

before the season started that they're bad I don't think they're bad I don't think they're bad I don't want to go good bad I'm just saying that I saw challenges here's the thing Kip like we all saw

they're new they're like their lineups like 30% new you said it could take 20 games for this team to find their whatever right that was going into the season And I'll still stand by that before I go bad. Okay. So that's why I think it's important here,

seven games in after playing a very good fast team, to be like, well, we thought it was going to be bad, but this looked really bad. This is what bad looks like. And my concern is not that they're going to be bad because they have so much of the same personnel, so much talent, they're not bad. My concern is that they're not answering any questions.

To your point about the first line, so that's not the first line, then they're going to do something different there. What's the second line? What's the third line? What's the fourth line? They don't have a third line. Okay. What's the...

They have a first... They don't have the first, Kip. Well, no, Matthews and Nyes is a first. Okay? Matthews and Nyes first. Tavaris and Nielander second. And then they got a bunch of fourth liners. Okay, I'm sorry.

Who looks like a third liner for you? Because I see... I see Nick Waugh playing 10, 11. minutes and not really having a huge impact on games that's the look of a fourth liner I think he's been fine I think yarn crox would get to like McMahon so far

I think Robertson has not done anything to deserve to continue to be in the lineup here they never had more depth that's what we heard before and I'm watching a fourth line last night centered by Lawrence okay

tell me why does he is he a centerman does he look like a centerman to you did he look like a centerman for you last night i mean last night kip nothing went good for anyone i also don't think austin matthews is actually bad but if we if we told you that that would be a fourth line this season

no of course not of course i don't want that why you scrambling right now to find a fourth line your point is david camp for just be your fourth line center of course where is it is really strange where is where is picking Steve Lawrence as a fourth line centerman over camp like I said one's a natural centerman

and the other one you got to pull off the wing I think they just said you're not a part of this to camp anymore and they just don't why though what is it's a very good question I don't know

I don't know either you know it seems some guys when there's a new coach get new opportunities and some guys fall out of favor and for whatever reason but he just does not like them if Nikwai and Dakota were supposed to shore up the third line,

it hasn't happened yet. It hasn't happened yet. But like this to me is like where we're at the epitome of like, can we let this breathe a sec? Okay. You know, like they have typically had bad October's even without this. Yeah, I'm okay with that. I'm okay because like at the end of the day,

you don't have much choice. And these are your guys. You handpicked them and you don't bail on them in seven games. yeah so i've i've seen that heard that side of it from the more positively fans if there are any left about like they've had slow starts to octobers but is it have we said like i just have amnesia i mean i've done this so many times has it felt this bad i just kind of feel like it probably has fair okay i mean they lost this year to the devils and twice to detroit but i would say that last night is the first time they've played a quote-unquote

quote really good hockey team. I know Detroit's had a good start, but I think the devil's upside is higher than Detroit. No, if we had this, like, I really think the devils are actually a good team. And they got, and they got run off the rank. Yeah. They're probably not in this operational. They're not in the operation. And Stolars probably kept it from being eight to or. I was actually curious how you were going to handle that today because his save percentage last night was like an 890. Yeah. He was excellent, I thought. Yeah. I mean, yeah. Maybe he can make big saves and all and all, but like Allmerk,

at least they're going to miss the playoffs if he's at 890. Yeah, for sure. And I think everyone steps out. But ideally, you don't have guys coming down Broadway scraping the rafters on the way in for a hard-of-shock competition slapper.

A lot of teams that miss the playoffs have done against them so far. Yes. So they're leaking oil in a lot of places right now. But the one place we didn't think it would be collectively, it was that blue line. That blue line was a very hard Blue line to play against last year

And a reason why Stolars' save percentage Ended up being, what, 917? 9-29, it was off the charts, right? And that's gone right now. If I want to say that Austin Matthews, this fastball's gone, that feeling of last year, that blue line is gone right now. and they need to get that back.

Yeah. Tough to play against, heavy, blocking shots, not giving up quality chances. Well, how about, like... Is it going to get easier without TANF? Are they going to get harder to play against without TANF? I'm just happy to see just some change-up. Just something changed.

