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Johnson on the Maple Leafs' grades, Canadiens' playoff matchup and Schaefer's impressive season
10 Apr 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What were the Maple Leafs' performance grades after their defeat to the Islanders?
All right, joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline, here is the professor himself, our TSN hockey analyst, Mike Johnson. There he is. Johnny, how are we feeling this afternoon?
I'm feeling a little bullet-riddled after all the strays I've had. I was catching during the intermission by you two guys, I must say. Now just on the Pittsburgh, on the Penguins thing, on the Penguins thing. Like, can I check the times when I say that Penguins aren't going to be good and they're not and then retweet them at the end of the year? Like, where are those receipts?
Where you guys are right 85% of the time and there's no doubt they have a surprisingly good year. But I'm not seeing any like, you know what? These guys nailed it. We were terrible and they said we were going to be. So it's all a little ā it's in good fun. A lot of TSN personalities on that one, but it's a little petty too. Like it's the nature of the business.
And if we want to get real, I mean I can find all the stuff I said about Pittsburgh when they're not good and they weren't good and post that again. Let's just do that as broadcasters.
It will be just as long as yours. Every time we call a team garbage and they're garbage, we're going to just tweet it out saying, I told you you were junk. And you're junk. Watch this highlights. You suck. You're right. It doesn't go that way, generally speaking, when you actually nail it on them being bad. Or you say, hey, I think they're going to be great and they're awful.
They don't go back and say, hey, thanks for all your support, even though we completely jammed you on that take. But Pitt's a cool story. I mean, it is a cool story, and I didn't see it coming. I mean, there's no disputing it. They're not waiting for the last night.
Like, they got the X beside their name, and they've kind of been in the driver's seat here post-Olympic break without Sid for the first five or six weeks. They've been flying, Johnny.
Like, they've been really, really good. And Malkin gets suspended for five games in that time as well. And so all kinds of stuff happening. But to their credit, they haven't really had long dips. I kept waiting... I'll say, no, I kept waiting for them to go through a real slump. They were overachieving, things were going well, but they're going to lose 8-9, or 12-14 or something.
And it never really happened. They never lost control of their spot in the Metro. And to think, whoever they play in the first round, it's going to be Philly, Columbus, or the Islanders. One of those three teams. They're going to be the heavy favorite to win that series. So it's not just, wow, they made the playoffs. That seems to be a bit of a surprising positive season.
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Chapter 2: What challenges do the Canadiens face in their potential playoff matchup?
Awful. That game could have been 7-1 after the first period. I mean, it probably should have been 5-1. And you're thinking, what the hell are you guys doing? I came to the NHL for a controlled environment, better play, and I'm getting none of that. This is like worse than the American League. So...
for him to go out and try to be positive and after the game did not say anything poorly about the amount of shots and the amount of chances and just was cool with it all, that would go a long way in that moment with his teammates. But, you know, teams at this time of year, they always have guys starting, like Luke Hames is playing his first game or maybe it's going to be Villeneuve next game.
There's always... So many games you can rally because it's somebody's first. But in a season of four efforts at times, that first period was particularly tough to watch if you're a Leaf fan or a Leaf player. I mean, they weren't even remotely close to being in that game. They were fortunate they got the one goal they did. Their goalie was incredible. Keep it at two.
Yeah, and that was a team that is playing for the year to be over. I always say guys are always trying, and they're out there sort of trying, but they're not fully invested emotionally, mentally. They want this thing to be over, and that game looked like they wanted to be over last night.
Yeah, and three more. Mercifully, only three more, including Florida tomorrow night.
Mercy rule.
Yeah, mercy rule. With Mike Johnson, a TSN hockey analyst. So let me throw out a question for you that I have to believe they're contemplating in Montreal because any combination could still happen here with the Habs. And it's still uncertain. They could win the division. They could finish second, third. Let's take Tampa out of it, even though they won last night.
Tampa's a different beast within the division, clearly, because of their history and presuming health. They'll be, I think, a heavy favorite regardless of who they play. If you're Montreal, I give you these two options, and I'll give you home ice for both. Buffalo or Ottawa, who are you taking in the first round?
