Do you know your Cup-winning new guys? Take the "Who Didn't He Play For?" quiz

It’s Mitch Marner’s world right now, and we’re all just living in it. Less than a year after a sign-and-trade sent him to Vegas on the eve of free agency, Marner and the Knights are closing in on a championship, and the ex-Leaf is the runaway leader for the Conn Smythe.

It’s a cool story. But it might not be as unique as you might think. While Marner's version might be extreme, NHL history is filled with stories of star players who arrive on a new team via trade or free agency and win a Cup in their very first year. So since we haven’t had a quiz in a while, let’s see how well you know your Cup-winning newbies.

As always, I’ll give you a player and some teams, and you tell me which one he never played an NHL game for. Once you’ve finished all 16 questions, scroll back up to see your score, and then use the handy chart below to see how you did.

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Hurricanes or Knights? A Stanley Cup Final rooting guide for 30 other fan bases

Welcome to one of my favorite columns to write each year, where we go through all 30 teams that didn’t make the Stanley Cup final and offer up a suggestion on which of the finalists to root for. Nothing mandatory, mind you; more of a gentle nudge for the undecided. We have a bit of fun, it usually spurs some fun discussion, and there’s always a bit of suspense over which finalist the scales will ultimately tip towards.

Let’s just say that this year, I don’t think we have much of a suspense factor.

The Golden Knights are the villains here. It’s a role they’ve embraced, not just as far as this final but as the defining quality of their entire existence. The list of reasons to hate the Knights starts with jealousy, as they enter their ninth season of perpetual contention without ever really suffering through a bad season, but it doesn’t end there. Their win-at-all-costs mentality is enviable on some level, but at some point some of start getting tired of their whole act.

That’s not to say that everyone loves the Hurricanes; I’ve seen plenty of fans who don’t, or who seem to view this year’s final as a “none of the above” matchup. But finding fan bases that will be solidly pro-Vegas feels… daunting. So much so that I even briefly considered scrapping this year’s rooting guide altogether. But I like a challenge, and I love a recurring bit that means I don’t have to come up with a new angle. So let’ do this, even if we know how it’s going to end up.

We’ve got 30 teams to get to, and at least as many lenses to view this final through. As always, some reasons will be obvious, and some will be reaches. Will this end up being the most lopsided rooting guide ever? Almost certainly, but let’s dive in and see where we wind up.

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Who team should win the Conned Smythe award for worst trade with the Cup winner?

We’re down to four teams left in the playoffs, and longtime readers know what that means: It’s time to take a look at the field for one of the league’s most prestigious award, the Conned Smythe.

Yes, Conned. If you’re new to the concept, the Conned Smythe goes to the team that made the worst trade that had the biggest impact on each season’s eventual champion. Sometimes it’s a relatively obvious call, like when Flames fans watched the Panthers win Cups with Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett, or when the Avs won in 2022 and the Conned went to the Maple Leafs for handing them Nazem Kadri. Other years, there are almost too many candidates for a given team.

We want to avoid feeling overwhelmed, so it’s smart to get organized now. Here are the ten teams that are in the best shape to win this year’s Conned Smythe, based on the trades they made with the conference finalists.

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Eight critical questions the Leafs should ask the candidates to be their next GM

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the market for a new GM, and probably a president too. I’m offering my services.

No, not for the jobs themselves. But I’m willing to act as a consultant for the interview process. Specifically, I’ve got a few questions that I’d love to see Keith Pelley and his hiring committee ask potential candidates before making a decision on who’ll lead this franchise into the future.

Normally I’d charge a hefty fee to a corporate client for this sort of insight, but given the critical importance hanging over the coming decisions, I’ll make it a freebie. As my gift to the team that’s brought me so much joy over the years, here’s are the eight questions I wouldn’t let a candidate leave an interview without asking.

I’ll skip the obvious ones, like “Rebuild or reload?” or “What should we do with Auston Matthews?” or “Who’s the coach?” Those are important, but even Pelley doesn’t need my help to come up with them. Let’s dig a little deeper.

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Welcome back, traitor: Remembering six of the ugliest receptions for returning stars

It’s been a week of returns in the NHL. On Monday, we saw Jonathan Toews’ first game back in Chicago, returning to the city where we won three Cups as a visitor for the very first time. The fans gave him a hero’s welcome, the sort of outpouring of emotion you rarely see in the sports world. It was a collective “thank you” to a player who meant so much to a franchise and its fan base.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJQTNxj0p3o

Tonight, Mitch Marner will return to Toronto, and the reception will be… not that.

