Weekly Takes - Monday, January 23rd Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, January 23rd Edition

1. My three stars from the Maple Leafs win over the Jets on Thursday…

1. Ilya Samsonov

2. Auston Matthews

3. Rasmus Sandin

Samsonov’s best game as a Leaf.

This is where the advantage of having two number-one goalies begins to pay off. Both will struggle at points throughout a long season, but as long as they are not struggling simultaneously, the Leafs will be in a great spot.

2. My three stars from the Leafs loss to the Habs on Saturday…

1. Samsonov

2. Pierre Engvall

3. Bobby McMann

An awful, well-deserved loss. A classic case of playing down to their opponent.

I understand it is tough to get up for mid-January games when the only thing you are playing for is home-ice advantage in the first round, but sheesh.

3. The Canucks organization, top to bottom, is the worst ran team in North American professional sports.

Their handling of Bruce Boudreau – a good hockey coach and an even better person – is truly a disgusting act.

The owner needs to sell the team immediately and the disgraceful Jim Rutherford, who has ruined his legacy, needs to step down immediately.

4. The direction the Raptors should take for the rest of this season could not be more clear.

Trade Gary Trent and Fred Van Vleet, explore trades of Chris Boucher and Thad Young, hope that Scottie Barnes and the younger Raptors players continue to develop, sit Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby as much as they want, and lose as many games as possible.

This does not need to be a full rebuild given Siakam, Anunoby, and whoever they draft in this year’s draft is quite the core, but it has to be a true tank year given how generational the top of this draft is.

Their losses to the Timberwolves and Celtics are the exact kind of losses you want to see from the team the rest of the way. Brilliance from Barnes against the Timberwolves and a great performance by Precious Achiuwa against the Celtics, only to lose both games.

5. My Tom Brady prediction, after bowing out in the playoffs in a predictable fashion…

He signs with the Raiders and probably does not make the playoffs next season before finally retiring and joining FOX for… a lot of money.

I do not think he wants this season to be how he is remembered, given everything he has been through on and off the field.

With that being said, it is time for him to retire.

6. I would not write off the Bills quite yet.

Yes, this current championship window of theirs is slammed shut, with so many important players on defence headed for the door, but with Josh Allen as their quarterback, they are going to have an entire decade of different championship windows.

At some point, Allen has to win a big game, though. He is being lapped by Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow.

7. The Eagles-49ers NFC Championship Game has all the makings of an instant classic between two teams who are by far and away the two best teams in the NFC.

Elite coaching, elite offences, and elite defences on both sides. Sunday cannot come soon enough.

8. You can do a lot worse than having Dak Prescott as your quarterback, but for the first time in the Prescott era, the Cowboys should seriously look at external options at quarterback.

He is “a” guy, not “the” guy. There is no ice in his veins with the game on the line.

9. Regardless of who is at quarterback for Dallas in the fall, Mike McCarthy can certainly not be the head coach.

Two absolute floppers by him two postseasons in a row.

10. My Conference Championship Picks, after getting only Bengals-Bills incorrect…

• AFC: Bengals beat Kansas City (+1)

• NFC: Eagles beat 49ers (-2)

Two absolute coin-flip games. Giddy up.

Against the spread, I am 4-5 in the playoffs.