OFFSIDE HOCKEY TALK (aka James from Offside)

Poisoned Well - Maple Leafs Locked Down (Let's Go @MapleLeafs fans lets have a chat) #LeafsForever x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

@mcclusk Cannot wait for next season lots of positives

Man…. It was an awful season for the Leafs, but we’ve had a good couple of months. Let’s gooo.

@HayesTSN Baby Vas. TM #Leafsforever

Akhtyamov wins Calder Cup MVP. How many starts for the Leafs next season?

THEY DID THE DAMN THING !!! Champions !!! Werreeeooooooooooooiooooo @TorontoMarlies

Pride of Nova Scotia QUILLAN !!! #leafsforever @marlies

John Chayka’s media availability today for the Darren Raddysh acquisition was his best to date. 10/10.

Basically falls under the anyone can be traded category but weren’t not looking to trade him unless it’s an insane offer, they’ve told Knies this as well

Totally Radd 🔷

@jtbourne @_NickRichard Could be a little column and a little column B #Leafsforever

Wry curious if TB said “not gonna be able to get this guy signed, let’s see if we can get a pick for him,” or Toronto said “it’ll be a bidding war on the open market, let’s see if we can’t get him before he gets there.”

Can confirm the #leafa have acquired Darren Raddysh in a sign and trade with Tampa.

Late-night news: Don’t expect this to be finalized until the morning, but there is word the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are working on a sign-and-trade for Darren Raddysh. The 30-year-old defenceman had a breakthrough 2025-26 with 22 goals and 70 points

If Mr. @DaveAMcCarthy leans into the insider role I hope we get “Breaking From Estate” when news roles in. Cheers good sir

@TicTacTOmar Not a bad choice

Bo Groulx, it’s time to win the Calder Cup

@P_A_double_P @TorontoMarlies @MapleLeafs Like the call Ed !! Watch it be Pezetta

@OFFSIDETALK @TorontoMarlies @MapleLeafs I’m going with Letteri or Cowboy

I think it’s Cowboy or Quillan who will win for the @TorontoMarlies what do you think ?! #Marlies #Mapleleafs #Leafsforever #NHL @MapleLeafs

It feels like a championship kinda night eh @TorontoMarlies

Just thinking maybe the Leafs shouldn’t trade a 23-year-old, 6’3”, 230-pound power forward with a good AAV with term

@JeffVeillette It is absolutely funny when access is blocked how Poison the Well becomes towards the Maple leafs

League mortified, outraged by Leafs changing the trade difficulty setting from Easy to Medium

Thoughts on Jim Hiller… Bruce Cassidy has Stanley Cup pedigree. Joe Pavelski is a beloved, recently retired player with parallels to Martin St. Louis. David Carle is an up-and-coming, next gen coach who has been dominating the college ranks. Patrick Roy’s an experienced hall of famer with a larger than life personality. People found some reason to get excited about every candidate that emerged - albeit, entirely different reasons for each candidate. The feel-good narrative behind Jim Hiller doesn’t come as naturally. No low hanging fruit. That being said, most of the basis hype around a lot of the other candidates was largely superficial and irrelevant to their chance at success. I’ve never seen so much advocacy for multiple coaching candidates who don’t have a single game behind an NHL bench under their belt. The first thing that jumps out with Jim Hiller is that he’s been here before. In Toronto, that is. He knows Toronto’s best players. And they know him. Safe to assume these relationships worked in Hiller’s favour. Second is his experience. He’s been coaching ever since he stopped playing - well over 20 years, more than half of that in the NHL. Third, he’s not married to a system or style of play. He said as much in his presser. He plans to be versatile and calibrate to the team’s strengths. He plans to experiment. Right out of the gate, he’s alleviated concerns about square pegs and round holes. I haven’t followed Hiller closely in LA or anywhere else. I’ve got a lot of reading, watching, and all-around catching up to do. As it stands, I can’t tell you Hiller’s the guy. I can’t tell you he was the best available choice. I can’t tell you he wasn’t, either. I can only tell you that I’m very intrigued to see him emerge as the successful candidate from a deep pool of talent - Chayka & Sundin had some excellent options - and also that it seems he’s brought in with support from Matthews & Nylander, who know him well. Omission of Rielly is deliberate - not sure where he stands in the org at the moment. Don’t knock the hire just because you don’t understand it or because it seems easier to knock than to support, simply because he’s not the sexy hire. I’ve seen quite a few negative, impulse reactions. Toronto’s chased the sexy hire for years. It feels like this time, they’re serious about vetting for wife material. This much, I support. More to come.

Man oh man does well feel poisoned … let’s chat @MapleLeafs fans pull up a chair it feels like it’s been #Leafsforever since we’ve checked in Brought to you by @boxingrockbeer @FreshPrintsHFX