In many ways, it feels like the calm before the storm for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Brad Treliving and company are expected to be very busy over the course of the next month, but right now, all’s quiet on the western front.
We kicked off the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take by discussing Season 2 of FACEOFF: Inside the NHL. It was announced late last week that the latest season, which is set to premiere next fall, will feature both William Nylander and Brendan Shanahan in it. Considering what we got the first time around, that should be riveting stuff.
Meantime, Yanni Gourde’s six-year deal worth a total of $14 million got the hockey world talking on Monday, especially in Toronto. Indisputably, that contract may have indirectly set a precedent for players in their 30s moving forward —including John Tavares. If you remember, to an extent, Chris Tanev’s deal is structured similarly. In essence, the total money is what matters most. The contracts are put together knowing there’s a wink wink, nudge nudge possibility that the player could finish the deal on LTIR. It’s a CBA loophole, for sure. Courtesy of GRETA BAR YYZ, we spent some time discussing Tavares’ next contract and what it could look like, provided he stays with the Maple Leafs.
After that, we dished on the latest rumours attached to the Maple Leafs. The New York Rangers are said to be open for business, which led us to wonder if the Leafs could poke around on Chris Kreider. The 34-year-old winger has two years left on his deal at $6.5 million. Additionally, he hit on Mitch Marner a bit. He’s been connected to Vegas and Los Angeles lately. Lastly, we weighed in on the importance of assistant coaches. That’s because Elliotte Friedman officially linked Joe Sacco, who finished the season as Boston’s head coach, as a potential replacement for Lane Lambert on Craig Berube’s bench.
Talk tomorrow at 11 AM ET!
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