Real Kyper & Bourne - Leafs Hour: Slumping Season

Episode Date: January 15, 2025

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee look back on the Leafs' 4-1 loss to the Dallas Stars - their third straight loss. They discuss John Tavares exiting today's skate, Craig Berube's lack of accountability, William Nylander's polarizing comments on the losing streak and the Leafs beginning to fall back on old habits. Later, they dip into the mailbag to answer your Leafs questions, including what's behind Morgan Rielly's struggles, how big the team needs to swing at the deadline and more!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.

Welcome into the Real Kipper and Bourne show. We are live on Sportsat 590, the fans, Sportsat 360 and Sportsnet Plus. It's the Leaf Hour edition. In an hour, we'll welcome into our national show Darren McCarty, four-time Stanley Cup champion, and in-studio David Amber as he sets sail on hockey day in Canada. 12 hours of programming. Canmore, Alberta. No prettier place.

I've never been. Ah, the pictures are nice. Okay. Text me one, would ya? Canmore is legitimately the most beautiful town or city in the country. So so gorgeous. Yeah. There's some good golf there. I hear it too. I have driven through that's all I can claim. Justin Bourne, Sammy McKee, Derek Brandeo and Jennifer Rolnick with you for the next two hours including

yours truly. Toronto Maple Leafs kind of gave it to Sammy yesterday. Five game winning streak. They lose a couple of games. What's the big deal? Sammy called it a slump. What's the big deal is a hell of a choice of words. We'll get into that. But it is now officially a slump, Sammy.

So, good on ya. I know, I can feel, I can feel, I can sense it. I know when it's coming, I know I can just feel it. So, yeah, they're slumping, boys. I think we should probably hit the latest news out of the Toronto Maple Leafs outside of dropping a loss to the Dallas Stars last night. latest news out of the Toronto Maple Leafs outside of dropping a loss to the Dallas Stars last night John Tavares was seen leaving practice today limping and favoring his right leg as

He went down on a power play Drill oh that power play is just killing him. It is a pretty sick joke. The power play is not only costing them games, but now it's costing them their second line center and a drill. We've all seen the video. Yeah. Give me your thoughts, JB, on what you saw and the degree of seriousness in your eyes.

Yeah, it doesn't look great, but he does get off the ice of his own power. So that's okay. You know, like I think that's a good sign. And you know, if he had to miss a couple of games, is him getting rest for a couple of the games the worst thing in the world? I don't think it's a major crisis.

Anyone else? Wanna panic, Sammy? I don't wanna panic, but I thought it did look kinda nasty. Just the way that you kinda lock skates with Chris Tanev. Tanev doesn't know their skates are locked and he continues to skate, pulls his legs apart, kind of goes down weird on his knee, gloves off immediately in pain, writhing a bit, skates off gingerly. Like it's not what you want. For the record, I skated off on my own when

I tore my MCL. Oh my God. I don't know if that helps. Kip, how about you? I think there's just absolutely no way, even based on the video to your point where you can definitively say, ah, he's fine. Because we've seen, to your point, guys walk up, limp off, and then find out later that there's something a lot more significant going on with a knee, especially. And I don't think it helps the fact that either the Leafs haven't made any type of formal

announcement on it. The last we had heard was head coach Craig Berube saying he needs to be reevaluated before we get any update. I would think if everything checks out okay at this point, maybe the Leafs might release something, maybe they might not. I don't know. Would you want to calm the waters down if you're the Leafs or would you rather just wait for tomorrow? I got to assume that there is a chance that he may need a picture, an X-ray, something just to confirm everything's okay. Maybe that's going on as we speak,

but to Sammy's point, when it rains, it pours. Well, and it didn't look like Connor Zeri. His knee didn't look like it snapped, however. Or carried off the ice by three people. Right, but on the other hand, he's, you know, in his mid-30s when your tendons and everything else start to become dry rubber bands. So you never know.

Yeah. Stay tuned. We'll wait and we'll report on the news when we have it. How significant would this be if he's lost for four to six weeks? Oh my god. Well, that's nightmare scenario. Four to six weeks. Oh my God. Like. Well, that's nightmare scenario. Four to six weeks is worst case scenario.

Just the thought of losing John now for a significant amount of time. Yeah, like it's I'm not going to say it's good. I just I Max Domey might get an opportunity up the lineup. He's been scuffling offensively. Maybe that opportunity opens a door for him. You know, they have a couple of pretty good players on the outside. Patrick Redding-Holmberg didn't play last game. I'm not saying it doesn't matter.

