Sportsnet.ca http://sportsnet.ca/author/luke-fox/feed/ Tue, 19 Mar 2024 04:35:17 EDT en-US hourly 1 Frank Gunn/THE CANADIAN PRESS CP166882734 Maple Leafs Notebook: Marner steps back, power-play gets tweaked Mon, 18 Mar 2024 16:31:08 EDT Mon, 18 Mar 2024 16:59:49 EDT Luke Fox When Mitch Marner suffered his high-ankle sprain in Boston, the Toronto Maple Leafs expected their all-star winger to be sidelined for “maybe a week or two,” according to GM Brad Treliving, with what is being characterized as a minor injury.

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TORONTO — When Mitch Marner suffered his high-ankle sprain in Boston, the Toronto Maple Leafs expected their all-star winger to be sidelined for “maybe a week or two,” according to GM Brad Treliving, with what is being characterized as a minor injury.

Well, the two-week mark will pass without Marner participating in a team practice, let alone a game.

Though Marner did test out the ankle in a couple of solo skates late last week, he is now taking time to continue his rehab without jamming his foot into a skate boot.

“It hasn’t been responding the way that they had hoped, so just stepping back a little bit with it,” coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters at Monday’s practice in Toronto.

Marner will not play in Philadelphia Tuesday nor Washington Wednesday as the staff ramps him back up to skating this week.

The Leafs are 2-0-1 since his absence and have no reason to rush such a valuable performer into action.

“We’re being cautious with it. It’s nothing we feel is going to be long-term at all,” Treliving told Sportsnet’s Sean Reynolds at the GM meetings in Florida.

“Hopefully he’s going to be back sooner rather than later.”

Special teams in trouble?

Marner’s unavailability is a contributor to — but not the sole reason for — Toronto’s sagging results in odd-man situations.

The Leafs have been outscored 8-1 on special teams this month, and that inefficiency proved the difference in Saturday’s blown-lead loss to the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday. Their PK is averaging a goal against over the past seven games; their PP has cashed in just once over its past 22 opportunities.

We’re raising a flag of concern here because sloppy special teams have played a significant factor in Toronto’s postseason failures.

Since the Auston Matthews–William Nylander–Marner era began in 2016-17, the Leafs’ PK has operated at just 75.3 per cent in the playoffs. That’s 26th of all 30 teams that have appeared in at least one series during that stretch.

Further, their much-lauded power play has dropped from a total of 24.3 per cent (third) in all regular seasons of the Matthews-Nylander-Marner era to 18.6 (15th) come playoff time.

Yikes.

Keefe tweaked his struggling power-play units at Monday’s practice, letting Timothy Liljegren run point on PP1 with Matthews, Nylander, John Tavares, and Tyler Bertuzzi.

The coach likes Liljegren’s right shot up top and Bertuzzi’s bite, down low.

Morgan Rielly now heads up the lightly used second unit with Max Domi, Bobby McMann, Nick Robertson, and Matthew Knies.

“Moving the puck with authority, quickly. If you have a lane, shoot it. As a group of guys, we want to get the power-play back on track. It takes all of us,” Rielly said.

“It’s going to go for us eventually.”

Benny’s back

Healthy scratched in favour of Liljegren all three games since the trade deadline passed, Simon Benoit will get back into action Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center.

Rugged defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin missed Monday’s practice due to illness and did not fly with the team to Philadelphia.

Benoit has been a pleasant surprise for the Leafs. He should be reenergized by his 12 days out of action and eager to build his case to be in the lineup come Game 83.

“I’d expect it to be a little bit better, quite honestly. He’s stepped back from the lineup and watched, and that’s motivating in and of itself. But also, the league is hard when you’re playing all the time,” Keefe said.

“When you come back into the lineup, you expect to have a little bit more.”

One-Timers: A diplomatic Treliving said Monday that the Maple Leafs’ crease remains an open competition and that he’s happy to be dressing two healthy, capable goalies. With Toronto facing two back-to-backs this week, Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll should get two starts apiece … Calle Järnkrok (hand) was retroactively placed on long-term injured reserve; defenceman Conor Timmins (mononucleosis) was activated. The earliest Järnkrok can return is April 8 … The third-seed Maple Leafs have only a 12 per cent chance of moving up the Atlantic standings and just a six per cent chance of falling to the wild card, according to SportsClubStats.com … Prized prospect Easton Cowan dialed his OHL point streak up to 34 games Sunday. That’s a London Knights record.

Maple Leafs projected lineup Tuesday in Philadelphia

Bertuzzi – Matthews – Holmberg

McMann – Domi – Nylander

Knies – Tavares – Robertson

Dewar – Kampf – Reaves

Rielly – Brodie

Benoit – McCabe

Edmundson – Liljegren 

Woll

Samsonov

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Frank Gunn/CP Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews (34) fails to get the shot past Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (52) Maple Leafs must improve special teams, fight complacency over final push Sun, 17 Mar 2024 00:28:27 EDT Sun, 17 Mar 2024 14:51:38 EDT Luke Fox With the Maple Leafs all but assured to finish third in the Atlantic, the focus of the final games of the season should be on improving special teams and fighting complacency.

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TORONTO — What’s frightening and relieving about these final few weeks of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey is that none of it matters.

Among all NHL teams in playoff position or within sniffing distance, none has a greater likelihood of finishing their season precisely in the same standings position as the Maple Leafs are now.

According to SportsClubStats.com, Toronto has an 85 per cent chance of finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference. Their odds of locking into the Atlantic Division’s third-seed are even greater.

With the two-seed Florida Panthers nine points ahead and the four-seed Tampa Bay Lightning seven points behind, the Leafs’ final 16 games of the regular season are less about wins and losses and more about health and process.

Optimize the lines. Settle on some working defence pairs. Determine a pecking order for the goalies.

It’s a blessing and a curse.

The good news is that the injured Mitch Marner and Calle Järnkrok should take their sweet time rehabbing, coach Sheldon Keefe may be able to load-manage his best players’ ice time down the stretch, and next week’s double dose of back-to-back games will give both Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll equal tune-up time in the nets.

But the dangers just might outweigh the benefits.

In a sport that extols the virtues of surviving adversity, the Leafs are at risk of getting too comfortable in their three-seed hammock.

Take Saturday’s 5-4 blown-lead shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, and some of the losing team’s post-game commentary, for example.

Absolutely, the home team did some great things to pepper 40 shots and score four even-strength goals against one of the better defensive sides in the league.

Captain John Tavares, slick William Nylander, and David Kämpf (check notes again), yes, David Kämpf all beat goalie Pyotr Kochetkov on clean breaks to the net with smooth, skilled finish.

On the flip side, the Leafs lost the even-strength run of play to a legit contender. They blew a 3-0 second-period lead and a 4-2 lead with just 92 seconds remaining in regulation.

They were also given a 4-on-3 power-play in overtime and came up empty, leaving an atypically buzzy, sudsy home crowd disappointed on St. Patty’s Eve.

“That’s Leafs hockey for ya,” one member of the victorious Hurricanes said, walking off the ice.

What stands out almost as much as Carolina’s stunning late comeback — Sebastian Aho scored twice in desperation with Kochetkov pulled for the extra attacker — is Toronto’s collective shrug over the wasted point.

“Against these guys, you really got to grind your way to get your chances. So, I think we did a really good job of doing that,” Nylander said. “Playing a team like this is probably what playoff hockey is gonna be close to be like, so I think it was a good test for us, and I thought we played really well.”

Added Nick Robertson: “We weren’t as sharp as we could be. I thought that we played a good game up until probably the end of the third. But I get it: Guys are tired and sometimes mistakes happen.”

And Keefe: “The result sucks. But I thought we stood in there. I thought, at times, carried play…. A lot of encouraging things here today.”

The coach was encouraged by his group’s special teams, despite getting shut out on their own power-play for the eighth time over their past nine outings, and giving up their seventh power-play goal in a six-game span.

To be fair, Marner skates on the top unit of both, and Järnkrok is integral to the PK.

Still, the Leafs’ special teams have been outscored 8-1 in March, and no playoff-bound team has a worse PK (76.7 per cent, 24th overall) — an area GM Brad Treliving attempted to remedy with all three of his trade deadline depth additions.

“We’re looking for progress here on special teams,” said Keefe, who acknowledged odd-man situations as the main culprit for this loss.

Yes, the Leafs want progress. But the urgency to summon that progress isn’t there, yet.

We suspect comfort in the standings has something to do with it.

If comfort morphs into complacency, however, that could be a problem.

Nylander, for one, isn’t so stressed that Toronto’s power-play is in its worst rut of the year.

“We were on a heater [in February]. I mean, it had 50 per cent for a while,” Nylander said.

“So, I mean, you get some and you’re gonna not get some. So, it’s whatever.”

Fox’s Fast Five

• It took two top-nine forwards — Marner (high-ankle sprain) and Järnkrok (hand) — to get injured, but Robertson squeezed into a game for the first time in 16 days.

“This is the spot where Robbie has been at his best,” Keefe predicted pre-game. “To me, he’s played his best hockey when he’s been out of the lineup and has come back in. I’m fully expecting him to make an impact.”

That he did. Robertson ripped his ninth goal of the season, finishing off a great hustle play by Tavares, who was dominant in the second period.

“I don’t know how many games it is now where he’s been scratched and come in and scored right away. So, it gives us that boost,” Keefe said. “He worked hard tonight.”

• A modest proposal: Every time the Maple Leafs are tempted to wear their alternate black uniforms, they instead wear their beautiful kelly-green St. Pats getups.

Let’s make the world a more beautiful place, shall we?

• Evgeny Kuznetsov and close friend Ilya Samsonov talk roughly four times per week.

The former Capitals teammates have leaned on each other during a roller-coaster campaign that has seen them both clear waivers before earning redemption in the second half.

“I’m staying off social media over 61 days,” Kuznetsov told reporters at morning skate. “I have no idea what’s outside of this locker room. I have no idea what the trades are like and who’s playing where and it’s kind of nice to live on the other side.”

The new Hurricane has come out the other side of the player assistance program refreshed and refocused. He looks dangerous despite spending 50 days off the ice.

“When you play games every day, you don’t realize how big the impact on your life that hockey makes,” Kuznetsov explained.

“And then when you step away a little bit, you get anxious, right? You kind of go like, ‘Ah.’ It’s a privilege to be able to step up and look from the side and see what’s your real needs in life and what you actually wanted to do for a living, right? I know we get paid a lot of money and stuff like that, but this is life. This is what we do. We travel. We shower with the boys. We do all this stuff, which sounds weird, but you miss that part a lot. So that’s what motivated me to come back every day and work hard.”

• Kuznetov on Samsonov — now 13-2-1 over his past 16 starts — persevering through his struggles in the intense Toronto market:

“You guys been so hard on players, in general, here over the time. I’m so happy that he doesn’t speak English well, so he doesn’t understand everything. And that’s huge for him.”

• William Nylander tied a career-high in points (87) with 16 games to go, while younger brother Alexander enjoyed a three-point night and has now scored eight goals and 11 points since his trade to Columbus 11 games ago.

In three weeks as a Blue Jacket, Alex has produced more than in his three years in Buffalo and one-and-a-half years in Pittsburgh combined.

“He’s been battling his entire career and been given a really good chance to play and showing what he can do,” William said. “I mean, super proud brother.”

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woll-samsonov Quick Shifts: Chase for Maple Leafs playoff crease is so very complicated Sat, 16 Mar 2024 08:53:49 EDT Sun, 17 Mar 2024 15:17:35 EDT Luke Fox In this edition of Quick Shifts, Luke Fox discusses: The Game 1 starter, referees booting coaches then going silent, David Savard on Maple Leafs trade possibility, Toronto’s forwards nearly set for 2024-25 and eight more NHL goodies.

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A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Hot book recommendation: Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the 18,000 Missing Bobbleheads.

1. Asked at the conclusion of Friday’s scrum if the Toronto Maple Leafs will be sticking with the red-hot Ilya Samsonov in net Saturday against Carolina Hurricanes, a Stanley Cup contender that appears even more legit with a couple of high-end trade deadline additions, Sheldon Keefe kept his cards close to the vest.

“We’ll see,” the coach responded.

More often than not, Keefe’s Leafs have been forthcoming with the status of their starting goaltender. (Some teams prefer to keep fans and opponents guessing.)

Perhaps unintentionally, Keefe is noncommittal on the mirco — Who knows who starts the next one? — doubles as a comment on the macro: Who knows who gets to start the big one?

That would be the first game of Round 1, which is zipping toward the organization quicker than David Pastrnak’s wrister.

Do the Leafs go with the guy who backstopped them to their first series win in a generation? Even though that same guy cleared waivers midseason amid a crisis of confidence and a series of mercy pulls, plus an injury scare Saturday morning that might ultimately turn out to be nothing?

Or do they put their initial trust in poised Joseph Woll, the emerging franchise stud, the one whose technique gets more love from goalie experts and has the only NHL-level goalie under contract for next season? Even though he’s still finding his groove from a lengthy midseason ankle rehab?

Woll has always felt like the goaltender whom management and the coach believe in with less wavering.

Yet pending UFA Samsonov has been out here stopping pucks for two months now like his livelihood depends on it. Perhaps because, well, it totally does.

That Samsonov was the first goalie given consecutive starts since Woll returned from injured reserve — and, we’ve now learned, should start a third straight Saturday too — is notable. That he was solid once more (albeit lightly tested) in Philadelphia Thursday, improving to 13-2 over his past 15 games and buffing up his March save percentage to .933 is also notable.

Is this the best Samsonov has played, Coach?

“This season, for sure,” Keefe said. “He is more like himself, as we came to expect last season. It is a huge part of our group right now.”

Woll is not forgotten here, though he hasn’t started in nine days and gave up eight goals in last week’s double dose of the Boston Bruins, Toronto’s most likely first-round foe.

The less-experienced Woll has better numbers overall than Samsonov, both this season (.911) and over his brief career (.916).

Choosing between two healthy, capable netminders is a good problem to have — except if you subscribe to the old playoff theory that if you have two No. 1 netminders, you have none.

We say, let ’em battle it out. See if one emerges as The Man over the final 17 starts.

Go with the hot hand. And don’t worry about hurt feelings or galaxy-braining plans for next year.

Regardless, when Keefe & Co. make their decision for Game 1, they should treat it the way both Woll and Samsonov do their jobs: Just focus on stopping the next puck.

2. David Savard’s first game post-deadline was last Saturday at home against the Maple Leafs — a team in search of a right defenceman of his profile and one that inquired about a trade for him.

Yes, even though Savard, who has another season on his deal with the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens, understood his chances of being dealt last week were slim, the thought crossed his mind: He could’ve been getting ready in the Bell Centre’s visitors’ quarters.

“They weren’t trying to shop me too much, but I definitely heard all the names, and you have people calling you or telling you all these things,” Savard says. “I’m trying to block it out, in a way. I know it’s part of the business. And it would definitely be weird … if I were in that dressing room, but those things happen.”

Savard is pleased that Montreal’s trade price got set so high; the Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., native is relieved to stay put.

“If we got the call, we get the call — and we’ll figure it out,” Savard says. “But I think we kind of had a sense that they weren’t trying to throw me anywhere.”

3. OK, let’s get this straight.

The NHL wants its officials to crack down on coaches vocalizing their displeasure with their calls. Sheldon Keefe, Don Granato, Greg Cronin and John Tortorella have all been fined and/or ejected for venting their frustrations with too much vigour this season.

The league warned its coaches before the season about abusing the stripes and is following through to keep them accountable.

By the same token, the refs themselves aren’t held to account publicly.

Unlike other major leagues, NHL officials are not available to a pool reporter post-game to explain controversial decisions or mistakes, the way coaches and players are.

But we’re expected to get a kick out of a mic’d-up referee or linesman hamming up a penalty call or video review decision on occasion because, Hey, it shows personality!

Nah. We’re not getting a kick out of the “fun ref” if we can’t question the “serious ref.”

4. If Rod Brind’Amour isn’t the ideal coach to help steer Evgeny Kuznetsov (at a reduced rate) back on the road to success, we’re not sure there is one.

The dynamic Russian has labelled his newfound 16-month commitment to the Hurricanes as his last chance, and I loved everything about the night he scored his first in Carolina.

Brind’Amour came into the dressing room after the win, saying how he used to hate the expressive centreman’s “birdman” celebration. Now he loves it. They all do.

Kuznetsov himself sounds like a man with a fresh lease on life, not just another shot at the post-season.

“I just want to say thanks to the fans. I almost cry a little bit,” the players’ assistance program graduate said post-game. “I’ve been dealing with some big issues, so that support is huge for me. My wife was here tonight. Kids watching. Parents. That’s all for them.

“I’m living my best days.”

Keep it rolling, Kuzy.

5. The Wild lived up to their nickname this week, pulling Marc-Andre Fleury in 3-on-3 overtime and thus risking a standings point already earned in favour of extra attacker Matt Boldy. 

Because fortune favours the, um, bold, Boldy deposited the winning goal 20 seconds later to help Minnesota defeat Nashville, one of the clubs it’s chasing in pursuit of a playoff spot.

More poetry: Minnesota’s gutsy coach, John Hynes, was fired by the Predators in May.

Hynes’s sweet gambit made history and brought to light a 3-on-3 rule that seldom comes into play.

Not since the Kings pulled their goalie in OT back on Oct. 28, 2017, had a team risked losing a point and earned two for the effort.

That Kings team did so with less than a second on the clock and an O-zone draw, however.

Not nearly as risky as Hynes pulling the stunt with 90 seconds still on the clock.

6. Doug Armstrong gets another shot at managing Team Canada’s Olympic men’s squad after he was denied that opportunity in 2022.

Also nice to see loyal Team Canada player Ryan Getzlaf getting involved in the roster construction.

“When you work for Hockey Canada,” Armstrong said at Friday’s introductory press conference, “we start on third base, but we still have to get home. That is our job, to get from third to home.

“With the talent we have, not only on the ice but in coaching, management, training staff and support staff, it is a great opportunity to work with these guys and make Canada proud.”