We’re not quite sure what kind of welcome home Marner will get. No doubt, the team has prepared a sappy video for the first commercial break, because that’s the “classy” way to handle this stuff. Some fans will go along with the sentiment, others will be far more hostile, and manywill just want the whole thing to be over. When it comes to Marner’s exit, for some fans at least, it’s complicated.

Complicated, but not especially unique. So today, let’s remember six times that an NHL star returned home to a reception that was closer to Marner than Toews.

Some definitely deserved it, others maybe didn’t. But they all heard about it from their former fans, and it might give us some sense of what to expect in Toronto tonight. And we’ll even tack on the happy ending of reconciliation that most of these stories tend to get, if only to remind us that the Marners of the world are often welcomed back eventually. Often, but not always.

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Ranking the 10 best NHL matchups we haven't seen yet so far this season

We’re officially hallway through the NHL regular season schedule, and given that each team plays every other team at least twice, that means you might expect to have seen every possible matchup at least once by now. Of course, that’s now how the schedule works – things aren’t spread out quite so evenly, with some matchups frontloaded into the first few months and other making us wait.

For example, you could probably stump your friends by asking them to name the only two teams that have already played each other four times this season. That would be the Senators and the Bruins, two divisional rivals who’d already finished their entire season series by the holiday break. (If you use that in a bar bet and win a free beer, you have to send me a sip in the mail. I don’t make the rules.)

For today’s post, we’re going to look at the other extreme: The teams that have yet to face each other even once so far this season. By my count, there are 70 such pairings still on the table out of a possible 496, the vast majority of which are interconference tilts. Not all of those are exactly marquee matchups; I’m guessing there aren’t too many fans out there begging to see the Devils finally square off with the Kraken. But some of the pairings we haven’t seen yet are good ones, and today we’re going to rank them.

Here are my picks for the ten best matchups that the schedule has yet to offer us as the season heads into its second half.

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Should Leaf fans view Mitch Marner as a hero or villain? A debate with myself

It’s official. The Mitch Marner era is over in Toronto, with the Leafs executing a sign-and-trade deal that sends him to Vegas Golden Knights hours before Monday's midnight deadline. (add link)

Leaf fans, how are we feeling about all of this? More specifically, how are we feeling about Marner himself?

Let’s put the question even more simply: When he makes his first trip back to Toronto, are you booing him? Does he get an ovation? Something in between? No reaction at all?

I think I can guess where the majority might be leaning today. I’m also pretty sure that it’s far from unanimous. So today, let’s debate the subject with arguments, from two different types of fans, both of whom are me.

In one corner, my sports fan brain – logical, rational, and not especially susceptible to easy narratives. In the other, my sports fan heart, which is not quite as rational, but is also the main reason I’m here.

It’s worth pointing out that the last time we broke out this gimmick for a Leafs debate, it was 2022 and we were still doing the “run it back” dance with this team. Back then, my head said to stay the course, while my heart said to blow it all up. If you look back at that post today, well, I think it’s fair to say that the heart won, or at least it should have. We’ll see if that holds true today.

Mitch Marner is an ex-Leaf. Are we mad at him? Should we be? I’m not sure, so let’s drop the gloves and square off.

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Mitch Marner UFA power rankings: Who needs him, what's funniest and where does he land?

We’re less than a week away from free agency, and the big name is Mitch Marner. You may have heard about it. It’s been kind of a thing.

And as you’d expect, several teams have emerged as potential destinations, while others are likely happy to lurk in the background. As of today, there’s no clear favorite. That feels like a good reason to break out the trusty Power Rankings gimmick, and see what kind of different lenses we can look at the situation through.

And yes, we’ll end with a prediction. You should probably ignore that part, because I’m bad at this. But first, let’s start with the obvious category…

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The Mitch Marner UFA villainy rankings: Which destination would hurt Leaf fans most?

Mitch Marner’s run as a Maple Leafs is all but over, with all signs pointing to his departure as an unrestricted free agent on July 1. That reality raises all sorts of questions, including how it came to this, whether a breakup is really the right move for either side, and whether this all could have been avoided. But the more pressing question right now is: Where does he wind up?

James Mirtle took a crack at that question a few days ago, ranking all 32 potential landing spots from most likely to maybe to probably not. If we’re being honest, James was probably being kind on the “probably” for that last group, none of whom seem like realistic fits. Still, almost half the league appears to at least theoretically be in the running, which you’d expect for a player with as much talent and upside as Marner can offer.

