I Screamed at the Leafs—Now Let’s Talk Solutions

Can I act like a two-year-old for 5-10 minutes? I just wanna go downstairs and fall on the floor and yell and scream obscenities. It doesn’t even have to be coherent. It was just so satisfying to let the Toronto Maple Leafs have it.

Now, back to being an adult

Now that my tantrum is over, how can the Maples fix this? It can’t be a total rebuild. We have a schedule on our hands. We have to fix this as soon as possible. A rebuild now is not acceptable.

The players who will probably go

Bobby McMann and Scotty Laughton. These two are probably the two most valuable assets the Leafs have. Both of their contracts expire at the end of the season, and they become UFAs. In a perfect world, Bobby should get a first-round pick and return as part of a package. Scotty, on the other hand, could get a B+ prospect. Another pick up if we are lucky.

The players they will try to move

Morgan, Riley, and Anthony Stolarz fit this route. I do not think they will ever be able to trade either of them, simply because of mathematics. The salary hit is too much, but I’m not sure any team can fit them in. Morgan has a $7.5 million cap hit. Anthony just signed a four-year deal worth $3.75 million, which kicks in next season. Anthony just signed a four-year deal worth $3.75 million, which kicks in next season. I have a hard time believing Toronto can find a new home for him with that term.

The ones who will go if there are offers

Calle Jarnkrok

Calle is a good fourth-line forward who is willing to get his nose dirty. If you need a momentum change on a good hit, he is your man. He’s an option for any team in the league for the penalty kill or a fourth-line forward when you need a spark plug.

Simon Benoit

Simon is a stay-at-home defenceman, a left-hander who would help any team in the league. He is a good third-pairing defenceman who can kill penalties. He may not get many points, but that isn’t why he’s on this team. He is a reliable defenseman.

Final Word

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be sellers; it just remains to be seen how much they will sell. They are desperately trying to get a first-round pick in the 2026 draft. If not the 2026 draft, they will try to get an extra pick in the 2027 draft. Some extra prospects won’t hurt them either. I don’t think they will do a full rebuild; I think a retool is the route they will go.

Randy 

The Islanders Are Playing for One Thing Only

Seriously, I love the Islanders fans’ attitude: “It’s all about the cup.” Who can blame them? There seems to be a different hero every night. For example, against the Montréal Canadiens, it was the old, familiar, but young Schaffer.

Most nights, the old reliable goaltender is the star of the team. Ilya Sorokin. The Vezna candidate goalie has been outstanding this season. After his game starts, I’m thinking he can’t get any better than this. Until the next night—how is he even better than the previous night?

Where are all the haters of Lee and Pageau?

That question was quoted word-for-word from my source, Paul Kreischer of Isles Talk. Paul took this question even further. He continues, “Does anybody want to trade Lee and Pageau now?” Would the Islanders be moving up the ladder at this pace without these two players in the lineup? The question is easily answered with a big negative.

There’s no way the New York Islanders are going anywhere without the progress of Lee and Pageau, and both have been enormous of late. You can reach Paul on Twitter @P_Kreischer or, of course, @IslesTalk.  

Do the Islanders need a new backup goalie?

This is a question, not an accusation. I am wondering out loud. Would the New York Islanders look at another backup goalie?

Big Save Dave has struggled in his last two starts. Am I making a mountain out of a molehill? Every goalie goes through a couple of bad starts, so it’s nothing. The biggest name on the market seems to be out of Toronto, but there’s no way the New York Islanders will go after Stolartz. Another team with several goalies is Buffalo. Could the New York Islanders pry one out of them?

Final word

My blogging hat has been taken off. This final word is written as a fan: It’s all about the cup; that’s all that matters. If it means New York will be near the Stanley Cup final. It’s time to go all in.

Randy