I'm just saying you can get by a few games. Four to six weeks is a problem because it takes you to the trade deadline where you're not sure like if it's 10 weeks and it's playoffs, then you get to spend the money. Cool. If it's 10 days and he he's back cool that middle ground Scares me most of all agreed wholeheartedly with everything okay? For the record though. I did not bring up that If he's out the rest of the year, oh my you can go and spend his money somewhere else

Now who was that on this panel before we went on air? money somewhere else. Now who was that on this panel before we went on air? Who mentioned that? It's a hypothetical. Oh no, I'm asking. I didn't bring it up. I was just saying, if. This is Sammy's world, right? This is not your Leaf Nation that would have this conversation now? I may or may not have got like two or three LTIR texts in my... Everybody is desperate for the Leafs to do it. They've watched every other team take advantage of it. They don't even want to work. They just want to do it. They want the Leafs to do it before before the window loophole closes and it will close after the Leafs do it. But I just I got I've gotten a few of those today

just after the news is trickling in. But you start doing it in your head and you're like, oh, they retain on Brock Nelson. they get Scott Mayfield as well. Then you know, you just start to get enough for JT Miller. Yeah, for everything. So listen, I'm not panicking about his the length of it, but I wouldn't say it looked pretty at practice. And they didn't really know and I haven't seen anything or heard anything to that they know yet.

So we'll see where it goes. Podcast, not a new show. Just like to remind everyone. Yeah, no reports. We'll see where it goes. Podcast, not a news show. Just like to remind everyone. Yeah. No reports. All right. Let's move on to last night where actually it looked okay to the start. Good start.

1-0. They hit four posts or something. A nice typical goal that Leaf fans are used to where Marner finds Matthews. Matthews with the quick release. Is that the first one this year where he's just like, rusted one by a goalie like that? I thought it was all Lorenz in that play. No. Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. What? He got him going.

Lorenz is already off the line. After that, it just seemed like kind of went downhill with a 4-1 loss, but still kind of hearing a similar tone out there where we're not that bad and we're close and we had five posts and a couple of bounces here and there and we're fine, we're good. We'll get to some kipper clippers with Bor brew be setting a bit of an overview of the game but are you sensing that like It's just not Marner, you know, it's others now going It's not that bad. Relax. Well, it's one other and it's William Nylander

And for me it reminds me of the Thornton one that we all hated where it's like why isn't the standard? excellence, why isn't the standard excellence? Why isn't it that why are they so willing to lose games and be like, we weren't that bad? Like the standard should be we're great. We're great. First, we're pushing we have we hold ourselves accountable. I just I hate to skip around. But do you want to do the Willie clip? Like, is it too soon to play that? No, no, well, let's go to Barubey's for his overall feel and then we'll slide it into Willie. I think tonight, you know, the game was right there,

you know, with how we started off. Well, you know, real good power play right away. Hit a few posts on it, you know, it would have been nice if one of them went in. But right now, just for me, like there's a special team battle tonight. I thought five on five, pretty game pretty tight game not much going on either way you know we got to win that battle but you know just we're not

getting the balances I don't think but we're not executing good enough at the puck I think that we can execute better seem a little you know off on the execution part of things. I think it was James Myrtle who tweeted yesterday that in the first 20 games, they were fifth in high danger chance differential and in the 25 games since their 22nd. Like, we're not getting the bounces. I hate that. I'm not. It's not. I know. But it, it, I know, it seems like it's just an excuse, It, it, I know it seems like it's just an excuse or it's just a way to fill a post comment with words, but wasn't there ever a part of you that watched the Leafs in the first 42

games and just feel like everything was going right? Where is it? Yeah, but it was because I didn't think they were playing great and it was just working out. And now. Well, they had the best goal in the world. And now it's not working out. Now pucks that couldn't find its way towards the net because of legs or blocked shots

are now finding their way bouncing around all over the place and in their net. But that's why guys like you and me keep coming here and we're critical after some wins, because it's process over results. And we're saying, God, they won, but maybe it's just balancing out a tad here. And this and I, I'm not an excuse guy, but they're not getting they're not getting one bounce, not one. Everything that went right in the first half of the season has got off to a horrific start.

So I don't know, maybe it's just the gods playing a little bit of catch up now. They seem like a very average team. I understand they're first in their division, but like, you know, the way they look right now. And for me, that's not taking Willie Nylander off the hook here or even John had maybe one of the worst games I've seen all season long last night as well. But like, yeah, there's, there's a lot of things going on right now outside of just not getting a bounce for the Leafs? I actually, the one thing I'll say about the comments in the media is that I don't blame them for not killing themselves in the media because that just raises the temperature around the team, right?

If they come out and go, wow, we're awful and we're not good enough on our standard, like I, it could contribute to noise. And so I get them coming out and say saying I'm just hoping that in their dressing room They're not also going boy. We only gave them three chances and they scored on all three like that. I Just hope that there is a different message being sent behind the scenes then we're hearing because I you know not to go on a Bunkus tangent here, but did what was this not supposed to be coach accountability? Wasn't that supposed to be the turnover from Keefe? The only thing we do see is every once in a while, Berube give it to them on the bench, right?

That's pretty much the closest we've seen to- And we saw Sheldon do that too. Guys yell at the players on the bench like- Did you text or tweet something about Sheldon and Craig Berube being like identical or? I did. Yeah, I did. Tell us about it. Well, I just listened to what you guys are saying here. It was off.