Great. But all that analysis is leaving out the most important part of any great drama: The villain.

If Marner truly going to betray a Toronto fan base that never had a bad word to say about him – don’t search any social media, just go with it – then he might as well embrace the heel turn. Really kick Leaf Nation through the barbershop window, you know? There may even be a very small minority of you out there in other fan bases who’ll be rooting for it to happen.

OK, so let’s figure this out. Today, we’re going to rank Marner’s potential destinations based solely on how much it would twist the knife on his former team and its fans. I’ve used Mirtle’s list as a starting point, and taken all the teams that he ranked as having at least a quasi-realistic shot at landing the best UFA the league has seen in years. That leaves us with 16 candidates; let’s count them down from least to most painful for Leaf fans.

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Playing "What if?" with 6 key Maple Leaf decisions from the Brendan Shanahan era

It’s over. The Brendan Shanahan era is all but done, Mitch Marner is all but gone, and big changes seem imminent in Toronto. The Maple Leafs, or at least this version of them, have failed.

Did it have to be this way?

That’s the big question these days. To hear some tell it, yes, this was the inevitable outcome all along, because playing in a big market like Toronto is just too much to ask from the toughest athletes in the world. Others would tell you that the Shanaplan was doomed from the very start, because it was built around the wrong core. And some would just shake their heads and mutter something about being cursed.

Then there’s the side that says no, it didn’t have to be this way – that there were multiple branching paths along the road that made a different destination possible. That’s the premise of today’s piece, as we look at a half-dozen key checkpoints in recent Maple Leafs history, and wonder what would have happened if a different decision was made.

Our starting point here is 2018 or so. The Leafs have already drafted Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander. They’ve made a surprise playoff run in their first year together, then nearly knocked off the established Bruins in year two. Brendan Shanahan has a plan, and it’s working. While there’s a long way to go, the future is as bright as it’s ever been.

And then… well, we know what comes next. But what if? We won’t go too deep down the alternate history hole on any of these – if you’re looking for fan fic that ends with the Leafs winning all the Cups, you’ll have to write it yourself – but each is worth exploring. And at the end, I'll even let you tell me the right answer.

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DGB "Leafs Lose" mailbag: Thoughts on Shanahan, Marner, hope, and all those boos

It’s the middle of May, which means that the Toronto Maple Leafs have lost. It took a little longer this time, with this team going deep into the second round, but the ending was the same: An absolutely brutal no-show, fans and media pleading for something to change, and this time we mean it.

Sounds like it’s time for a spring tradition around these parts: The annual “the Leafs lose again” mailbag. Let’s see what was on your mind this time around.

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NHL weekend rankings: An unpredictable trade deadline shakes up the Top 5

Well, that was something.

The annual trade deadline didn’t deliver huge numbers as far as the actual volume of trades, but the ones that did happen were significant, with more big names moving than just about any year in recent memory. A lot has changed since we last did this one week ago, and the rankings will reflect that.

We’ll get to those in a minute. But first, let’s close the book on a fascinating week with a few final deadline thoughts.

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The 2024 NHL playoffs all-disappointment team: Mitch Marner, Elias Pettersson, more

We’ve made it to the conference finals, with four teams left and a dozen playoff losers already sulking on the sidelines. It’s time to let them all know that we’re not mad, just disappointed.

Well, that’s not completely true – we’re also mad, about everything, all the time, because that seems to be how the league likes it. But today, we’re going to focus on the second half of the equation, as we build out a 21-man roster of playoff disappointments.

As always, we’ll have a few ground rules. We’ll place a limit of two players per team, because I know you guys get mad when I write a piece that’s all about the Maple Leafs. And we’ll have a mandatory one-player-per-team rule, including the four that are still active. That’s always tricky, since it means there’s a good chance that somebody we call a bust will have a hat trick and the OT winner in their next game. Hey, not guts, no glory. (Yes, I do consider sitting on my couch and calling professional athletes disappointments to be a form of glory, thanks for checking.)

We’ll build from the net out, always a crowded field at this time of year, which is why we give ourselves a third slot. But I’m not sure anyone will disagree with our first pick…

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Who to trade, who to fire, and is there any hope? A "Leafs lose" DGB mailbag

It’s the second round of the playoffs, so it must be time for our annual “the Leafs were just eliminated” mailbag. This should be a million laughs, I can’t wait.

Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and style.

Based on the one-way parasocial relationship between us as podcaster/listener, I hope you don't find it weird that my only real question is "are you okay?" – Danny B.

I am, thanks. Honestly, this one barely stung at all.

I once wrote a column about how difficult this version of the Leafs is to root for, and that was almost two full seasons ago. It’s fair to say it hasn’t got any easier. This is a talented group, but it’s not an especially likable one, especially when the story always ends the same way.

So yeah, my reaction to Game 7 was a lot closer to a shrug than a tantrum. (And if you don’t believe me, here’s Ian Mendes opening Monday’s podcast with a description of what it was like to watch the game with me.)

Honestly, this is pretty easily the least disappointment I’ve ever felt after a Leafs playoff loss, which is maybe not a great sign. And I’m guessing I’m not the only one, which is worse.

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“We can and we will.” A history of how the Maple Leafs got here, in 12 quotes

“Obviously we’re looked upon as… you know, kind of gods here to be honest.” – Mitch Marner, May 2024

Did you enjoy the Maple Leafs’ final media day of the season, at least for players and coaches? I sure did. Nothing quite like being reminded over and over, by just about every player on the team, that they’re “close”. Always close, with these guys. Close to winning something, close to each other, close to making you throw your remote through the TV screen. So close!

This year, we got a memorable bonus quote from the current whipping boy, who decided this would be a good week to compare the players to deities. He’s not even wrong. The Toronto Maple Leafs players really are gods, in their own way. Then again, so was Oizys.

For the record, I don't think Marner's "gods" quote was especially controversial; I think we can all appreciate what he was going for, even if he might have preferred to have it come out a bit differently. And if Marner's sound bite was a bit awkward, at least it fit with a larger trend in Leafs land, where the team has spent the last few years leaving quote-based sign posts along to the road to wherever this is that they’ve wound up.

So today, as we wait for the implosion to truly start, let’s remember 12 sound bites that this team offered up during the Brendan Shanahan era, and how they ultimately add up to explain the way it all fell apart.

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A radical theory on why the Leafs are losing another series: The Bruins are better

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. It’s the playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t show up on time, they briefly got going with an offensive outburst, and then came the stupid penalties and the defensive miscues and the non-existent big save when it was needed most. Now they’re embarrassed, in disarray and looking over their shoulders at ghosts.

OK, I’ll admit you have heard it before, from me, because that’s almost exactly how I started my column after Game 1 of last year’s a postseason, a 7-2 loss in front of the same fans who just booed them off the ice. So yes, you’ve heard it, from me and everyone else, in some for or another. But I don’t need you to stop me this time, because I’m stopping myself. For one night at least, after a humiliating home loss to the Bruins that put them down 3-1 in the series, I’m going to do the opposite of what you might expect. I’m hitting pause on all those Maple Leafs narratives we’ve all run into the ground over the last few years.

You know the ones: The Leafs don’t want it bad enough. The not-so-young-anymore core is overpaid and entitled. The leaders and the coaches don’t have the right message, and if they do then nobody’s listening. You need all-star numbers in January, they’ve got you covered, but if you need the sort of heart-and-soul shift that can tilt a series, look elsewhere. No killer instinct. They don’t show up, they don’t start on time, and they don’t want any part of the big kid hockey that gets played in the postseason.

Sure. Some of that could be true. Maybe even all of it.

But maybe it doesn’t matter, at least not this time. Maybe the Bruins are just better.

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Mailbag: December trades, a roster challenge, and more

Which team would win this 3-on-3 tournament?

• All goalies with a regular goalie in net (e.g. Oettinger, Shesterkin and Samsonov, with Vasilevsky in net)
• All forwards (e.g. McDavid, Pastrnak, Draisaitl with Matthews in net)
• All defensemen (e.g. Makar, Fox and McAvoy with Josi in net)

Note: Each team’s one designated goalie has to stay in net, and only those goalies get goalie equipment.

I'm leaning defensemen. Goalies have massive advantage having a real goalie, but I don't think they would have the puck much. – Josh D.

I’m with you on the goaltenders – they just wouldn’t be able to keep up. The average NHL goalie is a far better hockey player than you’d think, and plenty of beer leaguers have stories of pro goalies wanting to play out and just skating circles around everyone. But these wouldn’t be beer leaugers they’re playing against. They might never touch the puck. Give them the bronze.

