MLHS Podcast

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli break down the Maple Leafs' 5-4-2 start, the encouraging performances from Auston Matthews, Jack Roslovic, and Easton Cowan, Gavin McKenna's response to adversity, the team's defensive limitations, and Jim Hiller's lineup decisions through 11 games.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the encouraging early returns from the Maple Leafs' forward group, the mounting concerns on defense without Chris Tanev, the possibility of finding external blue-line help, the PK's great start, and the new coaching staff's early-season work.

In the first MLHS Podcast episode of the 2026-27 season, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli take stock of the Maple Leafs through four games, discussing the early reasons for optimism and concern, the performances of key players, Jim Hiller's lineup decisions, and the biggest questions facing the team as it embarks on a challenging road trip.

In an emergency episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli react to the Maple Leafs' blockbuster trade for Kirill Marchenko.

In the season preview episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli go player by player to tee up the 2026-27 Maple Leafs campaign.

In a dog-days-of-summer edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' continued overhaul of their front office, their forward and defense mix, excitement about the new season, and the remaining forwards lingering in the UFA market.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' busy offseason, from the draft to the UFA period, and break down each addition and subtraction.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' trade with Philadelphia, the hiring of Jim Hiller as head coach, the first-overall debate (or if it's a debate at all), and their takeaways from the Marlies' playoff run.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the dismissal of Craig Berube, the field of candidates to replace him, and Auston Matthews' future in Toronto amid rampant speculation.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne, Anthony Petrielli, and (for the first half-hour) Alec Brownscombe discuss the Maple Leafs' lottery windfall, what it changes for the Leafs moving forward, the player debate at #1 overall, the hiring of John Chayka and Mats Sundin, and much more.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the field of candidates in the Maple Leafs' executive search, the arguments for/against Mike Gillis as the next President of Hockey Ops, the names bandied about in the GM conversation, and Mats Sundin and Gary Roberts interviewing for potential front-office roles.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the firing of Brad Treliving, Keith Pelley's press conference, the team's culture problem, and the apparent retooling mandate espoused by Pelley.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Auston Matthews injury incident, Matthews' future in Toronto, the Leafs' culture problem, and the play of Easton Cowan and the call-ups during the recent wins.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' trade deadline moves and the unclear direction moving forward.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' miserable stretch of hockey coming out of the break, Craig Berube's disastrous season behind the bench, and the possible deadline moves to come in the next few days.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' recent 3-1-0 road trip and the tricky balance of potentially selling at the trade deadline while wanting to remain competitive next season.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' stunning downturn during the homestand, how the organization reached its current low point, the players' apparent disconnect from the fan base/reality, and the unlikability of the 2025-26 Maple Leafs.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' recent dip in results, non-stop injury issues, Brad Treliving's ultimate course of action for the 2025-26 season, and Easton Cowan's development plan.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' great points streak ending with a thud in Utah, John Tavares' recent struggles, the sign vs. trade conversations about Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton, the confusing defense pairings, and Dougie Hamilton as a potential trade fit in Toronto.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' promising depth contributions of late, their blue line picture moving forward, a big win over Florida, and the lineup decisions when William Nylander returns from injury.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' encouraging turnaround in results, the team's depth up front coming together, the ongoing power-play woes, the Bobby McMann one-game suspension, and much more.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' recent stretch of three wins in four games (including an impressive win over Florida), the emergence of a possible identity line, Troy Stecher's early impact, and the ongoing power play frustration.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the decisions to be made with the Maple Leafs' fully healthy forward lineup and the state of the team at American Thanksgiving.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne, Anthony Petrielli, and Alec Brownscombe discuss the Leafs' .500 record at the quarter pole, Brad Treliving's media address, possible reasons for optimism, the Troy Stecher addition, and the team's ongoing injury concerns.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' troubling losses to Boston and Carolina, the biggest areas of concern and reasons for hope, and Craig Berube's current job security.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' current winning streak, their healthy forward lineup, Nick Robertson making a case in the top six, Scott Laughton's return, the awkward David Kampf situation, and much more.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss their updated "concern-o-meter" about the Leafs' 5-5-2 start and Auston Matthews' play, Craig Berube's coaching job, and the current state of the team's lineup.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' disappointing losses to Seattle and New Jersey, Anthony Stolarz's controversial comments, the disjointed forward lineup, and their concern level about Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies' starts to the season.