Well, I mean, he got rocked and he's questionable for the weekend. He's gone for 10 games or 10 days. For sure. Okay, that's a 10-dayer. Clear your head. is an awkward one This is one of the most important players You know

He's not playing this weekend It'd be crazy for them to put him in this weekend The thing that really stands out to me Is just no F3 No defensive awareness from your forwards I know Mitch was always good at that But that's one player Every line

One player that played 24 minutes a night Yeah okay every line They got nobody doing it This is the NHL. You can have an F3 even without, you know, that's the one thing you can do. Kip, that's one thing I could do in the NHL. Oh, there'll be a high guy.

Okay. I can skate less distance. That's no problem. Just not having guys back and seeing the speed through the neutral zone is atrocious. Four on one. Last time you saw that. And Brendan Dillon keeps, calls his own number.

Great shot. Great shot. My good buddy, Mike Brofey, who I worked with for many years, I saw his tweet, took a snapshot of the, four and one and he said this is how you pay back stoleers yeah oh my what is it so yarn crooks high goes down pinching d clips another guy coming back yeah that's bad luck i mean it's not great but it's bad luck between the four and the d the pinch is bad the other thing that kind of stood out to me uh was stolars post game meet the media

We want to play it? Just play the dubus clip where it goes there. Everything's great. I kind of felt bad for him. Okay, let's play the clip and really act on it. Okay. Derek, Stoller's clip, his overview. Yeah, I thought it was a really good effort by the voice tonight.

You know, they're a skilled team, you know, and for me personally that, you know, that fourth goal, that's when you want back. You know, you want to be able to go into the third period, get the guys, you know, a fighting chance, and be able to, you know, keep it a one-goal game, and at that point, anything can happen. And so, you know, I love the effort tonight.

Guys were battling, you know, you look at the back check, you know, the block shots, getting in lanes. You know, I thought we did a lot of good things tonight. Oh, this is uncomfortable. Oh, I felt so bad for him. That's. You felt bad for him? Yeah. Because he couldn't be honest again.

Because he painted himself in a corner. Yeah, I just felt like he had to say that regard. It's almost, yeah, exactly. It's like, the only thing missing. from a visual for me is the head coach the general manager, Keith Pelley all behind a curtain watching them carefully

going Yeah I'm watching you What's the The Simpsons chemistry Right Ned Flanders Not Ned Flanders

What's Mr. Burns' sidekick Oh my God Senator there's a gun with him holding the gun Into his back to say something Yeah there it is Yeah I don't want to Be that guy I told you so

But I told you guys that Listen I hate to say a totuso But I think I was going to come out here and say I told you when he comes out And he's that critical And you guys For his honesty

Good refreshing Good refreshing I'm like So now he's going to be The guy everybody races too For an honest answer And then he's forced to give you that No no no

See that's that's a complete twisting of things. No, it's not a twisting of things. It is. It's that simple. Well, it's as simple as he can't pile on the guys every day. No one can. The coach knows they can't pile on the guys every day.

That's just managing relationships. But he's never going to pile on them ever again like that. Ever. It's over. Okay. If he does, I think that's a personal choice on his part to know that that's not something you can do it. You come out there and you tell everybody that that was a good effort.

and then Burubi's saying, I hate the effort, it's not good. It's not good. It's not good for Stolars' credibility. It's not. It's like, and now he's going to have to come out, and he's going to have to pick and choose what he has to say. And when he comes out and your eyes says different from what he's saying,

you go, well, today's not the day we're going to get honesty. And it's better to keep your mouth shut than being called out on what people now believe. is honest and what you're scared to say. He was scared yesterday. That's why he came out with the sound bites that looked like they were written on a cue card. He's smart. I mean, if you do that every day, you get traded.

If every day your team is bad and you're like, these guys suck. We suck again. No, no, no, no. It just creates, it just created a lot of, it created a lot of problems for him. Moving forward now to pick and choose. and now he's, they could have lost 20-0. He would have called it a great effort. There's no doubt that today that was the only way he was.