It was off a curse. It was Scooby-Doo mask reveal. And it's just, he pulls off the Berube and Sheldon face. Well, I don't know. I don't know if you guys have ever seen the show severance It's coming back this weekend where it's like the basis of it is A guy who lives his normal life and then he goes into an elevator at work And he'd like like something happens in his brain

They got a chip in his brain and he goes into his office and he does all this stuff But he forgets what he does there and he's a different person outside of work I think they got a severance chip in every guy that walks through the lease door because I was promised Mr. Accountability, Mr. Crap on everybody, you know, call them out in the media, bench guys. What in the world did William Nylander do last night to play 22 minutes in a hockey game? 22 minutes in a hockey game. I watched watched there was four shifts in the third period. I'm like that has to be his last shift and they kept running them out there. They pulled the goalie with two minutes left and put all five stars out there in a dog effort for one loss with

the two minutes left. Like the whole point of this to get away from Sheldon was to go back to the rough gruff guy and we haven't seen it one time He hasn't said one mean thing in the media. He hasn't Benched one guy for one shift and it's kind of wearing thin here Yeah, it's getting close to shooting the gun time a bullet time here like use one three weeks ago You said he'll disappear for 12 games. He's at like 11 now. So but no it doesn't make it. Okay Like and I think for this last first three game losing streak you lose games because you don't get saves and your stars don't produce That's kind of what happens, but really needs to play way better

They're paying him top dollar the reason they haven't won a lot of games or they've been close to these games because he hasn't produced it's just I Was promised something that I'm not getting here. I just I said in our group chat last night, has he benched one player for one shift that you can recall in 45 games? Can you remember one? Not of significance. No.

Maybe a missed rotation or two. Not enough that we remember it. But not not enough. Willie has a goal and five assists in his last ten games. I know. Do you guys know what I'm saying here? Three or four weeks ago he was in the running for the Rock at Richard. They've been in first place pretty much all year.

It's like, and I'm the one that suggested it last week that it would maybe help them. I don't believe, I believe there's a fine line when it comes to benching that you can send a message to an individual, you can also send it to 19 other people, 19 other guys on the team, a fan base, and still not embarrass or humiliate a player. So it's up to Craig Berube to find that fine line, but he has not found it.

And I do believe that Willie could use a reset. He could. The last five minutes of that game last night was a perfect opportunity. You're generating nothing, you're not coming back from anything, and then you just, you keep rolling them out there. Like you said, you pull the goalie down four one, you put all five guys out there.

Like what is going on? I hate the little backhand chip pass. He tries to make through guys instead of, you know, chip it off the wall and keep skating. Like it, it just doesn't feel like he's dug in. And again, this is a greater conversation. This is not about last night versus Dallas necessarily, because last night was, it wasn't terrible. It wasn't terrible. Carolina wasn't terrible. Fine. Whatever you think about these past three losses, it's just, I don't know, I expect, I expected their expectations to be higher for themselves.

And it feels like right now, if you bench guys early, it's easier to bench guys later because you've been benching guys. It's just part of how you coach. Now it's expectations to be higher for themselves. And it feels like right now, if you bench guys early, it's easier to bench guys later because you've been benching guys. It's just part of how you coach. Now it's going to be a big deal because no one's been benched. All right. Let's go to Craig Broby for a comment on William Neelander. This is from today. Talk about working his way out of it. I think I go back to the Carolina game.

I thought in that first period he was really explosive in that game and on top of it. I think I go back to the Carolina game, I thought in that first period he was really explosive in that game and on top of things. Just getting him back to more consistency with that. When he has the opportunity, shoot puck. He's got a great shot. He had a post last night on the power play, but he's got to shoot. He's got to just stay involved in the game a little bit longer than he is. Like I think, you know, just working your way out of it. It's like our whole team, you know, offensively, we've got to keep working and got to stay on need second and third effort everywhere. This league is a second and third effort league and this time of year gets hard and we all know that and got to, we need second and third effort.

Do we also have a clip of him talking about the three losses in a row? We do have a clip from today. And viewer, listener discretion is advised on this one. From Willie. From Willie. This wasn't from today. I just put it in there, Derek. All good teams need to go through some stretch where everything's not

clicking and everything like that. So yeah, I mean, good teams find their way out of this and I mean it's only been three games so what's the big deal really? What's the big deal really? I mean how does that compare to Mitch Marner's comment for you? About the same level. About the same level. Doesn't really really matter if they boo. I mean we know where they're going to go. They're both bad. Neither are good. It's like, you know, it's... You know, there's lots of things to do.

You've been booed off now twice. Yeah. Right? At home. Less last night because there's more people that left the building. Right. And guess what? You know what? Last night, I give you my blessing.