Takeaways from the Leafs’ first four games - MLHS Podcast EP100 by Maple Leafs Hotstove

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' 2025 preseason developments so far, the goaltending picture entering the regular season, and the decisions to be made on the fringes of the roster ahead of opening night.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' roster picture ahead of training camp and the fallout from the recent Mitch Marner interview.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' summer moves so far and the work still to be done by Brad Treliving this offseason.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli tee up the Maple Leafs' 2025 offseason with a preview of the draft, the unrestricted free agency pool, and the Matthew Knies and John Tavares contract negotiations.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne, Anthony Petrielli, and Alec Brownscombe discuss the end of the Brendan Shanahan era, the underlying reasons for the team's loss to Florida, and the possible end of Mitch Marner's tenure in Toronto.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' drivers of success through two games vs. Florida, the matchup game, the Leafs' handling of the Panthers' shenanigans/physicality, the goaltending performances for both teams, and the special teams battle.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne, Anthony Petrielli, and Alec Brownscombe discuss their final takeaways from the first-round victory over the Senators, the daunting matchup against the Panthers, the areas of the game where the series will be decided, and their series predictions.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' two consecutive losses to the Senators, the level of concern that's justified, the media coverage of the series, Auston Matthews' play through five games, and the lineup decisions ahead of Game 6.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss their takeaways from the Leafs' first two wins of the series vs. the Senators, the five-on-five battle between the teams, the Leafs' top performers/underperformers so far, and the merits of making any lineup changes ahead of Game 3.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Battle of Ontario round-one matchup, the questions to resolve with the Leafs' playoff lineup, and their series predictions for the Leafs vs. Senators series.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' trip through Florida, how they match up vs. the Panthers and Lightning stylistically, and their potential playoff lineup.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' important victory over Florida, their five-on-five play, their issues on the breakout, the third line situation, Craig Berube's positive approach in the media, and Max Pacioretty's potential playoff role.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' opportunity to chase down a division title, Auston Matthews' improved play in the past week, the challenge of forming a credible third line, the surging power play, and the lagging penalty kill.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' loss to the Panthers, Auston Matthews' relatively underwhelming season, and the big questions facing the coaching staff down the stretch and into the playoffs.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' additions of Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo on 2025 trade deadline day.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli assess the Maple Leafs' 3-0 stretch since the 4 Nations break, recent developments at forward and on defense, and the team's trade deadline needs/options up front and on the blue line.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' strong start to their road trip, the implications of the rising cap ceiling, and the team's roster needs up front and on the blue line.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' recent form, their situations at center ice and on the blue line, and some possible targets in the trade market.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Brad Treliving's recent comments about the trade market, Morgan Rielly's slow season to date, the overall state of the blue line, the underachieving power play, and the team's public accountability after underwhelming performances.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' recent 3-1-0 stretch featuring an uptick in offense, the Nylander - Matthews - Marner & McMann - Domi - Robertson lines, Matthews' relatively slow season so far, and Matt Murray's return to the NHL during Anthony Stolarz's injury absence.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' dip in five-on-five play, the state of the team's power play, the bottom-six forwards and defense pairings, the OT win over Keefe's Devils in New Jersey, and much more.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Auston Matthews' return, the pros and cons of uniting Matthews-Marner on one line and its impact on the overall lineup, the imminent return of Max Domi and Max Pacioretty, and the best fits among the defense pairings.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli separate fact from fiction on the Maple Leafs' 7-2-0 run without Auston Matthews, with an eye toward the lineup and power-play adjustments going forward once Matthews makes his return.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' success without Auston Matthews, the season debuts of Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin, the Matthew Knies incident vs. Vegas, and their level of concern about the Matthews injury situation.

How are the Maple Leafs adapting to Craig Berube hockey through 18 games? - MLHS Podcast Ep. 75 by Maple Leafs Hotstove

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss their early impressions of the 2024-25 Maple Leafs after a 2-1-0 start to the schedule.

In a late-summer edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the captaincy change, the need at LW vs. C, Nick Robertson's trade request, and the picture on defense with Jani Hakanpaa's situation up in the air.

In the latest episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' offseason moves signing by signing as well as the growing likelihood Mitch Marner will remain a Maple Leaf for 2024-25.

In the latest episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Craig Berube's hiring as head coach and possible shifts in approach behind the Leafs' bench compared to Berube's predecessor.

In the latest episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli reflect on the series loss to Boston and Sheldon Keefe's coaching tenure, preview the search for a new head coach, and dissect Friday's press conference by Brad Treliving, Brendan Shanahan, and Keith Pelley.

In the latest episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the rollercoaster ride of the Leafs vs. Bruins series, the key performances, the special teams battle, the coaching performances, and the outlook for Game 7.