It's just, I felt bad for him because he kind of put himself in a position where he was told we keep that stuff internally. And that's where we're at today. Unless he's just smart, and I give more credit from that. I think he knows to not do that every day. But you're right, that he's, that today, there's no chance we're getting anything but that yesterday. Yeah, yeah.

wanted to talk about this for sure the challenge I don't know what happened I see a desperate team totally that's exactly I said on least talk that was a desperation challenge okay let me take you guys a little deeper from just that comment okay

what's the guy's name Jordan me Sam Kim a reputation for being best in the business best in the business a reputation for a guy that just doesn't study his team studies other teams

okay every every challenge out there that guy is watching it and he's he's good everybody says he's good and then that happens last night and you're like that's just a bad challenge

that was so unlike him so who made the call last night You know, I imagine there's times where the information given of the coach isn't challenge or don't challenge. It's close. Here's what I see. He is in the crease, right?

There's a guy in the crease. Did he contact it? Did you feel like he couldn't play his position? I'm guessing. And again, I'm totally speculating. He says he's definitely in the crease. He goes there on his own. Doesn't really touch him.

I think it's 50-50. He could go either way. You know, up to you sort of thing. That's my. Do we have brooby on it? we have the we have the clip we have the if you're watching here on on uh sports on youtube you can see the clip of them shooting i just for the record not 50 50 you just never touches them and and the tan of helps them in there can i ask you if you've ever seen a

worst challenge than that that there's many did they think that the brad hall rule was back you can't be in the crease do you have ruby's comment on the on the call let's listen to it clip two please derrick on the challenge why do you challenge for goal the interference? Because we thought it was he's in the blue paint and our goal he couldn't, you know, he couldn't get position. So, but, yeah, that's why.

So were you surprised? Yeah, I mean, it's always tricky. It can always 50-50 a lot of times. You know, it is what it is. Yeah, I hate that 50-50 talk because 50-50, you don't do it. Yeah, it got to be. 100? No, 90-10. I'll give you 90-10.

The chance to take the goal off the board is pretty big if you're 50-50. I don't know. Not that I think that's 50-50. I don't think that's 50-50. I think that's 10-90. I was going to say zero 100 for me. So did he get overruled on it? Did somebody else make a try to a gutsy call here? Like you thought it was maybe one from the bench? I don't know. Maybe. I don't know. I called the code red. I don't know. Well, I'm not, Doug. Yeah, I don't know.

Who was it? Yeah, it was just, it was weird. It was a weird call because 50-50, you don't leave it to chance. I mean, they're good. I get it. It's offside or it's not. That's not 50-50. Either you can see it.

You make the call. But this one, man, oh man, you got to be right. Yep. Just go play hockey. It's like you had a good first period. The only good period they played was the first period. You allow a goal. You're in the game.

How many million hockey games are one-one? I just felt like. Desperation almost, just like, we can't afford to go down one. Weird. It's, yeah, it was a little different. We do have him on his speed on the team an issue. Yes. I am curious about that, because I do think that confidence and decision-making

and all that makes you look slower than he are and they don't have those things. So I'm curious to hear what he is. Let's play that clip, please, Derek. The Devils are quicker? How concerned are you that speed might be an issue? I don't think speed is an issue on our team. I think, you know, when we play the right way and we play direct, we look fast.

But when we want to not play that way, we look slow. I think that's really what it boils down to. Yeah, is there teams that have more speed in our team? Yeah, there is. But at the same time, that's why we talk about playing predictable and direct. So you can look fast. And right now, we're not consistently doing that enough. I mean, there's a lot of guys that played good hockey game tonight, I thought.

You know, they did a lot of good things. But we don't have enough of them. And if we don't have everybody going and on the same page and doing the right things, that's what we're going to look like tonight. Yeah, I agree with him that the fastest object on the ice is the puck. Right? And they don't move the puck quickly. they don't can i ask you a question both of you about the um you know people saying they're not hitting

enough and they're not getting in on the forecheck enough is that like a visual thing that they just can't get there quick enough because that's what it feels like to me you got to put it in spots where you can get to it so totally you know i don't know if you remember this one play but nyes had the puck on he had willie streaking up the far side of the ice and he tried to get to dump it in kind of a hard rim around to Willie. It feels like they're kind of, they want to do what Burubi wants them to do, which takes some of the plays out of the game.

