A 24-team CFP is the AI of college football: We didn't ask for it, and we're told it's inevitable despite massive unknowns. I wrote about the impact of expansion and ditching conference title games. We don't have to do this! Four rounds and Flex Weeks: the way forward. www.espn.com/college-foot...

Inject this shit into my veins

Wish he’d stay, but can’t say I’m surprised. At least the third time he’s been passed over for the big job.

I was curious about the reaction to the Sedins/Johnson hires, but hadn’t seen anything on here, so checked out local coverage. I honestly can’t say I’ve read a fluff piece like this from a media member in quite some time. Brutal.

Tavares is cheaper (in both AAV & acquisition cost), and has outproduced Trocheck in pretty much every season, but sure, a new JT replacement.

I gotta think Leafs fans that want them to blow up the team haven’t watched this Sabres/Habs series. If this is the best the Atlantic has to offer, the division is absolutely gettable next year.

Leafs fans, it can be so so much worse.

Why is Hoffman still on this team?

The relevant portion of the Jason Collins discussion

On this, I think people are underestimating the impact a coaching change can have. Leafs were a 52% shot/chance share team in ‘23-24, which dropped to 48% in ‘24-25 with basically the same (I’d argue better) roster.

Step 1: Leafs fire Berube Step 2: Oilers hire Berube Step 3: McDavid's joy for the game dies under Berube's system Step 4: McDavid leaves Oilers for Leafs

Whether the Leafs are bad or miraculously good again, just let them play hockey that’s fun to watch. Existential dread about never winning in the first round aside, it’s not up for debate that the late 2010s strategy of “whee!” made for entertaining hockey

I can’t believe that months of handwringing about retaining Berube (wasn’t immediately fired, Pelley’s calling the shots, MLSE is cheap etc.) turned out to be overkill.

Chayka doing this dramatically increases my opinion on how successful he could be. A) he made the correct call and B) he was able to convince Pelley (a buffoon) that this was the right call when it would have been far easier to let Berube stay and save that coach bullet.

I’d also like to call out @actingthefulemin.bsky.social and @ashrivats.bsky.social for their excellent podcast covering Chayka’s history. I thought it was very fair covering good and bad. Honestly, it made me less pessimistic insofar as I agree with Arvi that the Leafs “aren’t totally drawing dead”.

Hard to think of another GM that generates a wider range of views than Morey. Loved by national (online) media, and thoroughly despised by his team’s fans.

yeah Daryl Morey's into A I (Axed Immediately)

The only correct take about this here website.

it absolutely stinks that the athletic poached great beat writers from local papers with the idea that every team would get a beat, and now they seem to be eliminating a lot of those same beats one by one

Alright - little thread on the Leafs and the draft here. Feel free to mute. I do not have strong draft takes – I'm assuming McKenna for this discussion – but I do think people are overlooking the type of impact a 1.1 forward can have on the Leafs next season.

After another sweep the Canes have the classic minor hockey problem where they’ll now need to scramble to schedule exhibition games against teams from other regions until their league starts back up again.

Unfortunately, I’m seeing a lot of Leafs fans cite the wrong NHL draft writer from the Athletic. It’s been a while since the Leafs have been in this spot, but we gotta be better than that.

On the weather app, days where there is a small chance of overnight rain but it will otherwise be sunny during waking hours should not be represented by the little rainy cloud thumbnail. Bad for morale.

Starting to realize that I am going to be much higher than most on the Leafs next year (provided they fire Berube), and it is petrifying.

This will come in handy.

NHL ‘25-‘26 - Points T-113: Matthews, Auston (53)

Does the world of 2026 really face more substantial challenges than during the War on Terror (which bled into the 2008 financial crisis)? Than during the Cold War, when many people lived in fear that the world might erupt into nuclear war at any moment? Than during the two World Wars?

There are of course plenty of bad things happening in the world today, but one reason I think it's important to read some history is to understand that humans have always faced immense challenges. That is just the nature of existence. We fight to make things a bit better tomorrow than they are today

This is good from Mirtle, but he arguably doesn’t go far enough. This was the one single outcome that would materially improve the Leafs championship odds in the Matthews era.

My serious take on the lottery is: I’ve been on record that I’d keep Matthews this season for various reasons, but if he’s still waffling post-1st ovr, then cut bait.

It remains hilarious that the Leafs won the draft lottery.

If there’s a shred of truth to the report that Matthews is leaving any doubt as to his willingness to stay (and there’s no reason to doubt CJ), then they should shop him immediately. Part of the “culture” that has to change here is capitulating to demands of players who have won absolutely nothing.

You just have to assume the Leafs are giving Boston 6th overall and then if it doesn't happen it's gravy. The gravy will be bad too but later on.

Also: the draft awards incompetence. It infringes the liberty of drafted players. It encourages tanking. It should be abolished along with the rookie salary scale and restricted free agency. If you’re smart enough to be good and have cap space, have at ‘em.

Saying this now so it’s not sour grapes post-lottery: The NHL should abolish the draft.

sorry just getting around to the clip of this guy, who is acting like if a dog became a human right before this TV appearance and is trying to not let on that he's really a dog

The fun thing about the Chayka hire is that pretty much no one likes it. The best people have to defend it is "let's give him a chance". It's not up to me to give or deny him the chance, but if it were, he would certainly not have gotten it

We can debate the pros and cons of the Chayka hire, but if I was a Toronto Maple Leafs fan I'd be furious about the Sundin hire. It's embarrassingly patronizing. They think the fans are stupid.

There cannot be one single person that enjoys watching James Harden play.

There is going to be tons of discussion about the Leafs relying on analytics, and Chayka’s tenure with Toronto may be different, but there’s nothing in his experience as an NHL GM that indicates he’s analytically-minded.

Happy to be wrong if Chayka rips off a string of good trades or signings, but until then I think a snake oil salesman basically just hired another snake oil salesman and this team is multiple layers of cooked

There is going to be so much insufferable AI discussion around the Leafs this year.

As always: Fuck the Celtics.

I know times are bad but think about how many Boston teams haven’t won championships this year

As always: Fuck the Celtics.

my “chatgpt helps keep teens safe by default” ad has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my ad

Immensely funny to me that people have this view while simultaneously fighting social media bans with every fibre of their body.

John Tavares Auston Matthews William Nylander

McDavid $12,500,000 Draisaitl $14,000,000 Bouchard $10,500,000 Goalies $0 Nurse $9,250,000 someone who is good at the economy please help stan bowman budget this. the oilers are dying

It’s pretty clearly Colorado/Carolina or the field at this stage, and I know what way I’d lean.