The final episode of 2024 is in the books.

Where has the time gone?

Carter Hutton subbed in for Jay Rosehill on the Monday edition of Leafs Morning Take. We kicked off the show by talking some World Juniors, and in general, the holiday season. Time flies when you’re having fun! After that, we touched on Auston Matthews, who was a full participant at Monday’s practice. Moving forward, especially with the Four Nations nearly a month away, it will be fascinating to see how the captain is deployed. Fingers crossed.

Then, we recapped the weekend. First and foremost, I had Hutts break down Matt Murray’s outing on Saturday night against Washington. Spoiler: He was awful, and ultimately, I think it cost the Leafs royally in that hockey game. Honestly, at this point, I think Dennis Hildeby deserves to play over the two-time Stanley Cup champion. In two starts with the Leafs, Murray has looked pedestrian —at best. There’s no reason to keep trotting him back out there.

Additionally, we broke down Mitch Marner’s natural hat-trick against Detroit and David Kampf first goal of the season. It ended on a sour note losing to the Capitals, but indisputably, there were quite a few positives to grab from Toronto’s weekend. Weirdly though, the Leafs have lost four in a row on Saturday nights. Let’s hope that trend is bucked against the rival Boston Bruins next weekend.

Lastly, brought to you by Charm Diamond Centres, we previewed the New Year’s Eve matinee clash with the New York Islanders. Putting it mildly, the Isles have owned the Leafs recently. They’ve won five straight meetings – including a 6-3 decision a week ago at Scotiabank Arena – and six of seven against the Leafs. We’ll see what happens on Tuesday afternoon as the Leafs finish off their slate for 2024.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! Jay Rosehill and I will be back in the mix on Thursday, January 2^nd for the first edition of Leafs Morning Take for 2025. Talk then!

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