What are the emotions of Leafs fans over the last 24 hours?

0:01 Number 12 for the Leafs.

0:02 Number 12 for the Leafs.

0:04 10 FOR CALGARY.

0:06 12.

0:06 THE LEAFS.

0:09 12.

0:08 WOW.

0:08 THE LEAFS HAVE WON THE LEAFS WON THE LOTTERY.

0:12 MATT SUNDE.

0:13 Look at Matt Sunde.

0:18 Ah.

0:19 That leads us to a special edition of Harvey's Hot Takes with Brian Hayes,

0:25 who as you just saw is the host of Overdrive on TSN Radio.

0:28 And you guys did a special YouTube show for the lottery.

0:32 And there's a lot of doom and gloom going into it after

0:36 uh Monday's bizarre press conference and that has just been erased entirely.

0:41 It's all positive emotions now.

0:43 Uh we saw your initial reaction,

0:45 but take us through the emotions the last 24 hours.

0:48 I'm glad you show that because I have

0:49 not seen that since I'm sitting beside you.

0:52 Uh 10 years ago, I had an even more ridiculous reaction when the Leafs

0:56 won their uh the lottery and they ended up picking Austin Matthews and I

0:59 blurted out something that I can't now get rid of because it's easily

1:03 the most embarrassing thing I've ever said or done in front of a microphone.

1:07 But that was an authentic reaction cuz I I wasn't expecting it clearly.

1:11 I was admittedly rooting for Calgary to win it,

1:13 Vancouver to win it, Winnipeg to win it, or Toronto to win it.

1:17 And by the way, if you're questioning that at home,

1:19 check the tape because you said that on the show yesterday.

1:22 I did.

1:22 I mean, I would love I wanted to see a Canadian team win it.

1:25 I was again thinking Calgary or Vancouver,

1:28 but this is the Maple Leafs in a nutshell, Jay.

1:30 I mean, they are a roller coaster.

1:32 They are a soap opera and you can always bank on the next chapter being written.

1:37 I didn't expect the next chapter to happen 24 hours later because you

1:42 referenced the Chica hiring Sundine the press

1:44 conference and ultimately what today represented

1:48 first time in about a calendar year it's been a positive night

1:51 for Leaf fans and I know people in Vancouver don't want to hear that.

1:55 Calgary don't want to hear that.

1:56 People in New York, Chicago, I understand that.

1:59 But you'd have to go back to game six of the second round against

2:02 Florida last year when they went down to Florida and they won that game 2-1.

2:05 Bringing it back to Toronto.

2:06 And we all know what happened in game seven.

2:08 Ever since they lost that game, it has been a steady downhill like just

2:14 just grind for the fan base filled with negativity

2:17 and vitrial and you know a lot of uncertainty of where things are going to go.

2:22 And this is the first time in a calendar year where my phone blew up,

2:26 my social media blew up and Leaf fans are actually just breathing easing

2:29 and saying something broke their way because

2:31 it was a very very difficult season.

2:33 It was an awful year.

2:34 They were terrible.

2:34 by the end they were tanking and the uncertainty was

2:37 would they tank enough to actually end up winning this thing.

2:40 So I think a lot of Leaf fans for the first time in a year

2:43 are like all right maybe things are

2:44 going to start turning in the right direction.

2:46 Well and we we haven't even mentioned our hockey insider Chris Johnston's

2:50 report that Austin Matthews is not committed to the Leafs for next season.

2:55 Chris Johnston's report kind of out there all day on Tuesday.

2:59 Kind of shocking in in some ways, I think.

3:02 Right.

3:02 Because it's the first time we've ever heard anything of that nature

3:06 about Matthews that potentially maybe he's not sure about sticking around.

3:09 Well, then they go win the draft lottery.

3:11 Do you think this maybe changes Matthews mind

3:14 and makes him a little more committed to the team?

3:16 I'm not sure it actually affects him

3:18 that much because let's say they take McKenna, right?

3:21 He's going to be 18 years old.

3:23 I would I would assume he steps in and plays for the Leafs next year.

3:26 Maybe he goes back to Penn State.

3:27 Maybe he can play for the Marlies or something like that.

3:30 Matthews is, I'm sure, looking at this one year at a time,

3:33 but at most two years at a time because he's got two years left on his contract.

3:37 So I I can't imagine Gavin McKenna represents that much

3:41 positivity for Matthews in particular for the next two years.

3:44 Right.

3:44 Right.

3:44 Not to suggest he can't or won't turn into a great player,

3:47 but it might take four years, five years, six, seven years.

3:50 And I don't think Matthews is on that timeline.

3:52 But if he is committed to the Maple Leafs,

3:56 this is a big boost for Matthews because now you you take a kid

4:00 under his wing that could be his winger as early as possibly this season,

4:04 but certainly two or three years into the future

4:06 if he's going to be here long term.

4:08 And that's really what left when Marner went to Vegas.

4:11 Right now, I'm not sitting here saying McKenna

4:13 is going to be Mitch Mner or or is

4:15 going to replace that production at any point in the next two or three years.

4:18 But when you get a first overall pick,

4:20 it's a massive boost for the organization.

4:22 And it's interesting, the draft is in Buffalo this year,

4:24 that's where Matthews was drafted 10 years ago.

4:27 And you know, it's kind of a a full circle

4:30 moment here where when Matthews came in, it was like,

4:33 all right, who is going to mentor him.

4:34 In reality, it was going to be Mike Babcock

4:37 and it was probably going to be Brendan Shanahan.

4:39 Now, if it's McKenna that goes first overall and Matthews is here,

4:42 it's a player that is going to take him under his wing.

