David Pereira

Don't let your children grow up to be Leafs fans. They don't deserve the suffering. #leafs djp55.medium.com/a-fathers-stru…

@mirtle How would you grade the media's performance at the presser yesterday?

We will have a new podcast later this morning. Feel free to drop some questions here over the next hour.

Column: John Chayka has a divisive reputation. Can he and the Maple Leafs overcome it? nytimes.com/athletic/72539…

@KPapetti All of this IS THE REASON he's not going in the top 45. Apparently he interviewed like a guy who would build a shrine for himself.

All of this to not even go top 45

@APetrielli Benny is leader in the clubhouse for the Conn Smythe.

How did I not pick Benoit? Playoff Benoit is real.

Tavares #OTPick

@APetrielli I agree with your point on Nylander getting more active in post-whistle scrums. It's nice to see that he's not backing away from the playoff-style fracas that our stars historically skate away from.

New Leafs Notebook - 12 games to go, and it's all there for the taking as the top Atlantic teams all middle through March. Plus Notes, Quotes, Tweets and 5 Things on special teams play, including PP hope, new players adjusting, plus tweaking deployments: mapleleafshotstove.com/2025/03/24/tor…

@KPapetti Packing.

What exactly was Max Domi doing there?

Marner playing OT in a series finale in Boston Garden. I feel sick. #FourNations

This field is so patchy. It should have gotten a Brazilian treatment. #NFL #FlyEaglesFly

@penguins I'm looking forward to The Athletic article where they break down whether Clark was good at his job. I can't think of many Leaf lottery tickets (picked in the 3rd round or later) that made the show and had impact.

The Penguins have named Wes Clark Vice President of Player Personnel. Clark will oversee the club’s amateur, professional and college/European free agent scouting departments and will report directly to Kyle Dubas. Details: pens.pe/3RZb5lM

@JoshuaHowsam This sounds like the ultimate reverse jinx. I respect it.

Hoornstra today:

@OTerrifying Wankerman

In every game Reaves has fought, Matthews has gone on to score multiple goals. #LeafsForever    #causation

@jonassiegel In every game Reaves has fought, Matthews has gone on to score multiple goals. #LeafsForever    #causation

Auston Matthews has scored five of the Leafs’ first seven goals this season. (He’s now being credited with the Leafs’ second goal tonight, in addition to the first.)

This is incredible. A Wisconsin bar offered free drinks if the Jets lost. After Rodgers went down, they started running up their tabs. The news was live when the jets won in overtime and everyone realized they had to pay.

@ManiaWP @gordoMG People don't want to have to come to or leave casinos with a large sum of money on a regular basis. Personal security risk.

@gordoMG Can someone explain to me the point in these security boxes? Why don’t people cash their chips rather than store them?

Sorry about the radio silence on this since it happened. I had been foolishly optimistic that I would be compensated by Bellagio for the loss and didn’t want to step on my own feet. Officially now, I will not be compensated for the contents of my box. 1/2

@mcclusk If JT were a FA today, would you sign him to a 2yr-$22M contract? I wouldn't because NHL players who get over $10M are superstars in today's NHL and JT's overall counting stats and underlying data clearly indicate he is not in that tier.

John Tavares is 90th all time in points per game, 91st all time in goals per game and 84th all time in goals scored at 32 years old. He is currently tied in goals with guaranteed hall-of-famer Patrice Bergeron, who is 5 years older and has played 265 more games. There were only 9 players active this year who have more career goals than John Tavares. Nobody ahead of him all-time is younger. If he scores an average of only 15 goals through another 5 seasons, he will break the 500 goal mark and the top 50 all-time. If plays another 5 seasons at his career average pace, he has a real shot at 600 and top 20 all time. “An average 1C at best.” I must regrettably conclude you have no idea what you’re talking about.

@BSMotorCity I asked Stevie-Y Why you gonna cry He said Funky Cold Zadina

Filip Zadina on waivers

@FriedgeHNIC I asked Stevie-Y Why you gonna cry He said Funky Cold Zadina

Detroit has put Filip Zadina on waivers

@mcclusk This actually made me feel better. Thank you.