It's a tough question. Because Buffalo's been the best team in the NHL for... I want to say Ottawa. I do. Because I think Ottawa's best game is just miserable for people. They give you nothing. They check their tail off. If their goalie is right and gives them... Noodles, what's their record when they get like 900 goaltending? It's like they never lose.
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Chapter 3: How are the Eastern Conference standings shaping up as the playoffs approach?
The Islanders could be playing for everything. But tomorrow's the big game for the Islanders. They basically have to run the table to get there and get a little help. But they're playing Ottawa, who also has a lot to play for tomorrow afternoon. So I don't know. I don't think Columbus. That's all I know. I don't think it's going to be Columbus. They've ran out of gas. Oh, you're right.
They just expired all their magic in the run to get to it, and then it just sort of faded away. And you knew it had to. You can't go from being one of the lower scoring teams just by changing a coach to become one of the highest scoring teams. and not expect that to balance itself out at some point.
Unfortunately for them, it's balanced out the last two weeks, but I think they'll probably come up just a little bit short in the East for sure.
Yeah, it feels that way. We had this chat on the panel last night all throughout. Or just more debating where Schaefer ends up in our TSN Top 50 list next year. And is he sniffing around Top 10? Can he get it? Because it's a projection of how everyone will play next year. Where do you kind of see Schaefer on your list, Johnny? Top 10 defenseman? Mm-hmm.
We're on the total list. No, I mean, top 10, he'd be like 25 or 30, I don't know, something like that, which would be incredible for a 19-year-old. But he's amazing, right? He skates miles. He piles up offense. He's very good with the puck. There's some parts of his game without it that still have a ways to go. Now, same can be said for Kale McCarr or Evan Bouchard-Quinn.
He was like, none of those guys are perfect either. But to think he's going to be in the top 10 next year, I mean, who are we to question that kid and what he's done? But there's a lot of growth in his game that would probably have to happen to get into that exclusive category. Top 10 defenseman, however you get the defenseman in that top 50 list, that seems pretty reasonable.
Yes, I think he's already there, I mean, for sure. And if they get into the playoffs and he gets that kind of experience, but yeah, crack in the top 10.
You think he's a top 10 defenseman in the league this year? You think he's a top 10 defenseman in the league this year?
Yeah, I think so, man. I know the offense, but look at the team he plays on, and they're not great defensively. The guy's playing in every situation, more or less. Here's the thing, though. How do you judge defensemen?
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Chapter 4: What impact does Matthew Schaefer have on the TSN Top 50 Players list?
Especially the regular season, though. In the regular season, the idea like, oh, you know what, let's play it safe. Like, it just doesn't exist.
It hardly exists.
Luke, I'm denning. You guys are between the benches. You don't need to make that play. You got the game. Don't be jumping down there. Chip that thing in. Don't take them on. But they don't. Oh, you're so right. They are wired different. They're wired to attack and to be aggressive and to score. And they're not like, let's just this is enough. It's never enough. They never have enough.
They always want more.
Yeah, you guys are between the benches. I watch on TV. And guys, 3-1 lead, and a guy will throw a pizza up the middle, and it's 3-2. And they'll just come back to the bench like, oh, what are you looking at me about? They have no idea what the hell they're doing. None.
None. It's different. It's different. And as far as Bouchard goes, remember Eric Carlson, whatever it was, the San Jose where he got to 100. It was a historical season. And he's not a good defensive defenseman. But he got to 100, so it doesn't matter if he's good defensively. 96 or 100, the same conversation about Bouchard probably holds.
When you get 96 points, whether you're good defensively or not doesn't really matter. I think... He gets killed by not playing internationally. They're like, he's not even good enough to be a top eight Canadian defender. How are we going to make him the best defenseman in the league? That perception, because he didn't get picked for the Olympic team.
But I did do a little, just a little dive into Bouchard's numbers. And obviously he plays with McDavid at five on five and they roast everyone, right? All the goals they score or the pucks they have. But when they're apart, Bouchard's numbers, almost the same. McDavid's are the ones that take the hit.
So the idea that he's being carried by McDavid are not really borne out in the numbers this year. So I don't know where he ends up. There's a real fraction fact. of the NHL world that thinks he's no good because he has some miscues, but he's probably playing himself into a finalist role, maybe, to a Norris finalist at this point.
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