Weekly Takes - Monday, January 19th Edition
- RyanEakin
- Jan 19
- 6 min read
Weekly Takes - Monday, January 19th Edition
My three stars from the Maple Leafs massive win over the Avs on Monday…
Bobby McMann
Matias Maccelli
Joseph Woll
Toronto will not have a more impressive victory all year. Went into the toughest building in hockey and came out with two points to jolt themselves into a playoff spot.
What an impressive turnaround.
2. There are no three stars from the Leafs blowout loss to the Mammoth on Tuesday, but there is no shame in that either.
They had nothing in the tank. Good thing they won on Monday, for their sake.
3. My three stars from the Leafs loss to the Golden Knights on Thursday…
Scott Laughton
Easton Cowan
Matthew Knies
You have to win that game. You just have to. Up two goals three times. You would have taken 1-1-1 coming into the trip, but woof. Better win on Saturday.
My three stars from the Leafs comeback win over the Jets on Saturday…
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Auston Matthews
Nick Robertson
A massive win. Toronto was red-hot coming into this trip and managed to go 2-1-1. Huge.
And full credit to Laughton for the fire he showed at the end of the third period after a horrific call. He should have a letter on his sweater.
Before I get into what Kyle Tucker signing with the Dodgers and Bo Bichette signing with the Mets means for the Blue Jays, here are my thoughts on the deal themselves.
For all the unnecessary credit the Dodgers get for drafting and developing, they had to make a push for Tucker because of how bad their outfield was. An outfielder and a closer were the only two glaring weaknesses on their roster and they went out and got the best outfielder and closer in free agency. They now have a dream team, one that is surely to three-peat in 2026, barring major injuries.
Bichette is a weird fit on the Mets (hence why he is going to play third base) but New York needed to add a star player to make up for losing Pete Alonso, and Bichette just so happened to be the best player left on the market. There is no point in paying Juan Soto what you are paying him if you are not going to spend around him. It is a desperate signing by the Mets, but it is the position they put themselves in.
Thankfully, these short-term, mega “AAVs” will not be a new trend in baseball. Sadly, it is going to be because there will be a lockout in 2027. Unfortunately, a lockout is needed. Yes, it is embarrassing that the Rockies, A’s, etc do not spend enough (and yes, there should be a floor for that exact reason) but it is even more embarrassing for the sport that only a handful of teams (maybe not even) can compete for star free agents these days. The Dodgers lineup is riddled with star players who they have plucked from other teams. That is bad for the sport. They are not signing in LA because of their front office, the weather, etc. They are signing with the Dodgers because they are paying players more than 98% of the league is capable of doing. This is not sustainable, nor is it impressive. At least when Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors, for as soft as it was on his part, he was joining a team that drafted and developed their three superstars. What the Warriors did was impressive, likewise with the Tom Brady Patriots and the Jonathan Toews Blackhawks. There is nothing impressive about what the Dodgers have accomplished and will accomplish. The sport of baseball is at its best when it’s a game of strategy. I am not impressed by a couple of billionaires simply plucking the best players from other teams. Anyone could do that.
That leads me to my last point. Tucker is soft for joining the Dodgers, as was Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, and every star that has signed after Shohei Ohtani. It is not impressive when your season ends in a dog pile and with a ring anymore. It is to be expected, given they have already done so without you. Where is the fight in some of these athletes these days?
Now, from a Blue Jays’ perspective…
They needed to land one of Tucker or Bichette. I truly believe adding one (ideally Tucker) was a necessity, not a luxury. The Red Sox have gotten better, the Orioles have gotten way better, and the Yankees are still a great regular season team, even if they are a favourable matchup in a playoff series, given all of their systematic flaws. I still think the Jays are the best team in the AL East, but if they finished fourth, I would not be shocked either. (four teams could make the playoffs out of the East, but whoever does not win the West between the Mariners and Astros could have something to say about that, as Houston has certainly gotten better)
The reality now, however, is this is probably the team they break camp with. They will have a great team, led by a starting rotation that management did a great job at bolstering (needed, given the Yankees and Red Sox have elite rotations), a lineup that has both star talent and depth, and a bullpen that is around average. I just wish they would have added another star in the lineup to protect themselves from a George Springer decline, etc. But a year ago they banked on internal improvements and I do not think it is silly to bank on it again. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. should have a better regular season, Ernie Clement and Addison Barger could become everyday guys if they can hit their weak sides (which they showed they could do in the playoffs), Daulton Varsho could play more games, and Anthony Santander could return to his former self. I think they are marginally better than the team they had in the World Series, but quite better than the team they started 2025 with. That matters. There is nothing stopping them from adding a closer at the deadline, too. (A full season of Louis Varland matters as well)
7. It was time for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers to part ways.
0-6 in his last six playoff games, five straight playoff games loss by at least 10 points (an NFL first), an ageing defence, and a horrid offence.
The new standard in Pittsburgh was simply making the playoffs.
Sports purgatory.
Now the Steelers have the opportunity for a total, much-needed reset.
7. Candidates I like from the Steelers perspective, in order.
Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame HC)
Nate Scheelhasse (Rams Passing Game Coordinator)
Chris Shula (Rams DC)
Klay Kubiak (49ers OC)
Klint Kubiak (Seahawks OC)
Grant Udinski (Jaguars OC)
Antwaan Randle El (Bears AC/WR Coach)
Brian Flores (Vikings DC)
Jesse Minter (Chargers DC)
Jeff Hafley (Packers DC)
Kliff Kingsbury (Former Commanders OC and Cardinals HC)
Thomas Brown (Patriots Passing Game Coordinator)
I have no interest in Doug Pederson, Mike McCarthy, Vance Joseph (Broncos DC), Brian Daboll (former Giants HC), Raheem Morris (former Falcons HC), Jonathan Gannon (former Cardinals HC), or Matt Nagy (Chiefs OC) and little interest in Mike McDaniel (Former Dolphins HC), Joe Brady (Bills OC), Anthony Weaver (Dolphins DC), Robert Saleh (49ers DC), Ejiro Evero (Panthers DC), Aden Durde (Seahawks DC), and Davis Webb (Broncos Passing Game Coordinator)
Curt Cignetti would have been of interest to me, but he said he is not going to the NFL.
8. The Bills need to fire Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott. Beane did a great job surrounding Josh Allen with an elite offensive line and running back, but he was a deep threat too short and the defence was just not good enough.
And while I think McDermott has largely done a great job, reality is he has not won the big game and it is a results business.
9. CJ Stroud was awful and I would be worried if I were the Texans, but I cannot believe a team with the best defence in football, a true number one wide receiver, and a quarterback who is on his rookie contract built an offensive line that was as bad as theirs.
A wasted year. Criminal.
10. Here is what I will say about ICE and what is happening across Minneapolis/rest of the USA: No matter what you think of illegal immigration, the point of ICE, etc, the most powerful people on the planet are telling you something that you are seeing completely differently with your own two eyes.
The truest sign of a declining society.
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