Leave. I'm not even gone. Yeah. If their goal goes in, I'm like, oh, they're not scoring too I'm out and and it's like This is a stretch of games where you're okay. We're coming up against good teams. Okay, let's measure ourselves against Carolina let's measure ourself against Dallas and you don't get the wing the the big deal is You know, you need this is Joe Thornton and the Amazon doc where they

called them in. They said, we got some issues here and Joseph, we're in first place. What are we? What's what are we worried about? We're in first place. It's like the process. And he personally for reasons so you know that that quote there, it's not three games really.

It's eight years. It's well years of this. And he should know better after eight years that you should know this town. No one's gonna let you get away with that comment of what's the big deal. What's the big deal is so hurtful to me. Like I just, it's the big deal that there's

tens of millions of people that pour their heart and soul is like a fan into this and they're watching crappy games and you're making 11 and a half billion dollars and you look awful for two three weeks and you say what's the big deal? It's not gonna. What's the big deal? A lot of people can afford one ticket, you know, your tickets to one game a year. Yeah. You know, watch you go play in is this lip flop is this just an Individual thing or is this just the way this generation is today where it's I

It's just it's it just seems to me like Like Joseph Wall last night. I don't know if you have any clips of him last night But the first thing he talked about was how good his buddy was 200 feet away. He was good, right? And it's like, he wasn't that good. Forget about whether or not he was good or not. It's like, hey, how about you focus on you instead of pumping up your buddy with your first comment on three in a row.

And it's just, I don't know, I just think that today they're, they look at big pictures, they don't focus on three bad games. And if they do, it's like water off a back, we'll get them tomorrow. I don't know. I mean, is, for me, it's just not Willie. It's just, I think, you know.

Yeah, from the top down for a long time. That it's this sense that this is what's been one of the biggest complaints of Leaf fans for the last four or five years is the lack of seeming the ability to read a room or the accountability or all this stuff. Where it's like, yeah, they're a good team. And like, I'm not saying that they're not going to make the playoffs or they're crappy or they have no chance or anything. But there's just these certain beats of these seasons where you've been watching the same movie for eight years Where it's like have you not learned anything?

It's a ton of matters because it translates when the games matter most have you not learned anything It's like how do you just keep doing and saying the same things? What's the big deal really? I don't know. I just don't understand. It sounds so much like a parent scolding a teen who keeps breaking curfews. But it's just over and over every year that he's like, they're a good team and I get excited and then they go on these lulls and they say dumb things and they're super hateable And they're super likable. It's taking years off my life It is I know but it's almost as if Lee fans look at

Individual players on this team and they just have their own thoughts and rules And they just have their own buckets for each player and And they just have their own buckets for each player and For Mitch it's like you got to be good all the time you you got no wiggle room for Willie. It's oh That's just Willie being Willie No, that's all right. No, no, no, no way Milly Willie listen he is there's been a certain fact. It's politics. There's left and right the right side of Leafs I've been hammering really his whole career and I'm gonna say it even though you guys are gonna roll your eyes

We're about to if this was Mitch Marner like this buddy They they they they push him to the end of the cliff. Yeah, but you don't really you don't think he's taking that really Willie's just being Willie and you you know, you said tongue-in-cheek he'll disappear for 12 games and we laughed right? It's not a serious comment. We laughed But you you say that about Austin Even Austin would have more really on his camp doesn't want to be Austin Matthews He don't want to make as much as awesome Matthews. They don't want to be the captain and be the league leader They don't want to make as much as Austin Matthews. They don't want to be the captain and be the league leader. They don't.

Come on. He's at 11 and a half. Don't tell me he doesn't want... But this is the difference. You get perceived differently where you don't grind the hometown team for every nickel. People cut you a little slack when you cut them some slack. That's where it comes from. It doesn't come from nowhere.

But Willie didn't cut them some slack. He's making 11 and a half sheets. It's up there with Pasternak and all the best wingers in the league. He cut them no slack. He's paid what he should be paid. It also doesn't go down to the wire. He also doesn't get us.

You tell me, you see that effort. You see that effort the last three or four weeks out of him and he's getting paid what he should be getting paid? No, I'm telling you that people kill him for the effort. We're on this show killing him. I'm saying he's playing in flip-flops. Today we are, but we're not killing him about his play. We're killing him about his comment.

People also believe that Willy will be there when it matters. They think it'll come, even though Willy, he goes ho hum. And like Sammy said, they've been thinking that for eight years. Yeah. None of them have been good. No, and that's I don't that's the thing It's like everyone has these perception about the perception

I'm talking about being the coach in winning playoff games who cares what the fans think of Mitch Marner or William Nylander How was how are they coming out here as athletes and saying? Whatever and the coach is saying they got the bounces How are they coming out here as athletes and saying, whatever? And the coaches saying, ah, they got the bounces, we didn't. Our power play is 23% in the last 10 games. The worst in the league over the past calendar year. You are now in your prime. You've been around for seven, eight years.

You're supposed to be maturing. You're supposed to be more of a leader. The needle is supposed to move. It's not supposed to stay the same every year. I agree. And then just hope that this is the playoffs, that it's all gonna come together. I agree.

