Colby Armstrong says there’s just something about the Leafs/Habs rivalry that hits differently: Leafs Morning Take

The big day is finally here.

After yet another long summer in Leafs Nation, the Maple Leafs are set to kick off their 2023-24 regular season slate at home against the Montreal Canadiens. By my math, this will be the fourth consecutive season opener against the Habs, and quite frankly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

We kicked off the Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take by dissecting Connor Bedard’s NHL debut. Most importantly, the kid went no bucket for warmees, which in this era, will cost someone $2500 in fines. Uh, there’s no way he’s paying that, right? Also, tough start to the Kyle Dubas era in Pittsburgh, eh? Sorry, had to throw that in there.

After that, we got into Leafs/Habs. Another chapter of the storied rivalry is set for liftoff Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena. Speaking of which, we thought it was only fitting to get someone who’s played for both franchises to offer up a unique perspective on the matter. That’s right, Jay Rosehill’s former teammate Colby Armstrong, who’s now covering the Penguins, among other broadcast ventures, stopped by to talk Connor Bedard, and also his days playing for both Toronto and Montreal. The dude’s a riot.

 

Also, courtesy our new friends over at Covered Bridge Potato Chips, we highlighted two players to watch this week for the Maple Leafs. I went with Ilya Samsonov and Rosey went with Matthew Knies.

Lastly, we touched quickly on Noah Gregor, who signed a well-deserved one-year deal with Toronto on Tuesday. As we talked about on Tuesday, there’s no question Gregor made Sam Lafferty expendable —in a hurry.

Join us on Thursday at 11 AM ET as we overreact – one way or another – about the season opener.