Weekly Takes - Monday, March 31st Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, March 31st Edition

1. My three stars from the Leafs blowout win over the Flyers on Tuesday…

1. John Tavares

2. William Nylander 

3. Bobby McMann

The Leafs have their top two lines set, with McMann a must to remain with Tavares and Nylander should the Leafs believe in a top-heavy lineup. (They should not, but this is the best route if they do)

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

1. Morgan Riley 

2. Brandon Carlo

3. William Nylander 

I thought the Leafs top pairing and fourth line played well, but that is about it.

Just another wasted loss, further proving that so little may be different this year.

Yes, the Panthers and Lightning have “pissed” games away too, but we know they are going to flip the switch come playoff time.

The Leafs have never shown another switch, so as far as we are concerned, this is who they are. An erratic team that is more likely than not to disappoint. 

3. My three stars from the Leafs big win over the Kings on Saturday…

1. Auston Matthews

2. Mitch Marner

3. John Tavares

The Leafs most impressive win in months, with the top line playing their best game in weeks.

Their best win in months was against the Flames on St. Patrick’s Day, but when you consider the opponent, this was the most impressive.

No team is giving more mixed signals than the Leafs. 

4. My three stars from the Leafs win over the Ducks on Sunday…

1. Matthew Knies 

2. Chris Tanev 

3. Jake McCabe

A meh performance, which is fine on the second half of a back-to-back at the end of a long road trip.

Now it is time for this group to finish the season strong, do something they have never done before (finish first in the Atlantic), and enter the playoffs chugging with confidence.

It is that or they slowly limp to the finish line like in prior seasons. 

We know how that has translated come playoff time.

5. My (very) early thoughts on the Blue Jays…

Pros…

• Bo Bichette looks all the way back

• Between his second half in 2024, his spring training, and his outing on Friday, Kevin Gausman looks back to his regular self

• I feel confident in the back end of the bullpen (Jeff Hoffman and Yimi Garica) 

Cons…

• The Max Scherzer situation is a disaster, when you consider the lack of depth behind him. Yariel Rodriguez has been bad right from the start of Spring Training, Jake Bloss is better served pitching in AAA, and Adam Macko is not going to be an option anytime soon. We will see if Bichette and Gausman are truly back and if the back end of the bullpen is legit (larger sample sizes will let us know) but this is a disaster

Everything else (George Springer showing signs of life, Andreas Gimenez’s bat looking good, etc) will need way larger sample sizes.