Totally agree. That's exactly the point I'm making, that we're on the exact same page. Okay, so. That both kids, whichever you think of the- We don't like the page, and we don't like the road, and we don't like where it's Heading no, it's not great. You know, so it's You know, I do believe that there is a great team here, which is it's like a

You know like a really smart kid in school who doesn't show up or you know, the smoke pit instead of class It's like we're hacking. Yeah, it's like we have Expectations because we think you can do it. We believe in you. And I don't think you just got to believe it yourself. The way they were playing earlier in the year defensively and like their metrics were great and the goal-tending was unbelievable. And I was starting I was like, you know what?

Doing the classically fan thing being like, this feels different. But it looked different. But it looked different. And it looked different. They were, like I said, fifth in the league over 20 games and high danger chances. That's totally slipped and it just looks a lot like a worse version of it's looked in the last few years over the past, even in the games they won. Like the games they snuck by the Islanders there, even that five game winning streak, they snuck by everyone.

They got results. You can't complain about wins But like they were sneaking by some crappy teams and then they play three decent teams in a row It doesn't look great. So some warning signs. I'm not totally panicking, but it's just all the same They're gonna win games, you know, it's Did you like brooves comment on being boot off the ice? You want to play that? Yeah, let's play that too. Hey Uh, could you understand the fran the fans frustration when they kind of boo you off the ice a little bit? Everywhere they do it in every ring don't they?

I mean, it's part of the game, you know, they pay good money and they come to see hockey They want to see us win So that's you know, that's the way it goes They do it in Winnipeg? What would you have liked him to have said? That we need you know that people pay good money they come here we need to be better on home ice. I understand that's it. Yeah I think yeah. You know like if still you're driving you're driving on the gardener We're trying to get on the gardener It takes 48 minutes to go on the gardener from a foot away at Squash Bank Arena And you're listening the postgame comments after you watch that after paying 500 bucks for a lower ball ticket It's a guy all teams get boot. How do you feel Kipper if you're a fan?

Yeah, the Probably pretty bad Things have changed for Lee fans too because I think for the last few years it's like, you know, they've we've got this certain thought of 82 games and Whether they're first in the division or second or third it's almost as if right it just doesn't matter just doesn't matter i agree with that that there's like a regular season malaise here where it's like everyone tells us only playoffs matter so sorry we couldn't get up for 82 i i get that if it if it doesn't matter until playoffs is here but it doesn't i think i think please stop the fans are also

sophisticated enough to say You know if you got 60 or 70 points during the regular season off of Buffalo and Philly and it's like we don't care we don't care but we do care a little bit more when there's certain measuring stick games and You know that come on, super impressed. How long ago was it when Joseph Wall went into Dallas and, you know, stoned them and bailed them out and they found a way to win and Dallas is a good team. And yeah, we can get excited about that. Yes. And we can get excited about Stolar standing on his head against New Jersey, who's a really good team, and us grinding away to a win, right?

And then last night, I don't know, they kind of saw it as two bad games, a good team coming in, and there'll be another one tomorrow night against Jersey. I think Leaf fans pay a lot more attention to losses against good teams than wins against mediocre teams or bad teams. Yeah, you've said it yourself. There's not many teams in the league that you would consider measuring sticks, right? It's hard. It's hard. It's hard to find measuring stick games. So they're far and few and sad Two Saturdays ago three Saturdays ago against Boston like tomorrow or a Matthews first game back

And he looked like a the 70 goal stud that we've seen in the past and you're like that one That one could excite people. Yeah, I Don't know Like they got to Kip who did I don't know the brass Shanahan Cole No, I I just remember all together I can't remember you taking them off the hook like this I'm not like yeah. Yeah, I don't like I'm not like yeah, yeah, I don't like Now I feel like I'm over I don't I don't know if I was really expecting Willie to change much right again with the Marna Thing it's like I don't expect Willie to change and that's like more like I've given up on him where it's like

It's there for Mitch. There's so much there for him. I don't know. Yeah All right You want to get to another clip or you want to don't be sad? Don't be sad. I didn't think it was the same old Leafs and it's the same old Leafs like that when you Go into the season Right where there's been how many straight off seasons where it's been rumored that a big time... They got a new coach! Hold on, a big time shakeup has come into the core and like this is the year that something gets shaken up and they stick with Dubas and Keef for probably two seasons too long. Then they finally make the

change and they bring in True Living but they stick with Keef and they're like finally they're bringing in the new coach This is the big change. We're not trading any stars not treating anybody from the roster with of that matters Like this is gonna be different this year They're definitely gonna play them all in the same line I don't different lines and it's gonna be all this really is gonna play center Martin's gonna try center Riley's gonna be played Oh, and then it's just the same damn thing like there's like a practice again today Rolling back out there

We'll try something different can't change the steering wheel on anything else like putting one of the Marner Matthews or three different on three three different lines, please do it four different lines I don't care something different of the power play early had to come off after a minute We'll send the second unit out and it just seemed like it was a totally different conversation No, but that's what you're speaking of just tighten up on Maybe just going back to the basics. Just make it feel like there's consequences for bad performances

Well, there isn't there isn't well playing 22 minutes last night is insane. That is that is pretty How does that happen play him through it? I guess all right all right We'll take a quick break here when we return we'll get into much more including the blue line even the goaltending and Where we see the Hilda Beast coming back into play here. And it's also a mailbag day too. Mailbag? I have like a hundred.

