Transcript of Why Are The Maple Leafs Struggling? + What Should They Do At Deadline? | SDP

You have scores 4 and 5 out, in Tavares and Niais. I think that matters. It does. Yes, I know the games keep coming in the schedule, whatever. Minnesota is a good team. Without Capriza. Without Capriza. Now, listen, when a team is coming into Toronto without their star player, you know the Leaps are about to get pumped. That is a guarantee every time going to happen. But the other side of it is they have looked, guys, a little discombobulated, and that's been for a couple of games. It wasn't great against the senators. Again, I'm acknowledging that they've had a lot of injuries. Patch ready back for his first game. You just nice playing up or nice. Mcmahon playing up on the first line.

And I like him, but he's not nice.

Well, of course not.

They don't play the same.

Yeah. Then I want to talk about, too, earlier on in January, had trouble scoring then, too. They won tight games against Philly where they looked like crap.

If you want a Rosie Glasses way to look at it, the Leaps have allowed What is it? Five goals over the last two games. Two of them have been goals from the sticks of their opponents against a goalie. Wall has allowed two shots.

One was off a knee and one was off of their own stick.

One was off a knee, one was off their stick, and another was an empty netter. I don't know. I think the defense is doing pretty good. I think the goaltending is doing pretty good.

The problem here is the offense. They can't score. I don't think on many teams, if you walk into the the rink and McMan and Holmberg are top six forwards. You're not going to win a lot. You're not looking at that team being like, They got enough.

Neilander's line mates have five goals combined.

That's the real concern. I don't think it's the microscope on each individual game. It's the overview of the team and how they have a lot of work to do for the deadline.

Hey, the fact that Neylander still scored despite the fact- Still scored. Good assist. And he can drive a line, and it is worth the It's funny, obviously, to have him. But yeah, I think you have probably some things that you could switch out. And Jesse, you said they need three forwards. Two of them are Tavares and Nyes, I think. But you need at least one more impactful forward.

Don't be such a disappointment.

Yeah, I'm finally ready to admit I'm very disappointed because I thought we saw the best of him last year.

He hasn't been good enough. And talk about can't drive a line, right? And there were times where you see that third line with him, McBan and Robertson, and they were like, Yeah, they got it. They lit up lesser opponents, and any time they took on a contender, they got run over. The Leaps need it forward, I think, is why Brandon Saught is going to be a leaf by the time this show is up.

So you think he will, right? Yeah. I don't know that he's that good, though. I didn't say that. Is he not more of what they have in the bottom six, which is takes up space and can't score?

He's the guy that they'll give a shot But he's apparently looking for big money because he gave up five million bucks or whatever's left.

And so apparently, he's not coming into town for a Max Patcher-No.

What do you want more than even a big payday is the next year's contract. So he wants a two-year Still this year pro-rated plus next year. And apparently, there's a bunch of teams offering him that. Really? Yeah. So they're going to sign him for the rest of this year and then next year. Because for him to give up five million dollars is crazy, but it's because there's on the table a contract for next year.

He has 16 points in 43 games, guys.

Doing it in the playoffs is so important. You can ride that for so frigging long. When was his last... I know he's got the two.

Last time he was in the playoffs was '21, '22. With the Blues, he had five points in 12 games.

What are we doing?

Well, I don't think the Leaps are... I know that the Leaps are rumored to be in, but I don't think they're the front runner. I just don't see how... Unless you're moving bodies out, where does he fit?

Well, I think you probably waive guys because listen, do you want to give up draft capital? Not really. Do you want to give up your prospects? Not really. All right. Well, if a guy becomes available to sign as a free agent who's been playing in the NHL all year, it actually makes a lot of sense.

But giving up cap this time of year can be devastating to... He's not going to get you. He's a winger.

I don't sign him to an amount that's not variable.

Well, but that just He just went through that. Yeah, he just said, I'm not doing that.

Well, if he's not doing that, then I think that's unreasonable and you're out.