Armstrong will be building Canada’s club for next winter’s 4 Nations Face-Off as well. Why not pick the same coaching staff for both and use that tournament as a test drive?

We don’t see a reason to deviate from the 2022 head coach choice of Jon Cooper, but we’d like to see Brind’Amour and Bruce Cassidy on that staff as well.

7. I love it when a plan comes together.

During Wednesday’s pre-game interview on the TNT broadcast, Evander Kane declared that he wanted to set up Connor Brown for his first goal of the year (actually, his first since 2022).

Then, the winger did exactly that.

These are the moments that keep us coming back to sports.

8. Quote of the Week.

“We have Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre on different lines, so we’re good.” —Alex Ovechkin, when asked how the Capitals plan to counter Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on separate lines

(P.S. The Oilers then demolished Washington 7-2. McDavid and Draisaitl combined for seven points; McMichael and Lapierre combined for one.)

9. As Brad Treliving begins to rough-sketch his 2024-25 roster, questions abound on the back end: Woll is cheap and cheerful, but who will be his tandem mate? Morgan Rielly and Jake McCabe are locked in on the blueline, sure, but who else comes back? Or comes in?

Toronto’s forward core, however, is much more certain.

The Core Four, of course, are locked, loaded and luxury-priced. But, barring trade, the Leafs will have much more continuity in its supporting cast of forwards than in years past.

With pending UFA Bobby McMann inking his two-year extension this week, Treliving now has six role-playing guys upfront set for next fall: McMann, David Kämpf, Calle Järnkrok, Ryan Reaves, Matthew Knies and Pontus Holmberg.

None will drain more than $2.4 million off the books.

If the GM decides to roll with that group of 10, he needs fill only a couple more spots; those could potentially go to RFAs Connor Dewar, Nick Robertson and Noah Gregor, all of whom are still under team control and won’t cost a ton.

Prospects Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan will also be eager to make a push.

While we expect Treliving to explore some high-end talent to replace UFAs Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi if they cannot be re-signed, the holes up front are less gaping than they have been in recent off-seasons. The money would be better spent on defence.

Fewer mercenaries up front and a few more guys with tenure should be seen as a positive for the group.

10. Though consistently dangerous in the regular season, the Maple Leafs’ power play has an uncomfortable history of drying up come playoff time.

Toronto has scored just once on the man-advantage over its past eight games and 18 opportunities. Missing power-play playmaking rover Mitch Marner for a few games hasn’t helped.

Which gives some context as to why Keefe threw his top unit over the boards late in the third period of Thursday’s blowout, with his Leafs leading the Flyers 6-1.

Keefe may also have been sticking it to a team that plays Toronto hard. (You wanna keep taking penalties in a blowout, then take PP1 too.)

Flyers coach Rocky Thompson lost it on Keefe from the other bench, viewing the decision as a sign of disrespect.

This isn’t Little League.

If you’re worried about getting embarrassed on home ice, play better.

Toronto needs to get its 5-on-4 game in order, as special teams will be a factor come Game 83.

After the win, Keefe reached out to explain his decision to the Flyers. Although he understood Thompson’s anger, Keefe defended that his intent was not to run up the score.

“We had tired people on our bench,” Keefe explained to reporters. “I got to manage my team and manage my bench at that point in time. They got a shorty out of it.”

A bit of bitterness isn’t the worst thing; the Leafs fly right back to Philly on Tuesday.

11. Happy to see Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman get one more hug-filled run at a Cup together, though the writing seems to be on the wall that their won’t be enough cap space to keep the 2023 Jennings brothers together in 2024-25, when Swayman’s inevitable raise kicks in.

Yes, Ullmark holds a 15-team no-trade list.

But with the lack of dependable goalies around, no question a recent Vezina champ with a .913 save percentage and a reasonable $5-million price tag should be easy to move.

That Ullmark has only one more year on his deal means interested teams shouldn’t be worried about term.

He has less term than Jacob Markstrom and is cheaper in real dollars than Juuse Saros, two of the other biggies who could switch sweaters over the summer.

12. Pastrnak revealed that he and Pat Maroon were chatting from opposite sides of the red line during a recent game, and the Bruins star suggested Maroon — hockey’s four-leaf clover — come to Boston.

When the three-time Stanley Cup champion got traded at the deadline, he texted Pastrnak: “The red-line chat came true.”

The former Lightning menace cut right to the chase during his Boston introduction this week.

“I feel like I’m hated here,” he said, smiling.

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leafs Bertuzzi-Matthews duo responds to criticism as Maple Leafs thrash Flyers Thu, 14 Mar 2024 23:51:31 EDT Fri, 15 Mar 2024 10:40:59 EDT Luke Fox Call the players out. Watch them respond. Sheldon Keefe did just that to Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi, leading the duo their most impressive game yet.

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Call the players out. Watch them respond.

It’s the oldest trick in the hockey coach’s playbook. And the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ Sheldon Keefe and his well-rested weapons dusted it off and worked it with precision Thursday in Philadelphia — on a night so ugly for the Flyers, John Tortorella would’ve been happy to leave early.

Before digging into the visitors’ 6-2 knockout punch to the guys who dress up as Rocky Balboa for outdoor games, let’s flash back to Saturday in Montreal.

Following that win, a much narrower one to be sure, Keefe did not mince words when assessing his new Mitch Marner–free top line featuring William Nylander, Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi.

“They just individually weren’t very good,” Keefe stated, accurately.

On Saturday, the Maple Leafs won in spite of that talented trio; on Thursday, those guys drove the bus, and everyone else piled on.

A sharply executed Nylander-to-Matthews-to-Bertuzzi sequence allowed the road-warrior Leafs to score on the game’s first shot and set a tone that would continue through 60 minutes and six even-strength goals.

“Great pass by Auston and finish by Bert, so that’s a great moment to get us going. Scoring early and playing ahead,” Keefe told reporters in Philly post-game. “We played well. We defended well.”

By the 20-minute mark, Toronto had already dispatched of starter Samuel Ersson and got busying feasting on backup Felix Sandstrom.

By the 60-minute mark, the Leafs had burned a heat map hole through the Flyers’ crease, generating 19(!) high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com. As for Philly? They had two.

In all, 13 Maple Leafs hit the scoreboard.

The dominant result makes the team’s decision to take two days completely off and use two for practice during a rare four-day schedule gap look like a smart one.

“We were fresh tonight and felt that throughout the locker room. Obviously, a positive,” Matthews said.

“I thought we were really good in all three zones,” added Bertuzzi. “Rest is a weapon late in the season.”

Nylander, Matthews and Bertuzzi each registered a goal plus an assist, three of five Leafs with two-point efforts.

The others were depth forward and recent healthy scratch Pontus Holmberg and sixth defenceman Timothy Liljegren, who finds himself in the thick of an internal battle for inclusion in Toronto’s Game 1 playoff lineup.

Liljegren’s knuckle-puck snipe off the rush was his first goal in 23 games.

Matthews ripped his 55th and jumped back on pace for 70 goals. 

Nylander scored 35 goals for the second time in his career and, with a team-leading 86 points, is now just a point shy of tying a career high.

And the previously snakebit Bertuzzi has six goals over his past nine outings — and that doesn’t include his brilliant swat-tip into the Flyers’ net that was ruled no-goal due to a Matthews glove pass earlier in the possession.

“He was all over it tonight,” Matthews said of Bertuzzi.

Keefe has been contemplating giving the gritty left wing another run on Matthews’ top line for weeks now; Marner’s absence is as good an excuse as any to experiment.

“I don’t think Bert’s game was in a good space early in the season when it didn’t go well, and now it’s worth giving it another go here,” Keefe said. “It’s just about continuing to do what he does well and not overthinking it. 

“The things that Bert does really well are the things that players that have success alongside Auston do, which is forecheck, make plays in tight spaces, create turnovers, be good around the net, go to the net, and create more space.” 

Another road victory, their 20th, has the Maple Leafs creating more space between them and fourth place in the Atlantic Division.

Secure in the 2-3 matchup, the Leafs will welcome this breathing room, as Calle Järnkrok crashed into the boards and is expected to “miss some time,” per Keefe.

The Maple Leafs fly home, where they’ll hope to keep their offence rolling Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Fox’s Fast Five

• Marner has already finished seasons with 94, 97 and 99 points. The century mark remains elusive.

Stuck at 76 points with just 17 games remaining on the Leafs schedule, Marner is in danger of coming up short again. 

The club is exercising caution as its star winger recovers from a reported high-ankle sprain. 

Marner’s injury is said to be minor. This is the same right ankle he sprained back in 2019 that sidelined him for three-and-a-half weeks.

• His team clinging to a playoff spot, Tortorella was not on the Flyers bench because he was serving the final game of his suspension.

Associate Brad Shaw and assistant Rocky Thompson took over duties, pulling starter Ersson after he allowed three goals on 12 first-period shots.

Keefe figures the absence of the head coach matters less than you think.

“A lot of the work that goes into coaching is done before the games, in between periods, and at practice days,” Keefe said.

“They’ve got a great coaching staff over there that’s very capable. Torts voluntarily stepped off the bench last year [for five of Philadelphia’s final nine games] and gave lots of experience to those guys.”

• Despite trading for three depth players intended to give their struggling penalty kill a boost, the Leafs have given up a power-play goal in each game since the deadline and have been outscored 6-1 on special teams this month.

• Watch the lawsuit, Tie! Watch the lawsuit!

Yes, Max Domi has seen the infamous clip from March 29, 2001. A couple times.

That time a rather, uh, ambitious Flyers fan crashed into the Maple Leafs penalty box and tangled with Max’s father, Tie, the way a visitor to the zoo might leap into the bear exhibit and immediately regret his decision. 

“I’m not sure that fan was making the clearest decisions in that moment. Probably not a good idea,” Domi said. 

“The way my dad explains it is, he wasn’t going to do anything, then when he pushes the ref or the linesman in there — those were always his buddies with the job he had — then he had to step in. That’s how he justifies it, and I’m on his side.”

• Bobby McMann’s negotiations with Toronto on his two-year contract extension began two weeks ago, then got finalized early this week once numbers were exchanged.

“It happened quick, and it was exciting, but I’m glad it got done,” said McMann, admitting that his mom and dad were a little anxious.

“I don’t know if they ever thought I would get to this point. I think they wanted me to sign it a little earlier in the negotiation, but I made them sweat it out a little bit. They were super happy with it.”

Keefe reflected on the effort McMann poured into his $2.7 million payday.

“You don’t get to play in the league and come in as a 27-year-old rookie without really believing in yourself, and staying with it, and working incredibly hard,” Keefe said. 

“He’s also fought through a number of injuries as well. He’s had a hard time staying healthy. A lot of guys, quite frankly, with more ability than Bobby, they quit, or they give up, and they don’t have the same drive and same habits and same commitment to it. This is obviously a very well-deserved and hard-fought contract.”

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mcmann Why Bobby McMann’s new contract feels like a big win Thu, 14 Mar 2024 08:29:01 EDT Thu, 14 Mar 2024 13:23:19 EDT Luke Fox Bobby McMann has always had a grinder’s mindset, despite his scorer’s stick. He grew up firing driveway pucks in a chuckwagon town with a dad devoted to shiftwork. It’s so easy to root for a guy who has now been rewarded with life-changing money.

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When his undrafted, late-blooming son picked the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent back in 2020, Cecil McMann had his doubts.

“This is hockey central, in my mind. And when he said he’d go to the Leafs, I (thought), well, you can’t cut that lineup — because it’s the Leafs. Maybe you could cut another lineup,” Cecil said in 2022-23.

That was the season Bobby McMann, at age 26, finally cracked the NHL, even if it was for only a 10-game look-see. Even if he was denied a goal in Detroit with Cecil cheering in the dads’ trip suite and was returned to the AHL Marlies with a single measly assist. Even if, at age 27, he failed to cut that lineup at the following training camp, cleared waivers, and was destined to battle his way up all over again.

“But if you look at the enormity of the work that kid’s put in,” Cecil said, “anybody who puts in that kind of work in and gets rewarded, it’s special. It’s a special moment for him.

“In his mind, he knew (he’d make the NHL). But we don’t speak about that. Because it’s not likely at 26. So, it’s not something we talk about it.”

What a difference a year in pro hockey can make.

For the oft-delayed ascendence of Bobby McMann — from Newfoundland Growler to 20-goal Marlie to bubble Maple Leaf to effective NHL third-line winger — is not only a topic generating plenty of discussion in hockey central.

McMann’s is also a feel-good script worth paying for, as general manager Brad Treliving presented McMann with a two-year, $2.7-million contract extension Wednesday — nearly four months before the Wainwright, Alta., native could become an unrestricted free agent.

This time with leverage.

There’s a common sentiment among sports reporters: We don’t root for teams, but sometimes we can’t help but root for individuals.

Circle any NHL dressing room. You won’t get far in your orbit before you meet an athlete who grew up with a leg up. Best training money can buy. Top-tier gear. Travel opportunities. First-line lifestyle.

McMann has always had a grinder’s mindset, despite his scorer’s stick. He grew up firing driveway pucks in a chuckwagon town with a dad devoted to shiftwork.

When life knocks him down, all he knows is getting up, dusting himself off, and punching the clock.

Which helps explain Bobby’s response to his planned healthy scratch on Feb. 13. How he poured in extra work at practice instead of sulking. How, when the flu hit a couple Leafs stars, he scored a dramatic hat trick as an emergency substitute.

“We don’t have a lot of money,” Cecil said. “And Bobby, he’s an underdog. I mean, really — 26 years old, never drafted. He’s been cut from teams. And he just works hard.”

Bobby McMann’s unlikely journey and his adapt-or-die career strategy — the guy’s greatest strength was his release, yet he’s out there chucking shoulders, crashing on forechecks, and didn’t hesitate to fight when challenged by now-teammate Ilya Lyubushkin in Anaheim this season — has endeared him to fans and teammates alike.

To wit, Matthew Knies’s Instagram reaction to McMann’s pay bump:

McMann, you’ll recall, began this campaign deep on Toronto’s forward chart, below Noah Gregor, Nick Robertson, Pontus Holmberg, and Ryan Reaves.

He started late and on the fourth line but has more goals than all of ’em.

McMann is trending toward a viable third-line threat, and his contract arrives fresh off Saturday’s impact performance in Montreal, when the top line went quiet.

“He played an outstanding game with lots of confidence, and he was just strong, hard on the puck. Lots of urgency to his game. I thought their team had a hard time handling him,” coach Sheldon Keefe praised post-win.

“You know, it was a tough stretch for us — four games in six nights in three cities — and we needed some big efforts from guys, and Bobby certainly stepped up for us.”

McMann considers how he’s found a niche the past couple months, whether it’s flanking a shooter like John Tavares or a checker like David Kämpf.

“The longer I play and the more games I play, I just I get more comfortable making reads rather than, like, thinking. I think that’s where my game has grown. I just get to react. And then my skill takes over, and I think that’s kind of what’s coming out now,” McMann says.

“You just you take what’s given to you more, rather than thinking, ‘OK, how do I play this 2-on-1?’ You’re like, ‘I see an opening, and I’m just gonna take it.’

“More reactionary. Just playing the game and having fun. As you see a shot or you see a pass, you just try and make it. Whether it’s the right play or not, you’re making it with confidence — and, usually, it turns out well.”

So, maybe when you snap 10 goals in 40 games despite averaging just over 10 minutes a night, you could press for a little more money.

But if you’ve skated a grand total of 50 NHL games and never seen seven figures?

If you’ve entered every camp as a maybe and your 30s are speeding toward you like the trains that breeze through Wainwright?

And someone offers life-changing scratch and a sliver of security to keep playing the game you never gave up on?

You take what’s given to you.

And, usually, it turns out well.

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Karl B DeBlaker/AP reinhart1280 NHL’s Top 12 UFAs of 2024: Latest rumours, reports Tue, 12 Mar 2024 11:35:39 EDT Tue, 12 Mar 2024 11:52:55 EDT Luke Fox Yes, even with several franchise studs and key support players signing pocket-padding extensions way before deadline, the NHL’s 2024 unrestricted free agent class should be an intriguing one. Luke Fox ranks the best 12 UFAs-in-waiting.

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Captains, Cup champs, top-pair defencemen and elite scorers.

Yes, even with several franchise studs (Anze Kopitar, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Sebastian Aho, Mark Scheifele, Connor Hellebuyck) and key support players (Devon Toews, Gustav Forsling, Tom Wilson, Marcus Foligno, Mats Zuccarello, Sam Montembeault, Nino Niederreiter, Jordan Eberle) signing pocket-padding extensions before deadline and avoiding the stress of free agency, the NHL’s 2024 UFA class should be an intriguing one.

And with the salary cap expected to rise by $4.2 million — the first significant jump since the pandemic — those spendy general managers should have all the more reason to splash the pot on next summer’s Johnny Gaudreau.

Here’s a rundown and ranking of hockey’s best impending unrestricted free agents, plus the latest buzz circulating about their future.

Happy contract year, fellas. Get that stock up.

1. Sam Reinhart

Age on July 1: 28
Position: Right wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $6.5 million

The latest: Like Nylander, Reinhart has selected a fine season for the best one of his NHL life.

Already a 20-goal man seven times over, Reinhart has been a beast in 2023-24 and has already cracked 45 goals and 75 points.

No wonder the Florida Panthers will take a serious run at extending the forward’s Sunrise days long-term.

“Sam is a guy we would like to keep around,’’ GM Bill Zito told NHL.com. “I am thrilled with the production and very happy for him. He works awfully hard and does so many little things for our team.

“He is a great leader and is a great person. It has been fun to see him get off to this start. He’s a pretty good hockey player. Last year he was snake-bitten, but he is off to a great start.”

Reinhart is but one of nine pending free agents on Zito’s roster, however, and RFA centre Anton Lundell also needs a raise.

The Cats have the flexibility to keep the band together, provided the core pieces are willing to take a hair less and fall under an internal cap. 

