Buds Mafia

Two weeks ago, we were starting to believe in the Leafs again. Now? They're 8-9-2 through 19 games — the EXACT same record as last season. What the hell happened? This week, Ryan and Jackson break down Toronto's latest losing skid, Jim Hiller constantly throwing the lines into a blender, Gavin McKenna's rookie struggles, and whether Roman Josi could be the answer on the blue line. Arou...

Trade drama is taking over the NHL, and we've got plenty to say about it on Episode 93 of Buds Mafia! Nikita Kucherov reportedly wants out of Tampa Bay, Dylan Larkin's situation in Detroit is getting uglier, and Shane Wright is heading to Nashville in a one-for-one swap for Matthew Wood. We break down all three situations, discuss potential destinations for Kucherov, and debate whether Con...

The Toronto Maple Leafs are rolling, and Ryan and Jackson are starting to believe something might actually be different this season. With four straight wins, Easton Cowan thriving alongside Auston Matthews, a fourth line bringing a completely new identity, and special teams dominating, there's plenty to be excited about in Toronto. We discuss Cowan's future contract, Matthews' growing...

The Leafs are struggling, the Bills are 5-1, and there's plenty to unpack in Episode 91 of the Buds Mafia Podcast. Ryan and Jackson start with the latest NHL news, including Vegas finding scoring throughout its lineup, Connor Hellebuyck's situation in Winnipeg, Owen Power's impressive start, Philadelphia's struggles, and the Boston Bruins continuing to surprise. Then it's all a...

Jonny Lazarus is back on Buds Mafia for Episode 90, and he's buying into the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ryan sits down with Jonny to talk about why he believes the Leafs have too much talent to miss the playoffs, Gavin McKenna's rookie season, the Knies–Marchenko trade, and whether Toronto can finally put it all together. We also dive into the New York Rangers' hot start, life without Igor S...

The NHL season is underway and there's already plenty to talk about. On Episode 89 of Buds Mafia, Ryan and Jackson break down the Leafs' start to the season, Gavin McKenna's early struggles, Easton Cowan's impressive play, the developing chemistry between Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko and Toronto's need for help on defence. Pasted markdown. Around the NHL, the guys discu...

Episode 88 of Buds Mafia is here. The Maple Leafs have made a massive move, trading Matthew Knies to Columbus in a blockbuster deal for Kirill Marchenko. We break down the entire trade, what Toronto is losing in Knies, why Marchenko could make the Leafs better, his new contract and what the move means for Toronto’s new-look top six. We also get into the latest NHL news, Gavin McKenna’s preseason,...

The NHL season is almost here and we're wrapping up our division previews with the Atlantic. We break down the completely new-look Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews, Gavin McKenna, the Leafs' playoff chances and where we see the Atlantic Division heading this season. We also get into the Dylan Larkin situation, Connor Hellebuyck sitting out, why Ryan is ready to bet his parents' hou...

Week 1 is officially in the books. The Bills pick up a huge win in Houston, Josh Allen looks like an MVP, and we're breaking down Buffalo's entire performance in The Bills Blueprint — offense, defense, special teams and everything that stood out from the win. Then we go around the league for our full NFL Week 1 recap before debuting Ballin' or Bailin', looking at the biggest surprise performances...

SEASON 3 IS HERE. Buds Mafia is back for Episode 85, and we're kicking off the new season with a fucking loaded show. The NFL is officially back, so we're going game-by-game through Week 1 with our predictions, betting lines and biggest matchups. We also finish our NFL division previews with the AFC East and AFC West before resetting the records for a brand-new season of Wildcard Women and...

The Buds Mafia Season 2 Finale is here, and we've got a loaded one. Cale Makar gets a massive 8-year, $163.2 million extension, Connor Hellebuyck reportedly wants out, Erik Karlsson gets linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and we officially begin our 2026-27 NHL Division Previews with the Metropolitan Division. Then we're going heavy NFL with our AFC North and AFC South predictions . Ravens...

The Athletic dropped its latest NHL under-23 rankings and we have some serious fucking questions. Gavin McKenna sits at #18, Zach Benson comes in all the way down at #124, and some of the names ahead of McKenna have us scratching our heads. We break down the rankings, what McKenna still needs to prove and whether Benson is getting completely disrespected. Around the NHL, we ask whether the new-loo...

Episode 82 of Buds Mafia is here. Ryan has some words for Jayden Daniels after his camp went after LSU over another player wearing No. 5. We break down the entire situation and whether Daniels has any reason to be this pissed about a number LSU never retired. Then it's officially NFL prediction season . We preview the NFC East and NFC West , going team by team through the Eagles, Cowboys, Comm...

