Weekly Takes - Monday, February 14 Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, February 14 Edition

1. My three stars from the Maple Leafs 5-2 loss to the Flames on Thursday…

1. Mitch Marner

2. Auston Matthews

3. Michael Bunting

The Leafs were the better team until Jack Campbell had one of the worst periods of his Leafs career in the second period. Not much you can do when the goaltending battle was this lopsided.

2. My three stars from the Leafs 3-2 loss to the Canucks on Saturday…

1. Marner

2. Matthews

3. John Tavares

The Leafs flat out dominated this game and deserved to win. But Thatcher Demko was brilliant and Petr Mrazek was anything but, allowing far too many rebounds all night long.

Zero reasons to be upset about this loss.

There is one reason to be concerned though, and that continues to be Justin Holl. Kyle Dubas has to find a top-four, puck-moving defenceman at the deadline. A fireable offence if not.

The biggest reason the Leafs lost in the playoffs last season was because of Matthews and Marner not showing up, obviously, but the next biggest reason was this team’s inability to move the puck out of their own end when their top pairing was not on the ice.

The same thing is happening this season.

3. On a five-on-three late in the third period while down by two goals and you play Adam Tambellini and Eric O’Dell over the likes of Josh Ho-Sang, Mason McTavish, and Kent Johnson?

Bold, Claude Julien.

4. I am all for what the Trail Blazers did on Tuesday by trading CJ McCollum to the Pelicans.

Their core, as it was currently built, was not going to win a championship, so why not give yourself some flexibility by trading away a player who is a little bit overrated, if we are being honest?

They may never end up with a player as good as McCollum to pair with Damien Lillard, more so since they are a small market team. But maybe they do. And if that happens, it will be well worth it.

5. That does not mean the trade was not a win for the Pelicans, either.

If Zion Williamson can ever get healthy, a starting lineup of Devonte’ Graham - McCollum - Brandon Ingram - Williamson - Jonas Valanciunas is… pretty good.

6. Domantas Sabonis is a fantastic basketball player who makes the Kings better today than they were last week, but Tyrese Haliburton is not too far behind Sabonis, and yet, he is four years younger.

A bizarre trade by the Kings, who are not competing for anything anytime soon.

7. If Kyrie Irving eventually gets vaccinated, the Nets are the best team in the Eastern Conference.

Ben Simmons is the perfect fit in Brooklyn.

8. My top ten NBA teams, post-NBA trade deadline…

1. Nets

2. Bucks

3. Suns

4. Warriors

5. 76ers

6. Nuggets

7. Jazz

8. Heat

9. Bulls

10. Grizzlies

I think only the top eight teams have a chance to win the title.

9. At the end of the day, the Rams were the best team in the NFL this season, with the best pass-rusher and best wide receiver, to go alongside one of the best head coaches, quarterbacks, and cornerbacks in the game.

They built a strong core through the draft and instead of wasting their championship window, they went all-in to become World Champions.

The mindset that the Rams operate under is the same mindset that every professional sports team who is serious about winning should have.

They did not care what armchair GMs would say if their plan failed because they were so narrowed-in are reaching the top of the mountain.

10. I know many watching the Super Bowl on Sunday were rooting for the young, mostly nameless Bengals, but the Rams winning the Super Bowl is the ultimate feel-good story.

Matthew Stafford went from the Lions one season to a champion the next, becoming a Hall-of-Famer in the process. OBJ and Jalen Ramsey got their long-awaited and well-deserved rings, while Aaron Donald cemented himself as the most dominant defensive player in NFL history.

And Cooper Kupp just wrapped up one of the greatest seasons ever by a wide receiver.