Ryan Whitney offers up a ringing endorsement for both Simon Benoit & Chris Tanev: Leafs Morning Take

The Leafs held their annual practice at Nathan Phillips Square on Thursday.

Speaking of which, Toronto’s overdue for an outdoor game soon, aren’t they?

T-minus 28 days until the trade deadline. We kicked off the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take by discussing the rumour mill and how crazy things tend to get on social media this time of year. Everyone and their mother has a trade proposal to improve the Leafs roster, but unfortunately, none of them are ever remotely close to being fair value offers.

Presented by Door Dash, The Appetizer focused on the latest news and notes surrounding the team. Firstly, we commented quickly on the $5K fine that the NHL handed to Dallas’ Mason Marchment. That’s essentially admittance that they got the call wrong, right? After that, we got into the outdoor practice —Rosey shared some of his memories from taking part in that as a Maple Leaf.

Next, courtesy of BATL Axe, former NHLer and current co-host of the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast Ryan Whitney made his first ever appearance on the show. In case you’re not familiar with the brand, one of Whit’s notorious shticks is hating on the Toronto Maple Leafs. As expected, the 40-year-old was very candid with his assessment of the team. Unsurprisingly, he did not hold back.

 

Lastly, thanks to the Wendy’s Daily Faceoff Survivor, we previewed the fourth and final instalment of the Battle of Ontario. Going into Saturday night’s contest in Kanata, the Leafs are 1-2-0 against their provincial counterparts so far this season. They better come ready to play. Even though they’re not making the playoffs, Ottawa’s lost just once in regulation in its past eight outings. Additionally, we also discussed Rasmus Ristolainen —the latest blue liner to be connected to the Maple Leafs on the trade market. Wacky SZN is here.

 

Coming up on Monday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take (11 AM ET), we’ll recap this weekend’s festivities plus look ahead to Toronto’s three game homestand against St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Anaheim.