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Every Leafs playoff loss of the Shanahan era, ranked from least to most painful

The Leafs lost in the playoffs. Again. Six times, in fact.

That’s progress, in a sense – the most playoff games they’ve lost in one postseason during the Brendan Shanahan era. That’s the reward you get for winning a round. More losing, what fun.

If you’re counting, and I am, that makes it 29 postseason games that the Leafs have lost since their first appearance of the Shanahan/Matthews era in 2017, a span that covers the Capitals, Bruins (twice), Blue Jackets, Canadiens, Lightning (twice) and Panthers. Of course, not all losses are created equal. Some are significantly more painful than others.

Hey, that sounds like an excuse for a ranking. Let’s do that.

But first, a caveat: I very much get that some Leaf fans will want no part of this exercise. I gave it a few extra days to let you work through the grieving process on this latest exit, but that’s going to be nowhere near enough for some of you. If you want to exit out of this article like this guy, I totally get it.

But we all process tough times in different ways, and some of us like to talk our way through them with our miserable fellow travellers. If that’s you, come and join our little support circle as we count down every Maple Leafs playoff loss of this era, from least to most painful.

---

29: 2017, Round 1, Game 1: Capitals 3, Maple Leafs 2 (OT)

The very first playoff game of the Shanahan era was also the first loss. But it was close, and that felt like a victory against a heavily favored Caps team that had just won the Presidents’ Trophy. Sure, the winning goal was a little bit weak, and of course it had to be Tom Wilson who scored. But just getting to overtime against a team that was supposed to be unbeatable was a win in its own way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5bX5-p7xYM

The playoffs are fun! They’re fun, right?

28: 2023, Round 2, Game 1: Panthers 4, Leafs 2

Ah, it feels like it was only weeks ago, doesn’t it? We were all so young back then. We were also still a little hungover from finally seeing the team win a round, so this one couldn’t hurt all that much. Even though they lost, the Leafs played reasonably well, so the outlook for the rest of the series still looked bright. Besides, it was funny to see Paul Maurice holding up his fingers, as if one gesture could suddenly convince all the refs to call prison rules for the rest of the series.

27: 2018, Round 1, Game 4: Bruins 3, Maple Leafs 1

I’ll be honest, I have zero recollection of this game. (Checks box score.) Oh hey cool, Tomas Plekanec was a Leaf for a bit. He scored in this one, which saw the Leafs play reasonably well but run into a strong Tuukka Rask game. Man, why can’t we ever draft a goalie like that.

26: 2021, Round 1, Game 1: Canadiens 2, Maple Leafs 1

This was an awful game, but not because of the loss. Instead, it will best be remembered for the devastating John Tavares injury that took him out of the series. The heavily favored Leafs went on to lose a dull game, but that barely mattered, and if anything it felt understandable given that they'd just seen their leader carried off the ice. Once word came down that Tavares would be OK for the long-term, we all settled back in to watch the Leafs bulldoze the inferior Habs. Which they did. For three games.

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Weekend rankings: The red hot Maple Leafs make their case for the top 5

Yes, the Leafs are in.

Sorry to ruin the suspense, but I’m guessing the slow build to a big reveal wouldn’t have worked. The Leafs have been among the hottest teams in the league for well over a month now. Since that disastrous 0-for-3 road trip through California that had overdramatic morons rending garments, the Leafs have gone 14-1-4, and are now on pace for 117 points.

And yes, I hear you: But the playoffs. I get it. If you think the Leafs’ history of first-round failure is less about luck and more about some fundamental flaw, then you don’t really care about what they’re doing in November and December. After all, this top five is about who’s going to win the Cup, not who’s hot right now, and you might insist that we all know the Leafs aren’t winning four playoff rounds. Even if you don’t by the choking narrative, the Lightning are still looming as a first-round rematch, so the path out of the Atlantic is rough.

We could make that argument for most teams – the age of parity means there just aren’t any easy matchups anymore. But OK, you’re still not sold on the Leafs. Let’s use this week’s bonus top five to make the case for why they're cracking the real thing for the first time since the 2020-21 season.

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Puck Soup: The Devils you say

On this week's episode of the Puck Soup podcast:
- New Jersey is good. But how good?
- The Leafs are bad. But how bad?
- The Preds, Blues and Blue Jackets are all struggling too
- John Tortorella drops some truth about the Flyers
- The Mullet era begins and Arizona is feeling defensive about it
- And lots more...

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>> Listen on Spotify

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