And I feel like that actually slows them down. I'd like to see them pass the puck a little bit. Guys under pressure just firing out into the neutral zone rather than making little slip passes underneath. They give the puck back so often. I don't know. Are they going to buy in to direct? Is Austin Matthews' captained team going to be?

be a St. Louis Blues 2019. We get it behind the feet and we pound them. Is that ever going to happen? And if not... Who's the pounders again? Well, you know, Nyes is big. Matthews is big. They could conceivably foreshed. Matthews is not a pounder.

Okay. Well, in his better seasons, he's got a lot of hits. Joshua, Lorenz. So far enough. Wa. Those guys all finished checks. There's no reason they can happen. No, it has. And that's why I'm wondering if they're the guy All these teams have these D-Men that are so fast

picking the puck off the end boards and getting the puck out there. It just feels like they're not there in time to do it. It's funny because the amount of teams around the league that have that guy, the retrieval beast is really high now. Like that Luke Hughes is unbelievable. Yeah. He's flying around.

Now the Schifers doing it and Hudson's doing it. Quinn Hughes is doing it and he, Kail McCarr is doing it. And you go down the list. When at least get one of those. William's going to do it for Minnesota and Brock Faber does it. And, oh, boy, at least you're going back and rimming it off the boards. Off the glass and out, baby. Game time?

Game time. It's game time. Resided by Bet365. Visit the app to the latest odds and see why it's never ordinary at Bet365. Mr. 19 plus, Ontario only. Please play responsibly. It's game time. Yes, sir.

So the game on the network tonight is the Montreal Canadiens in Calgary to take on the Calgary flames. habs leading the division i think right did i say that right or is it they're tied with um they're tied with detroit but they're both at five and two habs big favorites tonight minus 120 for the montreal canadians uh flames are plus 100 uh wish wish the habson looks so good i're gonna gonna say that out loud right here uh the other two games on the ice tonight uh the minnesota wild are in new jersey to take on the devils that were here last night Minnesota, a slight underdog plus 105, New Jersey Devils minus 125 on home ice.

And the other game is an Atlantic Division battle. Red Wings in Detroit, no, I'm sorry, Red Wings are, they play in Detroit, but they're in Buffalo to take on the Sabres. Both sides of the money line are minus 110. So three interesting games tonight. And if I quickly run over to check on the World Series odds to see if they've changed at all, they have not. The Blue Jays are still plus 180 underdogs.

The Dodgers are minus 220 in that series. And the opening night on Friday night, the Jays are plus 25 underdogs. The Blake Snell and the L.A. Dodgers are minus 150 favorites Friday night against the Jays. I send you guys that clip of who is the guest on Blair and Barker yesterday who. David Sampson. David Sampson. Fantastic. Former former president of the Marlins, one of the best guest on station.

He's fantastic. He is really, really good. and talking about the odds of the series and like is it David versus Goliath and him referencing Arod who basically said it's Goliath versus Goliath and that he may be picking the Jays to win the series you know there was some

there was a lot of positivity about this is not plus 220 you know plus 180 it's not that I can't wait I put a bet 365 bet on the Jays you did? I did do you don't even know how to do that No, but Nick Fletis knows. Okay.

I was going to say. I'm evolving. All right. So there's four of us. We're going to go for a really nice dinner. I love that. With the J's winning. I love that.

All right. Great. That was game time. Preserve by Bet365. Visit the app Flitist Dodds and see why it's never ordinary. At Bet365 must be 19 plus Ontario only. Please play responsibly. All right.

Fresh off their Dante's fias. All right, on that, we'll take a quick break here. We still need an update on Joseph Wall. Got a few questions from Twitter. Lawton and, of course, Sammy's mailbag. All about when we return to Real Kipper and Bourne. Hey, it's Ben Ennis. And I'm Brent Cunning.

We got you covered on all things, Leifes, Rafters, and Blue Jays. Every weekday morning, 6 to 9. It's the fan morning show. Sportsnet 590 The Fan and wherever you get your podcasts. As a reminder, this hour of Real Kippermborn brought to you by Bette 365. Nick Kippreel's Justin Boren, Sammy McKee. Did we get an update? Are people asking about Joseph Wall, Sammy?