This means Reinhart accepting less than leaders Aleksander Barkov ($10 million) and Matthew Tkachuk ($9.5 million). A winning culture, tax-free state and balmy winter weather all help matters.

The man could stir quite a bidding war if he hit the open market, but Reinhart says he “absolutely” wants to stay put.

“That’s obviously the goal — that’s from both sides. We both made that clear. So, time will tell, but that’s Option A for sure,” says Reinhart, whose extension talks remain ongoing.

If things get settled in-season, great. If the hard negotiating waits until after what the forward hopes is another long playoff run, that’s fine too.

“We’re both comfortable with where we’re at. We’re both trying to ultimately win a Stanley Cup this year, and that’s where our focus is mainly,” says Reinhart, who wants term.

“We both know where each other stands. We both know we want to get something done. And we’re both comfortable with how it’s going, so it’s not distracting me by any means. And I think when you’re trying to build something we’re trying to in Florida, some things take time.”

2. Jake Guentzel

Age on July 1: 29
Position: Left wing / Right wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $6 million

The latest: Despite Guentzel’s off-season ankle surgery, the dangerous winger is the only pending UFA other than Reinhart averaging more than a point per game this season.

No wonder the contending Carolina Hurricanes were willing to trade Michael Bunting plus a package of prospects and high conditional picks for Guentzel’s services, recent injuries be damned.

“There are times that you have to make a move to reward what you’ve been doing, and we felt this year was good timing for us to do that,” Hurricanes GM Don Waddell told The Athletic

“We’re not typically a rental-type team, but this just fits us so well. When you can make something fit and you can get it without giving up the pieces, where you feel good about where your depth is, I think you put that all together and it makes sense for us to move forward.”

Waddell has 11 roster players on expiring contracts; his 2024-25 roster will look different.

Whom he tries to keep in the fold will depend on how his players perform in the postseason.

As for Guentzel, let’s see how much the 40-goal man enjoys the fit and who else makes offers. He’ll be in great demand in free agency, just as he was at the deadline.

Sniper Patrik Laine’s contract ($8.7 million times four years) may be a suitable comparable for Guentzel, who is speeding toward a payday — be it from Carolina or elsewhere.

3. Brandon Montour

Age on July 1: 30
Position: Defence
2023-24 salary cap hit: $3.5 million

The latest: Much like teammate Reinhart, Montour had spent years elsewhere before finally finding his best fit with Florida, the reigning Eastern Conference champs. 

And like Reinhart, Montour came into the season with zero protection or contract security, but all signs point to a willingness to extend a working relationship.

The offence-fuelling blueliner is coming off a gaudy career year (16 goals, 73 points) that sprung almost out of nowhere.

Prudently, GM Zito was not in a rush to buy Montour stock on July 1, when it was at its highest. Instead, Florida’s front office chose patience, waiting to see how Montour’s shoulder responded from summertime surgery.

Late to get running, the right-shooting Montour hasn’t lit up the league like he did in 2022-23, but he’s been solid (six goals and 19 assists through 49 games played).

Remember, he was a warrior in the ’23 postseason. And puck-moving, right-shot defencemen in their prime aren’t exactly in abundance.

Zito took care of another pending UFA D-man, Forsling, first, signing him to an eight-year extension at a $5.75-million cap hit. Montour will command more.

“One day at a time. My goal is to try to keep the core together,” Zito said of Montour’s future on March 8. “At the same time, be respectful that you know people have to make individual decisions.”

4. Elias Lindholm

Age on July 1: 29
Position: Centre
2023-24 salary cap hit: $4.85 million

The latest: Lindholm indisputably became the most dependable centre headed toward the open market once Matthews, Aho, and Scheifele re-signed in the summer, a fact that simultaneously increased the player’s bargaining leverage and trade value.

Lindholm and the Flames took an earnest run at a contract extension, but when the player’s ask exceeded Craig Conroy’s budget, it became clear early that he’d be traded away.

Conroy secured a decent package by renting Lindholm to the Canucks — a first-round pick, a conditional fourth-rounder, winger Andrei Kuzmenko, plus a couple of defence prospects — but the two-way centre’s fit in Vancouver has been underwhelming at best.

That Lindholm only had seven points and was a minus player through his first 17 games in his new sweater, and that Vancouver was able to lock up Elias Pettersson long-term, suggests Lindholm is a pure rental.

At the trade deadline, there were even murmurs that Lindholm was being considered in a three-way flip trade to Boston that would send Guentzel to the Canucks instead.

The centre’s stock is on decline, but a stellar turn in the post-season would still do wonders for his value on the open market. He’s heading there, to be sure.

5. Noah Hanifin

Age on July 1: 27
Position: Defence
2023-24 salary cap hit: $4.95 million

The latest: The Flames were close to locking up their top-four, left-shot defenceman in late October, according to multiple reports, before negotiations stalled and both sides took a breath. 

Then, eventually, a permanent break.

The extension that didn’t happen was for eight years and $60 million ($7.5 million AAV), per Pierre LeBrun.

By holding some trade protection, Hanifin was able to steer his trade destination south and warm. Tampa Bay was a potential landing spot, but Vegas make the successful pitch and bulked up its already formidable blueline for a championship repeat bid.

“I was never holding the Flames hostage,” said the left-shot defenceman told colleague Eric Francis.  

“That was one of the more difficult things to hear towards the end because I personally felt I was never doing that.

“Talking to Connie, I don’t think either side felt that.”

The Golden Knights have a series of high-profile UFAs and won’t keep all of them. Still, there is mutual interest in making Hanifin more than a rental.

“I felt I should give Calgary a list of teams I would sign with, and then it got out there I was holding the team hostage and would only sign with one team,” Hanifin said. “I wasn’t ever going to sign an extension just anywhere in the league. 

“I don’t think any player in the NHL would do that.”

6. Steven Stamkos

Age on July 1: 34
Position: Left wing / Centre
2023-24 salary cap hit: $8.5 million

The latest: Stamkos was “disappointed” that Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois didn’t so much as entertain an extension for the all-time franchise leader in goals, points, and power-play goals over the summer. 

Since BriseBois was already willing to sit on this touchy subject until the off-season, surely Stamkos’s solid start (he’s tracking another 80-point season) and the club’s middling one haven’t changed matters.

The Bolts have already committed more than $75 million toward 2024-25’s salary cap. Even if the sides want to continue the relationship, Stamkos will be asked to take a pay cut.

“I mean, there’s not much that can be done,” Stamkos reasoned in November. “We said what we needed to say. “Everyone understands where everyone’s at and will continue to play hard.”

Is Stamkos drawing extra motivation from his unsettled contract situation? 

“No, I don’t think so,” he replied. “Listen, if you need motivation in other ways, then you’re probably not playing for the right reason, right? I’m going out there trying to perform every single night. Whether you have eight years left on your deal or you got half a year left on your deal, it doesn’t change my mindset. I think that’s been a pretty easy thing for me to not think about.”

With the Lightning scrapping for a wild-card spot, BriseBois came out well before the trade deadline and promised fans that his captain will not be traded.

What he did not promise, however, is that Stamkos will be re-signed.

If he really wants to stay, Stamkos will be pressed to accept a team-friendly discount. Again.

7. Jonathan Marchessault

Age on July 1: 33
Position: Right wing / Left wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $5 million

The latest: Everything seems status quo with the Vegas Golden Knights and the franchise’s lone Conn Smythe Trophy winner.

Marchessault is an original Misfit integral to the defending champions’ off-ice culture and on-ice success. No doubt, in a cap-free world, the sides would be content to extend their relationship beyond this season.

Yet one only need to look as far as Reilly Smith, GM Kelly McCrimmon’s 2023 cap casualty, to see the line between sentiment and business.

“There are no negotiations that have been done. I know that sometimes the Golden Knights like to take their time with that. We will see what it will give,” Marchessault told TVA Sports over the summer.

McCrimmon will be hard-pressed to re-up Marchessault, centre Chandler Stephenson, and rentals Anthony Mantha and Hanifin unless “hometown” discounts come into play, and no one would blame the late-blooming Marchessault ($29 million in career earnings) for pulling an Alex Killorn and taking the best offer available.

Interviewing Marchessault in March, he made it clear that the value of his next contract is motivating his performance. (He’s already crushed a career high in goals, with 35.) So, too, is the chance to repeat.

“I want to give a good future for my kids, right? That’s what drives me, familywise,” says the father of four.

“But once you taste winning, it’s more than a drug. We were on such a high of emotion last year, it’s the best feeling. You just want to keep going towards it. That’s what drives me. Also, my Cup day, I had so much things going on. I want to win again, put it in my living room and do (expletive) all all day.”

8. Matt Duchene

Age on July 1: 33
Position: Centre / Right wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $3 million

The latest: A surprise free agent in 2023 after getting bought out by new Nashville GM Barry Trotz, Duchene signed with the Dallas Stars because they “checked off every box.”

Seeing better matchups as a second-line centre and being surrounded by a more complete collection of talent, Duchene has thrived in Big D.

The 1,000-game veteran bested last season’s total production with six months to go, and the all-in Stars are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

Surely, there will be interest in extending the relationship since Duchene has been a smart fit. But fellow forwards Ty Dellandrea (RFA), Sam Steel (RFA), and the ageless Joe Pavelski (UFA) are also building a case for a raise.

We’ll see how this plays out, but there is no question Jim Nill scooped up Duchene at a bargain. And no question that a proven centre of Duchene’s calibre will have more suitors this time around.

9. Brett Pesce

Age on July 1: 29
Position: Defence
2023-24 salary cap hit: $4.025 million

The latest: Trade rumours and Pesce go together like fish and grits.

Rumblings that teams are calling on the player and/or the Hurricanes are considering moving him has become an annual tradition in Carolina — largely because a right-shot, penalty-killing, shutdown defenceman with a stable track record is such a rare commodity. 

Once again, the Hurricanes appear destined for a serious playoff run. And once again, the puck is going into the opponents’ net when Pesce is on the ice, despite a heavy load of D-zone starts and tough matchups.

Considering the deals given in 2023 to UFAs Vladislav Gavrikov and Damon Severson, Pesce should be looking at a long-term contract with a $6-million (plus?) AAV.

The player is on record saying he’d welcome an extension with the club that drafted him back in 2013, but with Guentzel, Martin Necas, Brady Skjei, Tony DeAngelo, and Teuvo Teravainen all on expiring deals, GM Don Waddell has plenty of difficult decisions to make for his cash-conscious organization.

Pesce may well be pricing himself out. And if he does hit the open market, the Maple Leafs will be one of many teams lining up.

10. Teuvo Teravainen

Age on July 1: 29
Position: Left wing / Right wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $5.4 million

The latest: The four-time 20-goal scorer routinely produces strong offensive numbers while playing dependable defence and staying out of the penalty box.

In late summer, GM Waddell told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer that all extension talks with Teravainen, Pesce and Skjei had silenced, but that the executive wasn’t concerned.

There is certainly a wait-and-see vibe coming out of Carolina, an organization known for its financial prudence. (Heck, the Hurricanes are letting an excellent coach in Rod Brind’Amour run out his contract year, too.)

Teravainen has framed this season as “a big year” for himself and the team. His skill-set would complement many a top six. If Waddell doesn’t pay up, another GM will.

11. Tyler Toffoli

Age on July 1: 32
Position: Right wing / Left wing
2023-24 salary cap hit: $4.25 million

The latest: When New Jersey Devils’ Tom Fitzgerald acquired Toffoli from the Flames in the off-season, the GM hoped the scoring winger would grow into more than a one-year rental.

(In fact, Fitzgerald nearly signed Toffoli in the 2020 offseason, before the Montreal Canadiens locked him up for four years and $17 million.)

So, yes, the prolific scorer and the team supposedly on the rise had mutual interest in an extension. 

And then New Jersey’s losses began to outweigh its wins, prompting a deadline deal to all-in Winnipeg.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Toffoli said of he and his wife, Cat Belanger. “We’re going to another Canadian city. There’s nothing better than playing in a Canadian market. It’s a weird feeling, but at the same time we’re excited. Winnipeg, the fans are very passionate. I’m excited to go there and keep pushing for the playoffs and try and make a run there.”

Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff also went deep with rentals Sean Monahan and Colin Miller, plus held tight on three “own rentals.”

The Toffoli file seems destined to be sorted out after the post-season.

12. Dylan DeMelo

Age on July 1: 31
Position: Defence
2023-24 salary cap hit: $3 million

The latest: Cheveldayoff’s early-December extension for Niederreiter helped turn attention to another impending UFA on the Winnipeg Jets.

The contributions of right-shot DeMelo are relatively unsung, but he is eating top-pair minutes on a good squad and is one reason why partner Josh Morrissey is free to create at the other end. 

For a top-pairing defenceman, DeMelo is on a sweetheart of an expiring contract and is in line for a significant raise.

He acknowledges his bargaining power has never been stronger.

He kills penalties, is an important cog of the NHL’s stingiest defensive team, and is producing points and tilting the ice at a career rate.

What team couldn’t use a guy like DeMelo?

During my late-January interview with him, DeMelo said “there hasn’t been many talks” between he and the Jets on an extension. Only a general discussion to see what the sides are thinking.

DeMelo sounds genuinely eager to stick in Winnipeg, though.

“I would love to stay, absolutely. There’s no doubt,” he said. “If it works out, I’d be more than willing to sign and be here for whatever it is, how many years. I really do think this group has something special, and it’s something I’d love to be a part of.”

Morrissey wastes no time making his pitch for Cheveldayoff to re-sign his partner: 

“That’s where my vote stands. I understand it’s a business. I’ve been around the game long enough to know there’s so many variables at play for teams and players, but certainly I love playing with him. I think he’s really allowed me to take the next step in my game, just with our partnership. And I just think he’s a great player, a great teammate, a great guy in the locker room, so I sure hope he’ll stick around for a long time going forward.”

More notable UFAs in 2024: Patrick Kane, Chandler Stephenson, Tyler Bertuzzi, Cam Talbot, Ilya Samsonov, Joe Pavelski, T.J. Brodie, Adam Henrique, Sean Walker, Nikita Zadorov, Max Domi, Jake DeBrusk, Viktor Arvidsson, Blake Wheeler, Vladimir Tarasenko, Daniel Sprong, Alexander Barabanov, David Perron, Tyson Barrie, Jakub Vrana, Sean Monahan, Max Pacioretty, Tony DeAngelo, Tomas Tatar, Tyler Johnson, Jack Roslovic, Shayne Gostisbehere, Victor Olofsson, Jason Zucker, Brady Skjei, Matt Dumba, John Klingberg, Chris Tanev, Pheonix Copley, Anthony Duclair, Pat Maroon, Anthony Mantha, James Reimer, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jonathan Drouin, Anthony Manta, Corey Perry, Alexander Wennberg, Jordan Martinook, Matt Roy, Tyler Myers, Jani Hakanpaa, Marc-Andre Fleury, Laurent Brossoit, Anthony Stolarz

All salary info via the indispensable CapFriendly.com.

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Graham Hughes/CP edmundson_joel1280 ‘He will do anything to win’: Why Maple Leafs’ Edmundson is built for playoffs Mon, 11 Mar 2024 17:21:04 EDT Mon, 11 Mar 2024 17:21:05 EDT Luke Fox Whether Joel Edmundson is making life miserable for the opposition or injecting a dash of sunshine into the Maple Leafs’ room, the safe bet is the big man making an impact.

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TORONTO — Joel Edmundson‘s first game with the Toronto Maple Leafs coincidentally aligned with his new team’s first victory inside Bell Centre since Game 4 of Toronto’s first-round playoff series against his old team, the Montreal Canadiens.

Now coaching the 6-foot-5, 221-pound lumberman, Sheldon Keefe flashed back to the spring of 2021, when Edmundson was quite literally a thorn in the Leafs’ sides. And their backs and shoulders and …

“You just remember that he made it miserable to get to the net. You remember watching the video back, thinking there could be five or six minor penalties called on each shift,” Keefe told reporters Monday, following Edmundson’s first practice in Blue and White. “But that’s playoff hockey.

“He’s ultra-competitive in the most dangerous area, and that’s around the net.”

Auston Matthews — he of the 70-goal pace — was limited to a single goal in 2021’s seven-game upset, in part because committed defenders like Steady Eddie turned Carey Price’s slot into a no-fly zone.

“Heavy lumber there in front of the net. Makes it hard on you. If you’re gonna go there, you’re gonna pay a price,” Matthews said. “He’s going to bring it every night.”

Even though the shot share wasn’t exactly kind to Edmundson (and puck-moving partner Timothy Liljegren) in Saturday’s post-trade-deadline debut, the big man was out there, net-front, killing a critical last-minute penalty to help secure a 3-2 win.

A couple practices and video sessions to learn Keefe’s aggressive system and acclimatize to teammates this week should help Edmundson, who has an 18-game runway before the results matter for real.

The Stanley Cup playoffs: Where the 30-year-old has already accumulated 75 games, been on the happy side of 11(!) handshake lines, reached the final twice, and kissed sport’s most gorgeous trophy once.

For fierce competitors and sticky glue guys like Edmundson, it’s the most fun time of year — and precisely why he was acquired from resetting Washington, left curve be damned. The hockey gets nastier, and the referees get more selective with their whistles.

“So, I think that helps my game a lot. I play my best hockey in the playoffs,” said Edmundson, who was champing at the bit to mix it up during Thursday’s heated preview in Boston.

“You can use your stick a bit more, be more physical.”

We spoke with a half-dozen of Edmundson’s former teammates, and the same attributes kept popping up: team-first guy, deep experience, strong character, tough, calm under pressure, and, yes, a zest for boxing out crease-lurking forwards greedy for tips and rebounds.

“I played with guys who, when we played against Eddie, were like: ‘Oh, here we go with the cross-checks,’” says Ryan Reaves, with a smile.

“They’re just not able to get to the front of the net. I think he brings a bit of bite there and to the back end for sure. But he’s very hard to play against in the D-zone. That’s why we picked him up.”

The hope in renting Edmundson isn’t only that he’ll protect one-goal leads and improve a subpar penalty kill. It’s also that he can be a positive and contagious influence in Toronto’s club culture.

