The Leafs and Jets are set to kick off their home and home on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena.

For the first time since December 9 and 11, Ilya Samsonov will make back-to-back starts.

Well, this should be interesting.

We kicked off the Wednesday edition of Leafs Morning Take by discussing expansion. On Wednesday morning, the Smith Entertainment Group – owners of the NBA’s Utah Jazz – asked the NHL to initiate an expansion process. Rosey and I debated what this could mean for the NHL, and most specifically, the Maple Leafs (obviously). Remember when Kyle Dubas went out of his way to protect Justin Holl? Oh boy.

Presented by Door Dash, The Appetizer focused on part 1 of 2 against Winnipeg. Over the past two months, the Jets have been one of the top teams in the league, so suffice it is to say, this will be another measuring stick game for the Maple Leafs. We talked about Samsonov, someone stepping up in the absence of Tyler Bertuzzi (wife’s expecting), and what kind of impact the constant line juggling could have on the mentality of the roster.

Speaking of which, Ryan Reaves, who returned to practice as a full participant all the way back on January 2, was activated from IR. He’s not expected to play against Winnipeg. Once Bertuzzi returns, the Leafs will need to make a roster move, and ultimately, that could mean a Reaves demotion to the American Hockey League.

That segment was sponsored by the Wendy’s Daily Faceoff Survivor.

Additionally, brought to you by Charm Diamond Centres, we took a look at the Atlantic Division standings. There’s lots of hockey left but there’s no question that the Leafs need to get cooking here —or they could be in some big-time trouble.

Join us on Thursday at 11 AM ET for a full recap of Leafs/Jets.