Yeah, we have a question from the media today, an exchange with Craig Barubei. Where is it? Yeah, number 10, please, Derek, if we could play that once. To me, it's done, perfect. number 10 on Joe Wall. Where's Joe Wall at? It kind of feels like we might never see him again. The way it's kind of going.

Yeah, I don't really have an update for you right now on Joel. I mean, he's doing fine. Like I said, like, when he's back, he's back. Is he skating? Is he on the ice? When he's back, he's back. That's all I got. Do you communicate with him? Do you communicate with him or do you communicate with him? No, not right now.

I don't. Yeah. I don't know what to say. I didn't like the question, to be honest with you, will we ever see him again? I mean, a little obtuse, but. He is probably a gentler. way to get at that um but i probably

probably handled it handled it a little cooler than maybe i would have you know yeah i mean let's just worry about the immediate situation right now where he's not here and i can't update but like you know to jump to will we ever see him ever again um that one probably would have set me off a little bit does feel like he's going to play for this team this year does it does it does yeah i haven't gotten that indication i haven't got that either well i i can't imagine they would keep saying it's gonna happen you sure about that first of all first of all

you sure about this drop now yes the the other the other uh update we had was from brad tree living a few weeks back yeah he's doing well but it seems positive i don't know the exact phrase that he had but it was it was it felt positive what he said Burbidge just said he's doing well. But how does he know? He said, did he say fine or doing well? I don't know. He said he's doing fine.

He's like, do you talk to him? He's like, no, I don't talk to him. I guess through tree or whoever is communicating with him, presumably someone is. We've been very good boys and I'll talk about this at time. We have been very good boys. I just think I'll say the thing that most people are thinking is it doesn't feel like a family issue. No. I agree.

Okay. I do. It doesn't feel like. It feels like a whole. I feel like anybody's issue other than maybe his own. That's what you're getting at. I'm getting that because if it was like

someone in the family were sick or someone, I feel like they would give us more information. Yeah. Like he's staying home to help because his great aunt isn't doing well. I don't know. I think it would make Lee fans feel better if he was skating, if he was in the gym, if he was trying to stay up.

But Barubi can't even answer that. I mean, it's October 22nd. Clearly, he either is skating somewhere and working out or he's not. Like there's no, right? It's either one or the other. And Barubi was not comfortable enough or doesn't have the authority to report whether or not he's keeping up or not. But we are closing on a month, no, two months.

well no it'd be a month since he's been gone when did he leave was he at camp at all i don't think i think he no this first day of camp and it was like illness yeah that's sept 17th if i recall was the first day of camp so we are we are one month we are one month now and if he hasn't been skating for one month that means he's gonna today we wouldn't see him till I don't know. Yeah. If you showed out. That's probably too long.

Three weeks. Two and a half weeks? Two weeks? I don't know. We even get a couple of games with the Marley's in at this point. Yeah. Right? Oh, yeah.

That's like we're, yeah, we're in some kind of. Murky. Merky. Hold on. Just on. I just want to carry a bit of a conversation here because, again, I mean, if we're talking about the Leafs on issue, they've got issues

one of them now is how much of a workload can Stolars take again never been in a scenario where he's been a bona fide number one goaltender yet in his career he's played six to seven you've got the

you got one of the you're presuming you're playing one of the weaker teams in the National Hockey League on back-to-back nights let me ask let me throw this out there stole ours Friday night or stole our Saturday night? Yeah, I was thinking about that while you were chatting there.

And I didn't, I don't have a direct answer because what would be the point of going with Saturday? You'd basically be saying, easy answer. Home team, home game, good goalie, road game, bad goalie, or back of goalie. Yeah, to me, it's like you want to win on Friday night. You need to set the opportunity. That's the Babcock. You can't. That's Babcock.

You always started the starter in the first half of the back-to-back, never just get the two-point. You cannot start a good tonight. You cannot make a decision without first thinking about if Stolars and the team don't show up Friday night, I got to go back home. I got to play in front of my fans. Yeah, now you're playing the loser's mindset. I'm just saying, though, it's what coaches go through on making a decision. Do you want to go to Primo on a Saturday night when your team's really in desperate need? of a win at home after coming off maybe a potential loss with Stolars Friday night.