“Eddie is a big presence on the ice, obviously. But also in the dressing room. Brings people together,” says his former coach Martin St. Louis.

“He’s tough to play against, especially in the corners, but can also keep the eye. He can make a good first pass; he can keep the offence going. He’s got more offence than people give him credit for, just because probably his biggest asset is his size and his aggressiveness. But he’s a pretty smart player.”

Smart enough that he’s been watching the Leafs for years now and already arrived with his own ideas of how he could complement a partner like Liljegren.

“He’s more offensive than I am, so if he wants to jump up in the play, I’ll stay back no problem and take care of the defence,” Edmundson says. “He’s got free will whenever I’m out there.”

Such selflessness aligns with the anecdotes.

Last season in Montreal, the Canadiens would joke that Edmundson (the Habs’ former dressing room DJ) and David Savard (a Leafs trade target missed) were out there throwing block parties every night.

“You obviously think of like a block party, all your neighbours getting together. But for them it was blocking shots, because they just would eat every shot known to man,” Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson says.

“Some guys are very good at being able to read [the shooter] and position themselves in a way that makes it a lot more effective. And then the other half is definitely just guts and will. And obviously, he has a lot of that because he’s really good at it.”

Over his nine years, Edmundson has been on the receiving end of more pucks on net (822) than he has delivered them on net himself (714).

A hard way to carve an NHL living, but an easy way to earn respect.

“[He] did a great job of not getting caught up in the highs and the lows of exterior pressure and all that. Those are kinda those glue guys that you look to in those situations where things can get very tough, especially toward the end of the season, when you’re heading into the postseason,” Matheson says. “He was just a tremendous teammate for everybody. He brought everybody in, everybody closer.”

Adds Savard: “He will do anything to win games, and I think he was a big part of their Cup run. … One of those guys that brings everybody together and makes sure it’s always fun to be at the rink.”

Reaves, ironically, was one of the personalities Edmundson looked up to and emulated as a rookie in St. Louis, where he would eventually help end the franchise’s 52-year championship drought. Kevin Shattenkirk and Alexander Steen, too.

Reaves isn’t surprised to hear chatter around the league that Edmundson has now matured into a leader himself.

Current Montreal captain Nick Suzuki, for example, spent plenty of time learning from Edmundson, his former alternate captain.

“That’s a big piece for Toronto to add. He’s a really good room guy, takes care of his teammates, and plays very well. He really gets along with everyone. His camaraderie brings a team together. I think it would be a big help for that dressing room. He’s a big personality, likes to have fun, and he’s not afraid to stick up for his teammates,” Suzuki raves.

“When you get to the playoffs, you can probably go a little bit harder, get away with a little bit more. So, he plays with that fine line of heaviness and getting under guys’ skin.”

Whether he’s making life miserable for the opposition or injecting a dash of sunshine into the Maple Leafs’ room, the safe bet is the big man making an impact.

“Just honoured to be here,” Edmundson says. “And hopefully we can go the distance.”

One-Timers: Mitch Marner remains day-to-day with his lower-body injury and is unlikely to play Thursday in Philadelphia. … Nick Robertson was recalled but is practising as an extra. … Liljegren appreciates the vote of confidence by sticking in the top six following the additions on D. Now, he must get that confidence ramped up. “Trying to find my game a little bit again,” he admits. … Jake McCabe missed Monday’s practice for maintenance. … Keefe was pleasantly surprised how much offence his new third line of Matthew Knies, David Kämpf and Bobby McMann generated Saturday. … In a rare four-day break between games, the Leafs will stay away from the rink Sunday and Tuesday. Rest is a weapon.

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Timothy Liljegren Timothy Liljegren in a battle to make Maple Leafs’ playoff lineup Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:37:30 EST Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:37:31 EST Luke Fox Pushed down the lineup each spring in favour of more experienced defenceman, the Maple Leafs have to make a decision: Is Timothy Liljegren part of the plan come playoffs and beyond?

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MONTREAL — What has been bubbling beneath the surface for years now finally feels like it is coming to a head.

The Toronto Maple Leafs must decide if Timothy Liljegren is part of the plan — this spring and next fall.

So, even after a shaky third-period sequence in Saturday’s skin-of-their-teeth 3-2 victory over the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens, the organization is granting their homegrown right-shot defenceman some space to make his case.

Leading 2-1 at Bell Centre over a Habs group that has given them fits in this building, a sloppy D-zone play by Liljegren prolonged Montreal’s possession, and he ended up taking a holding penalty behind the net on Jake Evans.

Alex Newhook snapped a game-tying goal on the ensuing power-play that threatened to make Liljegren a bigger story on this night.

Captain John Tavares’s drive-the-crease 20th slapped some positive punctuation on an up-and-down game — heck, up-and-down week — for Leafland, yet Liljegren’s individual path and the internal competition brewing on the blueline remains an intriguing storyline.

“I thought the sequence that led to his penalty was a tough moment in the game for him and for our team. Those are the kinds of things we got to keep working with him to eliminate from his game,” said coach Sheldon Keefe, choosing a tone of encouragement.

“This is a key time for Lily, right? If you go back the last two years, each time at the trade deadline we’ve added — and it’s essentially pushed him out of the lineup, which I thought has affected his growth and his confidence.

“At times, he’s taken a step back. And I think part of that, really, is the trade deadline kind of hanging over his head a little bit.”

After watching friend and countryman Rasmus Sandin get dealt at last year’s deadline before securing a long-term deal in Toronto, it would be understandable if Liljegren wondered about his own future with the organization that drafted him 17th overall in 2017.

Every spring, the Maple Leafs routinely recruit more experienced defencemen that nudge their homegrown talent down the depth chart and, come playoff time, often up to the press box.

Liljegren is in his fifth regular-season with the big club but has appeared in just seven Leafs playoff games (with zero points).

With new recruits Ilya Lyubushkin and Cup winner Joel Edmundson in the room to eat pucks and minutes, Liljegren finds himself in a lineup battle with Simon Benoit and, when healthy, Mark Giordano.

With seven or eight NHL-level options on their deepened blueline, the Maple Leafs need to decide down the stretch if Liljegren is worthy of their top six for Game 1.

Later, when the arbitration-eligible RFA comes knocking for a raise on July 1, as his $1.4-million AAV bridge deal expires, management must decide how much more to invest in a player who has shown more hope and promise than clutch highlights and consistency.

That’s why Keefe gave Liljegren the nod Saturday and sat the team’s hit leader and resident Quebecer Simon Benoit.

“We feel like we need Liljegren’s right shot. We wanted to get Liljegren with Edmundson. See how that can come together for us,” Keefe explained. 

“This is an important time in Liljegren’s development here for us. Now we’re through the trade deadline. We know what our group looks like, and it’ll give Lily a chance to grow within the role and with Edmundson.”

Liljegren’s look comes at the expense of fan favourite Benoit, who has been tilting the ice and whose confidence has swelled in lockstep with his ice time.

“Quite frankly, it kills me to have to sit Benoit here tonight, especially in this building,” Keefe admitted. “But I didn’t make the schedule, and it’s what’s necessary for our team.”

Liljegren skated 19:25 with his new partner, but that duo was under water most of the game; the 24-year-old finished with 32 per cent expected goals.

Thing is, Liljegren has had stretches of effective hockey, despite battling back from an early-season high-ankle sprain; when Morgan Rielly got suspended in February, he stepped up on the power-play and racked up seven assists over a four-game rip.

“Lily has taken a step through this season and, at times, has played really well,” Keefe said.

“When [GM Brad Treliving] built the team, this was the six guys. And while we love the depth that Benoit was brought to us and his ability to come in, Lily playing tonight was important. It’s important for us to continue to work with him.”

Just as it will be important for Benoit (an RFA himself) and proud veteran Giordano (in his final season?) to make their own pitch for playoffs.

Let the internal battle begin.

Fox’s Fast Five

• The maiden voyage of Toronto’s Mitch Marner–less first line of Tyler Bertuzzi, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander was, in a word, yikes.

They were each a minus-1 and easily the Leafs’ three worst forwards by expected goals, all registering below 27.4 per cent.

“They weren’t very good,” Keefe said, dismissing the idea of a chemistry challenge. 

“They just individually weren’t very good. It’s a night where the group picked them up, so that’s good.”

• Like many of us, Nick Suzuki was glued to the TV as trade deadline unfolded Friday and took notice of the Golden Knights’ surprise acquisition of Tomas Hertl.

“Kelly (McCrimmon) and George (McPhee) aren’t scared to do really anything: trading their first-round picks, prospects, future picks, anything,” says Suzuki of his former team.

Vegas’s 13th-overall pick in 2017 was shipped to Montreal for immediate help in the form of Max Pacioretty in September 2018, before he could play a single game for the club that drafted him.

“Seems like they’re always pretty focused on that year and what they can do to make your team better for that year and see what happens after.”

• Toronto’s top prospect, the untouchable Easton Cowan, extended his OHL point streak to a silly 32 games with a two-assist performance for the London Knights Saturday.

• Back in the lineup after Thursday’s concerning hit to the head, Matthew Knies says he didn’t see Brad Marchand coming because Charlie Coyle was blocking his view.

“I couldn’t really brace for the impact. It was too quick and just got me weird. So, it just didn’t feel right,” explains Knies, who sat the remainder of the game as a precaution. “I gotta take care of my head.”

Knies watched a replay of the collision a few times but not to detect ill intent on Marchand’s part. 

“I really watched it for more of how I got into that scenario. You know, what led to it and just where he got me,” he says.

• Max Domi loves the United Center in Chicago, but he assures that Bell Centre is favourite barn in the league. First win for the Maple Leafs in this town since Game 4 of 2021 series.

“I think everyone loves coming to Montreal. They were just so good to me, the whole organization. I mean, the fan base, the city are so awesome,” Domi says.

“I love every second of it and just a special place to play. I mean, there’s nothing like playing here on a Saturday night. It’s pretty spectacular.”

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CP170129984(1) ‘Big hole to fill’: Maple Leafs juggle all lines with Mitch Marner injured Sat, 09 Mar 2024 12:13:53 EST Sat, 09 Mar 2024 13:43:45 EST Luke Fox Overshadowing the players who will be added to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ lineup in Montreal Saturday is the one player who will be subtracted: Mitchell Marner.

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MONTREAL — Overshadowing the players who will be added to the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ lineup in Montreal Saturday is the one player who will be subtracted: Mitchell Marner.

The club’s top-line right wing is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury he suffered during Thursday’s loss in Boston.

Circling the Bruins’ net in the second period, Marner spun and shot from an awkward angle, twisting his right leg in the process.

Though visibly in pain the bench, Marner completed the game. His injury will be assessed further Sunday in Toronto.

“There’s big minutes there that need to be filled. But we’ve been through this before, and Mitch has missed games before,” coach Sheldon Keefe said Saturday at Bell Centre, ahead of the team’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. 

“So, we’ll move things around here today to compensate for some of that, but we’ve been through it before. Guys will step up.”

Marner starts on both special teams, leads all Toronto forwards in ice time (21:20), and paces the club in assists (51). This will be his first missed game of the season.

“Everyone has an important role on this team. Obviously, he’s a leader on our team and plays heavy minutes and the kind of guy you play in any situation,” Matthew Knies said. 

“Big hole to fill, but hopefully he gets healthier soon and he can come back. I mean, it’s just another challenge for our depth guys — and, honestly, everyone — to step up and just play their role to win us this hockey game.”

Keefe had been contemplating giving Tyler Bertuzzi another crack to the left of No. 1 centre Auston Matthews for weeks, so when Knies left Thursday’s game due to a blow to the head, the coach was quick to promote Bertuzzi.

With Marner out and new trade acquisition Connor Dewar in, Keefe will roll with four entirely fresh lines Saturday.

Bertuzzi sticks with Matthews. Knies drops to the third line. Dewar centres Ryan Reaves because those two played together in Minnesota last season. And Max Domi shifts from centre to wing because Keefe is concerned about a lack of offensive skill on the flanks.

All this shuffling and juggling opens more opportunity for Bertuzzi, who is in his most productive stretch as a Leaf (seven points in eight games) and dropped the gloves in Boston against his former team.

“Bert’s playing really well. I thought he was real [good], not just because of his fight but just how he competed the entire game out in Boston,” Keefe said. 

“That’s the kind of the guy I believe is going to be there in those types of moments. And he showed that. His game has just been coming along very well.”

One-Timers: Matthew Knies, who suffered a concussion last year, left Thursday’s loss in Boston for precautionary reasons after taking a surprise hit to the head from Brad Marchand. “Pretty big collision there,” Knies says. “Back to 100 per cent.”… All-Sammy goalie duel: Ilya Samsonov vs. Sam Montembeault…. Simon Benoit, Conor Timmins, and Noah Gregor are Toronto’s scratches… Trade acquisitions Dewar and Joel Edmundson will make their Maple Leafs debut…. Morgan Rielly, 30, and Pontus Hölmberg, 25, are celebrating birthdays with a hockey match.

Maple Leafs projected lines Saturday vs. Montreal Canadiens

Bertuzzi – Matthews – Nylander 

Domi – Tavares – Järnkrok 

Knies – Kämpf – McMann 

Hölmberg – Dewar – Reaves 

Brodie – McCabe 

Rielly – Lyubushkin 

Edmundson – Liljegren

Samsonov starts

Woll

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florida panthers Quick Shifts: 12 big NHL trade deadline takeaways Sat, 09 Mar 2024 08:50:21 EST Sat, 09 Mar 2024 09:01:47 EST Luke Fox Matt Dumba talks Toronto’s interest | Boston, Florida bulk up | Sidney Crosby doesn’t have the answer | Carolina’s best addition | Why Bowen Byram is excited to leave a contender + 7 more NHL trade goodies…

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A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Sportsnet didn’t trade me at the deadline, but hearing they still found a way to retain salary.

1. The risk associated with trade deadline spending will be front and centre in the first round of the playoffs — specifically the Central Division’s 2-3 matchup.

The race for top seed is tight and critical because one Cup contender will knock out another in seven games or less.

The Colorado Avalanche executed some smart and creative work, realizing Ryan Johansen was an ill fit at second-line centre, snatching Casey “Career Year” Mittelstadt from Buffalo, and replacing the hole vacated by Bowen Byram with Philadelphia’s Sean Walker, whose up-tempo game should be a smooth fit. 

Even better? The whispers of captain Gabriel Landeskog returning for playoffs are growing.

(Sidenote: Man, Johansen has fallen off a cliff. Just two years removed from a 63-point campaign, the 31-year-old centre will be hard-pressed to reach 30 for the second straight season.)

The Dallas Stars acquired the top right-shot defenceman, Chris Tanev, without surrendering a first-round pick, and call-up Logan Stankoven looks legit.

And the Winnipeg Jets — probably the most under-discussed contender, dressing studs at every position — are complementing their Grade-A goaltending and sturdy defence with two impact forwards in Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan, plus depth D-man Colin Miller. On paper, this is veteran GM Kevin Cheveldayoff’s best deadline to date.

“There’s nothing better than playing in Canada,” Toffoli told the Sportsnet panel post-trade.

And nothing should be more entertaining down the stretch and into Round 1 than watching who survives this dogfight in the Central.

2. Some tidy business by the Florida Panthers‘ (emotional) general manager, Bill Zito, this week, extending top-four defenceman Gustav Forsling through his prime at a team-friendly $5.75-million cap hit, adding character forward depth in Kyle Okposo, and stealing Vladimir Tarasenko from Ottawa at 50 per cent retained for the modest price of a third and a fourth.

Count this as a win for player control, as Tarasenko essentially dictated his destination, thanks to the full no-move clause he had negotiated with the Senators.

Sunshine, no taxes, a strong Russian community, and a legitimate shot at a second ring.

“This was the only place I think about,” Tarasenko said. “A chance to win a Stanley Cup.”

The rich got richer.

With due respect to the additions made by the Hurricanes (Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Kuznetsov, a healthy Frederik Andersen) and Rangers (Alexander Wennberg), the Cats are still my favourite to survive the East.

3. Jake DeBrusk‘s name was run through the rumour mill (again) but ultimately remains in Boston for a seventh playoff run.

The three-time 25-goal scorer’s production has picked up lately — four points in his past three games — but there’s no question this has been a disappointing contract campaign for a 27-year-old about on track to hit the open market for the first time in his career.

“He’s handling it well. I mean, it can be tough when going through a year and not really knowing how it’s going to unfold and playing for your future,” says friend and linemate Brad Marchand. 

When you compare DeBrusk’s platform season to that of other wingers (Sam Reinhart, Tyler Toffoli, Patrick Kane, et al.), it’s difficult not to frame this season as a disappointment.

Among his fellow pending UFAs, DeBrusk ranks 26th in points.

On the upside, he kills penalties, contributes to the power-play and is responsible defensively.

Though there’s no guarantee he re-signs, a strong playoff showing could bump DeBrusk’s stock.

“He’s such a great kid and great teammate, and he doesn’t show it in his mood and in his attitude. He comes in and is very bubbly and phenomenal to be around every day,” Marchand says. 

“He’s always been one of those guys that feeds off when he’s playing well. When he gets a goal, his confidence level gets very high. You can see lately he’s been very good for us and playing very well all around the puck.”

4. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

Love seeing the repeated aggression of the Vegas Golden Knights, who never met an impact player they didn’t try to make fit.

Who knows if Mark Stone (spleen) will return for the postseason?

Regardless, the organization went out and snatched up the best defenceman on the rental market, Noah Hanifin, at a reasonable rate; the best centre to be included in a trade, Tomas Hertl; plus a heavy forward inspired by a summer payday in Anthony Mantha.

So what if the Knights already had one of the deeper bluelines and more balanced forward groups in the league? You can always improve.

That Cup-at-all-costs approach starts with an engaged, cutthroat owner and trickles down.

Most fans would love to see their favourite team run with such purpose.

5. Pat Maroon flipping from Minnesota to Boston and donning a seventh NHL sweater ensures the three-time champ will be involved in the playoffs for a seventh consecutive spring.

