Buckle up, Leafs Nation, the next two weeks should be mighty interesting.
Full disclosure, we spent the first few minutes of Leafs Morning Take discussing the NBA Finals as Oklahoma City won its first ever championship. After that, we got into a conversation teeing up draft week in the NHL. All in all, it’s the best time of year to be a hockey fan. Furthermore, from the Leafs perspective, there’s not much to look forward to draft-wise —aside from Mark Leach being at the helm for the first time. Currently, the Leafs have six picks (64, 86, 137, 153, 185, 217). Suffice it is to say, Leach, who came over from Dallas last summer to replace Wes Clark, will have his work cut out for him.
Then, brought to you by GRETA BAR YYZ, Steven Ellis, prospect analyst for Daily Faceoff, dropped by the show to tee up the draft. He dished on Treliving trends, what to expect from Leach, and he even put forth some sleeper picks for the Leafs to target as the draft progresses. Lastly, Ellis gave his thoughts on Easton Cowan and Ben Danford, and where they’re at in their young careers.
After that, we got into David Pagnotta’s reporting regarding John Tavares. Over the weekend, the NHL Insider intimated that Tavares and the Leafs are not close on extension talks and Toronto’s recently pitched a 3 year offer worth less than $4-million per season. Over the next week, we’ll see if the two sides can bridge the gap.
Additionally, as Pagnotta and I reported over the weekend, the Leafs and pending unrestricted free agent forward have mutual interest. The 29-year-old, who’s coming off a 14 goal campaign with the Washington Capitals, is headed to market on July 1st. Naturally, we discussed fit, price tag, and all that fun stuff with free agency just around the corner.
Carter Hutton will be in for Jay Rosehill on the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We’ll discuss the latest. Plus. Andy Strickland from the Cam & Strick podcast, who’s been dropping Leafs bombs left and right, will drop by the show.
You can subscribe to TheLeafsNation (TLN) YouTube channel HERE. Additionally, we’re available in podcast form, too —wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re at it, be sure to leave us a 5-star review!