Dallas Eakins loves the idea of the Leafs bringing in Gary Roberts: Leafs Morning Take
No, Leafs fans shouldn’t feel bad for the Ottawa Senators. A brutal way to lose—twice.
Needless to say, it was another electric night in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which is exactly where the conversation began on Tuesday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take. The Carolina Hurricanes grabbed a 2–0 series lead over the Senators, while the Philadelphia Flyers did the same against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars evened their series with the Minnesota Wild at one, and the Edmonton Oilers struck first against the Anaheim Ducks in a high-scoring affair.
Off the ice, Toronto’s search for a new general manager continues to take shape. According to multiple reports, Boston AGM Evan Gold, Dallas AGM Scott White, and New York Rangers AGM Ryan Martin are among the finalists for the position. At this point, it’s still unclear whether a president role will be part of the new management structure. Additionally, Gary Roberts’ name is now being floated for a potential role in the organization. Naturally, we talked about the idea of bringing in someone like Roberts, who has a fantastic reputation. He’s 59, and still an absolute beast in the gym.
After that, Adler Mannheim GM and head coach Dallas Eakins stopped by to weigh in on everything. The former Toronto staffer voiced strong support for the idea of bringing in Gary Roberts, citing his ability to instill culture and leadership, while also admitting he’s been surprised by how things have unfolded under Craig Berube—despite being a big believer in him. Eakins emphasized that one voice isn’t enough, pointing to the Carolina Hurricanes and Rod Brind’Amour as the gold standard for organizational culture. He also weighed in on the decision to send Easton Cowan to the Toronto Marlies for the Calder Cup Playoffs—fully endorsing the move—and touched on Cowan’s development, including the confidence gained from his run-in with Radko Gudas. Eakins wrapped by outlining how Toronto can get things back on track and threw his support behind a dual leadership model featuring both a president and a general manager.
David Pagnotta will be in for Jay Rosehill on the Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Please make a note to drop by as Pagnotta will divulge the latest on the GM search. Also, hear from Easton Cowan ahead of the start of the Calder Cup Playoffs.