With the NHL Draft now just 16 short days away, it really feels like the calm before the storm for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Any way you slice it, the next month or so will be mighty interesting —there’s no doubt about that.

We kicked off the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take by talking about the Stanley Cup Final. Honestly, life makes no sense sometimes. It took the Leafs 19 years to win a playoff series. Meanwhile, in year six of existence, the Vegas Golden Knights are one win away from hoisting Lord Stanley. They’ll have a chance to close out the Florida Panthers in five games on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena.

The Final may still be going on but that hasn’t stopped the NHL rumour mill from churning. Over the weekend, new names like Noah Hanifin, Scott Laughton and Tom Wilson started to surface. Obviously, one of those three players really sticks out over the other two —at least for me.

Meantime, Leafs super rookie Matthew Knies made his second appearance on the show. Just like the first time out before he signed with Toronto, we came away from the interview so impressed with his maturity. The kid’s a certified stud. Furthermore, we talked Shane Doan, Auston Matthews, his first NHL goal, the city of Toronto, and living with the Tavares family, among other things.

Lastly, for the Betano Wrap Up, I’m feeling the under 208.5 tonight in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Personally, I think Denver will play a little tense chasing their first ever title while Miami will work their tails off defensively to stop Jokic and company in hopes of staving off elimination.

Join us on Tuesday at 11 AM ET for the next edition of the show + we’ll preview Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.