Comparing Ilya Samsonov to Alek Manoah: Leafs Morning Take

The Toronto Maple Leafs are now 4-0-0 to start 2024.

Blowout victories just hit differently, don’t they? Through an 82-game slate, for a variety of different reasons, you need games like that.

Anthony Stewart filled in for Jay Rosehill on the Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We kicked off the show by discussing the Ilya Samsonov recall. Just 11 days after he was put on waivers, the 26-year-old is back. He didn’t play any games in the AHL. It was a full mental reset. Was this more about Dennis Hildeby, or more about Samsonov? We had a spirited debate.

Presented by Door Dash, for The Appetizer, we dove headfirst in Toronto’s impressive 7-1 victory over San Jose on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena. At this point, it seems more encouraging than normal when the Leafs actually show up against an inferior opponent, never mind when they end up crushing one. There’s no other way to put it: It was a dominant performance. Mitch Marner notched two goals and two assists while William Nylander collected three helpers in his first game since signing his massive $92-million contract extension. Any way you slice it, there’s no question that the Leafs have been trending upward over the past few weeks.

After that, brought to you by Charm Diamond Centres, I got Stewie’s opinion and take on the Nylander extension. As expected, a lot of the focus has turned to how this team will look next season when they have four guys making around $11 million per season or more. And honestly, it’s a fair question. They’ll need to find some diamonds in the rough —that’s for sure.

Jay Rosehill will be back in the mix for the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Leafs/Isles, Ilya Samsonov, and the apparent injury to Matthew Knies will all indisputably be on the agenda.