Just past the midway point of the season, the Canadiens sit atop the Atlantic with 56 points while the Maple Leafs are a point back of a wild card spot with 49 points. OverDrive Host Bryan Hayes and TSN Hockey analyst Martin Biron share their thoughts on which team is better.
@Montreal Canadiens
35 Comments
The Habs have better management. The Habs have players that care.
Habs are in great shape, and there are a lot of stories to like. I love the emergence of Slafkovsky as a leader on the team. Lots of Habs fans were very critical of him prior to the season opener – nobody is complaining now that he is making superstars out of Demidov and Kapanen.
Suzuki, Caufield and Hutson are all also headed for career years, and they're playing like a team without conflicting egos.
Although he's currently injured, Alex Newhook has been a very important part of the team as well. Getting him back will be a big deal.
Getting Ghule back will be a big deal, too. Habs need a solid 3rd line defenseman who can take some of those heavy minutes from Matheson. The machine is working well for now, but Mike Matheson is a single-point-of-failure on the Habs' defense – at the moment, if Mike were to go down, the Habs would be in some big-time trouble. Let's hope we don't have to find that out.
Lastly…how about that Texier? Feelgood story of the year, to me. This kid came into the league a few years back with a lot of promise that he wasn't really able to live up to…he was on his way out when the Habs caught him, and he seems to have found new life in Montreal. He looks very comfortable and plays like he belongs there and that he's grateful for the opportunity to play. I hope it is a wave that he can ride for a few years at least, and get some momentum back.
The leafs streak isn’t even crazy there’s like 4 teams in the east with better streaks
Ridiculous.
Leaf used to but not anymore 😉
How sweet it is right now to be a Habs Fans.
Start with wich team Captain harrased showed his wiener to security guard will tell who is better yeah its an amaracan
You know what's shocking? The fact that there was only 6 teams in the league the last time Toronto won the cup. 😒☕
How is this even a question?
Maybe im delusional. I think toronto can do it considering all the adversity we’ve faced so far . They truly are a different breed when there hungry.
How much is TSN paying you guys to lift up a continually losing team? You spend 1/2 of your show covering the Leafs whether they win or loose and glorify it all while your coverage of "EVERY" single Habs game for decades has been and still is absolutely deplorable. Shame on you fools.
Since 1967: Leafs 0 cups, Habs 8 cups.
Habs
The Habs core players are on resonable salaries with many locked in to long contracts. That's how you build a playoff team, with depth. The Laughs will finally figure that out by the year 2050.
Window for Leafs is closing while just opening for the Habs..
Are these guys high? Habs aren’t even close to the Leafs lol. Leafs will run them haaard in the playoffs.
Toronto missed the window 🪟 😢
Honestly, Leafs are a top 3 team in the East.
im shocked
Leafs are a juggernaut?!? Hahaha ok Hayes. TSN is a joke.
Really the leafs lol
Ottawa is in a real dark place
"Habs haven't finished ahead of the Leafs in the standings in a decade"
Habs 1 Leafs 0 in the playoffs
Not surprising to see Hayes with is answer. typical Toronto blindness, its downhill from now on for them, a bunch of bad trades, bad coaching, GM with both feet in the same boot, it all started with the departure of Hyman…..remember that, had they kept him cause he is a team player and not Nylander who is only looking out for himself and his next contract. No comment on Montreal, we all know what direction they are going in.
Anyone who watches the games knows the Habs are better than the Leafs right now. Only Leafs fans were blind enough to think they would be better than the Habs this season after losing Marner and not replacing him.
The Leafs could be very consistent and get themselves a wildcard spot. They could win their first round series while the Habs could lose theirs but a lot of things have to happen for it to play out like that.
The Habs also have more injured players than the Leafs currently do.
Well this is an easy one: The Leafs suck and the Habs are pretty good.
Redwings look like they are better than the leafs this year. That record isn’t just luck.
Leafs good ???
Get that diih out your mouth
Habs all the way !!!!
As a Habs fan, I always knew the habs were better lol
Suzuki leads a team. The leafs is paid players…
The Leafs have the 2 best offensive players in Matthews and Nylander but for the rest Habs clear!!
Montreal is without a doubt the better team
Is this even a debate right now?
Like, had they asked this two years ago, Leaf fans would’ve laughed. Now it’s different.
Brian Hayes does this for a living. He hates the Leafs for a living. Nothing to see here
One team is on the rise the other on the decline.. It's the natural order of things. The Habs have brighter future right now than Toronto
I hate to admit it but the Habs are the better team right now. Thank god they stopped playing their boring style of trap hockey and became more offensive this year. I felt like the Habs in recent years just got lucky, they played a very annoying and boring brand of hockey which could catch teams by surprise or put them into a lull state. They relied too heavily on their goaltending and 1 strong D-line in the pass but they are definitely the better team now and are playing an exciting brand of hockey. Even though they are a rival team I still cheer for all canadian teams.