Weekly Takes - Monday, December 22nd Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, December 22nd Edition 

1. My three stars from the Maple Leafs thrilling comeback win over the Blackhawks on Tuesday…

1. Matthew Knies

2. Troy Stecher

3. Jake McCabe

An awful, disgusting first period, followed by the most dramatic comeback the team has had in half a decade.

Season-changing? Who knows. They started the season awful, showed signs of a mini turnaround, struggled again, showed signs of life again, and then they looked like they were about to enter another tailspin. 

This sure feels like it has to be a turning point. 

2. I did not watch enough of the Leafs’ next three games to break down the three games individually, but it is safe to say that Tuesday was… not the turning point.

Craig Berube needs to be fired. Is he the problem? I think he is a solid amount of it, but even if MLSE does not think he is, you have to fire him to know for sure.

Sometimes, a change for the sake of making a change is needed. The Leafs need to determine how deeply rooted their issues are and how deeply rooted Auston Matthews’ issues are.

You start that process by firing the coach.

3. It is funny how RJ Barrett went from a shoe-in to be thrown in as a salary-matcher in a potential trade to being, quite clearly, the third best player on the Raptors.

All it took was for him not to be in the lineup anymore to realize that.

4. The Raptors, like the Leafs, need to act fast. But unlike the Leafs, the Raptors need to go the trade route.

Bobby Webster is doing a disservice to himself by not trading for a centre. It is as glaring of a hole as a team in the sport has.

5. I will believe in Sam Darnold come playoff time once Darnold wins in the playoffs, but coming back against the Rams was a solid start.

The Seahawks are truly as good as anyone in the NFL.

6. I think they are a year away from contending for a Super Bowl, but the Bears are absolutely capable of beating anyone on any given Sunday.

It has been an underwhelming NFL season in a lot of ways, but Ben Johnson is one of many coaches who deserves a lot of credit for how they have coached this year. Mike Vrabel, Kyle Shanahan, and Liam Coen are right there with him.

7. The Steelers win in Detroit on Sunday is the exact type of performance they will need come playoff time (should they make it) to end their playoff win drought.

They are an elite pass rush team who beats offensively when their run game is dominant.

Aaron Rodgers cannot be expected to beat Josh Allen, Drake Maye, or Justin Herbert.