On Episode 81 of Buds Mafia, we break down Ville Koivunen's surprising eight-year extension with Pittsburgh, debate whether Minnesota is still a Stanley Cup contender, react to NHL Network's Top 10 defensemen rankings, and discuss Canada's dominant performance at the Ivan Hlinka tournament. Then we dive into a busy week in the NFL, including massive contracts for Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr...

Macklin Celebrini just signed a massive extension, and the NHL contract market may never be the same. This week, Ryan and Jackson break down Celebrini's five-year, $18.8 million AAV extension and debate whether they'd rather have Celebrini or the combination of Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson at their current deals. The guys also discuss Ryan's beef with Spittin' Chiclets over their c...

This week on Buds Mafia, Ryan and Jackson dive into the latest comments from Mitch Marner's agent, Darren Ferris, and debate whether the Maple Leafs truly failed one of their biggest stars or if history is being rewritten. They also break down Jason Robertson's new contract with Dallas, Patrick Kane and John Marino's extensions, preview some of the top names for the 2027 NHL Draft, and...

Connor Bedard is officially staying in Chicago after signing a five-year extension worth $15 million annually, but the conversation doesn't stop there. This week, Ryan breaks down the NHL's rising salary cap and what it could mean for future superstars like Macklin Celebrini and Matthew Schaefer, as hockey contracts continue to reach new heights. The guys also discuss Steve Yzerman steppin...

This week on Buds Mafia, we debate the biggest winners and losers from the NHL offseason and whether next season's playoff picture could look completely different. We discuss Anaheim matching Leo Carlsson's offer sheet, the remaining NHL free agents, and which organizations have improved the most heading into next season. We also spend plenty of time breaking down the NFL Top 100 rankings, fantasy...

July 1 delivered. This week we break down all the biggest moves from NHL Free Agency, including the record-breaking Leo Carlsson offer sheet, every major Leafs signing, and the winners and losers from around the league. We also discuss Jason Robertson filing for arbitration, the Zach Werenski situation, Dylan Larkin rumours, Seattle reportedly moving on from Shane Wright, and why Edmonton may have...

The NHL Draft delivered one of the busiest weekends of the offseason, and we're breaking it all down. This week we recap the Leafs selecting Gavin McKenna first overall, the biggest trades from across the league, and the latest rumours surrounding Connor Hellebuyck, Jason Robertson, Zach Werenski and Matthew Knies. We also discuss why we think Knies is staying in Toronto (for now), react to th...

The NHL offseason officially went off the rails. This week we break down the blockbuster Brady Tkachuk trade to the Florida Panthers, what the Panthers gave up, and whether Florida is building the NHL's next dynasty. We also discuss the Leafs hiring Jim Hiller as head coach, the Joseph Woll trade, Darren Raddysh arriving in Toronto, and the nonstop Matthew Knies rumours that seem to change eve...

The Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup Champions. This week we break down Games 4-6 of the Stanley Cup Final, how Carolina won three straight to close out Vegas, and why this Hurricanes core isn't going anywhere anytime soon. We also discuss Mitch Marner's strong playoff run, his disappointing finish to the Stanley Cup Final, and why the same questions continue to follow him when the pressure is...

This week on Buds Mafia, Ryan and Jackson discuss one of the biggest Leafs stories of the offseason: Matthew Knies nearly becoming a Montreal Canadien. We break down what the reported trade package looked like, whether Toronto made the right decision, and why Knies remains one of the most valuable young players in hockey. Also discussed: - Patrick Roy and the Leafs coaching search - Joe Pavelski a...

The Stanley Cup Final is here. This week Ryan and Jackson break down the Conference Finals, what went wrong for Colorado and Montreal, and preview the upcoming Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes. Topics include: - Stanley Cup Final Preview - Vegas vs Carolina predictions - Conn Smythe race - What happened to Colorado? - Why Montreal ran out of gas Leafs Talk...

Episode 70 of Buds Mafia is here. We break down the NHL Conference Finals, Leafs offseason rumors, and the Buffalo Bills schedule release. We get into: 🏒 Vegas vs Colorado 🏒 Carolina vs Montreal 🏒 Why the Avs desperately need Cale Makar 🏒 Marner dominating in Vegas 🏒 Why the Leafs can’t trade Matthew Knies 🏒 Woll vs Stolarz 🏒 Nylander trade discussions 🏒 Tavares as the 2nd line center 🏒 B...