Weekly Takes - Monday, December 15th Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, December 15th Edition 

1. My three stars from the Leafs win over the Lightning on Monday…

1. Dennis Hildeby 

2. Calle Jarnkrok

3. Scott Laughton

The Leafs cannot just send Hildeby down once Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll are healthy. He truly may have the highest upside of the three.

As for Jarnkrok, he’s bought himself another game with his performance.

Another strong showing for the Leafs overall, who, after everything, may be as good as anyone in the Atlantic. 

Craig Berube deserves credit for not losing the locker room. 

2. My three stars from the Leafs loss to the Sharks on Thursday…

1. Hildeby 

2. Nicolas Roy

3. Troy Stecher

A 50/50 game, with a poor finish and an awful overtime from Auston Matthews and William Nylander being the difference.

Threw a point away.

3. My three stars from the Leafs awful loss to the Oilers on Saturday…

1. Matthew Knies

2. Oliver Ekman-Larsson

3. Easton Cowan

An awful performance from Auston Matthews and Nylander, while the Oilers two superstars were, uh, rather dominant. 

A very disappointing showing from Matthews, who has shown moments of his old self, but largely looks like a shell of his former self.

If that is due to his injuries catching up to him, then yes, this era is over. If it’s a bad connection with Craig Berube, then yes, Berube has to go.

Maybe he’s simply the Dale Hunter of Alex Ovechkin’s career. That is best case, at this point.

4. I have so much respect for the Wild trading for Quinn Hughes.

Yes, they are in a tough division, but you just paid your star forward more than anyone in the league. Go for it.

A nice return for the Canucks too, but reality is, no package is good enough when you trade the second best defenceman on the planet.

5. Outside of being weak on the left side on defence (due to factors out of their control) Team Canada looks stacked ahead of the World Juniors.

It is amazing what can happen when you take your best players and make no notable snubs. 

6. I love the Blue Jays signing of Tyler Rogers.

Yes, Edwin Diaz would have been amazing, but the one thing that plagued the Jays’ bullpen a season ago was the long ball. Rogers does not allow home runs.

His arm angel is just a bonus, giving the Jays a great blend at the back-end of their bullpen with Rogers (funky) and Louis Varland (velocity.)

Now go get a star bat.

7. Josh Allen’s performance in the second-half versus New England is the reason, despite all the movement in my power rankings this season, the Bills are ranked as my best team in the AFC.

With Allen and James Cook playing at the level they are playing at, there is no reason to not win the AFC. Not with no Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and likely no Lamar Jackson.

I love Drake Maye, Mike Vrabel, and everything the Patriots have done, but they should not be a team to stand in Buffalo’s way. Not yet.

8. The Patrick Mahomes injury is crushing for Mahomes, but may be the best thing to happen to Kansas City.

Travis Kelce will now surely retire, you can use 2026 to retool, land a high draft pick, and figure out your cap situation.

Their Super Bowl era is shut closed, but there is no reason it cannot open up come 2027.

9. The Micah Parsons injury, meanwhile, is also crushing, but with no positives to take from it.

Just devastating for the Packers, who have no true path to competing in the NFC without Parsons.