Following Vegas’ thrilling 5-4 victory in Game 1 on Tuesday night, the Stanley Cup Final is set to resume in Raleigh as the Golden Knights visit the Hurricanes for Game 2.

Naturally, that’s where the conversation started on the Thursday edition of Leafs Morning Take. Rosie weighed in on everything he saw in the opener, and if Mitch Marner meant to block that shot at the buzzer. Any way you slice it, Vegas drew first blood and are now three wins away from hoisting Lord Stanley for the second time in franchise history.

After that, we dished on Jon Cooper capturing the Jack Adams Trophy – the first of his career – over the likes of Lindy Ruff and Dan Muse. Right call, or was it a life-time achievement award? Hmm.

Meantime, we broke down the Marlies’ tough 4-3 loss in Game 4 of the AHL Eastern Conference Final. Easton Cowan’s turnover led to Rutger McGroarty’s game-winning goal with 2:59 remaining in regulation. With the series now tied 2-2, it’s effectively a best-of-three to determine who advances to the Calder Cup Final. Following the game, Cowan took full accountability for the costly mistake—a level of ownership that’s always refreshing to see, especially in a market like Toronto.

At any rate, the NHL draft combine continues in Buffalo. There wasn’t much to discuss on that front, although Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg posed for a few pictures, so that was cool to see. Also, apparently Vancouver’s taking McKenna out for dinner. Should Leafs fans be concerned about that? Nope. Nothing burger. T-minus 22 days until draft day.

Furthermore, we touched on the latest surrounding the Leafs’ coaching search, and once again, there isn’t much new to report. According to the latest information, both Peter Laviolette and Patrick Roy remain in the mix. It also sounds like Jeff Halpern received an interview but has already been informed that he won’t be advancing to the next stage of the process. At this point, the Leafs continue to cast a wide net as they work through their list of candidates.

After that, Jackie Redmond stopped by to discuss a massive offseason for the Maple Leafs. She weighed in on Toronto’s ongoing coaching search, identifying Patrick Roy as a fascinating candidate and suggesting he’s one of the few personalities in hockey who could thrive under the intense spotlight that comes with coaching the Leafs. Redmond also shared her thoughts on John Chayka, Gavin McKenna, and the significance of Toronto winning the draft lottery. Later, she sounded off on Mitch Marner’s “dark times” comments and what she sees as the hockey world’s obsession with criticizing the Maple Leafs. Plus, she discussed Morgan Rielly’s future and the challenges that await Toronto this summer.

Plenty ahead on the Friday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We’ll recap Game 2 as well as preview Game 3 in Vegas. Also, we’ll tackle the latest news surrounding the Maple Leafs.

You can subscribe to TheLeafsNation (TLN) YouTube channel HERE. Additionally, we’re available in podcast form, too —wherever you get your podcasts. While you’re at it, be sure to leave us a 5-star review!