Steven Ellis thinks the Leafs should take Gavin McKenna first overall: Leafs Morning Take
Say it isn’t so — the Montreal Canadiens are on the brink of elimination.
In short order, the Carolina Hurricanes have seized full control of the Eastern Conference Final.
That’s where the conversation started on the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take. With one more victory, Rod Brind’Amour and company can punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final, where the Vegas Golden Knights are patiently waiting. Any way you slice it, the Cup Final is slating to be a good one. Imagine Mitch Marner taking on Frederik Andersen? It always comes back to the Leafs, right?
Meantime, how about those Toronto Marlies? Logan Shaw notched a goal and an assist, while both Easton Cowan and William Villeneuve found the back of the net as the Marlies doubled up Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4-2 to draw first blood in the Calder Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Final. Artur Akhtyamov was stellar once again, turning aside 34 shots. Game 2 goes Friday night in Pennsylvania.
After that, we dissected the latest surrounding the Maple Leafs’ coaching search. Pagnotta revealed that Jay Woodcroft appears to be a very serious candidate for the position and is expected to interview with Toronto. Additionally, the conversation touched on other names potentially on the radar, including Jay McKee, Jay Leach, and Manny Malhotra. The guys also discussed David Carle, with Pagnotta reiterating that he still believes it’s unlikely the highly coveted coach ultimately lands with the Leafs.
Meantime, Daily Faceoff Prospect Analyst Steven Ellis stopped by to break down his latest top 100 NHL Draft rankings and why he believes Gavin McKenna should still be Toronto’s pick first overall despite Ivar Stenberg’s impressive World Championship performance. Ellis weighed the pros and cons between the two prospects, discussed what makes McKenna such a special talent, and what Leafs fans could expect from him right away at the NHL level. Additionally, the conversation touched on Leafs prospect Tinus Luc Koblar, the strong play of Easton Cowan and Ben Danford with the Marlies, and Toronto’s future in goal featuring Artur Akhtyamov and Dennis Hildeby.
Talk on Friday at 11 AM ET!