Leafs Talk

19 Apr 2026 15:00:06
The Leafs should interview "Joe McDonnell" for GM. He has been the Dallas Stars director of scouting since 2013 and knows how to find talent. If the draft is successful to keep the pick do what is possible to land "Chase Reid". A great skater, first pass, PP, PK, and size.

Do this thing proper and please make a decision on two goalies before the summer. I like the idea of adding Robertson in free agency. No more trading first or second rounders or adding first or second rounders to get a player out. This turn around could take two years.

19 Apr 2026 16:14:58
McDonnell has a great resume in the amateur scouting ranks. But for GM, we need to be aiming higher, not just with Dallas but any organization. You need to be looking at Director of Player Personnel or Assistant GMs. They are the guys who the scouts ultimately give their player assessments to, and of course then those people work together at that point with the GM.

Director of Player Personnel and assistant GMs actually are in the loop and on a first-name basis with every other person in the league in those positions, as well as the GMs. As I said, he has a great amateur scouting resume but is not experienced enough at the higher level to consider.

19 Apr 2026 04:28:36
Hard to read the insane trade props on here that bought into the moron Pelley retool program.

But then again all you long suffering leaf fanatics hold onto any dream that implies success.

Mediocre leadership at the top.
Berube lost the room in December.
Trying to make crash and bangers out of finesse players.
Teamwork is non existent.
Culture is below sea level.


Yup.
Let’s retool!!!!

17 Apr 2026 23:24:18
So with Calgary possessing Picks 34 and 35. Does anyone else think they are going to take Liam and Markus Ruck together? They may not be as elite as the Sedins, but they still have a chemistry together as shown by them finishing 1st and 2nd in the WHL this year in scoring.

18 Apr 2026 03:54:57
I would agree, but I think one of them goes earlier. Both look like late round steals (potentially) for a team with the 26+ pick or in there of.

If I were to bet, I'd say the Nucks might move into a position to take both in order to try and sell this as a Sedin twins situation to fans.

18 Apr 2026 04:01:49
The odds of them going back to back to the same team is highly unlikely. Impossible? No. But highly unlikely.

18 Apr 2026 10:40:21
Yes, one of them is ranked ahead of the other one. Only reason I think Calgary has a shot is because most scouts' consensus that they are very, very good players together but everyone feels they would only be average apart. Most feel that their agent is going to let teams know they would prefer to be on the same team. That might ward off teams separating them.

I also think the pressure of being compared in Vancouver to the Seduns would be immense. Calgary is a good fit also not only because of the back to back draft pick scenario but because their line mate in Medicine Hat who they also have great chemistry with is Andrew Basha who is Calgary property (2nd round pick in 2024). It should be an interesting side story for the draft day.

17 Apr 2026 00:39:09
I’m calling it right now Leafs hire Giilis Berube and staff stay nothing changes next year.

17 Apr 2026 17:15:39
I'm not so sure on Berube. If Pelley is saying more analytics and AI, I don't see Berube as the guy that will want to be guided by that.

17 Apr 2026 19:15:32
@RLF Then why is he still employed is my question. I’m telling you Berube will be here.

17 Apr 2026 19:39:43
Goat. Ok, relax. lol
Why would they fire him before they hire the new GM and possible president? Who is going to hire the new coach if they fire him now? Pelley, the non-hockey guy.
They are going to have to pay him either way. Plus, other coaches can still get fired after the playoffs and they may want to wait and see what shakes loose.

Maybe the have a replacement in mind, but he is still under contract somewhere else.
That's just a few reasons for maybe why he is still employed.

18 Apr 2026 11:35:58
@RLF Well I would point to Tree when he came in he held onto Keefe and used him as a scape goat when they failed pretty much what every media person is saying, if the Leafs are not playing till next September why do you need a coach in place? I guess for me I’d want to take away the bullet of “I just got here and I want to evaluate everything”.

18 Apr 2026 14:08:44
I'm not saying there is no chance he stays. I said he doesn't seen like the coach that aligns with what Pelley says he wants the team to focus on. As for Tree and Keefe, I think you know that is a completely different situation then where they are now.

12 Apr 2026 14:13:05
So after last night if things don't change we would finish 5th worst so heading into the draft lottery we would be picking 5th if.... and it's a big if we don't draft higher or the worst thing, we get bumped by one or two teams out of the top 5 and lose that pick to Boston.

Say nothing changes.... I am sure everyone will have a ton of conflicting choices for their picks for our 1st and our next pick which is a 3rd rounder at 69th. I will list my two picks and reasonning and see who everyone else comes up with and why?

If we picked 5th I would pick Maholtra hands down. I know there is a lot of D-men available, but we also need to get depth at Centre and quickly and he is hands down the best Centre available. We do have Danford and Chadwick and possibly Villeneuve in the pipeline.

Then with the 3rd round pick I look at a sleeper that is ranked 74th a very good overage draft elegible offensive defenseman who also showed at the WJC's that he is in the same class and caliber of the rest of the class and those already drafted and... he is also very good defensively.

12 Apr 2026 14:31:47
Sorry, never got to finish the post. Someone came to the door. The player I was referring to for Leafs 3rd round pick is Ethan McKenzie.

13 Apr 2026 16:37:12
Don’t forget what right now looks as though we will get L. A.’s 2nd round pick from the Laughton trade. They look like they will make the playoffs so the 3rd becomes the 2nd. 🤞

13 Apr 2026 17:36:25
Yep. But I never count those Chickens before they are hatched.

11 Apr 2026 15:23:55
I see the Leafs and the Devils have both asked and been given to talk to Sunny Mehta, the Assistant GM in Florida. If the Leafs hired him, they should try and convince Brent Burns to sign for one year and finish his career in Toronto.

Then you would have 2 of the most interesting men in the world with the Leafs as a GM and a player. Sunny Mehta truly is a very interesting dude. Watched an interview with him on HNIC Punjabi and what a genuine breath of fresh air.

11 Apr 2026 23:24:45
I want to see a good hockey guy get the GM job, believes in hard nose hockey. Stop hiring these lawyers to run a man’s team in the toughest sport out there.

12 Apr 2026 14:34:26
Mehtra recognizes that type of team you are referring to, Clarky. It was his analytics that transformed much of that Panther team into a hard nosed team. Paul Maurice speaks extremely high of him.

12 Apr 2026 18:22:54
Also not that big a fan of analytics. We need personality, character and heart. Where are those traits under the analytics section? Let Sunny be president and get a hockey guy as GM.

12 Apr 2026 18:38:25
What kind of hockey guy do you mean? What type of past GM we have had here would be a good comparison for us to look for?