Meantime, Steve Yzerman is OUT as Red Wings GM. The timing is certainly strange —it’s July 15. At this point, it’s fair to say the “Yzerplan” in Detroit didn’t deliver the results many expected. Naturally, on a Leafs podcast, it got us wondering: if this had happened during Toronto’s GM search, would it have changed the conversation? Could Yzerman have been a legitimate candidate for the Leafs?

Additionally, we discussed Macklin Celebrini becoming the cover athlete for EA Sports NHL 27. Naturally, the conversation shifted to what his next contract could look like. Did Leo Carlsson’s deal just change the contract landscape in the NHL? It certainly feels like it may have.

In the least surprising news, Brandon Pridham is off to Pittsburgh to reunite with Kyle Dubas. His new title is Hockey Operations Consultant. Once Vukie Mpofu left the Penguins for Nashville, it felt like Pridham was destined to land in Pittsburgh. We even joked about what a Penguins Morning Take would sound like, considering how many former Maple Leafs front office members Dubas has brought over. With that in mind, we also dissected the Evan Gold rumour. According to The Boston Globe’s Kevin Dupont, with Gold departing the Bruins’ front office, he’s heard hints that the Toronto native could be headed to the Maple Leafs. We’ll see if anything comes of it.

After that, former NHL goaltender and longtime NHL analyst Darren Pang stopped by. Firstly, Pang confirmed he’ll join John Buccigross as the new broadcast team for EA Sports NHL 27 before weighing in on Toronto’s offseason, praising the additions of Darren Raddysh and Sergei Bobrovsky. He also shared his thoughts on the hiring of John Chayka as Maple Leafs GM, admitting he was surprised by the choice but believes Chayka deserves a fair opportunity to prove himself in his second chance as an NHL general manager.

Catch the next summer episode of Leafs Morning Take on Friday at 11 AM e.t.