My thoughts on Ryan Reaves. Allow me to be blunt: Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have been getting absolutely bitched around. We've seen how they respond to being grabbed by the collar. We've seen how they respond to being jabbed in the face. We've seen them skate away from scrums while their teammates remain in the thick of it. It seems to be getting worse the older they get, or at least, the deeper they go into the playoffs. Worst of all, it seems to be affecting their game. Not every team needs a Ryan Reaves, but if there's a team that does, it's the Toronto Maple Leafs. There are a lot of great teams who don't have this dilemma with their stars. Mark Stone? He'll defend himself. So will Crosby. So will Malkin. So will Bergeron, Marchand, and even Pastrnak. So will Stamkos. So will Point. So will Kucherov. When push comes to shove, so will Hedman. So will MacKinnon. So will Landeskog. Matthews and Marner will not. Not ever. Not even if there's a fire. Many will argue they shouldn't have to - that stars shouldn't have to fight, that it takes away from the game. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, it doesn't change the undeniable reality that standing up for yourself is still very important in the NHL. It's a tough game with an element of violence and intimidation is a critical factor. So is comradery. Even if you don't fight, you have to be willing to push back. You have to be willing to stand your ground. You have to be willing to stick up for your teammates. You have to be willing to lock up with a player and take a tumble to the ice every once in a while. The league is riddled bullies. You can't let them take your lunch money or they'll be back again tomorrow. You can't let them take your brother's, either. With any luck, Reaves will toughen the roster up a little bit in practice and show the boys how to hold their own if they're ever forced to square out. More importantly, though, adding Reaves reduces the chance that they'll ever be put in such precarious situations in the first place. Reaves is not just a fighter - he wasn't even in the top 10 in fighting majors last season. He's a deterrent. He's certified rat poison. Before adding Luke Schenn at the trade deadline, it was unclear who was supposed to answer the bell in the wake of a dirty play. Schenn, by the way, is not a true enforcer. He's just a good, strong lad who has always been willing to stand up for himself and his teammates. With Ryan Reaves on the bench, nobody has to wonder any longer - not the Leafs, and not their opponent. Everybody is acutely aware that every game is being supervised. I've seen a lot of criticism over signing Reaves to a 3-year deal due to his age (36). Even if Reaves were to fall off completely, I've read his contract allows him to retire without a cap penalty, or alternatively, ~$1.1m of his ~1.3m AAV can be buried by sending him down. The cap risk is incredibly low and this should be quickly put to rest as a talking point. Many have also pointed out that we had an enforcer in Wayne Simmonds and he barely played. "Why sign a guy like Reaves who won't even play in the playoffs?", I've read. Well, did you know Ryan Reaves has played 83 playoff games with 4 different teams since 2017? Did you know there are only 18 players who have played in more playoff games during this timeframe - 11 of which played for Tampa Bay? Did you know that no player has more hits in the playoffs during this timeframe? Did you know that outside of his rookie season, Ryan Reaves has played in the playoffs every single year, averaging 9 playoff games a season? As far as the Simmonds comparisons go, I love Wayne. Anybody bashing Wayne to make an argument for why they prefer Reaves is a fool - Wayne is unique and special in his own right. In his prime, Wayne brought a lot of speed and skill that Reaves never offered, but as an enforcer, there is a significant delta between Reaves and Simmonds - it's about 40 pounds and the fear of God. You might also be surprised to learn that Ryan Reaves is generally a disciplined player. He doesn't often hurt you by putting your team on the PK. Last season, Reaves had a total of 43 penalty minutes in 73 games - 35 of which were fighting majors. Comparatively, Wayne Simmonds had 49 penalty minutes in 18 games, only 15 of which were for fighting. There's a lot to like about this signing, but make no mistake - Ryan Reaves is not the answer for the Leafs. He's merely a piece of the puzzle. He addresses one of many needs. He, alone, will not change everything, and at $1.3m a year, we'd be silly to expect him to. Many of you have been calling for change, though. Undeniably, Ryan Reaves does represent change. Undeniably, he does address a deficit. He does bring a new dynamic to the club. He's a specialist, an all-time great heavyweight enforcer, a legend, and I'd bet the house he'll be a fan favourite before the season opener is over. I'd bet the house he's a team favourite already. #LeafsForever

@LeafsNews @AlexDrain_NHL Excellent read! The sky is NOT falling, even though the chaos of the last week isn't ideal.

Is the sky really falling in Leafland? A deep dive on the Dubas-Shanahan breakup and where the organization could go from here via @AlexDrain_NHL 👇 buff.ly/3Mo9baJ #LeafsForever

@KPapetti This makes me really sad. He was by far the best GM we've had in ages...and by all accounts is a really good dude.

The playoff success never quite came, but Kyle Dubas was the Leafs best General Manager in quite some time. I hope that taking a break from hockey ends up being just what he needed.