Ray Ferraro offers sobering take on Leafs’ future direction: Leafs Morning Take
Lo and behold, Mitch Marner is now just three wins away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.
In short order, the hockey world learned that the Western Conference Final won’t be a cakewalk for Colorado. Marner picked up an assist as the Golden Knights grabbed Game 1 in Denver with a 4-2 victory.
That’s where the conversation kicked off on the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We also touched on John Tortorella and Carter Hart before diving into a sluggish start for Colorado, who were without Cale Makar. The early read on his injury situation doesn’t look promising. From there, we previewed the series opener between Carolina and Montreal. The Hurricanes have been off for 12 days, while the Canadiens are coming off yet another Game 7 thriller, setting up a fascinating contrast in momentum versus rest. Ultimately, goaltending will be the X-factor in the series, with two Conn Smythe candidates squaring off as Frederik Andersen takes on Jakub Dobes.
Additionally, we talked some Marlies a bit, too. Despite another strong outing from Artur Akhtyamov, the Marlies fell 4-0 in Game 3 against Cleveland. Toronto trails the series 2-1. They need to win Game 4 on Friday night to set up a fifth and deciding game in the North Division Final.
Moving things along, former NHLer and analyst Ray Ferraro stopped by to discuss a range of playoff and Leafs topics, including Marner’s standout postseason in Vegas. Ferraro broke down what’s changed in Marner’s game since leaving the Leafs and weighed in on the Golden Knights’ playoff run. The conversation then shifted to Toronto’s coaching search, where Ferraro mentioned Jay Woodcroft as a sensible potential fit, before delivering a blunt assessment of the Leafs’ overall direction. He questioned whether the team is truly close to contention and suggested that a more patient, long-term approach may ultimately be required.
Coming up on the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take, we’ll recap Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final and preview Game of the Western Conference Final. Plus, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio host Steve Kouleas is scheduled to drop by the show once again.