Weekly Takes - Monday, March 11 Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, March 11 Edition 

1. My three stars from the Maple Leafs overtime win over the Sabres on Wednesday…

1. William Nylander

2. Ilya Samsonov 

3. Ilya Lyubushkin 

A nothing game from Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, until the Leafs needed them the most.

Even on an off-night, that is what superstars do.

2. My three stars from the Leafs loss to the Bruins on Thursday… 

1. Tyler Bertuzzi 

2. Max Domi

3. Mitch Marner

The score did not resemble how the Leafs played, while they matched the Bruins every step of the way physicality-wise. 

It is tough to be too worked up with the loss.

3. My three stars from the Leafs ugly win over the Canadiens on Saturday…

1. Domi 

2. Samsonov 

3. John Tavares 

1. My thoughts on the trades made by the Maple Leafs at the deadline…

• Connor Dewar was an important addition, given his strong play defensively at even strength and his ability to kill penalties at a high level. He is an upgrade on Pontus Holmberg and Noah Gregor for 2023-24 and makes David Kampf expendable come the summer.

• As is the case with Dewar, Joel Edmundson was an important addition due to his penalty-killing ability. There was little Brad Treliving could do at the deadline to upgrade the goaltending, power play, or secondary scoring, given who was on the market relative to what the Leafs already have. But he could have upgraded the penalty killing and needed to upgrade it. Mission accomplished.

• With that being said, it is not an A+ trade deadline for Treliving and ‘co. Edmundson and Ilya Lyubushkin are stop-gaps on defence and nothing more. This will have to be addressed at the deadline.

5. The Golden Knights are breaking all norms in the NHL and should get all the credit in the world for it.

Bill Foley is the best owner in the sport and George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon have run the best operation in the league for half a decade now.

They are proving that, even in a cap world, nothing is impossible.

6. I like the Adam Henrique trade for the Oilers, but it was an underwhelming trade deadline for Ken Holland, who needed to add on defence and could have used another forward while he was at it.

The Jack Campbell contract is crushing for the Oilers.

7. I love the Jets trade of Tyler Toffoli. 

Will they go on a deep playoff run? Unlikely, given how tough their division is. But they have a shot and added a legitimate top-six forward for pennies on the dollar.

That is all you can ask for if you are a Jets fan.

8. My Stanley Cup power rankings, post-trade deadline…

1. Panthers

2. Stars

3. Golden Knights

4. Avs

5. Oilers

6. Jets 

7. Canucks 

8. Hurricanes

9. Leafs

10. Bruins

11.  Rangers

The most wide-open playoffs in recent memory, especially in the West.

Must-see TV.

9. Joey Votto is a worthy filer for the Jays, as when healthy, he was a starting calibre player a season ago.

An upgrade on what Spencer Horwitz would be in 2024 and that is all that matters given what is at stake for the Jays this season.

That, and bringing in Votto is simply cool, and that accounts for something.

10. The Steelers are coming off a 10-win season, despite poor offensive line play, awful quarterback play, and injuries all over the place on defence.

They have now signed a top 20 quarterback in Russell Wilson, who will deliver the best quarterback play in Pittsburgh since 2018, while they have a ton of cap room and draft pick capital to address their offensive line and depth on defence.

They will be a contender in the AFC.