Do you? Yeah. Good ones? Amazing. There's some pretty good ones. All right, Sammy's mailbag coming up next after the break. You're watching and listening to Real Kipper and Born. Hey, it's Ben Ennis. And I'm Brent Gunning. We got you covered on all things Leafs, Raptors, and Blue Jays every weekday morning, six to nine.

It's the fan morning show. Sportsnet 590 The Fan, and wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to the Real Kipper and Bourne Show. Now let's start a segment that is sweeping Leafland, if not the whole nation. What's that? McKee's Maple Leaf Midweek Mailbag. A lot of M's there. Big fan.

A lot of M's. That's because McKee's bag didn't work as a label. We didn't mention Morgan Reilly in the first place. So hold on for a second. We didn't we didn't mention Morgan Reilly in the first place. So hold on a second. We didn't mention anything. Just hold on a second. There's listeners for the first time wondering what the heck I just said. So explain it to them so they can participate.

So maybe future Wednesdays, midweeks. This year 2025 we're trying to keep the people more involved. On Friday we're doing the lease line where you can call in 416-413-4141 I think that's the number if I'm remembering correctly I think it's 416-431 anyways I'll put it back up oh it's 413 I was right so 413-4141 you can leave us a voicemail that's for Fridays and on Wednesdays I sent her to tweet around 10 or 11 and you can text us too at 59590, and I'll take your questions and stuff

so we can keep people more involved, keep them more fresh. We wanna be in touch with our awesome. Yes. So we don't have to text Luke Fox every other day, be like, hey buddy, can you come on? It's like, we gotta, you know, talk to the people.

It's like, we gotta bug everybody on the least beat three times a week, talk to everybody else a little bit. I like this segment, but for Fridays, we actually get to hear real human beings leaving a message and sure that'll be reasonable this week capturing every fabric of how sad pathetic and desperate they are for the Leafs to win and that's a refreshing change for us past Sammy. That's right. I used to hear it from other voices. But like I want you guys to know that when I

play those clips like it's not just me like I am a Reflection of an insane group of people I would say you're a reflection of an insane group of people Yes, that's I said not like an insanely large group, but like just in it you mean it that way You mean like an insane group. No, I mean like we fans in our delusional passionate incredible people that I am one of and I wouldn't have it any other way But sometimes I think you guys think that I'm just like delusional I don't know myself. I do yeah, just delusional right not anything else just There is one thing I am for sure and it's delusional boys

This is from Jacob. Bodmon Jake on Twitter. Can Riley's struggle this season be at all attributed to him being a new father? I'd imagine parenting a newborn baby takes a lot of energy out of a person. I'm gonna leave this to my good friend JB because he is in touch with today's dad. No. I passed it. I'm long past it right now. I am so trying hard to get my- Kipper's old pairs from Sweden dealt with it at the kids in the night.

Who are we kidding? Get up off the floor, stop playing with the dog, and go to school. That's the way I used to talk to my kid. That was off of a morning show with Gord Stehlik. I don't know if that was Greg Brady maybe. I forget who it was. Maybe it was Gord too. To be clear, I still talk to my kid that was off of a morning show of gorg stelick. I don't know that was greg brady Maybe I forget who it was maybe it was gorg too to be clear I still talk to my kids I talk to my kids like that today and reinstall. Oh That's wrong. Okay. Never mind. Um

Anyways, there is a morning show. Yeah, Derek's just buzzing in my ear and I'm it's greg brady. Oh, okay, brady. Okay. All right early in the season I said like his he would have had a newborn the start of the year basically and I said that yeah Like could have messed up asleep a little bit could be part of the reason he's five percent worse But then you figure out some rhythms a few months in the baby starts to sleep a little bit whatever he's off to college Yeah, it's over. We're like five months into the season if he's still not sleeping They got to find a new routine like they need a night nurse. They need a solution. So by now I'm done giving him that pass. So I gave it to him early. I'm done with it now. Is there been a worst stretch for him that you can ever remember as a member of the Toronto

Maple Leafs? No. Yeah. I mean, he's gone. We've had these conversations every year. I think it's been bad this year. Maybe, maybe worse, but it's also like, you know Uh, what's the word i'm looking for here recency bias where it's what we've watched most recently But over the past few years, he's had some pretty down stretches in the regular season for me We're like hopefully when you get the right the playoffs because he's good in the playoffs We always had those conversations. Go ahead. For me. It's rally like I just When he's not great, sometimes you still don't notice him and not a ton happens

