James Duthie thinks the Leafs can learn a few things from the Blue Jays: Leafs Morning Take

This will stick for a very long time. Suffice it to say, all eyes are now firmly on the Toronto Maple Leafs again.

Needless to say, we started Monday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take by dissecting Game 7 between the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. Some drama, some theater. There are no consolation prizes in professional sports, but from the Blue Jays’ perspective, there is a lot to be proud of. That said, from the perspective of a Toronto sports fan, it’s easy to return to that dark place. Besides the fact that the Raptors randomly won a few years ago, this city just can’t seem to break through in pressure cooker situations. And just to be clear, there is no Maple Leafs comparison here. This was Game 7 of the World Series – for all the marbles. The Leafs haven’t smelled a game with these types of stakes in decades.

Anyway, once we got that off our chest, we dove into the Leafs’ 5-2 win in Philadelphia, a game that probably not many people in Toronto were watching. It was your prototypical Craig Berube victory. Nick Robertson stayed red hot with a goal and an assist, Auston Matthews notched his sixth of the campaign and Anthony Stolarz made 31 stops. Meanwhile, Easton Cowan scored his first NHL goal. Chris Tanev was also stretchered off the field after a strange collision with Matvei Michkov. It was Tanev’s first match after sitting out three matches due to a suspected concussion. Fortunately, Tanev was released from a hospital in Philadelphia on Sunday and is now back in Toronto recovering. Scary things. Plus, we discussed Bobby McMann’s recent troubles. He has zero points in the last eight games, and at this point he could soon be on the outside looking in.

Afterwards, TSN’s James Duthie appeared on the show again. First, he dealt with the Blue Jays’ tough loss. He was at the game, so naturally he painted a picture of the raw emotion and theater on Saturday night at SkyDome. Plus, we all feel like the Leafs can learn a thing or two from this Blue Jays team. It was such a nice team. Without a doubt, the city hasn’t loved a Leafs team like this in a long time. Additionally, Duthie influenced the Leafs’ 6-5-1 start and their continued search for an identity. Finally, he plugged in his new book: Certified Beauties: More Of Hockey’s Greatest Untold Stories.

Through the podcast we got a preview of Monday’s lead on home ice against the surprising Pittsburgh Penguins. William Nylander will be back in the lineup and Phil Myers will replace Tanev. We could also see a few other big changes, including a potential McMann health bomb. We’ll see.

You won’t want to miss Tuesday’s edition of Leafs Morning Take (11 AM ET). In addition to the Leafs/Penguins recap, legendary NHL head coach Darryl Sutter will stop by to discuss Toronto’s start.