Two games in, the Stanley Cup Final rematch certainly has lived up to expectation.

It’s been an incredible series thus far.

We kicked off the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take by giving our thoughts on what’s transpired thus far. Most importantly, we talked about the importance of a veteran presence on winning teams. Everywhere you look in the Stanley Cup Final, it’s been a veteran player making a big play. Corey Perry has been nails, so has Brad Marchand. Yeah, the Leafs need more of that moving forward. You sprinkle guys like that onto a roster with established guys and star players, you’re probably in really good shape. Perry and Marchand, specifically, really complement what their teams already have.

After that, we got into Toronto’s big news from Friday: The Lane Lambert vacancy has been filled. Fresh off his outstanding broadcasting job for Sportsnet in the playoffs, the Leafs hired Derek Lalonde. We both thought it was a shrewd piece of business for Brad Treliving and company. Firstly, Lalonde knows the division very well —having coached the Red Wings for the past three seasons, and before that as an assistant on Jon Cooper’s bench in Tampa. On top of that, the 52-year-old has excellent reputation. Under Lalonde, Tampa’s penalty kill clicked at 82.7% during his four-year tenure, third best in the league over that span.

Meantime, while no decision has been definitively made, it sounds like Max Pacioretty could be warming to the idea of playing another season in Toronto. After the year, the former Canadiens captain disclosed that he would need some time with his family to think about his future. By all accounts, he enjoyed being a Maple Leaf, so naturally, we dissected the value of bringing him back for another season. We’ll see what happens.

Then, courtesy of GRETA BAR YYZ, former Maple Leafs front office executive and long-time Toronto sports broadcaster Gord Stellick dropped by the show. We got his thoughts on Pacioretty, Toronto’s pending ‘DNA change,’ and how different this team could look in a few short weeks. Additionally, Gordo dished on Marner’s future and where he stands on the John Tavares’ front, too. Also, we dove into the Stanley Cup Final and some of the names that could be of interest to the Maple Leafs like Bennett, Marchand, and Perry, among others.

Lastly, for the CRISPI HOT TAKE OF THE DAY, presented by the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer, Producer Vick thinks Toronto’s biggest offseason need should be finding a true power play quarterback. Somehow, the conversation morphed into one about Erik Karlsson. For the record, we both said thanks, but no thanks.

Plenty coming your way on the Tuesday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Not only will we weigh in on Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final but Andi Petrillo, who did great work this past season on the Amazon broadcasts, will drop by the show!

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