Like, I don't know the answer. I'm not saying I know the answer. I'm just saying you have to play these scenarios. I think so they play Tuesday, Wednesday next week back to back. So, you know, is he going to get two of those four games? Is that kind of the way you would look at it? And so I think you do some planning based on that. you're going to probably have him Tuesday versus the flames.

I don't know. I think you just play him. Play him if he's healthy. If he feels good, play him, try to get your two points and go from there. The other thing I wanted to ask you about, and this is maybe nothing, maybe something. They canceled practice today and made it an optional skate. It's something.

Yeah? Okay. Thank God I'm not alone on this. What's going on? Sometimes when me and you, we don't agree on. Perception? Yeah. But I think we're on the same page on perception here.

Like bad look. Terrible look. Bad look. So just update everybody. I don't know if it's clear. Today they canceled a mandatory practice and made it optional. Right. They had a full team practice plant made it optional.

And then the only guys who went out were like, you know, Myers and Sammy Brees and a couple other guys. I am with you that if your teams had the look that they have. and at times it's been lethargic. Yeah. Why are you resting that? And you have tomorrow as well. They're practicing tomorrow of fall, he said. They had a clip about this.

So they were going to have tomorrow off? Okay, let's have it. Clip eight. Why was today an optional? Perfect. Thanks, Sam. Well, we got back-to-back games coming up. It can be an early game Saturday here.

So I just felt it was. we'd get more out of meeting and talking with guys and team meeting and, you know, guys can do what they feel is needed to do today. And there's guys banged up. We have to keep off the ice anyhow, so it wouldn't have been a full practice anyhow. So we'll get a full skate in tomorrow and then we got back-to-back games. In light of that adversity, you look. Oh, sorry, you can cut it up there. Now, I did tweet about this and I said it's possible there's guys banged up and they wouldn't have all their personal.

it's possible they did hour of video and wanted to take it easy on the guys mentally not too much information but I still think there's so much work to be done you've played six of seven games so far at home against not exactly the league's elite

I think it'd be a really good time to go through a few things on the rink get a couple bucks out there yeah listen just loosen up a bit after the night before I don't want to hear banged up after six games. I don't want to hear it.

I'm okay in March. Totally. Six games in, seven games in, were banged up. And you're not, you haven't played seven games where you've been doing a lot of banging. They've been Toronto for two months too,

Kip, they haven't traveled. So, yeah, I don't like the perception of it. Yeah. To me, it's, God, I just like, I feel like I'm becoming my junior hockey coach. like, where's the, Craig Brube is this hard-nosed guy. I get there working through things.

I know it's not easy and I know I don't have all the information, yada, yada. It's just a bad look. God, get out there. So I had 70 questions today. 88 replies to my tweet. Oh, my good gravy. Oh, no. I wouldn't look at one of them.

I'd be like overwhelmed and like shut this thing off. I did. I mute it immediately. I always mute it. And then I go back to it after. This is interesting. a lot of the the tone of this but this one hit me like a cold splash of water and it's one that got a lot of likes from people on on the actual reply curtis m said is this team closer

to contending or a rebuild question mark uh i mean they're in this game seven of the second round last year i feel like they're not too far off how many pieces away can you be yeah i just think he's too early to ask that question and if someone gave you an answer they're just They're taking an educated guess at best. And I just, I am not willing to go there just yet. I cannot believe just minus Mitch Marner that they went from Atlantic Division champions over 82 games to, yeah, they're going to have to blow it up.

And it's not saying that they won't have to blow it up, maybe even sooner than later. It's just not the conversation to have right now. Yeah, I mean, not a whole lot of teams. We just would be guessing at best still for me. And I've been around this game a long time. And for me to say, yeah, they're going to have to blow it up is just. To blow it up, all you'd have to do is get rid of Matthews, Nyes, Tavares,

Nealander, Nikwa, Bobby McMahon, Joshua, Morgan Riley, Jake McCabe, Chris Tann. Like, you have players. A lot of players. Good players. So no. They're not near the other end. Are we overreate? This is from this team is haunted, okay, on X?