For a third straight post-season, Maroon could well face the Maple Leafs in Round 1.

No doubt, Maroon’s rugged style suits the temperature of Leafs-Bruins, which saw multiple fights, an injury, and two cross-checks (by Charlie Coyle and Jake McCabe) worthy of fines during Thursday’s heated final regular-season meeting.

“We were really physical to start the game. We were finishing checks. And, in turn, when we got the lead and the game got out of hand, they got physical in trying to send a message maybe for playoffs,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. 

“I liked our physicality. Theirs is a little too late.”

Snap.

6. Two things can be true.

While I won’t argue that Tom Fitzgerald did the wrong thing by firing head coach Lindy Ruff, I will argue the Devils GM did do the wrong thing by extending him for two more years in October, burning money for nothing. 

Further, it’s on Fitzgerald, not Ruff, that New Jersey essentially wasted a season because it did not address its greatest weakness: goaltending.

A Jacob Markstom trade made too much sense for both sides. Missed opportunity.

The day Ruff was dismissed, Jersey’s save percentage ranked second-lowest in the league (.882). The only team with a worse saves rate, Ottawa, already fired its bench boss too.

7. Matt Dumba admits optimism had been hard to come by when he saw his former club 20 points out of the playoffs. The onus falls on the Coyotes to pick themselves up as they play out the string. Again.

“No one out there is feeling sorry for us,” Dumba said, a couple days prior to getting dealt to Tampa.

The edgy right shot got “traded” out of Minnesota via social media a zillion times, so he was unfazed by the noise and knew he’d be shipped out of the desert. 

“My name’s always been in the mix come deadline day. So, something that I’m used to, and I don’t get caught up in media, social media stuff. For me, it’s just business as usual,” Dumba said.

“It was kind of a running joke in Minnesota. But you get more comfortable with it and learn how to block it out and rely on the agent more and more to give you the information you need. You can’t really get caught up in it.”

With the Maple Leafs always on the hunt for minutes-munching righthanders, Dumba confirmed that Brad Treliving was one of a handful of GMs who expressed interest in his services during free agency last summer. (Treliving kicked tires again via trade.)

Dumba chose the Yotes because he already owned an investment property near Scottsdale (“Got in there at the right time”), but his decision wasn’t made until August.

“That’s just all part of the process of trying to figure out what works best for you and that team. I’m sure there’ll be more of that this summer,” Dumba said.

“When the floodgates opened, there was a lot going on. I just wanted to be patient.”

We asked Dumba if he felt his status as righty increased his worth on the market, and he lets out a laugh and glances at fellow right shot Sean Durzi in the next stall. 

“Yeah, I figured that. Then I came to the team with six or eight,” he chuckles. “Hopefully it pulls weight down the line. We’ll see.”

Alexander Kerfoot is quick to sing Dumba’s praises, describing his ex-teammate as “a guy who impacts the game with his emotion” and leads with his passion and physicality. 

Kerfoot points to December’s win over Ottawa as an example of peak Dumba.

“Impacts the game with his physicality. Steps up, drops the gloves with (Brady) Tkachuk (who has four inches and 45 pounds on Dumba),” Kerfoot says. 

“When he’s on, he’s up and down the ice making plays on both ends. And he’s physical. Obviously, he’s got a bomb of a shot, and he’s a guy in the room that guys gravitate towards.”

Despite his wise investment in Arizona, Dumba won’t be spending much time there in the off-season. Too hot. And he’s too in love with Minnesota.

“Tough to beat. On the lake every day. Golf courses everywhere,” he smiled. “Pretty nice.”

8. Quote of the Week.

“I don’t know. It’s probably a better question for them.” —Sidney Crosby on the message management sent to the Penguins by trading away Guentzel

9. While sniper Guentzel and reclamation project Evgeni Kuznetsov are intriguing stories for contending Carolina, the Hurricanes most important addition this week may well be Frederik Andersen.

The goaltender was stellar Thursday, allowing just one goal in his return from dealing with a blood clot issue that had sidelined him for more than four months.

Of all teams in playoff position (by points percentage), none has achieved that success with a worse save percentage than Carolina (.891).

If Andersen (.904 and climbing) can re-establish himself as a dependable No. 1, look out.

10. The deadline’s biggest pure “hockey trade” — Buffalo’s Mittelstadt in exchange for Colorado’s Byram — left Dylan Cozens with mixed emotions. 

“Sucks to see him go,” Cozens said of the Sabres’ leading scorer. “Makes it easier for me knowing I’m getting one of my best friends in return.

“He’s going to fit in so well with this group on and off the ice.”

Cozens and Byram’s friendship stretches all the way back to midget hockey. They’ve represented Canada together at two world junior championships, and Byram has even been up to Whitehorse a couple times to visit Cozens and his family. 

The besties hopped on the phone immediately after Wednesday’s trade got finalized.

Funny thing is, the two had been discussing Byram’s potential trade to Buffalo just last month when they were vacationing together in Cancun during all-star break.

“And he told me how much he’d love to be here and play with us,” Cozens says.

Byram is also tight with former Team Canada mates Peyton Krebs and Jack Quinn, so the transition should be smooth. Krebs says he even attended the D-man’s Stanley Cup party in 2022.

“He’s a competitor,” Krebs beams. “He plays with a lot of heart.”

Byram immediately slots into Buffalo’s top pair, with fellow lefty Rasmus Dahlin sliding to the right.

Coach Don Granato felt some trepidation first calling a player who was moving from a title contender to one stuck in a rebuild. 

“I could not believe how excited he was to come to our team,” Granato says. “That picked me up, hearing that.”

11. The Flames got Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick in exchange for an expiring Tyler Toffoli.

The Devils got a second- and third-round pick in exchange for an expiring Toffoli and had to retain salary.

Chalk this one up as a win for Craig Conroy and a loss for Fitzgerald.

12. You gotta feel good for Okposo, who was a proud captain in Buffalo but now gets a crack at a Cup and his first taste of playoff action in eight years.

The 35-year-old has well over 1,000 games regular-season games on his resume but only 24 playoff games and has never seen life beyond Round 2.

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treliving Maple Leafs’ Treliving hunts for bargains as blockbusters swirl and rivals get deeper Fri, 08 Mar 2024 18:10:09 EST Fri, 08 Mar 2024 18:11:50 EST Luke Fox Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving opted for a cautious, methodical approach to this year’s trade deadline as blockbuster deals swirled around the league and conference rivals added significant pieces.

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MONTREAL — If you go dining at a hamburger joint, it would be foolish to expect to see wagyu steak on the menu.

Brad Treliving poked around at the possibility of a more roster-jolting trade to boost a skillsy Toronto Maple Leafs core speeding toward its eighth consecutive postseason, but ultimately settled on a series of low-risk, low-excitement fringe improvements instead.

In his first tour sitting in Toronto’s driver’s seat, the executive drove toward Friday’s deadline in the far-right lane. He was slow and cautious, while many more aggressive competitors for the Cup — Vegas, Winnipeg, Dallas, Colorado, Carolina — went zooming by.

“We tried to make some moves to address certain areas. But at the end of the day, a lot of the answers are going to come from the guys that are in the room,” said Treliving, who came to the realization that something more earth-shattering was a long shot.

“I don’t get into the speculation of close. We did what we did.”

What the Leafs did was “pick away” at a couple areas of improvement and spend a handful of mid-round draft picks to do so.

Rentals Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson are both physical, stay-at-home defencemen that will give coach Sheldon Keefe some more experienced and dependable options for his pairings and his subpar penalty kill.

“We’ve added some size and bite on the back end,” noted Treliving, who has been scouring for that very element since he took the wheel from Kyle Dubas.

He also added some depth to the bottom six, acquiring defensive forward Connor Dewar from the Minnesota Wild for a fourth-rounder in 2026.

The 24-year-old Dewar is a pending restricted free agent the Wild was unlikely to re-sign.

He can play centre or left wing, starts the vast majority of his shifts in the D-zone (69.7 per cent), drives play forward, and has collected a career-high 10 goals for the struggling Wild.

Dewar should boost Toronto’s PK, which has slipped to 22nd overall and ranks last among Eastern Conference teams in playoff position.

Since losing reliable killers from 2022-23 such as Alexander Kerfoot, Pierre Engvall, Sam Lafferty, and Noel Acciari, Toronto’s PK hasn’t been quite up to snuff. All three of Treliving’s additions should help this area.

Again, none of these moves are sexy as they are reasonable.

That first-round pick Treliving was willing to pay for the right addition will remain in his pocket till the off-season.

And watching Atlantic Division rivals add some more familiar talent should only put more stress on the Maple Leafs existing group to push through.

Boston gathered Andrew Peeke and familiar Leafs foe Patrick Maroon.

Powerhouse Florida deepened its roster with Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo.

And the Tampa Bay Lightning scooped up feisty Matt Dumba for a fifth-rounder after missing out on Noah Hanifin.

Treliving did express satisfaction, though, that most of the deadline high-end talent (Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Tyler Toffoli, Tomas Hertl, Elias Lindholm, Sean Walker, Adam Henrique) landed in the other conference.

Careful not to overhype his own modest acquisitions after 3 p.m. ticked by without headline-grabbing news, Treliving instead refocused the city’s attention on what should be a hardened core and the summer pieces — like Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi — that have played some good hockey in 2024.

The GM spoke of a driven and hungry group that now understands the final roster and will drill down on what matters.

“That belief we have,” Treliving said, “we have to turn into getting the job done ahead of us.”

One-Timers: After colliding with Brad Marchand, Matthew Knies left Thursday’s loss in Boston and did not return for precautionary reasons. Treliving assures the rookie is doing well and should be available Saturday in Montreal…. Treliving said he didn’t so much as think of including his top prospect, London Knights phenom Easton Cowan, is any of the larger deals discussed with rival GMs: “Easton’s had a heckuva year, and he’s a heckuva player.”… With roster limits no longer an issue post-deadline, expect Nick Robertson back up with the Leafs soon…. Boston University defence prospect Cade Weber, snatched from Carolina for a sixth-rounder, is a big body who makes a smart first pass. Treliving says college scout Chris Bourque is high on his ability to defend.

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Hockey NHL TOR sn-article
maple leafs bruins Maple Leafs’ shortcomings against rival Bruins are cause for concern Fri, 08 Mar 2024 00:53:59 EST Fri, 08 Mar 2024 00:58:36 EST Luke Fox The Maple Leafs dropped two games in four days to the Bruins, failing to plant a seed of doubt in the mind of the franchise that has defeated them in three straight playoff series.

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If you are looking for an explanation as to why Brad Treliving hasn’t gone big-game hunting at this week’s trade deadline, we submit: this week in Toronto Maple Leafs hockey.

Sure, the Leafs scooted by a depleted, demoralized and lottery-bound Buffalo Sabres team 2-1 on home ice. Great. Get points.

But in losing 4-1 Thursday at TD Garden, they also dropped two games in four days to the Boston Bruins — their arch nemesis and most likely Round 1 foe — by a combined scored of 8-2. And failed to plant a seed of doubt in the mind of the franchise that has defeated them in three straight playoff series and seven straight regular-season contests.

This is how these Leafs don’t measure up, yet, to a divisional opponent that means business and doesn’t lean on excuses.

“Probably our biggest rivalry in the past decade,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand told reporters leading up to Boston’s final Leafs showdown before April. 

“Guys get up for the game, and you can tell they do too. They’re always very intense, emotional games. Usually come down to the wire or OT. It’s a lot of fun to play against them. Those are the games you want to be part of.”

Whether it was Marchand, Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak jumping off the page, or the Bruins’ locked-in defence limiting Toronto to zero even-strength goals and seven high-danger chances over 60 minutes, or a dialled-in Jeremy Swayman inviting Joseph Woll to a (declined) goalie fight at centre ice, Boston wanted to be part of this game. This rivalry.

The Maple Leafs? Meh. 

Maybe they’re saving the passion for April.

Kudos to Toronto’s role players for showing some emotion during another loss in Boston. Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, and Jake McCabe were all engaged and went down fighting, literally at times.

Perhaps the flu bug is sapping the Leafs’ energy more than we know. (“It’s only affecting a couple guys,” coach Sheldon Keefe said.)

Maybe Wednesday’s sleepy win against Buffalo took more out of them than it seemed leading into a back-to-back.

Hopefully, new Leaf Joel Edmundson, who showed up in time to watch but not participate, can aid in the grind.

“Playoff atmosphere. Sitting up there was tough. All those scrums and fights, that excites me,” Edmundson said. “That’s playoff hockey. And I think I play my best hockey during playoffs, so I definitely wanted to be out there.”

What’s immediately concerning is that Leafs’ best players showed little more inspiration in Thursday’s 4-1 loss to Boston than in Monday’s 4-1 loss to Boston. 

The Bruins allowed Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner (who scored Toronto’s lone goal on the power-play) limited access to the net in what Keefe described as “by far and away the most physical game we’ve played this season.”

Boston, we remind you, is the team they’re chasing, and the Leafs appear content to play underdog, to qualify their effort and claim some moral victories.

Keefe mentioned postgame that the team didn’t get into bed until 3 a.m. Wednesday and praised his group’s competitiveness.

OK. Well, the Bruins also played three games in four nights, and got the contending Oilers in OT, not the bottom-feeding Sabres.

“Come playoff time, everything changes,” Marchand said.

For the Maple Leafs’ sake, and considering their dismal results against Boston, fans should hope that’s true.

“There’s no concern about that,” Morgan Rielly said. “We’re a month away. 

“Once we start playing for real, we want to be ready.”

Can’t wait to see the Maple Leafs play for real. 

Because judging by this week, they’re not ready.

Fox’s Fast Five

• Edmundson, acquired in Thursday’s trade for a couple mid-round picks, has connections.

Toronto assistant coach Mike Van Ryn, who runs the D, won a Cup with Edmundson in St. Louis. He understands the big man’s strengths.

Rielly played two-and-a-half seasons with the Manitoba native in junior, as the reunited teammates were both prized prospects for the Moose Jaw Warriors.

“[Treliving] is trying to make the team better. That’s all you can ask for,” Calle Järnkork said.”

Keefe is high on Edmundson’s size as well as his toughness in the D-zone and Cup experience.

“Not fun to play against,” the coach praised. “We could use a guy like him in game like this here tonight with them being as physical as they were.”

• Prospect Cade Weber, acquired from Carolina Thursday for the Leafs’ sixth-round pick in 2026, has one goal and 15 assists in 115 NCAA games for Boston University.

But! And hear me out: He is 6-foot-7, 208 pounds, a plus defenceman, and is sporting a black eye in his HockeyDB profile picture.

Weber does not yet have an NHL contract, but this is another low-risk trade reinforcing Treliving’s penchant for gigantic defencemen.

• Pastrnak has been on the ice for eight of the 14 goals the Bruins have scored against the Leafs this season.

“He’s one of the best players in the league,” Calle Järnkrok said. “We have players like him on our team as well. A couple of them. But he’s a good player.”  

• Matthew Knies took an elbow from Brad Marchand in the first period and did not return to the game.

In both games at TD Garden, Marchand took out a Leafs player. 

Keefe did not have an update on Knies’s condition after the game.

• The Bruins honoured the 2011 champions in the building.

“You don’t realize how fast the time goes by,” said Marchand, 35, the only active member of that group. “It just feels like yesterday we were together. The memories of our time together, it was so special and so many great stories that we had to talk about.”

“I’m still the guy that gets picked on. It’s funny. I’m the old guy in here, but when we all get together, I’m the young guy again, so the bullying continues.”

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Hockey NHL BOS TOR sn-article
edmundson Maple Leafs dip into rental market again as Edmundson provides useful depth Thu, 07 Mar 2024 13:32:17 EST Thu, 07 Mar 2024 23:09:20 EST Luke Fox Once again, the playoff-bound Toronto Maple Leafs have rented a useful depth defenceman with Joel Edmundson looking to provide some snarl, snot, grit and gumption to the blue line.

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TORONTO — Brad Treliving has a type.

The Toronto Maple Leafs GM likes them big, nasty and — for the 2024 trade deadline, at least — super cheap.

Once again, the playoff-bound Leafs have rented a useful depth defenceman from the crumbling powerhouse that is the Washington Capitals.

But unlike puck-mover Erik Gustafsson in 2023, Joel Edmundson is six feet, five inches of snarl and snot, grit and gumption. Two hundred twenty-one pounds of boxouts and crosschecks and steel shins.

With Treliving letting the class’s marquee rentals pass by and holding tight to his three most valuable trade chips (his 2024 first-round draft pick plus prized prospects Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan), he and expert capologist Brandon Pridham have done a fine job of acquiring inexpensive depth.

The Maple Leafs may now well lead the league in bona fide third-pairing D-men.

Much like last week’s low-risk blueline booster, Ilya Lyubushkin, Edmundson arrives with a chip on his shoulder and cap hit twice chopped.

The Montreal Canadiens are already eating half of the 30-year-old’s total cap of hit of $3.5 million, a condition of his original trade to Washington.

So, in acquiring a 2024 third-round pick (the Islanders’, via last year’s Pierre Engvall dump) and 2025 fifth-round pick (Chicago’s, via the Jake McCabe–Sam Lafferty deal) from Toronto, Washington agreed to take on half of Edmundson’s remaining paycheques.

When the dust settles, Edmundson will drain a meagre $875,000 off the Maple Leafs’ cap.

In other words, he and Lyubushkin combined are less of a drain on Pridham’s spreadsheet than Jake McCabe, another bargain. The three of them together should make Toronto’s crease a less soft and purposeless place.

“You can never have too many defencemen,” Treliving said before Thursday’s trade. “You just can’t, if you want to get to where you want to get to.”

The cost, of course, is more middling picks out the door.

As things stand, the Leafs’ amateur scouts can take Rounds 2, 3 and 6 off this June and Rounds 1, 2, 3 and 4 off in ’25.

Such is the cap-world cycle of one franchise pitching for a championship and another in triage, restocking after securing one. (The Capitals now hold 25 picks over the next three drafts: eight picks in 2024, nine picks in 2025 and eight picks in 2026.)

