In their last game before the Four Nations Faceoff, the Toronto Maple Leafs will visit the Vancouver Canucks, and once again, they will force the road team to play on their terms - even though the game is in Vancouver and Canucks fans will have to start watchign at 4PM, we get to see the game at our normal 7PM start time.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a chance to head into the break with a four game winning streak, which is kind of weird because they haven't been playing particularly great at all recently.
Oh well, a win is a win! The Leafs defeated the Kraken on Thursday night, while the Canucks beat the Sharks and will be looking to head into the break on their own three-game winning streak.
The Leafs will likely go with Joseph Woll as even though Anthony Stolarz was great on Thursday you have to imagine they'd like to ease him into things after his knee surgery. The Canucks will likely counter with Thatcher Demko.
Toronto Maple Leafs Look to Extend One Streak, End Two Others
As mentioned, the Leafs will be looking to extend their winning streak while ending another. The streak they need to end is Auston Matthews five-game goal draught. I'm not sure he's ever gone six games without a goal, but that's similar sentiments on Thursday ended up costing me $100 dollars.
The Leafs will once again go with Domi on the top line with Matthews and the Marner-Tavares-Nylander line which was so effective. I like these lines, but I'd go one step further and put Nylander on the third line so that there is always a top player on the ice.
As for today's big Trade Rumour, the word is that the Flyers are getting ready to move Scott Laughton and the Leafs are in on it.
Sounds like trade talks are heating up around #Flyers center Scott Laughton.
— Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) February 8, 2025
Sources indicate #Leafs and #nhljets are two of the teams who have shown the most interest, but handful of teams are in the mix.@DailyFaceoff
I would love this trade (as long as it's not for anything more than Nick Robertson) provided that Laughton is not the Leafs main acquisition. The team is desperate for a third line centre, and Laughton is a decent option in that department, though he doesn't rate out much more than a replacement player statistically.
The fact that Laughton can competantly play the role of an NHL centre is good enough for me at this point. He would be inexpensive and allow for a more major aquisition of a defenseman. That said, if Laughton is all the Leafs do, that would be a very bad joke and everyone involved in the team's front office should be fired in that case.
It will be quite interesting to see what happens.