Jim Hiller

We can blame anybody we want as a group, as a coach.

Jim Hiller had his group playing harder than I had my group, so that's on me.

All

right.

Oh, yeah.

I want to talk about the vibes on this team because, you know, Hiller mentioned the Matthews-Roslovich connection and their relationship post-game, and he just kind of said, you know, it's good that certain guys know each other.

You know, as a head coach does.

Sure.

That was ugly, too.

They should have won that game.

Hiller, though, has

finally— Has adjusted.

There's talent there.

Has the conversation changed around John Chyka and Jim Hiller? Because those choices were criticized early.

I always tried to give them benefit of the doubt.

I think the conversation has changed.

It's good for you.

Um, I'm sure Jim Hiller might get some write-in votes this morning in Toronto after the week, the Leafs have had, um, there'll be plenty of spirit in the mayor's office.

If that took place.

A lot.

You know how many mistakes I saw Morgan Riley make Saturday? Zero.

Something's gotten into Riley.

I think of all the things you can poke and prod about how Jim Hiller's kind of working this a little differently, Riley in the last week and a half-ish, different player.

If I'm going to bang away on him like that...

It keeps the flow of the game.

And Jim Hiller is able to roll those lines and rely on those players.

And he's taking advantage of that for the heat that he's taken, you know, really only with his dispersal of Gavin McKenna and his minutes and his opportunities.

I don't really know if you can put all that on on Hiller obviously with this guy coming into town at his age in this market they've had a plan to keep him to a certain level of responsibility and they're following that very diligently so I don't know if that is your problem with the way Gavin McKenna has been used if it's all on Jim Hiller but aside from that which has really been mostly his only criticism the way he's using this lineup and getting the most out of them and creating that atmosphere for a new type of spirit in that in that locker room to use his words uh has really been effective if you ask me and we've seen it the last four games um to correct what has not been very good after a three game slide there that that's a that's a good sign here

yeah and you know it was a fascinating weekend i know the vibes are immaculate and high with this team right now but i did uh do some reflecting over the weekend and think back to how many times even in in doing this show with you over the last four and a half years have we been duped how many times we talk behind the scenes i know They're really different.

This team's different.

Speaking of Willie, I was really not noticing him a whole lot in Edmonton.

And then in typical Willie fashion, just pops off with a huge reassurance goal there and then gets his empty netter.

At least some of that, like my curiosity goes in the direction of this has to be some level of good coaching involved as well.

And I'm not just talking about Jim Hiller, like I'm going down the line to Alfredson and Gruden and Warenka, like there has to be an element of this being coached better as well, because those are units, your fourth line and your special teams that do rely on that, that do rely a little more on just skill.

So I love what I'm seeing from that group, man.

And then when you get Easton Cowan, I can't blow by Easton Cowan like that.

And you remember a week ago that...

Leafs were struggling, and there was the controversy with Gavin McKenna being sat by Jim Hiller, and the entire world was going to blow up.

And they were 3-4-2.

And now the Leafs have proceeded to win four games in a row.

Those things, like all of these things, are building blocks in order to get Austin Matthews back to that elite offensive level and bringing in the right coach.

Jim Hiller was an assistant under Mike Babcock when he was here, and Austin Matthews is here.

You cannot tell me for a second that Austin Matthews and William Nylander did not sign off on this hire.

So people can say whatever they want about Jim Hiller.

They can hate his coaching style.

They can whatever the case may be.

Gavin McKenna has made his debut.

It has been up and down and dealing with the Toronto media and trying to figure out what Jim Hiller thinks of him as a player.

What have you made of Gavin McKenna and how he's kind of just been thrown to the wolves with being the first overall pick and having to do it in Toronto?

Yeah, well, it's interesting, right? Because you say thrown to the wolves.

One of them is a PK specialist, right? I wonder how much longer Rostovic can keep humming along at this pace because we've kind of seen this story before with him.

And then I wonder when there becomes an opportunity to kind of put McKenna up.

But I've been interested to see how Jim Hiller's playing him too.

Like, have you found that he's not been great defensively?