The Leafs Lab Podcast

Free agency is in the books — and the Leafs made a lot of moves. Whether they made the right ones is a different conversation On this week's episode of  The Leafs Lab Podcast , we start with the Barrett Hayton offer sheet the Leafs didn't do — and why that might be the most frustrating decision of the entire offseason (1:15). From there, we share our early overall thoughts on what Chayka put...

The draft is over — and the Leafs walked away with the best player in it. On this week's episode of  The Leafs Lab Podcast , we start with a breakdown of the Leafs' draft class (1:50) before getting into everything Gavin McKenna — why this kid is the real deal, what makes him perfect for this market, and what the early top six could look like heading into free agency (6:57). From there, we sa...

This might be the most chaotic week of the offseason yet — and we have a lot to sort through. We start with the shocking Joseph Woll trade (1:15). We break down why the Leafs cashed in on his peak value now, what it says about their belief in Anthony Stolarz and Dennis Hildeby, and how it clears a path for Artur Akhtyamov. Plus, we dive into the return: why we're fascinated by the high-upside bet...

This might be the most chaotic week of the offseason yet — and we have a lot to sort through. We start with the coaching search (1:30), which continues to be one of the strangest processes we've ever tried to follow. Pavelski and Roy are the only confirmed names, everything else is speculation, and we get into our theory on why the Leafs went from Carle to Laviolette to Pavelski — and why we think...

A slightly different one this week. On this week's episode of  The Leafs Lab Podcast , I work through over 40 listener-submitted trade proposals, reacting to each one, grading them on realism and how much I like the player, and giving my honest take on whether the Leafs should actually be making these moves. We cover everything — Morgan Rielly destinations, the Elias Pettersson swap, Mason Mc...

This week is a little different as Michael (LeafZone44) is away on vacation, so Jordan (Willyston Riellander) takes the opportunity to answer listener questions in the first Leafs Lab AMA episode. Before getting into the mailbag, we break down the Leafs' hiring of Judd Brackett and why bringing one of hockey's most respected talent evaluators to Toronto could be one of the most important move...

On this week's episode of  The Leafs Lab Podcast , we kick things off with a Matthews situation update — the latest Friedman reporting, what the Zoom call with Chayka and Sundin means, and what he actually needs next season to get back to his 60-goal self (0:45). We take a moment to wish Max Domi nothing but the best following his surgery news — and then have an honest conversation about what...

Berube is gone — and it wasn't even close. On this week's episode of  The Leafs Lab Podcast , we start with a full breakdown of the Berube firing, why the case against him was overwhelming, and why so many Toronto-based insiders got it so wrong for so long. From there we get into what the firing tells us about Pelley, Rogers, and the direction of this new front office. Then it's on to the coa...

The draft lottery changed everything — and we have a lot to unpack. On this week's episode of  The Leafs Lab Podcast , we kick things off with our reactions to the Leafs' lottery win and the moment the 12th ball dropped (0:45), before getting into who we'd actually take first overall if we were running this team (3:06). From there, we break down the McKenna vs. Stenberg vs. Reid debate (6:25)...

The new era of Maple Leafs hockey is officially here — and we have a lot to unpack. On this week's episode of The Leafs Lab Podcast, we start with a full breakdown of the Leafs' press conference and the Toronto media's embarrassing performance (1:40), before diving deep into the John Chayka hiring — what it means, what the risks are, and what the best and worst case scenarios look like (8:55). The...

In this week's episode of The Leafs Lab, we dive deep into Scott White's candidacy and why the Dallas Stars' AGM might be the safest and smartest pick MLSE can make (00:50). Then we discuss what a Mats Sundin role could actually look like — and where the line needs to be drawn (11:20). We get into the misdirection coming out of the organization, whether it's a red flag or a calculated move, and wh...

In this week’s episode of  The Leafs Lab , we break down one of the most chaotic weeks surrounding the organization—touching on everything from front office shakeups to AI’s growing influence on decision-making. We start with a deep dive into the Leafs’ GM search, comparing the candidacies of John Chayka (3:14) and Ryan Martin (23:05), with both emerging as some of the hottest names in the mi...

In the debut episode of  The Leafs Lab , we introduce ourselves before taking a hard look at the most disappointing Leafs season in over a decade. Framed as a “love letter,” this episode blends frustration with honesty as we break down where things truly went wrong—from flawed systems and inconsistent execution to deeper structural issues behind the scenes. We dive deep into the shortcom...