Yeah, that's fine. At Leaves part time. Are we overreacting a little bit? I feel like they got off to a similar start last year with the style of hockey, Barubei likes to play, and one guy on the line doesn't do their job, then it's a bit off and it looks ugly.

I may just be a Dumbo fan riding the high of the Blue Jays. Yeah, you know, I'll be completely honest. Kip and I chatted before the show, and both of us were like, it's too early to jump on this team. Like, it is too early. Like, yes, we said some things in this hour that are critical, and I think they're critical themselves right now, too,

justifiably so. But no, I'm not, I'm not ready to panic here. So, yeah. Yeah, it's never as bad as you think it is and it's never as good as you think it is. So somewhere they're in this middle that we probably need another dozen games. to really, I want to see them against better teams today,

not teams that are on the cusp, but being better, non-playoff teams that are on the cusp. I just want to see, I need more sample sizes. I've got a text for you guys. There's 32 teams in the league. Right now the Leafs are the blank best team in the league. I think they're the 11th best team in the league, maybe the 12th.

That's where I have them. That's their. Yeah, just today on what we've seen. What you think they actually are. Oh, okay. I got them, I got them 14, 15. What do you think, Sam? I'm trying not to be, I'm not trying to panic.

But I think, like, between 14 and 11. Yeah. Like, I don't, I mean, I've watched other good teams. There's a lot of teams that look good. Like, have you guys watched the Colorado Avalanche? Yeah, I have. Have you guys watched Vegas? Yeah.

They're playing a different sport. Yeah, I know. You're right. It's not. You're 100% right. Colorado, Vegas, Winnipeg, New Jersey, Carolina are the only ones that I have in their own tier. They skated them off the rank last year. Yes, they did.

It wasn't, it looked like two different products. I think, I think just playing faster and just being more, just being a little, they had a strut last year. Like, how many times did we come on this show and go? This feels different this year. Somebody said, another tweet, Roy said, Jack Hughes, with the greater sign, Austin Matthews, Mike Rupp voice.

Because Mike Rupp said that Jack Hughes is better than Austin Matthews in the summer and he got taken to town for it. Mike Rup? You know, Mike Rupp? He says he likes the Leafs better today. That same Mike Rupp? Yeah, that ruff.

How does that make any sense? He said he did like, they did like their top, whatever any players. And I think they had Matthews at 15 and Hughes was ahead of them. and he got beaten up pretty good for it. I mean, I certainly wouldn't take Hughes ahead of them. However, last night, I was closed.

I know we had a lengthy conversation on Austin Matthews. If you haven't heard it, go download us anywhere on Spotify or Apple, and you'll hear it. But, yeah, Austin needs to gain that back of being a top player. It's gone. A lot of polls last year on top 50 players in the league. We did one on Sportsnet.com. see as well you can find it was an automatic matthews and mac david one two where sammy once declared austin better than mac david listen people make grave mistakes all the time buddy it's not

a mistake it was it was at the time seattle's manager went to bazaardo fairly it's a way it was it was a it was a conversation that we people were having it doesn't matter whether you like apple pie or cherry pie they're both amazing pies but you picked you picked uh apple is way blueberry maybe i mean i'm a pecan pie it was it was almost it was a semi legitimate conversation i mean you won the heart trophy he was of course on the somebody said in our least talk chat last night where is the undeniable guy well when he had 69 goals he also finished top five in selky vote he was undeniable he's got to get that magic back you know what story i'd love to hear I would love to hear this Austin Matthew story

where it's like this guy has recommitted himself to nutrition and fitness and he is in great shape and he's a hockey nerd. He's watching video. I would love to hear those stories. Just to feel good that his process is good because right now the results are. A lot of fans asking for some Sammy Blayburn

in my mentions today too when I sent the mailbag. Yeah, so that's the energy they need. Blade. The fire blaze. That's where we're at. All right. I know, Lotton's back. People are like, we're Lotton's all that back.

You know what? They miss them. They do miss them. They do miss them. I'd like them a lot more after watching the first seven games. I love that player. I love the guy. Bring me, Scott Lotton.

All right. Thanks for watching. Thanks for listening. If you get a chance, give us a rating and review. We'd love to hear for you and a thumbs up on YouTube. Enjoy your night, everybody. Thank you.