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Today, we do our annual deep dive into the Leafs' offseason moves. In particular, we discuss: Firing Craig Berube [1:15] The Leafs' coaching and front office departures [8:24] Trading Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit for Emil Andrae and a 3rd round pick [19:23] Trading Brandon Carlo to St. Louis [28:45] Non-qualifying Mattias Maccelli [33:37] Trading Nick Robertson to Pittsburgh [38:43] Acquiring Nick Paul [42:20] Hiring Jim Hiller [52:10] The Leafs' coaching and front office additions [58:43] Drafting Gavin McKenna [1:02:11] Acquiring Darren Raddysh [1:07:33] Signing Sergei Bobrovsky [1:15:20] Signing Jack Roslovic [1:25:11] Signing Colton Sissons [1:27:45] Signing Brandon Duhaime [1:34:18] Signing Teddy Blueger [1:37:30] Reviewing the offseason [1:41:04]

Today, we discuss the Leafs stroke of good luck in their draft lottery win. We follow it up with a long deep dive into John Chayka's history as GM of the Arizona Coyotes, and what it might mean for his tenure as the Leafs GM. Timestamps: [0:00] Draft lottery reactions [13:48] What will Mats Sundin's role be in the Leafs front office? [18:30] What do we know about the process that led to the Leafs hiring John Chayka as their lead decision maker? [33:33] A long deep dive into John Chayka's moves as Coyotes GM

We preview the Leafs vs Sens series, talking about each teams' strengths, weaknesses, and give our predictions

Today, we discuss some trends around the league, and whether they are real or fake. These include: How bad the Canucks are [3:08] Whether the Habs are for real [20:48] How bad the Senators are (bit of a trend here) [31:41] Whether Auston Matthews is a Hart Trophy contender [37:01] Whether Alex Kerfoot is a good 3C [52:40]

Today we discuss: The Leafs’ poor numbers [0:45] The depth forwards [13:45] The depth defensemen [45:54]

Today we discuss: Calgary game - 2:08 Can we clone Zach Hyman - 5:08 The trouble with Jimmy Vesey - 9:43 How should we arrange the top two lines with Thornton out - 12:01 The Leafs offense/defense tradeoff - 16:12 The Rielly / Brodie pairing and their bad numbers - 30:01 Laine / Dubois trade - 39:30.

Topics include: Recapping the first three games [0:20] Our initial takeaways [10:20] Discussing the forwards [14:02] Discussing the defence [39:01] Is there a goalie controversy? (No) [57:58] Audio note: There is some feedback on Arvind's track which results in some light beeping; sorry for the annoyance. We think there’s something wrong with his microphone, which will be fixed for next week. Our apologies!

Today we discuss the Leafs forward lines and defence pairings: Thornton - Matthews - Marner: 3:18 Vesey - Tavares - Nylander: 20:52 Mikheyev - Kerfoot/Engvall - Hyman: 35:10 Barabanov - Spezza - Simmonds: 49:30 Rielly - Brodie: 57:48 Muzzin - Holl: 1:02:40 Lehtonen - Bogosian: 1:04:52

Today we have some assorted preseason ramblings, including: What a successful season looks like for the Leafs The World Juniors, and our impressions of Leafs prospects Ottawa’s trade for Derek Stepan

Today we chat about some topics that have been on our mind recently. This includes: Whether McDavid is still the best player in the world [1:01] Sportsnet’s list of the best centres and wingers on Canadian teams [33:38] Travis Dermott, again [1:02:01] The Canadian division and how it impacts the Leafs [1:09:51]

Today we discuss the second half of the league in our Around the NHL series. Timestamps are: Montreal Canadiens [1:30] Nashville Predators [18:00] New Jersey Devils [29:46] New York Islanders [35:58] New York Rangers [47:13] Ottawa Senators [51:41] Philadelphia Flyers [59:54] Pittsburgh Penguins [1:05:24] San Jose Sharks [1:10:44] St. Louis Blues [1:13:19] Tampa Bay Lightning [1:19:47] Vancouver Canucks [1:27:29] Vegas Golden Knights [1:37:56] Washington Capitals [1:44:12] Winnipeg Jets [1:46:42]

Today we discuss half the NHL and their offseasons, including: Anaheim Ducks [3:00] Arizona Coyotes [11:53] Boston Bruins [32:36] Buffalo Sabres [39:41] Calgary Flames [52:38] Carolina Hurricanes [58:41] Chicago Blackhawks [1:03:47] Colorado Avalanche [1:08:50] Columbus Blue Jackets [1:12:37] Dallas Stars [1:16:10] Detroit Red Wings [1:19:46] Edmonton Oilers [1:21:48] Florida Panthers [1:28;30] Los Angeles Kings [1:35:35] Minnesota Wild [1:39:30]

Episode 121 - Leafs Depth Signings and Front Office Hires by Arvind, Acting the Fulemin

Episode 217 - Reviewing the Season So Far by Arvind, Acting the Fulemin

Episode 120 - Leafs Free Agency + Draft Recap by Arvind, Acting the Fulemin

Episode 119 - Cup Final Lessons & Alex Pietrangelo by Arvind, Acting the Fulemin

Mailbag time!