In the latest episode of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne, Anthony Petrielli, and Alec Brownscombe discuss the first three games of the Boston-Toronto series, including where the Leafs have fallen short so far, Marner's play, Nylander's absence, the special teams crisis, and reasons for optimism ahead of Game 4.

In the first 2024 playoff edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss their final impressions of the regular season before diving into the minutiae of the numbers, matchups, and strengths/weaknesses of Toronto and Boston ahead of a much anticipated Leafs vs. Bruins playoff series.

In this week's edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Sheldon Keefe sticking by his balanced lineup, William Nylander shifting down to Pontus Holmberg's wing, Mitch Marner's role on the matchup line, the amazing results of Domi - Matthews - Bertuzzi, and much more.

In this week's edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' special teams situation ahead of the playoffs, the legitimacy of the perception that this Leafs team is worse than recent iterations, Ryan Reaves' recent surge, and much more.

In this week's edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs' ugly loss to New Jersey, the balance between Cup expectations and developmental goals, and a new approach to line configuration/matchup game versus Florida or Boston in the playoffs.

In this week's edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Max Domi's big game on Auston Matthews' wing in Washington, the concept of splitting up Matthews & Marner during playoff matchups, TJ Brodie's recent scratch, and the state of the defense heading down the stretch.

In this week's edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Mitch Marner and Calle Jarnkrok's injuries, the experiments/lessons we could glean from their absences, Bobby McMann's new contract, and the makeup of the blue line with Joel Edmundson added to the mix.

In the post-trade deadline edition of the MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss Brad Treliving's first trade deadline as GM of the Maple Leafs, which included three depth adds but no major acquisitions.

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne, Anthony Petrielli, and Alex Drain tee up the NHL trade deadline with a focus on the Maple Leafs' needs and possible targets before March 8 at 3 p.m.

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the team's four-game winning streak, recent lineup developments, its 18-2-1 record without Morgan Rielly, Gary Bettman upholding Rielly's suspension, and reflect on Brad Treliving's first nine months as Leafs GM.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the fallout from the Morgan Rielly suspension, the team's secondary forward group, and the potential of a "second wave" of young forward talent in the next few seasons.

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss this week's games vs. the Islanders and Stars before checking in on the rest of the Atlantic Division as the playoff race heats up.

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli provide their midseason player grades for the Toronto Maple Leafs from top to bottom.

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Leafs 3-0-1 stretch, possible signs of defensive improvement, the secondary scoring and power play issues, and Sheldon Keefe sitting his stars in a 0-0 game vs. Winnipeg.

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss their level of concern about the Maple Leafs' four-game losing slide, the players and coach's comments after the recent losses to Colorado and Edmonton, Brad Treliving's comment about restraint around the trade deadline, and much more.

In this week's MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the final terms of William Nylander's contract, the importance of retaining star talent, the hole on the left wing, and much more.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the recent reports of William Nylander's new contract AAV landing over $11 million, the state of the team's defense, and the demise of Ilya Samsonov/emergence of Martin Jones in net.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli discuss the Maple Leafs' recent stretch of three regulation losses in the last four games and whether there are worrying (familiar) trends visible in the team's play.

In the latest MLHS Podcast, Nick Ashbourne and Anthony Petrielli are joined by former Leafs assistant coach (from 2015-2020) Andrew Brewer to break down the Maple Leafs power play & penalty kill and the special-teams trends we're seeing across the league.

In Episode 49 of the MLHS Podcast, new co-host Nick Ashbourne joins Anthony Petrielli and Alec Brownscombe to discuss the early returns on Brad Treliving's first offseason as Leafs GM and other impressions of the 2023-24 Toronto Maple Leafs through 26 games. http://mapleleafshotstove.com/

In Episode 48 of the MLHS Podcast, Anthony Petrielli, Tiller, and Dan discuss Brad Treliving's first offseason as Maple Leafs GM and debate whether the 2023-24 Maple Leafs are a better team than last year's version.