To understand why the Leafs chose Edmundson, affordability aside, look no further than this comment from coach Sheldon Keefe following Monday’s 4-1 loss at home to the Boston Bruins: “They defended their net extremely well. Better than us in that area, for sure.”

Edmundson is a pure net defender. He’ll lay the lumber, throw the shoulder and jam a big limb into a shooting lane.

He will start the majority of his shifts in the defensive zone, hang back when his partner feels the urge to pinch, and he’ll kill a penalty. He might take one, too, though (457 PIMs in 521 games).

What he won’t do is steal more pucks than he surrenders (94-353 is his career takeaway-giveaway count), generate much offence (one goal, six points over his 44 games with Wash), or win all the footraces.

Treliving understands that.

Steady Eddie was recruited for his playoff experience (a ring in 2019 with St. Louis, plus a final trip with Montreal in 2021), and his determination and intimidation to keep pucks and people away from the most dangerous scoring area.

Further, the recent head injury to Mark Giordano, 10 years Edmundson’s senior, was a frightening reminder of how close the Leafs are to leaning on a Max Lajoie or a Marshall Rifai in a playoff series.

To juggle roster space, the Leafs shifted Conor Timmins (mono) from IR to LTIR and placed depth D-man William Lagesson on waivers.

Edmundson isn’t spectacular, but he’s safe and solid and the price was right.

Because he’s a lefty with experience patrolling the right side, Keefe will have 20 games to tinker with his pairings and unlock the optimal setup for the post-season.

That’s when Toronto will likely face off against the Bruins or Panthers, two fierce rivals who make it painful to drive the paint.

Well, with a big butcher Edmundson out there wielding his hockey stick like a crowbar, getting to the Maple Leafs’ crease just got harder.

The trade deadline buzzer sounds at 3 p.m. ET Friday, so there is still time for Treliving to add more.

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Hockey NHL TOR sn-article
maple leafs Maple Leafs unusually quiet as NHL trade frenzy hits early Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:14:37 EST Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:18:17 EST Luke Fox Despite the Maple Leafs reeling off another victory, the decision-makers up top have yet to pull the trigger. But maybe that’s just general manager Brad Treliving’s strategy. Luke Fox has the story.

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TORONTO — Their record is loud, but the trade noise is muted.

Despite the Toronto Maple Leafs reeling off another victory, improving to a sparkling 14-4 over their past 18 games, and reinforcing their ability to gather points even on nights when they look “a little gun shy” (as Sheldon Keefe put it), the decision-makers up top have yet to pull the trigger.

With the NHL’s trade deadline less than 40 hours away and his team as healthy and humming as it has been all season, general manager Brad Treliving has adopted the same approach his players assumed in Wednesday’s low-octane 2-1 overtime win over the forever-retooling Buffalo Sabres, who traded away their leading scorer between morning skate and puck drop.

Caution. Patience. 

Bordering on boredom.

And while we won’t evaluate Treliving’s trade work until the clock hits 3:01 p.m. ET on Friday, the idea that the executive is cooking up something much splashier than last week’s unsexy yet economical addition of defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin feels fading.

A frenzied business day saw top-ranked rentals Noah Hanifin, Sean Walker, Adam Henrique and Alexander Wennberg fly off the shelf. All players could have improved Toronto’s roster; all sold for prices Treliving either wouldn’t or couldn’t pay; all landed with more aggressive teams with a sturdy belief this could be their year.

Another person of interest for Treliving, rugged righty and ex-Leaf Zach Bogosian, decided to re-sign for two years in Minnesota instead of changing addresses again. And Nick Seeler took himself off the block by re-upping in Philadelphia.

The early trade wave of defencemen (Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev) and middle-six centres (Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan) passed Toronto by, too, despite Treliving’s tire-kicking.

Names are falling off the trade board. Options are drying up.

Part of this is cyclical.

The Maple Leafs were arguably the most aggressive team at the 2023 deadline, as former GM Kyle Dubas overhauled a chunk of the dressing room before leaving town and Treliving without any second-round picks. You can’t push all-in every time the dealer glances your way.

Part of this may be strategic.

Treliving, remember, waited out the rush of July 1 free agency before nabbing second-liners Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi at what was then viewed as reasonable price points. Simon Benoit and Martin Jones, timely contributors to the group, weren’t signed till August.

Because the executive has so thoroughly explored the defence market (primarily) and depth forward market (secondarily), the bet is he feels comfortable riding out the rush and will instead seek value as the sellers don’t want to get caught holding the bag.

“I think you just leave it to Brad. A lot of moves happened today, and the next couple days will be pretty hectic,” said Auston Matthews, now on pace for 72 goals after his OT winner. 

“I think we’re all aware and there’s chat about it, but it’s not too deep. A lot of things can happen.”

Added the game’s other goal-getter, William Nylander: “Whatever they do, we’ll be ready for that.”

The Maple Leafs’ direct competitors have been much noisier this week, with powerhouse Florida snapping up Vladimir Tarasenko, Tampa Bay making a pitch for Hanifin, and centre-hungry Boston rumoured to be exploring a Lindholm flip with Vancouver.

Maybe this is not the spring to get overly aggressive in Toronto. The prices have been high, the true difference-makers scarce, and Treliving is sitting at the high-ante table with a short stack.

Unless Toronto’s GM is hiding an ace up his sleeve, we could well be in for a low-event trade deadline in a high-pressure city.

Fox’s Fast Five

• By trading away Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo has beefed up on young, left-shot defencemen for the foreseeable future.

Rasmus Dahlin, 23, is signed through 2031-32; Owen Power, 21, is locked up through 2030-31; and now Bowen Byram, 22, is in the fold through 2024-25, at which point he’ll still an RFA under club control.

Of the three, Dahlin is the most comfortable patrolling the right side.

• Slowly, Toronto’s defence is getting healthy… kind of.

Rebounding from mono, Conor Timmins returned to practice Tuesday.

And Mark Giordano, who suffered a head injury last week crashing into the end-boards, has been on the ice for two consecutive days. He is not yet clear for contact, and the team has not provided a timeline for his return.

“First time sitting next to him in the room. He’s a good talker,” Simon Benoit smiles. “Everything he says is full of experience. I’m just trying to take his tricks and bring it to my game.”

Trouble is, Jake McCabe has fallen ill and was unable to play against his original team Wednesday. He’s hopeful for Thursday in Boston.

• Benoit has acquired a new nickname in the dressing room: The Milkman. 

“I just always love milk. I dunno. I like the taste. Comforting,” says Benoit, while nursing a mug of flat white after morning skate. “A glass of milk with, like, a good chocolate cake is always good. Just a taste I enjoy. I love milk.”

Any time of day, too. The bruising defenceman will pound a glass at night if he’s having trouble sleeping. With one stipulation: It must be cold.

• Matthew Knies has 31 penalty minutes. That’s too many for a winger who spends most of his time in the offensive zone.

“I gotta stay out of the box. I’m taking a lot of stick penalties and it’s hurting the team,” Knies says. “I gotta move my feet and play with hands less. Stop reaching.”

Keefe suggests that college grads, in general, are less aware of high sticks because everyone’s face is protected in the NCAA. 

“When you’ve got a cage on, you’re a little more reckless,” Keefe said. “Those are the kind of things you learn over time.”

• Noah Gregor drew back into the Leafs’ lineup, in favour of Pontus Holmberg, after a two-week string of healthy scratches.

“If you want to play in the league every day on a good team, you have to bring it all the time,” Keefe said of Holmberg. “To me, he’s slipped a little bit.”

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Hockey NHL BUF TOR sn-article
seeler Maple Leafs 2024 Trade Deadline Preview: Biggest needs, targets, chips Tue, 05 Mar 2024 10:06:14 EST Tue, 05 Mar 2024 10:06:20 EST Luke Fox While coy about ranking positions of need, the Maple Leafs could absolutely benefit from a legitimate top-four defenceman, preferably another righty, who can drive play. Luke Fox takes a look at what Toronto might be working on ahead of the trade deadline.

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Projected deadline day cap space: $144,166

Contracts: 48/50

Cap space committed to 2024-25: $65.6 million (committed to 12 players)

Draft picks

Image courtesy of CapFriendly

NEEDS

Brad Treliving suggests that Thursday’s necessary but unspectacular trade for workmanlike right defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin was simply a deadline appetizer, an amuse-“Boosh” if you will.

“There are areas we still need to address,” the Toronto Leafs general manager said Friday, following his first in-season acquisition. “Will we be able to address them all by the deadline? No. That’s just the reality. And not every team will. But is there a way that we can help ourselves between now and next Friday? That’s what we are going to try to do.”

By paying a little extra to Anaheim and third-party Carolina to double-retain Lyubushkin’s salary, the burly Russian’s tiny cap hit on Toronto’s ledger ($687,500) opens flexibility to fill another hole or two.

“We are going to try to be creative and see where we can help ourselves,” Treliving said.

While coy about ranking his positions of need, the Maple Leafs could absolutely benefit from a legitimate top-four defenceman, preferably another righty, who can drive play. That’s what the forgotten John Klingberg was intended to be for them season, and he hasn’t skated since Remembrance Day, remember?

Toronto could also benefit from a true middle-six centreman who is defensively responsible, kills penalties, and wins draws. The Leafs’ penalty kill has dropped to 22nd leaguewide (77.7 per cent) and needs help. No Eastern Conference team in playoff position has a worse PK.

Max Domi has been an excellent playmaker and a heart-and-soul Leaf during this one-year rental. What he’s not is trusted by coach Sheldon Keefe to start in the D-zone (61.4 per cent O-zone starts) and shut down tough opponents’ top lines.

While easier said than done, Treliving would be wise to address his needs by recruiting players with term on their contracts. That’s because the exec will be facing the same needs in 2024-25.

POTENTIAL TARGETS

“You can never have too many defencemen,” Treliving stated. “You just can’t, if you want to get to where you want to get to.”

That means exploring the idea of adding top rental Noah Hanifin, who has been linked to Toronto’s archrivals, Tampa Bay and Boston, and may not prefer to sign long-term in Canada.

It means speaking with willing seller Danny Briere in Philadelphia about his blueline duo of Nick Seeler and Sean Walker, and struggling Seattle about the potential of prying away a Will Borgen or Adam Larsson (though Ron Francis is reluctant to part with defenders with term).

More names on D: David Savard, Nick Jensen, Zach Bogosian, Joel Edmundson, Matt Dumba and Colton Parayko.

Treliving says he’s willing to upgrade at every position.

So even though the Leafs are one of the most dangerous offensive teams, why not gauge the price of Adam Henrique and Frank Vatrano? Jordan Eberle and Scott Laughton? How about Mikael Granlund in San Jose? The two-way pivot kills penalties and has another year on his deal at $5 million. This, of course, would be a more major move.

It would also take some spending to snag an established centre with term — take Boone Jenner from Columbus, for example — but there’s little doubt he makes the Leafs immediately more prepared for the post-season.

More affordable and defensive options up the middle are Alexander Wennberg in Seattle and Nic Dowd in Washington.

ASSETS TO TRADE

• 2024 first-round pick: This is the biggest chip Treliving is believed to be willing to play.

What makes Toronto’s first more precious than most is that the all-in-every-deadline Maple Leafs have already spent their 2025 first-rounder, their next three second-rounders, plus their third-rounders in ’24 and ’25, and a fourth in ’25.

Treliving didn’t spend his first on Chris Tanev, Elias Lindholm, or Sean Monahan — some high-priced rentals who could’ve helped but landed elsewhere — but the GM says he won’t rule out shedding it by Friday. Even for a rental.

“In the right deal — with where our team is at — you want to help the team,” Treliving said. “You have to be careful with first-round picks for short-term help, but if it makes sense — at the end of the day, when you do the final analysis, if you think it is going to have an impact — you have to look at every option.”

• Islanders’ 2024 third-round pick: The Leafs spent their 2025 third on Lyubushkin but held back on this choice (acquired in the Pierre Engvall deal), which should be slightly more valuable considering the Isles are in tough to make the dance.

• Easton Cowan: Toronto’s 2023 first-round pick is lighting the OHL on fire for the London Knights. Treliving doesn’t want to move his most exciting prospect, but teams will ask.

• Fraser Minten: Minten made the cut out of camp and, like Cowan, is a near-untouchable. Toronto’s cupboards aren’t exactly overflowing with smart checking centre prospects. But in the unlikelihood of a blockbuster to help now, Minten would be the ask.

• Young roster player: Eventually, Treliving will need to commit to RFAs Nick Robertson and Timothy Liljegren, who are coming into their mid-20s and have had inconsistent campaigns. Certainly, there is no pressure to cut bait this week, and there is hope these homegrown talents’ best hockey lies ahead. Still, they will be due raises. Do the Leafs trust they should be in their long-term plans?

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

• Though the Leafs are maxed out on roster slots, Treliving is concerned about placing Martin Jones on waivers for fear of losing the affordable third-stringer to a team like Philadelphia.

“We have three goaltenders right now. I think we are going to stay at three for today, but we will see what tomorrow brings,” Treliving said, cryptically.

• Although Toronto’s available cap space appears minimal, the team can create more by waiving extra skaters such as William Lagesson, Noah Gregor and Conor Timmins. Placing Mark Giordano on LTIR is also an option.

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Hockey NHL TOR sn-article
Frank Gunn/CP tavares_john1280 Bruins provide blueprint to defeat Maple Leafs in potential playoff preview Tue, 05 Mar 2024 00:02:35 EST Tue, 05 Mar 2024 01:32:53 EST Luke Fox While there are still 20 games to go — including a Leafs-Bruins rematch Thursday in Boston — before playoff brackets are written in ink, on this night it was clear which side gained a little confidence and established a recipe should these rivals meet when it matters.

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TORONTO — Here is the frightening thing for fans of the Maple Leafs, who just watched the Boston Bruins walk into Toronto and execute a rather controlled and sturdy 4-1 road victory over their most likely first-round foe.

Boston just laid out the blueprint for April, and it was broadcast in high definition.

“It was our identity. And that was really special to see — the way guys responded and played the right way for the crest,” said winning goaltender Jeremy Swayman.

“We get results when we do that. And I think we’re going to have this game to look back on to know what we need to do to win big games like this.”

Despite losing their sixth consecutive game and falling eight points behind their old nemesis in the standings, it’s not as if the Maple Leafs are wholly overwhelmed or outclassed in these matchups.

Toronto, in fact, drew twice as many penalties (4-2) and finished with an edge in shots (33-27) and high-dangers chances (16-12). They can hang, absolutely.

Problem is, the Bruins won the special-teams battle, dressed the superior goaltender, and locked down most of the nonsense around their crease thanks to a defend-first mentality.

Moreover, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner — arguably the league’s hottest duo in February — were checked hard and kept off the scoreboard.

“I do think that we were on top of them, and we weren’t giving them second and third opportunities,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said.

“Defensively, we were getting back above pucks. We were winning goal-line races to our own, and it led to a lot of transition and more O-zone time.”

Once the B’s established a multi-goal lead, there was no sense that the Maple Leafs were going to push through.

Part of that may be attributed to Boston undergoing a look-in-the-mirror moment Saturday night, after losing ugly on Long Island, 5-1 to the middling Islanders, while the Leafs may have felt too comfy having won nine of 10.

But part of it is a savvy team identifying its opponent’s strategy and shutting it down.

“Toronto likes to put pucks to the net from behind the net or on the sides above the goal line. Protect that, then just go north and hang onto pucks in the O-zone,” Montgomery said.

Perennial Leaf killer David Pastrnak, known best for his sizzling shot, was dynamic in registering three primary assists, including two on the tape of first star Pavel Zacha, who didn’t take regular line rushes Monday morning and was doubtful to even dress after getting injured Saturday.

“We didn’t think he was going to play, to be honest,” Montgomery said.

Yet Pastrnak raved more postgame about Swayman’s stability, the penalty kill’s diligence, and the defence’s commitment to boxing out and making simple breakout plays.

All the categories the Leafs were too deficient in to win this one.

“Boston played hard. They defended their net extremely well. Better than us in that area, for sure,” said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe, who is still very much tinkering to find his optimal blueline pairings and questioning his middle six.

Timothy Liljegren and T.J. Brodie (each minus-2) had the kind of showing that will urge GM Brad Treliving to trade for an upgrade this week.

And while Keefe may be onto something pairing John Tavares with Calle Järnkrok, the high-event trio of Max Domi, William Nylander, and Tyler Bertuzzi will be an adventure if they stick together against a patient, organized group like the one Boston proved it can be.

“I thought we were streaky,” Morgan Rielly said. “When you lift your foot off the gas against a good team, they make you pay.”

While there are still 20 games to go — including a Leafs-Bruins rematch Thursday in Boston — before playoff brackets are written in ink, on this night it was clear which side gained a little confidence and established a recipe should these rivals meet when it matters.

“It’s exciting,” Swayman said.

“When you have an Original Six matchup and potential playoff matchup, it is a great test for our team. And I think we responded really well and have a lot of great things to lean on looking forward.”

Fox’s Fast Five

• With the Bruins and Leafs seemingly on track to face off in Round 1, an arms race to load up on rentals before Friday’s trade deadline feels unlikely given the teams’ scarcity of assets.

The Leafs don’t have a second-round pick to spend and are being cautious with their first.

Boston doesn’t select until the fourth round of 2024 and has already spent its 2025 second-rounder as well.

That’s why you hear the phrase “hockey trade” out of Beantown, with an eye on pending UFA DeBrusk. DeBrusk’s production has dipped this season — his snipe Monday gives him just two goals in his past 15 games — but he tends to elevate come spring.

“Guy works hard every night. Helps us. We’re in second place, and he’s a huge part of that,” Montgomery said.

Linemate Coyle was spun through the rumour mill many a deadline in Minnesota before he was dealt for real in 2018.

“You can think about it, but it’s not worth it,” Coyle said. “Because most of the time you’re worrying about stuff that never happens. It’s no use. It’s a tough thing, but if you can learn to control it, manage it, focus on what you need to focus on, I think you’re a lot better off.”

