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“I’m not saying this ‘nigh-lander’ can’t score,” Cherry told the hosts. “But let’s go over him: He’s small, he doesn’t get involved, he can score and is a pretty good skater. Gee, that sounds like somebody.”

Presumably, he was referring to Phil Kessel, the Leafs’ leading scorer. Kessel and the rest of the Leafs are in Los Angeles to begin a four-game road trip, having lost their grip on a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

“That’s just what they need,” Cherry told the hosts. “(Interim coach Peter) Horachek, it’s a big deal. He’s going ‘defence, defence, defence.’ And to bring a small Swede over, I’m sure he’s really excited.”

Cherry was reminded that, five years ago, he urged the Leafs to keep teenaged forward Nazem Kadri on the roster. Cherry responded that Kadri “had a lot of guts” at that age, and that he was a “tough little nut.”

“If this Nylander thing works out, you’ve got to give him a kiss,” one of the hosts said at the end of the segment. “You have to find a way. He’s a pretty kid, he’s got great hair. You’ve got to corner him and give him a big peck on the cheek like Kadri. You gotta do it.”

“Listen, listen,” Cherry said, “if I ever meet him, I won’t know whether to shake his hand or give him a kiss, to tell you the truth.”