Weekly Takes - Monday, February 10 Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, February 10 Edition

1. My three stars from the Maple Leafs win over the Flames on Tuesday…

1. William Nylander 

2. Bobby McMann

3. Matthew Knies 

   
   

   Reality is, the Leafs were in control of this game the entire time at even strength, with every line and defensive pair humming.

   
   

   One of their more consistent games of the season, with Morgan Riley looking the best he has all season.

   
   

   2. My three stars from the Leafs win over the Kraken on Thursday…

   
   

   1. Anthony Stolarz 

   2. Auston Matthews 

   3. Matthew Knies

   
   

   I am not ready to say Matthews-Max Domi needs to be a full-time partnership, but the two sure seem to be at their best when playing together. Craig Bruebe has give them a run of games to see if they should stick together or not. 

   
   

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

   
   

   1. Riley 

   2. Joseph Woll

   3. David Kampf

   
   

   Not much of a performance from multiple players in this one. Surely not enough to win on the road against a quality opponent.

   
   

   4. With the Four Nations break upon us, here is where I think the Leafs stand heading into it/the trade deadline…

   
   

   Needs: A third line centre and a right-handed defencemen to play alongside Morgan Riley 

   
   

   Lineup…

   
   

   Forwards…

   
   

   Knies - Matthews - Mitch Marner 

   
   

   McMann - John Tavares - Nylander 

   
   

   Max Pacioretty - 3C - Max Domi 

   
   

   Steven Lorentz - David Kampf - Connor Dewar 

   
   

   Defence…

   
   

   Riley - RD

   
   

   Jake McCabe - Chris Tanev 

   
   

   Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Phillipe Meyers 

   
   

   Goalies..

   
   

   Joseph Woll

   
   

   Stolarz

   
   

   No daunting team to compete with in the East, career years from multiple players in your core, and the best goaltending the Leafs have gotten in the Matthews era.

   
   

   Brad Treliving needs to deliver at the trade deadline, as dropping Ekman-Larsson to the third-pair and finding a true 3C would be game-changers.

   
   

   There is not one draft pick or prospect that I would withhold. 

   
   

   5. My pros and cons of the Raptors trading for Brandon Ingram…

   
   

   Pros.. 

   
   

   • He gives them another shooter that Scottie Barnes can drive and kick out to — this should be the priority with any starting calibre player that they acquire 

   
   

   • He raises both the ceiling and floor for them, as if healthy and at his best, he is an All-Star reserve and future second round pick 

   
   

   • They got an All-Star calibre player in exchange for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, and two future late-round picks. That is tidy business on its own 

   
   

   Cons…

   
   

   • There is a risk that — if he gets healthy — he raises the floor of the current Raptors team. That is an issue, with the team already showing improvements and an easy schedule ahead. The Raptors are going to have to get creative in sitting players out, because their top priority has to be maximizing their lottery odds 

   
   

   • He is a pending free agent, which means 1) They could lose him for nothing or 2) He is going to cost a lot to re-sign 

   
   

   Point one in the “pros” and point two in the “cons” is why I think RJ Barrett has to be traded now. They can not have three ball-dominant players. Or at the very least, three dominant players who cannot shoot threes at an above-average rate, I just do not see how this can work at all, more so with Barnes, Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Jakob Poetl all making what they are making. It would make no sense to be near the luxury tax with this core. 

   
   

   So, another move has to be made for this to make sense. 

   
   

   6. As for the Raptors trade of Davion Mitchell, it had to be done.

   
   

   There was no way the Raptors could pay him in free agency with Jamal Shead already leaping him on the depth chart.

   
   

   He was acquired as a cap dump and raised his value enough to be traded for a second-round pick.

   
   

   Tidy business from Masai Ujiri.

   
   

   7. I understand Golden State’s mindset when it comes to trading for and signing Jimmy Butler. 

   
   

   Their championship core is aging and declining, and they wanted to give them one last chance to go on a run.

   
   

   But Butler is a declining asset himself, for both on-court and off-court reasons. He raises both the floor and ceiling of the Warriors, but they are still nothing more than pretenders in a stacked Western Conference. 

   
   

   A desperate move by a desperate organization.

   
   

   8. The Blue Jays should not be laughed at for losing out on Pete Alonso, as I am sure he always wanted to return to the Mets, just like Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki always wanted to go to the Dodgers.

   
   

   But that does not take the pressure off Ross Atkins. Adding another impact bat is a must if they are serious about contending in the AL East.

   
   

   9. No one should be shamed for picking Kansas City over the Eagles, because it is nearly impossible to be comfortable betting against the champs until they are beaten.

   
   

   But they were beaten, and beaten badly because Howie Roseman is the best general manager in professional sports.

   
   

   His signings, draft picks, and coaching hires are all top-tier.

   
   

   An executive without any weaknesses.