On Sunday night in Vegas, Rod Brind’Amour’s squad got timely scoring and stellar goaltending en route to a 3-0 victory, capturing the Stanley Cup in six games. Naturally, the conclusion of the 2025-26 NHL season was front and centre on Monday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take. It took 17 years for Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal to get another crack at it, and he made the most of the opportunity, becoming the oldest player at 37 to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Meanwhile, Frederik Andersen did plenty of the heavy lifting during Carolina’s playoff run, picking up 13 wins before an injury opened the door for Brandon Bussi late in the series. Bussi never looked back. He was outstanding in Game 6, stopping all 22 shots he faced to record the shutout and help seal the championship. What a story.

And yes, Rosie weighed in on Mitch Marner’s struggles—once again—in the most important games of Vegas’ season. Also, we’re not a basketball podcast, but we couldn’t help touching on the significance of the New York Knicks finally winning an NBA championship and ending a drought that dated back to 1973. If the Knicks can finally get over the hump after all those years of heartbreak, maybe there’s hope for the Maple Leafs, too.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Marlies are now just two wins away from capturing the Calder Cup. On Friday night, they opened the series with a 4-2 win over Chicago before captain Logan Shaw scored the overtime winner in Sunday’s thrilling 5-4 victory in Game 2. As a result, Toronto heads home with a commanding 2-0 series lead for Games 3 and 4—and, if necessary, Game 5.

After that discussion, Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin joined the show to discuss Carolina’s Stanley Cup triumph and the biggest takeaway the Maple Leafs should draw from the Hurricanes’ championship blueprint. He also weighed in on Marner’s quiet finish to the playoffs in Vegas, Toronto’s ongoing coaching search, and why Jay Woodcroft could be a strong fit behind the Leafs’ bench. Additionally, Larkin shared his thoughts on the Joe Pavelski buzz and explained why the Leafs shouldn’t overthink things with the No. 1 overall pick and should simply select Gavin McKenna.

Carter Hutton will fill in for Jay Rosehill as co-host on Tuesday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take. We’ll continue to dissect Carolina’s Stanley Cup victory while also looking ahead to what promises to be a wild NHL offseason. Plus, we’ll discuss Morgan Rielly’s future in Toronto and dive into plenty of goaltending talk with the former NHL netminder.