4:45 And it's a big opportunity, I think,

4:47 for Matthews to possibly step forward and commit to the team and say,

4:51 "I'm going to accept this role as his mentor and take

4:54 him under my wing and hopefully allow him to grow and prosper

4:57 as a Maple Leaf again if it is McKenna." But I think

5:00 this opens the door to multiple opportunities and options now for the Leafs.

5:04 And ultimately, Matthew's future, Jay, is in his hands,

5:08 not the hands of Chaikica, Sundine, P, and the Maple Leafs.

5:12 He is going to make the decision on his future.

5:14 And if he wants to leave, I think this softens that.

5:19 I think it opens up the opportunity for Maple

5:21 Leaf Sports and Entertainment and the Leafs in their front

5:24 office to sell a new future because you've got

5:27 this first overall pick where if they kept their fifth pick,

5:30 let's say, and Matthews determines, I want to go play somewhere else,

5:35 it's a tougher cell, right?

5:36 You got the fifth overall pick.

5:38 What's that trade going to look like?

5:39 I'm not saying this is going to happen,

5:41 but it could be on the table from a marketing standpoint.

5:44 Matthews wants to move on.

5:46 You're going to get a ton of prospects and a ton of picks.

5:48 You pair that with the first overall pick,

5:51 launches you into a completely new era.

5:52 Well, and that was going to be my next question for you.

5:54 McKenna and Matthews are a decade apart in age.

5:57 The it doesn't the timeline.

5:59 You mentioned timelines.

6:00 They don't really work out for these two players.

6:03 For John Chica, is it now a scenario where you start to think about

6:07 this team as a team of the future as opposed to a team of the present?

6:10 Well, it depends on what he sold Keith P on, right?

6:13 like taking this job.

6:14 We may never know that.

6:16 Exactly.

6:16 And ultimately, there's a lot of uncertainty on that.

6:18 Exactly what Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment want to see happen here.

6:22 Do they want to keep Matthews and keep Knander

6:25 and now pair it with McKenna to sell some jerseys,

6:27 sell some tickets, sell some hope?

6:29 Um I I could see that being the case.

6:31 I can't imagine the Leafs now, and I'm talking about ownership more than than

6:35 than John Chica would look at this and say,

6:37 "Okay, let's move off these players." You know,

6:40 I don't I don't think that's going to happen.

6:42 But ultimately, if Matthews stays and if Knander stays,

6:46 you still need waves of attack afterwards, right?

6:49 Like you you you look at a team like Dallas as an example.

6:53 Different players, different history.

6:54 But there was a time five, six,

6:56 seven years ago that was Jamie Ben's team, Tyler Sean's team, right?

7:00 They had veterans that were the leaders.

7:01 They got pushed down the lineup because players jumped them, right?

7:04 And it obviously happened in conjunction

7:06 with their playing falling off a little bit.

7:08 That could be the future with the Leafs.

7:10 Again, Matthews is still in his 20s.

7:12 William Knander just turned 30.

7:13 They've got years and years of prime play ahead of them,

7:16 but if you can supplement them with wave after wave after wave,

7:20 and I think that's important to point out here, Jay,

7:22 the lottery bowls fell in the direction of the Maple Leafs.

7:24 They got lucky tonight.

7:25 It's a big boost.

7:27 The job's far from finished.

7:29 And I I mean replenishing the farm system.

7:32 If it's McKenna, that's a big get.

7:34 You need a lot more.

7:35 You still got to hit on the other first round picks in the future,

7:38 second and third round picks.

7:39 Again, what tonight means is their first round

7:42 picks in the next two years are gone.

7:43 I was just going to mention that.

7:45 I think that's kind of being under reportported.

7:46 Chris Johnson actually reported that that Yeah.

7:49 nope.

7:50 First rounder 2027, no first rounder in 2028,

7:53 which makes my whole theory of rebuilding

7:55 under McKenna sort of a little bit shaky.

7:57 It definitely does because they're unprotected

8:00 and and those are scary propositions in the future.

8:02 But it all comes down to selling it to a fan base, right?

8:06 The fans are right now, the Leaf fans are waiting to see what is the plan here.

8:10 Give us some direction.

8:11 This past year was a mess.

8:13 The previous nine years obviously very good in terms of regular season success.

8:17 It wouldn't be ideal.

8:18 It's not the way I would necessarily paint it up, but those picks are gone.

8:22 The trades are done.

8:23 The Carlo deal is done.

8:24 The lot steel deal is done.

8:26 You can't you can't get them back.

8:28 If this is a purely hypothetical,

8:30 if Matthews determines he wants out, Knander determines they want out,

8:35 I think you can sell McKenna, if it's that, if it's him,

8:40 the picks, the prospects you're going to get from those guys

8:43 and launch it into a new era.

8:44 What that's going to do is actually extend

8:46 the timeline on when you think you can be successful.

8:48 And you asked me about John Chica.

8:50 That would give him a lot of breathing room.

8:52 that would give him a lot of opportunity to get more creative

8:55 as opposed to an initiative from ownership or an objective from ownership.

8:59 You got to try to get back in the playoffs next year.

9:01 Yeah, that's a very different road.

9:02 It's a more challenging road in my opinion and it's a it's

9:06 a more nerve-wracking role I would think if you're the GM of this team.

9:10 If only we could get uh Chika to tell us what he pitched to Keith.

9:15 Keith used to be our boss.

9:16 I'm sure he'll tell us someday if he ever shows up on our show someday.

9:20 Brian Hayes, you're awesome.

9:21 Draft is June 26th in Buffalo.

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