It was an eventful weekend – on and off the ice – for the Maple Leafs.

So. Many. Layers.

At any rate, the stretch drive to the Stanley Cup Playoffs is here.

Having said all that, you already know where the conversation started on the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We spent about 10 minutes breaking down all the Marner hoopla from over the weekend. According to multiple reports, the Leafs offered up their All-Star in a deal for Mikko Rantanen. That said, Marner chose not to waive his no-trade clause. On top of that, it came out that Marner’s open to testing free agency this summer. This should be fun to document over the next few months.

Thanks to Tim Hortons, we broke down Saturday night’s 7-4 loss in Denver. Most importantly, Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton made their Leafs debuts. All in all, it was a rocky night defensively for Craig Berube’s squad. Toronto’s played two home games in the past 42 days. That’s ridiculous! On the heels of all the trade talk, Marner was Toronto’s best player potted two goals. John Tavares scored twice as well. Meantime, it was a rare off-night for Anthony Stolarz, who was beaten five times on 27 shots on goal. Auston Matthews tallied three apples to extend his point streak to 12 games.

Brought to you by GRETA BAR YYZ, Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere joined us to break down Friday’s trade with Toronto. He discussed how the deal came together, why he made the trade, and what the Leafs are getting in Laughton. Additionally, Briere chimed in Nikita Grebenkin, the prospect Toronto traded to Philadelphia in the deal.

To wrap, we previewed Toronto’s first ever visit to Utah. It’s expected Joseph Woll will get the call while Chris Tanev projects to miss his sixth straight game. Meantime, judging by the lines at practice on Monday, Bobbby McMann will skate with Tavares and Nylander and Holmberg will go with Laughton and Max Domi. The Leafs have dropped three in a row.

Join us on the Tuesday at 11 AM for a full recap of Leafs/Utah. Talk then!

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