Frederik Andersen and Mitch Marner are set to square off in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
That’s where the conversation started on a jam-packed Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take as Carolina prepares to host Vegas for Game 1 on Tuesday night.
While it’s been a bit of a strange feeling watching a postseason without the Maple Leafs, it’s hard not to appreciate the journey these two teams have taken to get here. Simply put, both clubs have earned their spot on hockey’s biggest stage. On one side, you have the Golden Knights, who are coming off a stunning sweep of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche. Since John Tortorella took over behind the bench with eight games remaining in the regular season, Vegas has gone an eye-popping 19-4-1. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have steamrolled their way through the Eastern Conference. Carolina enters the Stanley Cup Final with a remarkable 12-1 playoff record after dispatching Montreal in five games, punctuated by a dominant 6-1 victory in Game 5 on Friday night.
Meantime, in these parts, the Toronto Marlies are just two wins away from advancing to the Calder Cup Final. We discussed Artur Akhtyamov’s continued brilliance as the Marlies look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when they host Game 3 on Monday night. We gave a shoutout to Kitchener, too, who won the Memorial Cup on Sunday night in Kelowna.
As mentioned, we covered a wide range of topics.
First, we discussed David Carle. Sunday was a wild day on X. After reports surfaced that the Maple Leafs were zeroing in on Carle as their next head coach, that dream was quickly extinguished. It sounds like Carle isn’t leaving Denver for any job at the moment. We also examined where the Leafs’ coaching search currently stands and which candidates could make sense for the role.
On Monday morning, the Leafs officially hired Judd Brackett as assistant general manager, player evaluation, and Freddie Hamilton as chief of staff. Notably, Freddie is the brother of Dougie Hamilton, whom the Leafs were linked to in trade speculation this past season. Brackett joins Toronto from Minnesota, where he served as director of amateur scouting. As expected, John Chayka is beginning to put his stamp on the front office. In recent weeks, Shane Doan, Brandon Pridham, and Derek Clancey have all departed the organization.
With the IIHF World Championship now complete, expect Morgan Rielly’s name to surface more frequently in trade discussions. By all accounts, the Leafs and Rielly are expected to work together on finding him a fresh start. It doesn’t sound like his no-movement clause will be a significant obstacle. At this point, there’s a growing sense that Rielly has played his final game as a Leaf, but we’ll see how things unfold.
Lastly, we revisited Max Domi following reporting from Steve Simmons over the weekend. According to Simmons, Domi underwent back surgery and later experienced complications related to the procedure. We wish Max all the best in his recovery during what is undoubtedly a difficult time.