Weekly Takes - Monday, March 10th Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, March 10th Edition

1. My three stars from the Maple Leafs well deserved loss to the Sharks on Monday…

1. Pontus Holmberg 

2. Matthew Knies 

3. William Nylander 

A dominant forty minutes before collapsing in the third. A well-deserved loss, after a stretch of play where they won games despite underwhelming play. 

2. My three stars from the Leafs blowout loss at the hands of the Golden Knights on Wednesday…

1. Mitch Marner 

2. Nylander 

3. John Tavares 

It has been a while since the Leafs got blown out, so you can chalk this up to a one-off, just like you can chalk Joseph Woll’s recent struggles up to a mini-slump. 

Time to lock back in on Saturday, hopefully with a deadline addition or two. 

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

1. Marner 

2. Tavares 

3. Matthews 

The Leafs, indeed, did not lock back in. Outplayed throughout, leading to another game slipping away from them. A bad loss to cap off a bad week.

They need to turn it around very soon. 

4. My thoughts on Brad Treliving’s trade deadline for the Leafs…

Scott Laughton: Exactly what they needed. A third-line centre who can kill penalties, give you quality minutes defensively at even strength to take away defensive zone starts from Matthews and Tavares, and can score “playoff-style” goals. The retention of salary and the fact that Laughton has another year on his deal makes this a home run by Treliving 

Brandon Carlo: Another home run by Treliving, landing an in-his-prime top-four, right-handed defenceman who is under contract for multiple years. He is big, can kill penalties, and finally be the long-term answer for Morgan Rielly. 

Trading Connor Dewar and Connor Timmins: No serious playoff team has Timmins in their lineup, while Dewar was lapped by the likes of Steven Lorentz and Pontus Holmberg. Even Alex Steeves would have been worth looking at over Dewar. 

Dewar served a purpose a season ago, instantly becoming one of their better penaltykillers. But with Laughton, David Kampf, Marner, Matthews, and Lorentz on the penalty kill, there was no longer a need for him. Treliving did a nice job tidying up the roster.  

5. As for what did not happen with Marner…

It is rather simple. The Leafs want him to sign right now, but he does not want to. So the Leafs, not wanting to risk losing him for nothing, offered the ultimate “get out” card for him, themselves, and Carolina. 

The Leafs and Canes would have replaced a superstar with a superstar, who wants to be in their respective cities, and Marner would have gotten every dollar he so badly wants.

But it did not happen, because Marner made clear he does not want to play anywhere else. 

That’s great because I do believe Marner is the better player. But if he does not sign, it is more clear now than ever before: He will go down as the most despised athlete in the history of Toronto.

Suffice to say, he is better off signing in Toronto, winning in Toronto, and going down as the second-greatest Maple Leaf ever, and the greatest Toronto-born player ever.

6. I love what Treliving’s mindset is, though.

He is not afraid of anything. He has been more aggressive, in his two years in Toronto, at fixing the goaltending and defence more than Kyle Dubas ever was. Now he was willing to blow up the core.

The Leafs have themselves a GM.

7. My lines, post-trade deadline…

Forwards…

Knies - Matthews - Marner 

Nick Robertson - Tavares - Nylander 

McMann - Laughton - Max Domi 

 Lorentz - Kampf - Calle Jarnkrok

Scratched: Holmberg 

Defence….

Riley - Carlo

Jake McCabe - Chris Tanev 

Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Phillipe Myers 

Scratched: Simon Benoit 

The defence is self-explanatory. Forward-wise, I like the third line being an identity line that can really step up come playoff time, offering the Leafs secondary scoring and big moments that have been nonexistent over the years. The first and fourth lines are self-explanatory too, leaving the second line as the only big question mark. Can Robertson be the answer at second-line LW?

The reality is, the Leafs also needed another winger, but they simply didn’t have the assets/cap space to address the third need. So it’s time for Robertson to step up. 

8. What I love most about the lines and pairings is that, outside of the second line, every line has a thumper/tenacious player.

Knies on L1, all three of McMann, Laughton, and Domi on L3, Lorentz on L4, Carlo on D1, McCabe on D2, and Myers on D3.

Even Tanev and OEL have a tenacious element.

The reality is, this team is built to win in the playoffs. 

9. A lot of it may go for naught this year, based on the Panthers trade for Marchand.

Finishing first in the Atlantic — and thus avoiding Florida and Tampa — is so important. 

The most entertaining, meaningful regular season in the Matthews era.

10. As for Rantanen, I do not understand at all what Carolina did.

I do in the sense that they are trying to recoup assets for a guy who was clearly going to leave, but they have a clear path in the Metro division to go on a long playoff run. 

Now, I just do not see it. I think their ceiling is the ECF, as it has long been.

11. My Cup Contender Power Rankings, post-trade deadline…

1. Panthers

2. Stars

3. Leafs

4. Lightning

5. Jets

6. Golden Knights

7. Avs

8. Oilers

9. Hurricanes 

10. Capitals 

12. My top free agent/trade targets for the Steelers, based on their needs at quarterback, and cornerback (I expect them to address their needs at running back and defensive end via the draft)

Quarterback…

1. Justin Fields

It is a one-man list. I have no interest in Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, or a different veteran who will keep them middling in the AFC.

Go with Fields, who will boom or bust. If he booms, you have a franchise quarterback. And if he busts, you can draft a franchise quarterback in 2026, when the quarterback draft class is much better. (And the draft will be in Pittsburgh) 

Cornerback…

1. D.J. Reed

2. Byron Murphy

3. Rasual Douglas 

4. Carlton Davis 

5. Mike Hilton

6. Nate Hobbs 

13. I had DK Metcalf as my WR1 for Pittsburgh prior to the trade.

They long needed a star wide receiver and now they got one.

I would be fine trading George Pickens for a day two pick, so that you are not paying Pickens and Metcalf long term starting in 2026.