But like usually it's offset by some games where he's dynamic or exciting or make some plays and it's just been the absence Of that greatness this year where it's like where where is those moments? I there's been few and far between one of five goal posts were hit last night by him Yeah shot two of those go in we could be having a much happier show today At least ride along that's that's that's least nation, baby. It's literally a combined foot from being a happy show This is from least ride along on Twitter our two best playoff games under Keith We're when they won games five and six with a center quartet of Dolmy Tavares Holmberg and camp Target scoring target scoring more than center Besser Hall and go get Bo Byrum. Yes. That means Riley will be part of it

Send him out to van. He'll be happy There is something to that that like the center depth and or what I like you just need some guys that are gonna score. I Feel like I don't understand the question well, I don't think there's much of a question. I'm with you. I'm just saying like, the statement is that, because everybody's talking about going and getting a new center, but he just said that their best games in five and six, which were phenomenal defensive games, they played really well, they beat the Bruins two straight, their centers were Domi, Tavares, Holmberg and Kampff.

I think one of the things I want to beat back against is the idea that you don't need good players or you can survive without good players or you know you look at... You go and finish. You know I just we had a board last night that the Leafs record is better without Matthews and without Marner and without Riley and it's like it's not... do you want to play with all bad players and see how that goes? It's only an 800 winning percent of Riley.

And I can appreciate that, like, you could be on fumes, you can go with a bad lineup and find a way to win a game or two, but to suggest that you're gonna win two or three rounds or having I say a Stanley Cup with that list of centermen is like a dream on dream on like you're gonna go up against point so really our call Lendell Bennett right it's it's not feasible so byrooms not my and my answer I mean Morgan Morgan played his best hockey two seasons ago in the first round where he outplayed Victor Headman and was arguably the best defenseman on the ice but it's within him you gotta where where that has gone

right now or how does he get it back and you know for me too and all we give Craig Brewery a lot of credit for that first half of getting him in the playoffs but alright getting him in the first place in the Atlantic Division but he's gonna have to come up with something to get some of these guys a little free and clear here the Being locked into just the style of play right now Like Craig Barube he's got to take the same lineup and find different ways to get a lot more Creative there is no creativity there is more creative. There is no creativity. They're not making chances for themselves. You can

sit there and say, hey, we defended well or we didn't, but you're not creating anything. No, the expected goals for them the last couple of games are below two. That's why Morgan gets paid $7.5 million is to create. When I watch TSN last night highlight Myers, Philip Myers last night in the second intermission, it's because there's no one else that they can... We've been there. They can't. Should we do a door pack? There's no one else. Yeah. Put Myers in the powerpoint. Let him hammer it. Like Myers, okay he's come a long way but that's the best you got in the hard part of hammer it like Myers okay he's come a long way but that's the best you got in the intermission this this team's in

trouble only uh what do I got here is either Jamie Alex this is from Elise a washburn on Twitter is either Jamie Alexiak or Vince done a trade option for the Leafs if they are also in pursuit of gourd With that logic would Callan be in play. I You know, I haven't I'll be honest like I don't know how Alexiak's playing this year I like the idea of like a big strong third pair D But you're not giving up your best no not for that prospect for Alexiak Okay, you're giving them up for JT Miller. That's the start

of something. But I do not see Seattle bailing on their blue line. They like their blue line. So there's a lot of issues going on in Seattle, tremendous disappointment in that organization, but I don't see them signing Montor and then stripping down two-thirds of that blue line with done and Alexia leaving now guns contract situation I I think he's I think he's okay. They like him and he's he's come a long way Yeah, no, he's placed top pair minutes for them. He is making 735 this year and two more seasons after. 28.

That's a big ticket. Pretty big ticket. Pretty good player. He is. The one thing that we talked about before we came on air, just kicking around the islanders, Scott Mayfield, you have your trade list. I do. Yeah.

It's, it's a follow up from one I had about a month and a half ago, obviously a few things have changed I am of the believer Especially last night for the New York Islanders who went into a homestead homestand Coming off three wins in a row and then they get shut out by Ottawa. And didn't generate a good shot? It's over. It's so over. And I do believe that there's going to be a handful of potential guys leaving the Isletters for some assets. And I have Mayfield as one of them.

I know, Sammy, you've been hard on Luke Shen coming back here. Yes, I've mentioned it. I do believe that Mayfield is a type of guy and you may even get the Islanders to eat some of that. But if you can get them up around $2,753 million, I think that's a good pickup for a guy that has the ability to play anywhere between four, five and six on your depth chart. Yeah. You know, he's a long, legitimate defender. He makes 3.5 million. You may have to bring that down because he's got four or five years left on it.

Yeah, it's still 2030, I think. So he's got years, but if you could bring it down to, like you said, two, seven, and he's on your third pair, all of a sudden it's like, all right, that's like Philippe Myers, but the next level. He's under contract till 2030? Yeah. He's 32 years old. He's one of those guys that's like a Nick Paul thing.

