Hockey must be around the corner because for the second time this week, a former Toronto Maple Leafs player spoke about his past life.
It's no secret that Toronto is the mecca of hockey in Canada because whenever a former player talks about Toronto, everyone needs to listen. For decades, the idea of playing in Toronto has been intriguing. From the media "scrutiny" to the Stanley Cup drought, many people have put those two in the same sentence, although it's not true.
Having multiple reporters in a dressing room does not lead to losses on the ice, but for some reason this continues to be a headline. Until they win a championship, this will probably stay true, but I can't wait for that day as every player and hockey person in the world will wish they were at that Stanley Cup parade.
Either way, after Calle Jarnkrok spoke up about Craig Berube earlier this week, it felt like another former Leaf would have bad things to say, but that never happened. Defenseman Brandon Carlo was on "The Cam & Strick Podcast" this week and actually had some positives words about the leadership group, saying:
“I think it was more delegated throughout the group, but there were definitely some voices...I felt like Jake McCabe was very well respected within that room and would speak up quite a bit. Morgan Rielly as well. I think he’s one of those guys. And Auston, It’s more so just when he does say something, everybody listens. It’s not like he’s gonna be harping on you every single time, but when he does speak up, you know, the whole room’s gonna listen. He’s your captain, amazing player, amazing person, and he’s definitely one of those guys.”
Leafs leadership group is in a good spot according to Carlo
When you think of Toronto's group, you don't particularly think of McCabe as a strong leader, but that's a very positive sign. You'd expect that response about a veteran like Rielly and a former Hart Trophy winner in Matthews, but not McCabe, so that was a surprising, yet great comment.
Carlo's tenure in Toronto was short-lived and will be remembered more for the fact that they traded Fraser Minten and a first-round pick for him, but the trade at the time was justified. Another big body reliable defenseman seemed like a recipe for success in the playoffs, but unfortauntely they fell short to Florida once again.
If the team had made it to the Conference Finals or Stanley Cp Finals, the trade would be viewed differently, but his bad play, injuries and lack of success made this trade a bust. Either way it's positive to see where the leadership group stands right now.
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