• Brad Marchand is tops the NHL with 38 drawn penalties. The slash he drew on Jake McCabe led to Zacha’s game-winning power-play strike.

• Boston’s Justin Brazeau got his pro start as an undrafted development project for the Toronto Marlies and Newfoundland Growlers.

Here’s Charlie Coyle on the six-foot-five, 245-pound midseason callup, who made his NHL debut at age 26:

“He’s a big boy. Kills it in the gym. He’s the king of the bike test. He’s just an animal in that sense. I’ve been really impressed with him and just how focused he is. He knows what he’s gotta do. He does his job. He wins those board battles, getting the puck out of our zone. And just being a big body, he uses it to his advantage. That’s what those guys have to do. It’s good to see guys when they come up like that and they just stick to their guns. They don’t overthink it. And he’s making great plays. It’s great to see those [late bloomers] who are good guys. They work hard, and they get rewarded for it. That’s what you want.”

• As standings watch intensifies, it’s worth noting that the Detroit Red Wings, the team on Toronto’s tail, will be without captain and leading scorer Dylan Larkin for two weeks as he recovers from a lower-body injury.

• No Eastern Conference team in playoff position has a worse penalty kill than Toronto’s (77.7 per cent).

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CP170155854(1) Maple Leafs Notebook: Reaves predicts Rempe ‘will be a menace’ in NHL Mon, 04 Mar 2024 13:35:05 EST Mon, 04 Mar 2024 13:48:18 EST Luke Fox Adrenaline still coursing through his veins, Ryan Reaves has difficulty sleeping even after low-event games.

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TORONTO — Adrenaline still coursing through his veins, Ryan Reaves has difficulty sleeping even after low-event games.

Makes sense, then, that the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ tough guy didn’t shut his eyes until 6:30 a.m. Sunday, following Saturday night’s heavyweight tilt versus New York Rangers cyclone Matt Rempe.

“Honestly, the media hyped it up so much that the first period was almost like, ‘Hey, let’s just get it out of the way.’ And then he said no, which is completely fine. You know, game didn’t really call for it. So, we left it alone,” Reaves, sporting a shiner near his left eye, said Monday.

“And then, obviously, he buries Boosh.”

That would be renewed Leaf Ilya Lyubushkin, whom the six-foot-eight Rempe trucked with pace into the corner, forcing the defenceman out of action.

Reaves, naturally, invited the rookie again.

And, with the approval of the Rangers bench, Rempe obliged.

“Good on him for doing it. He’s a big boy,” said Reaves, who figures Rempe is the tallest man he’s ever scrapped with.

Reaves didn’t throw a ton of fists early as he was trying to be patient and establish a proper jersey hold before chucking.

It was an even and spirited match that has HockeyFights.com voters split: 41 per cent for Rempe; 38 per cent for Reaves; and 20 per cent ruling draw.

The two combatants shared mutual respect from the penalty box.

“He’s a really nice kid. He talked about how the media pumped it up so much, and he’s like, ‘Two Original Six teams going at it, and all everybody was talking about was a fight.’ It was almost cool to see because it shows that fighting is not dead in the sport. People still kinda get amped up for it,” Reaves said. “Seems to be a really nice, humble kid.

“He’s going to be a menace in this league.”

Lyubushkin clears protocol

That sound you hear is Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe exhaling relief.

His righty is all right.

Defenceman Lyubushkin wasn’t feeling so hot immediately after getting crunched by a charging Rempe and was removed from Saturday’s shootout win to undergo concussion protocol.

The recently reacquired defenceman cleared all health tests Sunday and participated in Monday’s morning skate alongside Morgan Rielly.

“As it turns out, a lot of the discomfort he was dealing with was in the neck and shoulder. Some discomfort in the head,” Keefe said.

Lyubushkin assures he was back to normal Sunday and is “pumped” to wear the Leafs sweater again.

“I feel good,” Lyubushkin said. “I saw him coming, but I didn’t have time to protect myself. It’s hockey. These things happen sometimes.”

Whose crease is it?

With Martin Jones, Toronto’s veteran insurance policy, taking a backseat again, the red-hot Maple Leafs have a two-goalie battle for starts.

Win and you’re not necessarily in.

Both Ilya Samsonov (stellar Saturday) and Joseph Woll (solid Thursday) are coming off wins. Both want action.

And with the Leafs staring at four games over six nights this week, the good news is that Keefe plans to “play the calendar” and give both his guys some run.

“We have two guys we trust,” the coach said.

With six weeks till playoffs, the internal competition to start Game 1 is on.

Why Nylander got benched

William Nylander may have (sort of) redeemed himself after Saturday’s mini benching by responding with a key goal, but that doesn’t mean Keefe isn’t keeping a close eye on the Bertuzzi–Domi–Nylander line.

The coach met with that offensively dangerous trio Friday to drill down on their play without the puck. So, when he caught Nylander “purposely stepping outside the structure” and that loose play resulted in a Rangers goal, he sat his star for the next couple shifts.

“I probably wouldn’t have been as sensitive to it [Saturday] if we didn’t have a meeting just the day before,” Keefe said.

“We’re increasing the accountability for all of our players.”

A tired Nylander also committed a risky line change in the 3-on-3 overtime that resulted in a frightening odd-man rush for New York. Luckily, Samsonov bailed him out.

Nylander was not made available to reporters post-game Saturday nor at Monday’s skate.

One-Timers: Leafs-Bruins is a potential playoff preview. “Biggest game of the week,” Reaves said … Bruins forward Pavel Zacha left Saturday’s loss early to injury. He skated Monday morning and will be a game-time decision … Matt Grzelcyk replaces Derek Forbort on Boston’s blueline … Jeremy Swayman is the Bruins’ projected starting goalie … Winger Noah Gregor and defenceman William Lagesson are Toronto’s projected scratches.

Maple Leafs projected lines Monday vs. Boston Bruins

Knies – Matthews – Marner

Bertuzzi – Domi – Nylander

McMann – Tavares – Järnkrok

Hölmberg – Kämpf – Reaves

Brodie – Liljegren

Rielly – Lyubushkin

Benoit – McCabe

Samsonov

Woll

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Rempe vs Reaves Reaves-Rempe fight ignites Maple Leafs in showdown of heavyweight contenders Sun, 03 Mar 2024 00:47:16 EST Sun, 03 Mar 2024 00:49:25 EST Luke Fox Leafs-Rangers was a heckuva hockey game and, fingers crossed, a potential post-season teaser, for two of the hottest teams in the East delivered big-time goals, hits and saves. 

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TORONTO — They came for a fight, and a hockey game broke out.

Saturday night. Centre of the universe. And the Toronto air was muggy with expectation.

As the city’s hockey-literate fans filed into Scotiabank Arena early for warmups, all eyes were fixed on New York Rangers rookie Matt Rempe and Maple Leafs bulldog Ryan Reaves.

The oohs and ahhs with every heavy hit, each fourth-line shift, and particularly Reaves’ vocal jabs at Rempe had the barn frothing for a heavyweight tilt that seemed prewritten.

Will they drop ’em? If so, who’d win? 

Would it be the six-foot-eight cowboy trying to pummel the hockey world into overnight submission? Or the calm, cool Mufasa of a jungle no longer populated with so many predators?

Is it possible to give a man a third black eye?

And while it took more than 54 minutes of maybe!… nah, maybe not, and it took the Maple Leafs’ first trade acquisition walking down the tunnel in pain, Reaves and Rempe gave the people what they came for.

“Our fans were fantastic tonight,” captain John Tavares said, following an entertaining 4-3 shootout victory over a legit contender. “Everyone was itching for it. So, credit to both those guys. 

“You know, I don’t know how anyone would ever want to drop ’em with Reavo. So, great job by him.

“I think it was exciting for everyone. And a little throwback there with how that went down.”

Centre ice. Rempe’s Mister Fantastic reach versus Reaves’ granite reputation. Blow for blow. Show for show.

It’s entertainment. It’s business. It’s dangerous. It’s a sideshow. 

It gets the people going.

“Unbelievable,” Max Domi said. “You see the crowd was extra amped up tonight for a huge event like that. Both of them, they left it all out there. Respect to that kid. He’s a tough dude. And Reavo’s the toughest dude in the league. So, for him to hang in there like that, all the credit to him. But Ryan, it was great to see and I’m super happy for him. He was a huge part of that win tonight.”

Reaves had a reason for tangling with Rempe, though. The rookie delivered a violent hit to Leafs defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin, inspiring the fireworks.

Thing is, with all due respect to Rodney Dangerfield, Saturday’s spectacle was much more than Fight Night in Canada

Leafs-Rangers was a heckuva hockey game and, fingers crossed, a potential post-season teaser, for two of the hottest teams in the East delivered big-time goals, hits and saves. 

The type of back-and-forth, tight-checking contest that gets fans salivating in April, even without the torch-passing five-minute majors.

“You could almost say it’s bit of a playoff preview. Both teams are playing heavy, playing skilled, playing hard to win,” Bobby McMann said.

The chatter in the Maple Leafs room during the second intermission was that this was precisely the type of earn-your-chances hockey that will prepare them for spring. (And for next week’s home-and-home with the rival Boston Bruins, for that matter.)

The Metropolitan-leading Rangers were a refreshing test, considering the number of low-octane games on the schedule.

“Tough hockey game,” said coach Sheldon Keefe, careful not to make too much joy out of a decision decided by a skills contest.

And a great result for Keefe’s Leafs, who persevered through scores of 1-1, 2-2, and 3-3, when neither side’s power play could break through.

Toronto grinded out an even-strength goal from star players on each of its top three lines (Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares), received clutch saves from Ilya Samsonov, and appeared more defensively sound with the return of a healthy Calle Järnkrok.

The Maple Leafs have now won nine of their past 10 heading into trade deadline week.

“We played together. We stay hard fighting,” Samsonov enthused. “You know, I think it’s really interesting game for fans, for everybody.”

As a cherry on top of this delicious night for the home fans, it was Domi, son of this town’s most frequent fighter, who deposited the shootout winner — on his 29th birthday no less.

“Get the two points. It’s the best birthday present you can ask for,” Domi said, flashing his trademark tooth-deprived smiled.

“Big win.”

Fox’s Fast Five

• Touching down at 11 p.m. Friday night from California, Lyubushkin figures he only got five or six hours of sleep before his re-debut with the Maple Leafs.

“Super excited to join this team because I know this organization, know these guys. It’s unbelievable,” Lyubushkin beamed pre-game. 

“I feel like it’s a big family here.”

Lyubushkin, who has been dealt three times in just over two years, was not surprised by the move. He’ll be counted on to stuff cycles, kill penalties, deliver hits, and play security blanket during partner Morgan Rielly’s rushes.

“It gives a good Boosh to the group,” said Rielly, wryly. “He’s a big, strong guy who plays well defensively. He’s physical. He was one of those guys that you like being around. He’s competitive. He puts the team first with how he plays and how he acts. He’s just one of those guys you like having on your team.”

Not two full periods into his second Leafs tenure, Lyubushkin departed with a head injury after receiving this hard check from Rempe:

Lyubushkin was hanging around the dressing room post-game and had quiet chats with Treliving and Samsonov. 

“I asked him after the game,” Samsonov relayed. “Yeah, he’s a little bit hurt. But I think he’s good. He’s good right now, and he’ll have time for recovery a little bit.”

Regardless, Keefe took issue with Rempe’s check: “Comes a long way. Leaves his feet. Hits him in the head. Injury.”

• Keefe sat Nylander for the final 8:27 of the first period after seeing his star winger give a soft, fly-by stick check on Adam Fox and drift out of the D-zone. Fox then fed Alexis Lafreniere (Nylander’s man) in the high slot.

Lafreniere had enough time to make a sandwich and load up a wrister that beat Samsonov clean for the opening goal.

“Mistakes are gonna happen, and it starts with the puck on my stick on that goal, actually. I wasn’t able to clear it,” Domi said, defending his linemate. “I’ll take that one on the chin.”

Mini benching served, Nylander returned reenergized in the second and tied the contest with his 33rd goal of the season. 

“Loved how he responded,” Keefe said, before turning his attention to the mistake. 

“Willy knows what we need from him in that moment. I’ve worked with him a long time. I met with that line yesterday, [talked about] some very specific things. That wasn’t it.”

• Rangers coach Peter Laviolette, asked at morning skate how to contain Auston Matthews: “We were hoping he had the flu.”

• Of the dozen or so NHL games I’ve seen Lafreniere play live, this was easily his best.

Three primary points on the night to tie his career high for a season (39). 

The patience may be paying off.

• Nick Robertson must be wondering where — or if — he fits on Toronto’s roster.

With Lyubushkin acquired, Järnkrok activated off IR, and Treliving worried about waiving a goaltender, the waivers-exempt winger was demoted to the Marlies Saturday.

Robertson has already posted career highs in games played (41), goals (eight) and points (19) this season, but he is not one of the coach’s top 12 (13?) forwards right now when everyone is healthy.

One wonders: Could he be traded? Is there a market for him? Or will Robertson return inspired?

“A lot of the best hockey he’s played for us is when he has come in and out of our lineup. He’s given us a boost,” Keefe said. 

“He’s got energy and adrenalin and all those things. That’s when he plays at his best. His opportunity will come back around, and he’ll do the same thing for us.”

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reaves Quick Shifts: Ryan Reaves has ‘no reason to say no’ to Matt Rempe Sat, 02 Mar 2024 09:13:36 EST Sat, 02 Mar 2024 09:32:52 EST Luke Fox Why Ryan Reaves sees himself in Matt Rempe, Simon Benoit can’t sleep after fights, Jonathan “Contract Year” Marchessault driven by kids, next Cup day, Chris Tanev got jokes plus eight more NHL goodies from Luke Fox.

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A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep. Six days till deadline: Anyone else got Henrique fever?

1. Ryan Reaves saw flashes of his younger self last week when he, like the rest of us, got drawn into that epic Nicolas Deslauriers–Matt Rempe fight.

“Nice old-school scrap there,” says Toronto Maple Leafs forward Reaves, who’s about as old-school and scrappy as you’ll find in an NHL stall these days. “There’s not as many like that. So when you see ’em, you gotta talk about ’em.”

A few days before facing his old team (the New York Rangers) and some new blood (that six-foot-seven mountain of knuckles and black eyes they call the Rempire State Building), Reaves is happy to talk Rempe.

This fearless kid out of Calgary who already has more minutes in the box (32:00) than on the ice (27:43). The rare callup who will call you out.

“I mean, he’s obviously a kid trying to make a name for himself,” Reaves tells me. “I was in that position when I was younger, too, just coming in and trying to fight everything that moved.

“And he’s obviously doing a good job if we’re talking about him.”

Reaves, now 37, recounts when he got his break, back in 2011, when he’d put on gloves and itch to throw them off. His dance card was never as full as it was in 2010-11, the season he went Rempe before Rempe, racking up 20 scraps and making the jump from the farm in Peoria to the show in St. Louis.

“It was a little bit of everything,” he says. “There was excitement, being in front of 18,000 fans for the first time and then fighting heavyweights, trying to become ‘That Guy’ in the league. But there was also a bit of nerves because I didn’t come into the league as a guy like that. You know, I was still learning to fight in the minors. And then when I got noticed, I was kinda thrown into dealing with some pretty big boys.”

Reaves’ nerves persisted until he squared up with Brian McGrattan in February 2012. It’s still his highest-rated bout on HockeyFights.com:

In those days, there was always a guy on the other bench agreeable. 

“That game, if I remember correctly, we were down [2-0]. And we just had no life. We were on the ice together, and I asked him to go — and he was very willing,” Reaves recalls.

McGrattan didn’t have to accept Reaves’ request, just as the respected Matt Martin didn’t have to prove himself against a 21-year-old sixth-rounder last week.

“It can go either way. I remember when I was younger, sometimes when I asked the older guys, they’d say: ‘No, you gotta earn it first.’ But at the same time, how do you earn it without fighting a bigger guy?” Reaves says. 

“Jamal Mayers was the first one. I tried to ask him in San Jose, and he told me: ‘They want to see your skill first. You’ve gotta earn that.’ I think I fought somebody else that game.”

Reaves earned his stripes against younger pugilists. He built a name for himself and, like Rempe, use monster bodychecks as an invitation.

“When you go bury somebody, it’s kinda hard to look the other way. So, that’s how I noticed. I was burying guys and making guys come after me,” Reaves says.

What’s old is new again. 

Arizona’s Liam O’Brien came after Reaves Thursday after the veteran laid out one of O’Brien’s teammates. The centre-ice bout began with full-cocked swings and ended with Reaves tapping his biceps as he flexed to the home crowd.

“That was a big turning point, honestly,” Leafs teammate Auston Matthews says. “He’s been playing some of the best hockey that I’ve seen from him since he’s been here the last couple of weeks, and I think he’s really found his groove. It’s been a while [four months] since he’s dropped the gloves, so I know he’s been itching to get into one.”

So, Mr. Reaves: Do you expect Rempe to make a request Saturday night?

“Oh, I’m sure. But you never know what happens,” Reaves replies. 

“I’m not just gonna square up with him at centre ice. But if something happens, whether I run somebody or he runs somebody, I got no reason to decline or not go after him. Or if he comes after me, I got no reason to say no. So …”

2. Though his Leafs fate was in doubt in January, when a string of unhealthy scratches bled into a string of healthy ones, Reaves leapt over Noah Gregor on the depth chart in February. He appeared in 10 games, more than in any other month he’s been on the roster.

He’s potting some goals, the oft-maligned fourth line is tilting the ice, and — best of all — Reaves can be heard busting out his uncanny imitation of a loud goal siren when he scores in practice.

“When I’m not in regularly, I feel like I’m not really myself,” Reaves says. “You know, it’s hard to be the locker room guy, the loud guy talking in the dressing room. But it’s been a little easier for me lately. And staying in the lineup has helped my confidence for sure. 

