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Maybe to some the moniker is a bore.

But the nickname was really top drawer.

After all, John Tavares remains in store.

Auston Matthews, William Nylander still score.

Matthews and Matt Knies have a nice rapport.

So maybe Knies becomes part of the lore.

I鈥檓 not sure anything like it has been done before.

I don鈥檛 think Leafs fans could ask for more.

No, I鈥檒l say it now, the 鈥淐ore Four鈥�

Has not gone the way of the dinosaur.

I’m a poet and didn’t even know it! We’ll see if the nickname sticks around. Maybe you’ve got a better rhyme. Or better questions. As always, if you have a question, email me at askkevinmgran@gmail.com and I’ll answer in the next Leafs Mailbag.

It was sad to read of Ken Dryden鈥檚 death. I still have a copy of his book 鈥淭he Game鈥� that I received for Christmas in 1983. I think I鈥檒l dig it out and read it again for the umpteenth time.

Seeing pics of him leaning on his stick made me wonder: Was he considered extremely large at six-foot-four for an NHL goalie in the 鈥�70s? In addition to his size, he had a superb athletic ability. But comparing his size for example to Mike Palmateer 鈥� a much smaller but still very agile goalie 鈥� Dryden could easily cover a larger portion of the net. Was he the beginning of the idea for teams to find larger yet still athletically gifted goalies?

Take care.

鈥擳odd C.

I did a search on goalies who played from 1950-51 to 1980-81 and, yes, Ken Dryden was tied with a handful of others as the second-tallest goalie of that era. Only John Henderson (six-foot-five, 46 NHL games with the Boston Bruins) came in as taller.

Dryden is listed in the NHL archives at six-foot-three. Others of his era at that height include John Davidson, Cesare Maniago and Gary (Suitcase) Smith. There were eight at that height, who played at least one game in that date range. And only 64 goalies among the 209 listed were at six-foot or taller. So maybe it was the beginning of the end of the small but athletic goaltender.

Juuse Saros, at five-foot-11, is the league鈥檚 smallest goalie these days. But I believe the trend took off right around the beginning of the salary-cap era. There were still a few important goalies under the benchmark of six feet: Arturs Irbe, Glenn Healy, John Vanbiesbrouck and Mike Vernon were all five-foot-nine or under.

The Mitch Marner interview with Mark Masters last week was so Mitch Marner. I mean, yes, obviously nobody should be going to his house or whatever; that’s way over the line. But the guy has terrible decision-making instincts and/or gets terrible advice from his agent and dad. He should have just kept his yap shut! In your estimation, does Mitchy realize that he has become an even bigger heel in 色色啦/Ontario than Vince Carter at this point? As a local boy who will likely live in 色色啦/Muskoka post retirement, he’s really set himself up to get chirped for life from the fan base!

Every time that I read Craig Berube referred to as Chief, I wonder if Craig likes it, or if it’s one of those nicknames everybody decided upon and uses even though the person might not like it. It seems a bit culturally insensitive to me. Any idea if he is cool with the Chief nickname?

Thanks as always.

鈥擝ill L.

The first two-fer of the season. I do find it funny that this market basically wanted to run Mitch Marner out of town, then turned him into a pariah for leaving. He鈥檚 an exquisite talent with perhaps too sensitive a persona for the market. I wish him well.

As for Chief, I mean, Berube. I think he likes his nickname. I get that some might find it disrespectful, but context is everything and only those close to him call him that. As far as hockey nicknames go, it is one of the better ones. I referenced Gary (Suitcase) Smith, one of the better all-time monikers, placed on him by one of my forebears at the Star, Red Burnett. I suppose that too could be disrespectful, making fun of the number of times he changed teams. Smith didn鈥檛 like that nickname. His teammates called him Axe.

The signings of Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy and Matias Maccelli should give the Leafs better balance overall. I look at the Blue Jays and see a team that does not depend on its star players to carry it. They have a lot of depth and it seems that a different player comes through each game to make the difference. I am not saying the Leafs have the same depth as the Blue Jays, but do you feel they are better equipped for the long haul and perhaps may not depend as much on the first and second lines to do the scoring? Also, do you see them signing Jack Roslovic as has been widely speculated? Thanks!

鈥擥reg M-W in聽Kemptville, Ont.

How about those Blue Jays? They should take the heat off the Leafs having to have a hot start to the season to keep everyone happy. Yes, I鈥檒l agree the Leafs have more depth. Their fourth line should be as good as many third lines, big and able to score a bit. As for Roslovic, that鈥檚 a bit of a wild card. He鈥檇 obviously push someone out of a job and they already have too many forwards. I鈥檇 say if the price is right 鈥� i.e. under $2 million (U.S.) on a one-year deal 鈥� they might bite. Otherwise they鈥檒l go with what they have.