But he did the Ang Vol contract with him. Yeah, except the Ang Vol one is a joke and this one's just... Well, the length of it. Yeah, the length of it's not great, but if the hit were lower, you'd be less concerned. The other concerning thing is there's been a significant drop off on Benoit as well. We don't expect him to be in the lineup tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils. I didn't like him off the Duchenne penalty kill there between the legs and the crease. Yeah, worn him tighter on him there.

Oh yeah, he's just caught no man's land. Tough too, like he's a guy who has said said himself like he doesn't know another way to play So he's kind of all out 82 games and maybe maybe that's tough. So a couple of games in the press box Maybe wouldn't hurt him One more from the mailbag Justin Wagner on Twitter Why haven't Domi and Matthews been given a legit chance to play together this season? There's always this combination that worked all last year Then you can split up Marner Matthews and add more been given a legit chance to play together this season is always this combination that worked all last year

Then you can split up Marner and Matthews and add more depth to a struggling lineup How many games you play together last year? Do we know well first of all I mean he's Matthews just hasn't been around long enough where you're gonna kind of I think it's there I think there's I think I tried it last night. I think that's a four one. They tried it. Yeah, I still think I think that's a four one, they tried it. Yeah. I still think when things kinda even out a little bit and you start getting back to, you know, your tougher winning hockey for the Leafs,

there's gonna be opportunities for, for Borubi to put them together. What are we thinking about Domi and his season to date here? Like, you know, three goals, 15 points. I know he's a guy we like as a person and he works hard and he's got a great edge. He's a good maple leaf and all that.

But you're paying him almost four sheets. No, you need more. You do. You need more. You can't get no points. He had no points in the month of November. He had a better December with a little bit of a run, but this year or this month, he's, you know,

no goals to assist. Yeah. And he got smoked last night by Dumba. Good hit. Really good hit. But I just think, to speak of the lack of energy for the team, I wasn't thrilled with their response.

It's hard. You have to fight everyone with those. No, you don't. with their response. It's hard. You have to fight everyone with those. No, you don't, but you gotta go and tell somebody, you know, F you. Follow them and say, hey, please stop. It's also really hard to have any physical response to a guy wearing a fishbowl. Yeah, it's almost like you shouldn't be allowed

to throw big hits. You gotta play the fishbowl, you just can't throw big hits. You know how fast I could get my fingers in that thing and rip it off his face? But you don't have any idea. It's a idea really good. I understand that that's a take a hit You got to take 10 to 10 times out of 10 He's coming over the over the center ice line has as the puck Looking straight down like that's a guy you got a bird or a bird cage or a bubble whatever you got to take that hit

But after you hit it and you're like face to face with him. You're like, whoa hit it and you're like face to face with them you're like whoa no one's played more hockey than the Florida Panthers last night and I'm still seeing a pretty spirited group there yeah you watch that no I watched Tampa yeah I saw the end of the game I saw Tampa Bay Boston which so you know you have Florida Tampa Bay Boston three other teams in this division I mean Barry the Bruins knockdown drag I'm an idiot. I say the wrong thing They still got some spunk there too, oh, yeah, Wayman might find it Uh, this is this is a perfect way to end our hour that's been seemingly negative about a first-place team It's from Paul's hang on Twitter. Why should we care? We all know how the movie ends

so first off the first place team. 102 points last year this season they're on pace for beep boop beep 102 points they're the same team the rest of the division is just worse but yeah we don't know how the movie ends. Is that gonna win the division 102? Yes it is. I tweeted today the the last ten games of the top five teams win the division? 102? Yes, it is. Yeah, I tweeted today, the last 10 games of the top five teams in the division leaves the only team above 500 at six and four.

So I know Ottawa's gonna do lately. I'm so over regular seasons. I don't even know if it will matter. Your next contract of sports, that might be playoffs only. Instead of showing up mid-October, he's showing up April 3rd. Or at least March 3rd. Give us trade deadline or something.

Give us some run-up at least. Anyways. Alright. Well. That's a good mailbag. Thanks. Not bad. Yeah, we appreciate the questions. Even the ones that we disagree with aggressively. Yeah, and get ready for Friday.

Yeah. Oh yeah. For the calls. Leave Sammy a message. So tomorrow they get the New Jersey Devils and Sheldon Keefe. Barube had some comments about knowing what it's like to go back to the place you've been. I sure... Jake... go ahead. I sure wish they were playing better. Jake McKay should be back in the lineup. Yeah, which is good news Oh, you mean the team's most important player? Seems like it. They're below 400 when he doesn't play

Can he help with some offense though? Yes, he can Kenny. He'd shoot it in we get the puck out Yeah, it helps. Yeah stop a cycle then at the other way All right, our thanks to no one but us that passed our listeners who gave us those beautiful questions Oh, thank them. Of course. That's a given on our every week mailbag by Sammy All right, don't go away Darren McCarty four-time Stanley Cup champion host of Woodward sports network We'll talk about Detroit's chances now Get back into the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in many years. And David Amber in studio. Don't go away.