In the short term, third-stringer Dennis Hildeby<\/a> gets thrown into the fire, the prospect facing an unrelenting schedule that begins with key divisional matches Saturday versus Montreal and Monday versus Tampa Bay, two rivals ahead of Toronto in the Atlantic race.<\/p>\n Prospect Artur Aktyamov is the next (masked) man up. He\u2019s 24. He\u2019s never played in the show. He has an .896 save percentage on the farm.<\/p>\n Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.<\/p>\n Latest episode<\/a><\/p>\n So\u2026 does GM Brad Treliving go goalie hunting, again?<\/p>\n Never having Stolarz and Woll available at the same time this season, the Leafs already brought in and discarded James Reimer and Cayden Primeau.<\/p>\n Yes, some intriguing but flawed trade options are out there.<\/p>\n Be it acquisition cost or cap cost, a bigger swing for a goalie feels far-fetched, especially considering Treliving\u2019s limited assets.<\/p>\n Past behaviour suggests the executive will hold pat and watch the waiver wire like a hawk.<\/p>\n Moreover, are we sure these trade options are better than Hildeby, who has a .919 through seven scattered appearances, all in tough circumstances?<\/p>\n Hildeby can shoulder work; he played 41 games in his rookie AHL season and posted a .913.<\/p>\n Of course, that doesn\u2019t guarantee he\u2019ll go Beast mode in the NHL gauntlet.\u00a0<\/p>\n But, for the time being at least, Toronto would be wise to at least see what the gentle giant can do.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0The low point of the Maple Leafs’ season was two Saturdays ago, when they got steamrolled 5-2 at the Bell Centre and hung poor Woll out to dry. An embarrassing showing.<\/p>\n Since then, Toronto embarked on a 4-1 road trip and played its best hockey.<\/p>\n Wild how many Leafs brought up the Canadiens before they\u2019d even peeled off their gear Thursday night in Raleigh.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe needed this. We needed that energy, and we\u2019re just gonna try to bring that home,\u201d Matthew Knies<\/a> said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a tendency to be flat at home, but we\u2019re gonna come Saturday and give some payback to these guys in Montreal.\u201d<\/p>\n The Zamboni hadn\u2019t rolled out yet, and they were already eyeing a\u00a0Hockey Night in Canada\u00a0revenge match. Yep, the speedy Habs left a mark.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing the standings and everything going on, we just play the same way and continue to roll,\u201d Scott Laughton<\/a> said. \u201cWe\u2019re at home now for a little bit. We\u2019ve got to be really good and strong, and we\u2019ve got to kind of do what they did to us.<\/p>\n \u201cContinue to play hard for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n The Canadiens might well take advantage of an inexperienced goalie, but they\u2019ll be in for a more confident opponent at Scotiabank Arena.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we did on the road, bring it home. Be urgent,\u201d coach Craig Berube said. \u201cUrgency, for me, is everything in that game.\u201d<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0Devastating injury for Tyler Seguin<\/a>, whose torn ACL likely finishes him for the season.<\/p>\n The Dallas Stars are one of the few legit Cup contenders, and Jim Nill was already going to be a buyer at the trade deadline.<\/p>\n How he treats Seguin\u2019s $9.85 million cap space, which can shift to LTIR, will be fascinating.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yes, Nill can go shopping in the most expensive aisle of forwards.<\/p>\n But the new CBA, with its playoff salary cap, could throw a wrench into any big purchase.\u00a0<\/p>\n What if Seguin \u2014 desperate to win a second Cup \u2014 rehabilitates and is ready for April or May.<\/p>\n No longer can a team go over the cap come postseason the way Chicago did with Patrick Kane and Tampa did with Nikita Kucherov.<\/p>\n Surely, the Stars will add. But our bet is that Nill waits to get more clarity on Seguin\u2019s realistic return date before deciding how big to swing here.<\/p>\n \u201cI drive around with my skates in the back of the car.\u201d\u00a0\u2014An unemployed Peter DeBoer, when asked on\u00a0Real Kyper & Bourne\u00a0if he\u2019s ready to coach again<\/p>\n<\/p>\n 5.\u00a0We\u2019re not ready to discount the champs and rule out the possibility of a threepeat just yet. The Eastern Conference is too mid and muddled.<\/p>\n But, boy, do the Florida Panthers look every bit like a 27th-place team right now.<\/p>\n \u201cThe bigger challenge is when you lose the players underneath,\u201d Maurice says.\u00a0<\/p>\n So ravaged by injury, the Cats have played games without six or seven of their regular forwards and a couple of important defencemen.