Darren Dreger

And are those pieces available in this offseason?

And how many other clubs are looking for that type of defenseman?

Probably 30, to be honest.

So I guess it doesn't matter what the outside world thinks.

So it's that the key, the principal players for the Toronto Maple Leafs actually believe they can turn this thing around in short order.

That's my understanding.

But I think that we have to qualify that too, though, Brian.

You know, what happens if the new head of hockey operations sells a completely different picture, right?

Now, again, you know, if you revisit what Keith Pelley said, you know, he told us they didn't believe that a full rebuild was in order, that the retool was the direction they were going to go.

You know, maybe he and the group that was making this decision are sold that, okay, well, the knife might have to cut a little bit deeper than that.

And then that management group, whatever it looks like,

has that conversation with Austin Matthews and with Willie and everyone else that they would, would believe that they have to have that conversation with it.

It probably doesn't go a whole lot deeper than those two guys.

Maybe at that point, Matthews goes, all right, well, this is a three, four year project.

Obviously my contract is up in two years, so I'm not likely to stick around for that.

That wasn't,

the communication today, this morning.

You know, again, Berube met with the group first, and then Brandon Pridham and whomever the other management types were involved, maybe he was alone, I don't know, had a separate meeting with those guys.

And he was also acknowledged, those players need to be better.

Matthews needs to be better.