Well, yeah. And that's why I don't think the least are going to get them. They have $2 million in cap space. They're projected because of the LTIR. They will have $2 million by the deadline. I don't know, man.

Everyone seems to have itchy thumbs right now, and they're all making trades or rumored to be... I'm not going to yell it. Brad. Brad, where are you at, man? Bradley. Where are you at? Okay, well, they're in first place. God, we used the shit out of that, didn't we? Well, they're not anymore, are they? They're second place, and the sends are four points behind them.

Work goes fine, man. Actually, sorry, that doesn't matter.

Oh, yeah, it doesn't matter? It doesn't matter. Oh, okay.

I was told that that's...

That's good. Well, thank you. I'm new to the sport, so it's always good to have it talked at me.

What are we doing here? The other thing I want to mention is that Calleigh Yarncroke, and people laughed at me for this, I don't give a shit. Calleigh Yarncroke scored two years ago, 20 goals.

Calleigh Yarncroke is exactly the player they could use right now.

Yarncroke would be great.

He'd be great. And I don't know how... They expect him back before the playoffs. That is for sure.

That's surprising to me.

It's good news. It's great news. So this guy who had, what is it? 10 goals, 11 assists in 54 games last year. That is exactly the type of thing that you need in the bottom six right now.

He's such a consistent goal scorer. Go look at his career. Every year, It's not a high pocket, but there's this pocket that he finds every damn year. He's going to be somewhere between, I don't know, 13 and 20 goals.

Perfect. Great.

Thirteen goals makes him a sniper on this team. In the bottom six, Holy crap.

I'm also-Easy there, Maurice. I'm also looking at... It's been funny. People on the stream are like, Well, what if the leaves... We mentioned it, I think, in the last show, that Kiprios, Morgan Reilly for JT Miller. First off, JT Miller wants to go to the Eastern United States, although Toronto is close to the Eastern United States. Second, Northeastern United States, apparently where he wants to be. Second, people are like, why? Kipper was like, well, why not Morgan Reilly? No movement clause, just had a baby. Wife's entire business is based out of Toronto. I don't think so.

Sidebar, you know what's going to be highly entertaining? What? When JT Miller and Elias Petterson are both traded to rival teams in the East.

And they got to play each other? Hell, I like that. I'm into that. I'm into that. Jt Miller to the Rangers, Carolina gets Petterson or something like that.

Jt Miller also has a 15-team no trade. So I believe all the Canadian teams are probably on that.

Oh, that's exactly what I mean.

He's not waiting because Morgan also has one. So yeah, I don't know how that's going to work out.

Morgan is not going anywhere.

Yeah.

Yeah. Stop, everyone.

Yeah. And then so beyond that, people are like, well, why don't you just... Well, it could be and Reilly, nick Robertson. Guys, what do you think nick Robertson's trade value is? Stop.

What are we doing? Knock it off. Knock it off. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. People are just chomping at the bit for nick Robertson. No disrespect than nick Robertson, but he's had a down year. He needed to have a great year. He's been trying. He's been pretty good at times. It's been really dry at times.

I don't think Reilly in a first-round pick gets it done.

Of course not.

They're big game hunting here.

Yeah, they want a player back. And I don't think the Leaps have that.

I think the- He's also not a center.

Yeah, that's also a problem. Petterson is. But long story short, with the Leaps, it does seem like there needs to be some trade. Again, if you look at the Jonas and Jonas Siegel and Chris Johnston list, every single player on that list, I'm like, okay, oh, that's expensive. Oh, that's expensive. Oh, that's really expensive. And so I'm hoping Yeah, but are you trying to win?

Who cares what the prices are?

Well, apparently, the least do. They don't want to give up another first. So which is it, man? That's what I'm saying. Which is it?

It's like, okay, so you don't want to win. You're going to go into the playoffs with a team that's not as But cool.

Do you see the problem with this being built into your every season? Every season, you go in with a top-heavy, flawed team, which means you need to spend. And every year we go, Oh, we don't want to spend. And then they either don't and lose, or they do and lose.

At least you tried.

But at least you tried..