In Episode 45 of the MLHS Podcast, Anthony Petrielli, GoddTill, and Danny D talk about the addition of Ryan O'Reilly, line construction with ROR and Noel Acciari in the fold, if the team needs to add a defenseman before the deadline, and much more. https://mapleleafshotstove.com/

In the long-overdue return of the MLHS podcast, Anthony, Alec, and Alex discuss the team's first 55 games and look ahead to the available deadline targets, including their thoughts on Timo Meier, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Ryan O'Reilly, Jakob Chychrun, Vladislav Gavrikov, Ivan Barbashev, Mattias Ekholm, and more. https://mapleleafshotstove.com/

In Episode 43 of the MLHS Podcast, Anthony Petrielli is joined by @GoddTill and @dannyd1976 to discuss the new season on the horizon, the mood of the fan base entering a new regular season following yet another early playoff exit, and Kyle Dubas' make-or-break year in 2022-23. https://mapleleafshotstove.com/

In Episode 42 of the MLHS Podcast, Anthony Petrielli is joined by Alec Brownscombe and Gus Katsaros to provide their sober reflections on another first-round playoff failure and discuss the offseason question marks entering another long summer for the Maple Leafs. https://mapleleafshotstove.com/

In Episode 41 of the MLHS Podcast, Anthony is joined by the original PPP crew (@mlse, @GoddTill, & @dannyd1976) to tee up what should be a barn burner of a series between the Leafs and the Lightning and provide their (unanimous) series predictions. https://mapleleafshotstove.com/

In Episode 40 of the MLHS Podcast, Anthony Petrielli and Kevin Papetti break down the Maple Leafs' needs and options by position ahead of the March 21 NHL trade deadline. https://mapleleafshotstove.com/

In Episode 39 of the MLHS Podcast, Anthony Petrielli and Alex Drain break down the team's major spike in goals against, the goaltending crisis in Toronto, forward line experimentation, and the recent shift in priorities ahead of the trade deadline. https://mapleleafshotstove.com/

In Episode 38 of the MLHS Podcast, Ian Tulloch and Anthony Petrielli break down Sheldon Keefe's candid comments about the loss to the Rangers, trade options on defense (Damon Severson, Connor Murphy, John Klingberg, & more), Jack Campbell's recent dip in play and workload going forward, the fourth line's ineffectiveness, and much more.

In Episode 37 of the MLHS Podcast, Ian Tulloch and Anthony Petrielli discuss the team's uneven performances on the road trip, the demands among the fan base to remove Mitch Marner from PP1, and a series of mailbag questions. https://mapleleafshotstove.com/

In Episode 36 of the MLHS Podcast, Ian Tulloch and Anthony Petrielli cover Morgan Rielly's highly-impressive season to date, the excellence of the Rielly-Brodie pairing, early thoughts on trade deadline targets at forward and defense, and whether Pierre Engvall, Nick Ritchie, or Kyle Clifford is currently the final forward in the top 12 when healthy. https://mapleleafshotstove.com/

The Leafs-Jets debacle, Leafs special teams, and Holl's struggles - MLHS Podcast Episode 35 by Maple Leafs Hotstove

In Episode 34 of the MLHS Podcast, Ian Tulloch and Anthony Petrielli discuss an incredible month of hockey by the Maple Leafs, the team's improvements on the penalty kill this season, early ideas on trade deadline targets, Rasmus Sandin's usage, and much more. https://mapleleafshotstove.com/

In Episode 33 of the MLHS Podcast, Ian Tulloch, Anthony Petrielli, and Kevin Papetti discuss whether the Leafs are playing slower than in previous seasons, the bottom-six makeup, David Kampf's role, Nick Ritchie's struggles, Justin Holl's press box stint, Travis Dermott's future, and much more.

After the Maple Leafs' 2-4-1 start to the season, Ian Tulloch and Anthony Petrielli try to sort through the confusing mess that was the team's first seven games, Mitch Marner's struggles, Sheldon Keefe's post-game comments after the loss to Carolina, the debate around the accountability and entitlement of the team's star players, and much more.

Four games into the regular season, Ian Tulloch, Anthony Petrielli, and Gus Katsaros take a deep dive into Mitch Marner's play, all-situations role and minutes, the Leafs' power play, the Leafs underproducing in actual goals relative to expected goals, and much more.

Ahead of the final game of preseason, Ian, Anthony, and Alec break down their thoughts on the Amazon Prime docuseries, put Sheldon Keefe under the microscope, discuss optimizing the top six, ponder how to structure the bottom six, and much more.

In this preseason edition of the MLHS Podcast, Ian and Anthony provide their thoughts on newcomers Ondrej Kase, Nick Ritchie, Josh Ho-Sang, Michael Bunting, and other impressions on the Leafs' exhibition season so far.

In Episode 28 of the MLHS Podcast, Ian and Anthony are joined by three of the original PPP crew (@mlse, @GoddTill, & @dannyd1976)to discuss the storylines entering a new Leafs season, the challenge of getting fully reinvested into the upcoming regular season, the big question marks facing the team in 2021-22, media coverage of the Dubas-era Leafs, and much more.