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the most impactful injuries for us this year was Dmitry Kulikov<\/a>. We lost him halfway through Game 2. Because that\u2019s the underpinning that helps you survive losing those one or two great guys. Kills penalty, block shots, plays heavy, right?\u201d says Maurice, highlighting Eetu Luostarinen\u2019s absence too. \u201cIt\u2019s the kind of character glue guys.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur margins on our wins and losses over the last three years, especially in the playoffs, are very close. So, you miss those guys,\u201d Maurice says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s kind of at that risky place for us. This can either be really good, or it could be really bad with what we\u2019re dealing with. The really good part about this is, I\u2019m going to get a bunch of guys that are going to get even more experience in different roles.\u201d<\/p>\n The coach is desperately spinning positive. He thinks of how much centre Anton Lundell<\/a> can improve unsheltered by Barkov.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you could survive it and then fill your roster,\u201d Maurice says, \u201cyou would have much better players in a year. That’s what we\u2019re shooting for.\u201d<\/p>\n 6.\u00a0Since beginning November with a six-game point drought,\u00a0Owen Tippett<\/a> has piled 12 points over his past 10 games.<\/p>\n His Philadelphia Flyers have gone 7-3 over that stretch, jumping above the playoff line. Only the conference-leading Capitals have been better the past 10.<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, we just want to play for each other,\u201d says Tippett, who has been inquired about in trade talks by the Vancouver Canucks.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, pretty good start to the year. I still think there\u2019s another level I can get to. But I\u2019ve reflected on years past and taken some strides already this year. Just taking it game by game and trying to build my game.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The 26-year-old is on pace for his most productive campaign yet (57 points). More importantly, though, he\u2019s on the plus side of the ledger. He finished his previous six seasons as a dash.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never been a really point-hungry guy,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s just little habits I\u2019m trying to get in my game \u2014 being harder on pucks. That\u2019s something I feel has come a long way in the last couple years, being harder to play against. More consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n We understand why the Canucks inquired.<\/p>\n Tippett is signed through 2031-32 and he\u2019s still on an upward trajectory.\u00a0<\/p>\n His $6.2-million cap hit should only look better, and this is his final season without trade protection (a 10-team no-trade kicks in for 2026-27).<\/p>\n Tippett credits John Tortorella for instilling a foundation built on work ethic and defensive responsibility in the young Flyers room: \u201cPlaying the right way and playing fast and playing hard.\u201d<\/p>\n New coach Rick Tocchet\u2019s expectations are the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTwo strong personalities. And, you know, I think it helped us having Torts around. A lot of guys loved him, including myself. And the adjustment has been good so far,\u201d Tippett says.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting better every day, whether that\u2019s on the ice or in (the dressing room) doing film. Hanging on to pucks, making sure we\u2019re comfortable with guys on our back and improving the little details is what he\u2019s pounding home.\u201d<\/p>\n Tippett and the Flyers are both getting better every day.<\/p>\n His play this contract season, which led to a Dallas Stars record goal streak this week, makes him undeniable when it comes to qualifying for his country\u2019s Olympic squad.<\/p>\n Robertson leads all Americans in goals (17), points (36) and shots (114). He leads all U.S. forwards in plus\/minus (+15) while skating nearly 20 minutes a night.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHis mind\u2019s on making the Olympic team,\u201d says Jason\u2019s brother and biggest fan, Nick. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity to play the best level of hockey. So, I\u2019m sure he really wants to be on it. And, obviously, he should. And he\u2019s making a case for himself that he should be on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n 8.\u00a0With Sam Reinhart<\/a> playing his 800th game this week, Maurice drew a comparison to Hall of Famer Ron Francis, whom he coached in Carolina.