Today we discuss: The trade [0:48] Fulemin rains on our parade (which we JUST planned) [1:44] What the Leafs gave up in Kasperi Kapanen [6:18] What the Leafs got back in Evan Rodrigues [16:30], Filip Hallander [26:54], and the 15th overall pick [39:07]. Should the Leafs trade or keep the pick [41:15]

Today we discuss: Whether the Leafs are actually capped out (they are) [2:24] Whether Cody Ceci is actually good defensively [9:03] The leave-Britney-alone routine Dubas pulls to defend Mitch Marner [21:11] How good is the Leafs core and is there reason to doubt them [53:22] Where Dubas goes from here [1:10:40]

Today, we go 90 minutes deep on the Leafs series against Columbus and break it all down, discussing what went wrong, the Leafs overall level of play, and the questions it raises going forward.

We chat about the craziness of Games 3 and 4, and Jim Hughson’s no-good, very bad call.

We discuss the Leafs dominant Game 2 win over the Blue Jackets and Jake Muzzin's injury

We react to the disappointing Game 1 result for the Leafs.

Today, we’re discussing: The Leafs’ exhibition win over the Canadiens - 0:35 Our impressions of Nick Robertson’s (sort of) NHL debut - 3:30 Our continued frustration with Tyson Barrie - 9:25 The Columbus Blue Jackets, and how we think the series will go - 18:30 The ongoing John Chayka saga in Arizona - 49:00 Bad takes of the week - 56:00

Welcome to another episode of Back to Excited. Today, we finish our look around the league, covering another set of 12 teams. Timestamps: Philadelphia Flyers [1:50] Pittsburgh Penguins [14:37] San Jose Charks [29:13] Seattle Kraken [43:15] St Louis Blues [56:02] Tampa Bay Lightning [1:03:20] Toronto Maple Leafs [1:19:05] Utah Hockey Club [1:40:22] Vancouver Canucks [2:00:45] Vegas Golden Knights [2:22:58] Washington Capitals [2:31:23] Winnipeg Jets [2:41:10]

Today we discuss: NHL RTP - 0:25 Line combos - 5:43 Nick Robertson and whether he'll make the Leafs roster - 21:44 CBJ defence - 30:52 Sandin vs Robertson - 47:41 Marner vs Nylander - 50:01

Welcome to another episode of Back to Excited. Today we discuss: The NHL Draft lottery - 0:59 Hub cities - 4:49 NHL awards including the Hart (12:25), Norris (22:04), Calder (29:10), Vezina (33:07) and Selke (37:30) We also have some fake awards to discuss, such as Worst Under-30 Contract (42:11), Worst GM Move In The Past Year (53:20) and Player Who Used To Be Underrated But Isn’t Anymore(59:14)

Today, we welcome Shawn Ferris (@shawnferris98) and Olivia Lin (@oliviaylin) onto the podcast to talk about the Leafs power play and how it has changed over the last two seasons. Shawn and Olivia co-wrote an excellent analysis of this idea and it’s worth checking out for the level of detail and effort that went into it, including tracking information, shot assist patterns, and shot location patterns for each of the last two seasons (including who is doing the shooting). Link:https://seventhatauston.wordpress.com/2020/06/15/a-thorough-review-of-the-changes-made-under-paul-mcfarland/ We discuss: How this project arose, and the mechanics of getting all the data into a usable form [1:40] Whether Shawn and Olivia feel power plays are too static [13:15] How to get around the risk-aversion coaches would have in being more aggressive on the PP [17:08] The theory of the Leafs PP relative to Boston or TB [22:47] How the focal point of the Leafs PP has shifted from year to year [25:53] Comparing the effectiveness of the 2018 and 2019 PP1 units for the Leafs [33:24] The possibility and upsides / downsides of setting up a power play from behind the net [38:15] Their recommendations for the Leafs power play going forward [43:20] We then bade goodbye to our guests, and finish up with some discussion on: Auston Matthews’ positive coronavirus test [56:43] The Buffalo Sabres, no-good, very bad week [1:01:37]

Today we discuss: Black Lives Matter, systemic injustice, and hockey [0:28] Comparing the NHL and NBA’s plans to return to play [47:42] The PPP Top 25 Under 25 [57:53] If you’re looking to help: Various ways to donate your time / effort to BLM (https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/) A Toronto-specific template to email your elected official to discuss the police budget (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1roduncOZ_y0C_oWIMIQ6yV-13fZqck0i54RZoPSwYBw/mobilebasic) Donating to the Movement for Black Lives (https://secure.actblue.com/donate/movement-4-black-lives-1) Donating to Color of Change (https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/support-us) Donating to Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto (https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/10351) Donating to Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (https://ncct.on.ca/donations/)