“Even little things. Like in practice, just trying things I know I’m probably not going to do in games. But I think before I just so tried not to make a mistake, I was too tight and just feeling tight everywhere. I feel a little looser, having a little more fun, and my game has come along. I feel like my game is in a good spot — playing physical, playing responsible in the D-zone. Our line’s been getting chances, and it’s been really good in the offensive zone the last couple games especially. I’m in a good headspace right now and hope to carry that on.”

Reaves believes Morgan Rielly’s willingness to “eat a five-gamer for the crest” sparked the group. He also notes that the players have had discussions about ramping toward playoff-like intensity, knowing from experience that the Leafs can’t simply flick that on like a light switch. 

“Enough guys realize that with what we want to do and what we can accomplish, it’s not time to mess around. It’s time to really start establishing our game, no matter who we’re playing,” Reaves says, adding that bonding off the ice during last week’s Midwest swing helped.

“You really need to be a tight-knit group, and you need to be willing to go to war with each other,” Reaves says. “That road trip came at a very opportune time.”

A bunch of Leafs hung out at Matthews’ place. Some went golfing. And Reaves and a few others visited an escape room.

“We got out with two minutes left,” Reaves says, smiling.

3. Simon Benoit, the Leafs’ other frequent fighter, also took notice of Rempe’s rampage. In part because he has played with both Deslauriers (in Anaheim) and Olivier (in Shawinigan), and has seen those tough customers up close.

“I think he enjoyed his first couple games a little bit too much,” Benoit tells me. 

“Like, back-to-back nights fighting? It’s not easy. If he enjoys it, good for him, but it’s a tough, tough game to play. When you have to fight every game, sometimes you find your match. You know what I mean? I saw on his videos, he seems to enjoy it. So, good on him. It’s not easy to make your spot sometimes. He’s trying to find himself a little niche. And it works for him.”

Benoit points to his own experience dropping the gloves with Erik Gudbranson on Dec. 29, then scrapping L.A.’s Andreas Englund four nights later.

“It’s not something I enjoy, obviously. If I have to, I’ll do it. Sometimes after a fight, you don’t really sleep at night,” Benoit explains.

“Your body just goes into survival mode, I guess. Adrenalin kicks in. And I know a couple of guys say the same thing: When they fight, they can’t fall asleep until like 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. Then, you wake up the next day and feel like s—.”

That’s after an average fight. Rempe’s showdowns “were tilt tilts,” Benoit emphasizes.

“D-Lo is not really tall, but he has a long (expletive) reach. He hits hard. And sometimes he protects himself a little bit less to be able throw those haymakers. Rempe’s tall too: six-foot-seven. It’s kind of impressive, especially bare knuckles. No gloves, right?

“If he wants to do it, that’s fine. You fight, there’s risk. You get hurt. You don’t want to be the guy who gets in a fight and stays down on the ice. Fighting is part of hockey, but nobody wants to kill a guy, right? He knows — everybody knows — it’s part of the game.”

Benoit remembers when he first experienced that at the NHL level. He hip-checked John Carlson late and low in the neutral zone, and Tom Wilson came at him. 

“I didn’t do great. Didn’t do that bad,” Benoit says. “If I want to play that physical game, I have to be ready to fight once in a while. Just react. You don’t think much. Think too much, you’re dead. You react in the moment and do the best you can with what you got. I have a long reach. I throw a few and try to protect myself. That’s it.”

Benoit’s philosophy is simple: An NHLer can’t play a hardnosed game if he’s not prepared to answer the bell on occasion. Now on his third tour, he understands exactly whom on the opposing roster will be willing to go, and which fist he’ll unleash. 

“Who’s a lefty? Now I know,” Benoit says. “Because if you fight a lefty and don’t know he’s a lefty, it’s an open fight. That’s no bueno.”

4. Nearly three months between NHL starts means plenty of downtime for a rehabilitating goaltender.

“Yeah, had a bit of time,” Joseph Woll says, smiling.

When he wasn’t pushing his ankle’s health and staying in shape, the Leafs netminder spent time catching up with friends, but also found solace in playing piano and reading books.

“I’m reading David Goggins’ book right now. I’m almost done with it. It’s a pretty intense book. I enjoyed it a lot. His mind is … there’s like a spectrum, almost. Like, people that are comfortable and very balanced and have a happy lifestyle, and this dude is on the other side,” Woll explains of the world-class endurance athlete. 

“He’s all about performance, all about getting the most out of your life. And I think it’s pretty awesome. There’s a lot of good stopping points within the book and a lot of challenges. It lines up with what I’ve been able to reflect on and bring into my career and into my life.”

On the keys, Woll figures he’s got the Interstellar theme he busted out at the team’s Blue and White gala down pat.

His next challenge: Ludovico Einaudi’s “I Giorni.”

“That’s a pretty good song,” he says. “May look to learn that next.”

5. Among all impending UFAs, Sam Reinhart leads in goals (41).

Second is Conn Smythe champ and $5-million cap hit Jonathan Marchessault (32), and the 33-year-old makes it clear that the value of his next contract is motivating his performance. So, too, is the chance to repeat.

“I want to give a good future for my kids, right? That’s what drives me, familywise,” says the father of four.

“But once you taste winning, it’s more than a drug. We were on such a high of emotion last year, it’s the best feeling. You just want to keep going towards it. That’s what drives me. Also, my Cup day, I had so much things going on. I want to win again, put it in my living room and do (expletive)-all all day.”

Marchessault’s coach appreciates how he’s dealt with the pressure of an uncertain future and delivered in key moments, especially with the injury blows to Jack Eichel and Mark Stone.

“Well, he’s had a career in goals. So, to me,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy says, “he’s handled it great.

“High-energy guy. If you were watching pre-game skate this morning, he’s the guy that brings a lot of juice to us in terms of his competitiveness in practice and getting the guys going.”

Cassidy’s policy is to not discuss the contract pressures with players unless they bring it up. The business side of the sport should remain between the player, his reps, and management.

That said, if Cassidy notices a player struggling or not acting like himself, the coach will pull him aside: Hey, anything going on that we need to know about?

“Because sometimes you’ll find out that maybe his father’s sick or something. You don’t know these things,” Cassidy says. “The business side of it, I think, is one that you’re better off just leaving alone.”

6. If the Nashville Predators rally to make the post-season, they may wish to break off a chunk of that Bridgestone Arena playoff gate and donate to whatever charitable cause Bono is pushing these dates. 

Since the club cancelled the Preds’ planned trip to catch U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the wrist-slapped players have responded with an incredible seven-game win streak, outscoring opponents 32-12 over that run.

GM Barry Trotz, we assumed you’d be a sure seller. Now, the frenzy of trade deadline will go on with or without you.

7. From good streak to bad streak.

Until Friday’s triumph over Ottawa, Arizona had not won a hockey game since the Utah-based Smith Entertainment Group formally requested an NHL expansion team.

Even with a bonus game on Leap Day, the Coyotes went 0-for-February and got mired in a 0-12-2 slump.

Andre Tourigny won’t let results get in the way of an upbeat mood, however. 

“We’re in the best league in the world,” Arizona’s head coach said. “We do the best job in the world. We’re privileged. There’s millions and millions, if not billions, of people who want to be in our spot. If that doesn’t put a smile on your face when you show up at the rink, you’re in the wrong business. 

“I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world. I’m one of the 32. That’s how I approach every day. I cannot wait for the sun to come up so I can go to work. That’s the way I am, and that’s the attitude I want to bring to our team. I never felt in that room that there’s anybody who feels sorry for themselves. They’re fighting. The attitude of our guys is unbelievable. I have a ton of respect for them, the way they fight and show up every day in a tough stretch.”

8. Quote of the Week.

“3 is kinda half of 8.” — Chris Tanev, who wore No. 8 in Calgary, explaining his choice of sweater number for the Dallas Stars.

9. After seeing Jonathan Drouin top out at seven goals in 2019-20, two in 2020-21, six in 2021-22 and two in 2022-23, we’d be tempted to write off the 2013 third-overall pick as a legitimate offensive contributor.

Well, after signing with Colorado and reuniting with ol’ Mooseheads pal Nathan MacKinnon, Drouin is enjoying his best season in five years: 10 goals, 34 points, to go with improved defensive play. 

Take a bow, GM Chris MacFarland. Not bad for a $825,000 flyer.

The 27-year-old’s rebound has been critical in a season where the Avalanche have had to ride out the prolonged absences of wingers Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin and, of course, Gabriel Landeskog. 

“If we’re looking at our forward roster, we’ve had a bunch of guys in and out. That seems to be the area where we’ve had the most fluidity to our lineup,” coach Jared Bednar says. “This is another guy that can play with guys like Nate and Mikko [Rantanen], and help produce offence on his own or with them, power play, etc. So, [Drouin’s effectiveness] allows us the flexibility to move guys around and try to bolster other lines.

“It helps make us a deeper team with another guy that could play in your top six. I think it’s a real good add for us.”

10. Vegas was stuck in a rough patch when Cassidy stopped by the Hockey Hall of Fame on Sunday during a free afternoon in Toronto. 

“We had lost four in a row at home,” the bench boss says. “We just lost to the Senators. You think, ‘Boy, I can’t coach a lick.’ And you go in there and you see your team’s ring and a little stall with the Knights Cup stuff, so it gives you a little confidence boost.”

Cassidy and the Knights also toured the Hall of Fame archives in Etobicoke after practising at the Leafs’ facility. The ex-Bruin was drawn to a specific item. 

“Bobby Orr’s stick,” Cassidy says, with enthusiasm. “I grabbed the one that he scored his 200th goal with. You take a look at it and how heavy those things were back then. … I loved it. I was like a kid in a candy store.”

While there is zero trace of panic in the defending champs’ room, the hottest team in autumn has slipped to 11th in points percentage.

Cassidy considers the ol’ Stanley Cup hangover.

“We didn’t have it in October. It hit us in January and February. Maybe that’s the learning curve we’re going through is the hangover comes later, in the dog days,” says Cassidy.

The Knights finally got Shea Theodore and goalie Adin Hill back to dress a healthy back end, only to see star forwards Mark Stone (spleen) and Jack Eichel (knee) leave with significant injuries.

“The good thing about having guys out is your urgency should be there for the rest of the group,” Cassidy reasons. “Listen, we got to get in. We’re not automatic. And you never are in this league. If you have a bad couple of weeks, anything can happen.” 

Marchessault has no interest in sympathy: “I’m not a guy who likes to find excuses.” 

The veteran sounds matter-of-fact when explaining that injuries have been a factor in the slip. The Knights are also sensing that they’re getting the opposition’s best effort on a nightly basis now that they’ve become the measuring stick for team success.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

11. Of all Canadian goaltenders, none has a better save percentage than Adin Hill (.923), Stanley Cup champion.

Despite laying claim to the two most recent Cup-winning goalies, Canada’s greatest roster question heading into the 2026 Winter Games (and the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, for that matter) remains: Who minds the crease?

“I can’t focus on it too much, right? I’m just focused on one game at a time here and rolling,” Hill says. 

“But that would be a dream come true to play for Team Canada in the Olympics. Sadly, the last couple of Olympics, guys haven’t had the opportunity to do that. So, I’d be honoured to represent Team Canada.”

12. Connor McDavid is out here flexing some deadpan humour during a 10-game goal drought. And we’re here for it:

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Kyusung Gong/AP Anaheim Ducks defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin Why the Maple Leafs traded for Ilya Lyubushkin, again Fri, 01 Mar 2024 00:16:29 EST Fri, 01 Mar 2024 15:17:41 EST Luke Fox It’s not perfect, but it’s what they got. And, boy, did they need to go get something.

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TORONTO — The need simply grew too big to ignore.

So desperate had the Toronto Maple Leafs become for a right-shot defenceman that, prior to Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes, Sheldon Keefe had already held discussions behind the scenes about deploying one of the sport’s most elite forwards as a blue liner.

Then once Mark Giordano‘s head crashed into the end-boards during a first-period scoring chance and the veteran needed assistance off the ice from Morgan Rielly and trainer Paul Ayotte, Mitch Marner became the best option to play D.

“We’re in a jam,” the head coach said, multiple times, the morning after the trade market’s No. 1 RD, Chris Tanev, was dealt to a competitor.

Publicly and privately, Keefe had been pleading to Brad Treliving for a righthanded defenceman.

And while the general manager was on the same page, he had been choosing patience.

It wasn’t until after Giordano departed the Coyotes game with a head injury (the severity of which is unknown) and Marner partnered with T.J. Brodie, wondering when to pinch and how big his gaps should be while skating backward, that Treliving made the leap on Feb. 29.

Treliving hopped on the phone with Anaheim Ducks GM Pat Verbeek and secured the services of stay-at-home righty Ilya Lyubushkin at 50 per cent retained in exchange for Toronto’s 2025 third-round draft pick. He also convinced the Carolina Hurricanes to retain an additional 25 per cent of the 29-year-old’s salary for a 2024 sixth-rounder.

The deal fills a gaping immediate hole and widens the growing wasteland that is the Maple Leafs’ draft capital.

Double retention means Lyubushkin will only cost the Leafs $687,500 against the cap. That’s less than the NHL minimum and leaves leftover cash for another addition prior to the March 8 deadline.

Two more picks out the door means the Leafs, barring future moves, won’t select until the fifth round in 2025. But that’s tomorrow’s problem.

The urgency to act today had been mounting, especially after Treliving swung and missed on top target Tanev and, months ago, Nikita Zadorov.

Back in the summer, the executive had stated his intent to bolster his questionable blue line mix. He had called every executive employing a defender who curved his stick the opposite way of Morgan Rielly’s.

Meanwhile, Toronto’s blue line kept getting weaker and more awkward. The absence of righties John Klingberg (season-ending hip surgery), Timothy Liljegren (undisclosed), and Conor Timmins (mono) resulted in this week’s all-lefty defence group.

An imperfect mix of skill sets and handedness that felt destined to get exposed over what is sure to be a gruelling first-round playoff series.

When decent rental defencemen go for second-rounders (minimum), and you weren’t left with one until 2027, and you are reluctant to part with the prospects your opponents actually value (Fraser Minten, Easton Cowan), well, that makes meaningful trades tricky.

“[Treliving] is doing all he can to try to help our team while recognizing, at the same time, that the team has played really well and done a good job,” Keefe said Thursday morning.

“Brodie has been better on the left, but he has played more on the right than anybody on our team. When we have no righties in a jam like this, we have to trust and give these guys a chance to go out and play.”

The return of the six-foot-two, 200-pound Lyubushkin — a.k.a., the “Russian Bear,” as his Leafs teammates affectionately anointed him during his 2022 rental and only NHL playoff taste — should bring a stay-at-home partner for Rielly and permit Brodie to play his natural side once Liljegren (day-to-day) gets healthy.

The pending UFA’s numbers haven’t wowed in Anaheim (four assists, minus-13, 51 PIM), but he’s an established NHL D-man skating more than 17 minutes a night, knocking bodies and blocking pucks. Bonus: His Leafs teammates love his hard-nosed brand of hockey.

The Maple Leafs, now carrying three goalies, must clear a roster spot for Lyubushkin by Friday afternoon, but that may be as simple as placing Giordano on LTIR.

The Boosh is back.

And while it’s a win for Toronto’s blue line balance and cap conservatism, the trade is hardly a blockbuster.

It’s not perfect, but it’s what they got.

And, boy, did they need to go get something.

Fox’s Fast Five

• Though not heavily tested, Joseph Woll was solid in his first NHL action since suffering a high-ankle sprain 84 days ago.

“He got hurt with a certain movement that he has to repeat countless times in a game. That is probably the biggest hurdle for him to get over,” Keefe said.

“Outstanding. He was the difference in the game.”

Woll made 30 saves on 32 shots and looked calm doing so.

“Not really thinking, just playing. That’s something I miss a lot when I’m rehabbing; it’s a lot of focusing, a lot of thinking about how to get back,” Woll said. “Then you get to today and you don’t have to think anymore, which is nice.”

• Keefe earned his 200th win as an NHL coach but wasn’t aware of the milestone until after the buzzer sounded.

“It’s funny. Anytime I see those kinds of things,” Keefe said, “I feel like we should win every game. You show me the 200 wins, you show me our record (200-88-38), I would look at the losses and the overtime losses. Those things drive me crazy.”

• Game 4 hero Alexander Kerfoot had a couple conversations with Treliving before hitting free agency last summer, but when those “didn’t progress to anything tangible,” he signed with Arizona.

“Any time you come back to a place with familiar faces where you spent a lot of time, it brings a little added juice or energy to the game,” said Kerfoot, who spent four years as a Leaf and was a favourite among coaches and teammates. “I’m still good friends with a lot of guys on this team.”

Fellow Vancouverite Rielly, Marner, Brodie and Auston Matthews still stay in touch.

Kerfoot, who scored a shorthanded revenge goal Thursday, caught up with the guys when the Leafs rolled through Scottsdale last week.

“A very popular guy on our team,” Matthews says. “We all love him a lot. It sucks to see guys go, but it’s the business part of the game. Great person and somebody we all look forward to chatting with after the game. He’s been playing really well this year. We’re all really happy for him.” 

• The last time the Coyotes came into Scotiabank Arena and left without a point?

Oct. 17, 2002. The same day Matthew Knies was born in Phoenix, Ariz.

“I had no idea. That’s quite a long time. I feel pretty old,” the 21-year-old said, smiling. “Incredible. That’s a huge coincidence.”

Knies opened the scoring Thursday as the latest beneficiary of a magical Marner moment:

• A smiling Max Domi spoke on serenading Tyler “Hat Trick” Bertuzzi as the linemates walked to the team charter following Saturday’s big win in Denver:

“Me and Bert are so close now. He hates attention, and I just wanted to spotlight him a little bit there. He had such a big day and obviously his birthday. Like, most guys didn’t even know it was his birthday, myself included, until closer to the game because he’s not that guy. He doesn’t want that kind of attention, which I respect so much. And he’s super low-key, just a normal, humble dude. Singing ‘Happy Birthday’ on the tarmac on the way to plane was something [where] he couldn’t shy away from the camera there, so we had some fun with it. That’s just little things we do around to enjoy our long season.” 

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