You can say that Rasmus Andersson had a great Vegas Golden Knights debut. The newest defenseman had an assist on an empty-net goal and blocked three shots, signaling an arrival in Sin City. Add two shots to the mix and the Swedish Olympian kicked arse.
But he also added some salt to the Maple Leafs' wounds with an all-time diss of the fanbase. No, he didn't insult their mothers or tell their wives that they looked fat in their dresses. But this particular diss involved one Mitch Marner, who was making his long-awaited return to ScotiaBank Arena.
"I didn’t think it was that loud, if I’m honest with you."Rasmus Andersson
Like, wow. That digs deeper than you would ever believe on so many levels. Basically, Andersson essentially called Maple Leafs fans "casuals" and said they didn't really hate Marner returning to ScotiaBank Arena on Friday.
Better tip your waitress because you got served, Toronto.
You can say that Andersson was an outright gangsta that day, having a big day statistically and kicking the teeth of Maple Leafs fans everywhere. It bodes well for a Golden Knights team looking to win another Stanley Cup because they have a player with swagger and humongous grapefruits. But it also shows that the Golden Knights have rallied around their players, something that you can't say about their opponents on Friday.
Friday's contest shows a stark contrast between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Toronto Maple Leafs, starting with Mitch Marner
I was watching the latest Steve Dangle episode and witnessed his veins literally explode from his head. Aside from the anerysum jokes, the one thing that stuck out with me was Dangle essentially alluding to the Maple Leafs not having a plan. He talked about Kyle Dubas structuring his contracts poorly and leaving Toronto in a compromised position, among other things.
That also came with the call to sell, whether it was William Nylander or Auston Matthews. Man, if I ever told you that Golden Knights fans had it easy, his latest LFR episode showed why that was the case. Of course, you can thank Kelly McCrimmon for being the gutsy general manager that he is.
He landed big names like Andersson and Marner, bolstering the Golden Knights' lineup. But it's also beyond this past year that he's made home run swings. We're also talking about adding Tomas Hertl and Jack Eichel, adding more goal-scoring oomph to the team. Suddenly, you have a strong two-way player and a dominant force in the bumper, adding more dimensions to Vegas's attack.
As for Toronto? Well, you got a screaming Steve Dangle who's seeing the same ol' thing happen over and over again. Having Andersson diss the Maple Leafs' crowd by calling them too quiet is another dagger in the chest. It also shows the energy being drained from Toronto like they witnessed Game 7 of the 2025 World Series again.