September is here, and with that, we’re now just 35 days away from regular season puck drop.
Time flies.
We covered quite a few different topics on the latest summer edition of Leafs Morning Take. Naturally, considering all the hoopla starting the build-up, yes, we did discuss Connor McDavid for a few minutes. It will be fun to document that whole situation moving forward —that’s for sure. It’s amazing how quickly the narrative is starting to shift in that market and the hockey world. It’s still wishful thinking to suggest he leaves Edmonton next summer, but we’ll see what happens.
Brought to you by Simply Spiked, we kicked things off by diving headfirst into all the Mitch Marner/Darren Ferris noise from the past week. Unsurprisingly, Jay Rosehill had a few things to get off his chest regarding Marner’s sit-down with TSN’s Mark Masters. Needless to say, we’re very excited for January, when the Leafs will play Vegas not once but two times. The Marner camp continues to paint him as the victim, and unfortunately, that’s just not going to fly —at least not in these parts. Over the coming days, there’s no question that the Leafs side of the story will come out. This is getting ridiculous. It’s time to move on. We’re pumped about the 2025-26 Maple Leafs.
Speaking of which, after that discussion, Leafs forward Scott Laughton dropped by the show. It was a very candid interview. We talked about his trade to Toronto, the difficult transition, and what it’s been like living out a childhood dream. Additionally, we asked Laughton, who’ entering the final year of his deal, if there’s been any contract discussions with the Leafs this summer. He said no. That said, he did admit he’s open to being a Leaf for many years to come. This opportunity is what he’s been dreaming of his entire career, so that makes sense.
Then, we got into an extensive goaltending conversation. Firstly, we piggybacked off David Pagnotta’s reporting from Tuesday that suggests that the Leafs and Anthony Stolarz have begun to discuss a possible contract extension. Unsurprisingly, we both agreed that the best course of action would be to extend Stolarz as soon as possible. Assuming everything comes together over the next few weeks, it will be interesting to see what his next contract looks like. We were just spit balling, but three to five years accompanied with an average annual value of five to six million would make a lot of sense.
On top of that, we loved what the Leafs did with Dennis Hildeby and that extension. Quietly, it shows that the organization believes in his future, which is great to see. The new deal allows Hildeby time to develop in the AHL while continuing to push for NHL playing time. It’s a win, win situation. Love to see it!
As we start to ramp up for October, our next episode will drop next Tuesday, September 9th. Talk then! We’ve got an exciting interview planned, so don’t you dare miss it!
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