The rematch is finally here.
You never know but maybe this one is what changes the course of the Maple Leafs’ season.
For the first time since their seven-game battle last spring, the Leafs and Panthers are set to clash. Weirdly enough, both teams have the same number of points (25) with Florida having one game in hand. For December 2nd, this is a sneaky big game.
Meantime, it wouldn’t be a Leafs/Panthers match-up without Brad Marchand sharing his latest thoughts on the state of the Toronto Maple Leafs. “If people are thinking they’re out of a playoff spot for the season they got to find a new job …with the media attention & the fan support they have things get blown way out of proportion … They’re still a good contending team,” Marchand told reporters on Monday. Again, when did Brad Marchand become the voice of reason in Toronto? This guy’s an all-time troll, and honestly, he runs this city’s show. It’s wild. If you were to look up the definition of “rent free”, you would find a picture of Marchand. He knows exactly what he’s doing, too.
So, this will be stop No. 5 of 6 on the Leafs’ slate of six in a row away from Scotiabank Arena. Through four contests, they’re 2-2-0. The road record is still very ugly (3-7-0). Toronto has just seven regulation wins in 25 outings. Yeah, it’s been a turbulent start. Having said all that, no one’s talking about the Panthers – for obvious reasons – even though they’re right there with the Leafs. Also, with a point in this one, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who’s currently riding a nine-game point streak, would pull into a tie with Tom Kurvers for the longest point streak by a D in franchise history. He’s been on fire.
Then, The Sheet’s Jeff Marek joined us to weigh in on everything. Firstly, he hit on Marchand’s comments before diving directly into Leafs/Panthers. Marek’s stance on the Leafs hasn’t wavered. He hasn’t seen anything to believe a turnaround is coming anytime soon. And that’s totally fair. Additionally, he hit on where this team’s at, if they can turn things around, and the prospects of bringing in Bruce Boudreau to help out with the power play. Lastly, he weighed in on the “Fire Berube” buzz from over the weekend. For the record, he thinks it’s way too early to think about a move like that.
Be sure to join us for the Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. In addition to offering up a full recap of Leafs/Cats, former Panthers GM and head coach Doug MacLean will stops by the podcast once again.
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