<\/p>\n \u201cThe things that make him great aren\u2019t almost physically based,\u201d Maurice explains. \u201cHe\u2019s got an incredible release, a great shot, right? But it is his brain that makes him really unique. So, we\u2019re gonna get a very good player for a very long time.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat excites me is his ability to impart that knowledge to other players.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Maurice believes winger Reinhart is \u201cunderestimated\u201d and that he\u2019s had a positive impact on centres Anton Lundell and Aleksander Barkov.<\/p>\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t speak on a whole lot on the bench, but he\u2019s right every time he does. He\u2019s a great resource for the coaches, what he sees on the ice, where the team is at,\u201d Maurice says. \u201cHe\u2019s not gonna tell you that you look good if you don\u2019t, but he\u2019s gonna point it out when you do. So, it\u2019s a really valuable kind of positive feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n Best of all, he doesn\u2019t cheat the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe was a Selke nominee last year and scored 57 the year before. There\u2019s just not a lot of those guys,\u201d Maurice says.<\/p>\n When it is suggested that Reinhart could be a GM one day, Maurice smiles and points to the salary gap.<\/p>\n \u201cThese guys now are moving more into the Mario Lemieux class. They could just own a team,\u201d he cracks. \u201cBut Sam could do whatever he wanted to do in the game at whatever level, really.\u201d<\/p>\n Engrave the trophy yesterday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Has anyone here torn their ACL before? If you have, imagine getting up on your own power, picking up your stick, skating to your bench, stealing a puck, then making a few stickhandles and a quick backhand sauce setup on your way to season-ending surgery.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the hockey culture,\u201d\u00a0tweeted<\/a>\u00a0fellow beauty T.J. Oshie. \u201cTorn ACL and still made his way to the bench without help. Oh, and he stripped the puck and got an assist on the way. What a warrior. What a sport. Hoping for a full recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n 10.\u00a0Tidy bit of work in Tampa this week, extending 36-year-old Ryan McDonagh for what could be the rest of his career: three more years at a $4.1 million AAV.<\/p>\n \u201cMac is one of a kind,\u201d coach Jon Cooper said. \u201cIf guys like Ryan McDonagh can\u2019t get in the Hall of Fame, I\u2019m not sure why we would have a Hall of Fame.\u201d<\/p>\n McDonagh is still logging 20-plus hard minutes at night, finding ways to tilt the ice while starting a ridiculous 68.5 per cent of his shifts in the D-zone.<\/p>\n The market for established minute-munching UFA defencemen continues to shrink.<\/p>\n We expect Calgary\u2019s Rasmus Andersson<\/a> to switch sweaters and Washington\u2019s John Carlson not to.<\/p>\n Curious to see if more teams press to extend in-season or if a few of these D-men opt to create a bidding war for themselves.<\/p>\n 11.\u00a0Faceoff beasts John Tavares<\/a> (61.1 per cent) and Nicolas Roy (54.5) both extolled the virtues of Jordan Staal (57.5) in the dot when rolling through Raleigh.<\/p>\n Playing in his 20th season, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Staal\u2019s faceoff prowess stems from a blend of experience, strength and smarts. Having a good teacher doesn\u2019t hurt, either.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember going up against Rod Brind\u2019Amour for a long time, a tremendous faceoff guy that certainly has had a good influence on him,\u201d Tavares says of a Hurricanes coach who won 59.4 per cent of his draws as a player.<\/p>\n \u201cYou add that with the physical attributes and his hockey IQ and all sorts of things, it\u2019s always a tough test. Got to be at your best and your sharpest when it\u2019s a guy like Staal in the dot.\u201d<\/p>\n The similarly sized Roy was drafted by the Hurricanes in 2015 and took early faceoff tips from Staal.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing two big guys, that bottom hand has got to be strong. And he\u2019s really tough to win those battles,\u201d Roy says. \u201cReally strong on the dots.\u201d<\/p>\n 12.\u00a0Gotta say, I\u2019m enjoying Matthew and Brady Tkachuk<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0Wingmen\u00a0podcast more than anticipated. The brothers are relaxed, enthusiastic, and \u2014 best of all \u2014 dishing some fun behind-the-scenes stories.<\/p>\n![\"32](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/32-Thoughts-podcast-Elliotte-Friedman-Kyle-Bukauskas-640x360.jpg\")
32 Thoughts: The Podcast<\/p>\n