Today, we discuss: Adam Brooks’ new deal [1:00] The proposed (and tentatively accepted) 24 team NHL playoff structure [9:31] The Columbus Blue Jackets (the expected Leafs opponent in the play-in round) [27:35] Does it make sense to call Nick Robertson up for the playoffs [35:59]

Today we discuss: The Mikko Lehtonen signing [4:34] Arvind revisits Esa Lindell theory [33:39] Paul McFarland leaving the Leafs, and their PP [40:15]

Today we discuss: NHL playoff plans and lottery plans [1:41] Can the Leafs trade Marner and end off the better for it? [22:47] Are new aging curves that say players are essentially always declining from when they enter the league incorrect [44:03]

Today we discuss: How do the reported plans for finishing the NHL season help/hurt the Leafs [2:00] Micah McCurdy of Hockeyviz has a new Isolated xG impact model - how do various Leafs look? [22:14] Auston Matthews might be a top 5 player? [34:42] Arvind gets annoyed at people running simulations [48:56]

We talk about: The likely salary cap [0:42] The Leafs goaltender succession plan (or lack thereof) [6:00] The necessity to clear out room, likely by trading a forward [30:41] Fulemin presents his unified theory of hockey disagreements [55:01]

Today, we discuss the types of mistakes teams make, deep dive on the situations that make teams like the Oilers and Sabres consistently poor, and offer a refinement on the stars ‘n scrubs team-building mentality.

Today, we go through the middle third of the league alphabetically, and review their offseason moves, along with their outlook. Timestamps: Edmonton Oilers [1:00] Florida Panthers [30:00] Los Angeles Kings [43:21] Minnesota Wild [1:02:24] Montreal Canadiens [1:11:55] Nashville Predators [1:24:34] New Jersey Devils [1:43:57] New York Islanders [1:52:35] New York Rangers [1:56:04] Ottawa Senators [2:03:43]

Today, we discuss: The Leafs ELC moves [1:02] The Top 10 21 and under players in the NHL [8:22]

Here is Part 2 of our look around the NHL, from Minnesota to Winnipeg (alphabetically).

We go around the NHL alphabetically, and discuss teams from Anaheim to LA. Part 2 will be next week's episode.

On this episode, we discuss the NHL's decision to suspend the season, and answer listener questions.

Today we discuss: The week that was [0:21] What changes would Kyle Dubas make if he could go back in a time machine [25:40] Pierre LeBrun’s bad take about the playoffs [52:59] The stupidity of looking at the record of teams when scoring first [1:03:47]

Today we discuss: The Leafs’ strong week [2:35] Chris Pronger’s caveman reaction to William Nylander’s through-the-legs goal [10:26] The criticism of Mitch Marner’s game that has popped up recently [19:39] Why we think Alex Kerfoot should stay on the third line [32:33] An overview of the Florida Panthers [47:11] Our bad takes of the week [55:36]

Today we discuss the trade deadline and the moves the Leafs made (or didn't make)

Today, topics include: [0:59] The week that was for the Leafs [4:36] The Johnsson injury and what that means for the Leafs both off and on the ice. [13:09] The reported Jake Muzzin agreement [46:41] The Leafs game against Ottawa, and Tampa’s surge implying another Leafs - Bruins series.

Today the podcast includes: Fulemin ranting about Tyson Barrie [0:29] (yes, 30 seconds in and we’re in full-blown rant mode) A recap of the week, including the gut punch loss to Florida [3:12], and the dispiriting Rangers loss [12:21] How much of the blame the Leafs can put on goaltending [16:42] The trade to acquire Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford [25:07] Can the Leafs acquire an upgrade on D (and the possible cap space shenanigans that let us do so) [33:13] The struggles of the Leafs depth and how its turned them into a very top heavy team [48:10] The final two games of the week [56:50] Fulemin rants about Tyson Barrie again [58:11] Our bad takes of the week [1:05:13]

Today we discuss: The Leafs perfect week [1:24] The weirdness of Kasperi Kapanen's punishment [12:59] The pros and cons of Matt Dumba [21:23] The big decision the Leafs have to make in extending Jake Muzzin [36:18], and the knock on effects of doing so.

Welcome to Back to Excited's annual offseason review, where we go through all 31 non-Leafs teams, and discuss how they changed over the summer. In part 1, we go through teams alphabetically from Anaheim to Detroit. Timestamps below: Anaheim Ducks [4:09] Boston Bruins [17:27] Buffalo Sabres [35:05] Calgary Flames [59:10] Carolina Hurricanes [1:08:43] Chicago Blackhawks [1:28:30] Colorado Avalanche [1:43:44] Columbus Blue Jackets [1:52:18] Dallas Stars [2:02:23] Detroit Red Wings [2:13:14]

We have a 2 hour long mailbag about everything Leafs for you today. Enjoy!

Episode 89 - Goalie Troubles by Arvind, Acting the Fulemin

Today we discuss: The Marincin signing [1:33] The Holl signing [4:07] Evaluating the Leafs at midseason [8:25] Are Kapanen and Johnsson expendable [43:13]