Why Keaton Verhoeff could be on the Leafs’ radar as the season rolls around: Leafs Morning Take

Things spiral.

The Leafs have dropped seven of the past eight, and oddly enough, this still doesn’t feel like a low point. As Rosey has illustrated several times, they haven’t played many of the good teams yet. This can get significantly worse. We hammered home some familiar points to start the show. Where’s the pride? Where is the character? Where is the identity? Right now, the Leafs are just a bunch of players without any purpose. Oddly enough, the next five games, all of which take place on the road, could go a long way in determining Toronto’s fate in 25-26.

From a health perspective, it appears no one will be returning to Columbus on Wednesday evening. Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies and Nicolas Roy all wore gray jerseys, which are mainly reserved for extras, during Tuesday’s practice. That suggests they won’t be ready for the Blue Jackets game. And boy, oh boy, does this team need those three players right now, or what? Toronto’s 9-10-3 in 22 games, good for last place in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, both Brandon Carlo and Anthony Stolarz haven’t skated since getting injured. Additionally, Jake McCabe, who had to leave Saturday night’s game against Montreal, is ready to go and will be in the lineup on Wednesday night.

Then we played our interview with projected lottery pick Keaton Verhoeff. The University of North Dakota blue liner was a lot of fun. We discussed everything from his transition to the NCAA, potentially playing for Canada at the upcoming World Junior, and – of course – his thoughts on his draft year. According to most draft experts, Verhoeff has the potential to take the top spot in next June’s draft. The Alberta native shoots well, he is big, mean and can also contribute significantly offensively. Talking about a total package. Incredibly, if things don’t improve, the Leafs could be in the mix to get him. The first-round pick the Leafs gave up in the Boston/Minten trade is protected in the top 5.

After a few days off, the Leafs return to the ice Wednesday night when they visit Columbus. We’ll recap that, and that free agent/future hall-of-famer Max Scherzer, fresh off heading to Game 7 of the World Series with the Blue Jays, will make another appearance on the show.