2024-25 Playoffs Thread - series, opponents, players and team discussion

[Sticksandsun]

We're just over a month away from the road to repeating as Champs.
The guys should be aiming to finish 1st in Atlantic to play an "easier" Wildcard team in the opening round.
CBJ, DET, OTT and NYR are teams we should beat.
TB and TOR are both worthy opponents and not sure who I'd prefer if we fall to 2nd or 3rd place.

Thoughts on 1st/2nd round opponents?
Lines for playoffs can be sorted out in the final 20 games but let's discuss this on the daily.

What are our weaknesses? Backup goaltending?
Burning out Bob?

Are you as excited as last year about that team vs this team?
What are our realistic chances of repeating?

 

[I am not exposed]

Please avoid both Tampa and Toronto in the first round. They are the two biggest threats in the east imo. Yes, I believe Toronto is a threat in the east with their new coach and some of their additions.

 

[I am not exposed]

Our chances of getting to the final again are decent because apart from Tampa and Toronto no other team scares me in the east.

The west is a lot deeper with better teams (about 6). Hopefully they beat each other up, but I see us unfortunately losing in the final.

Winning the cup is very hard. That is why it was so important to do it last year.

It should be a fun playoffs with some of the 'characters' on the team lol.

 

[sinDer]

A series against Ottawa would be so much fun! If M. Tkachuk plays, of course.

Living in Montreal, playing the Canadiens would be very exciting for me. But I doubt Montreal will make it.

I'm fine with any team other than Tampa or Toronto. But we have to be careful with what we wish for...

 

[pb1300]

We need to win the division, period. Let Tampa and Toronto battle it out in the first round.

 

[Gentle Man]

I will carry the same philosophy last year.


Dont wish for any opponent. Beat who is in front of you and we roll.

You wish for a wild card team, and that could be the Rangers and watch Shesterkin be godlike and you are f***ed.

Just win

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

What are our weaknesses?

in the past, injuries.

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

I think a big question is how bad is Chucky's injury. If it was just a partial groin tear it's 4-6 weeks and he's ready round 1. If it was a full tear it's 4 months and his season is over.

 

[Manc Cat]

Tampa scaring me more than the leafs currently, but agree you can't look further than the game in front of you. We start taking things for granted and we're done for, still some very good teams and individuals in the east who can turn it on

 

[Sticksandsun]

"Get on their body..."
Greer gonna get physical

 

[pb1300]

Tampa scaring me more than the leafs currently, but agree you can't look further than the game in front of you. We start taking things for granted and we're done for, still some very good teams and individuals in the east who can turn it on

If Chucky is back and close to 100%, nobody scares me.

 

[Egblad]

I will carry the same philosophy last year.


Dont wish for any opponent. Beat who is in front of you and we roll.

You wish for a wild card team, and that could be the Rangers and watch Shesterkin be godlike and you are f***ed.

Just win

Completely agree with this philosophy. The playoffs are like an alternative reality. Things true in the regular season become untrue in the playoffs. Should be scrub teams turn into monster takedowns. It’s just chaos. No team should be taken lightly. Period.

 

[RogerRogerr]

Tampa scaring me more than the leafs currently, but agree you can't look further than the game in front of you. We start taking things for granted and we're done for, still some very good teams and individuals in the east who can turn it on

If the Leafs play Stolarz they are bigger threat than Tampa. Both are very good team and we need to remember, out top guys had a few playoffs no show before becoming beast, so Toronto's top guy could turn the corner under Berube. We never know.

 

[Sticksandsun]

If the Leafs play Stolarz they are bigger threat than Tampa. Both are very good team and we need to remember, out top guys had a few playoffs no show before becoming beast, so Toronto's top guy could turn the corner under Berube. We never know.

Stolarz has no playoff experience though and I'm sure most of our players know how to beat Stolarz or know his weaknesses. I think Leafs biggest worry is goaltending in general.
In saying that, our goaltending solely relies on Bob so if he gets injured, we would be doomed.

TB has better depth and experience IMO so I'd slightly prefer Leafs over Tampa.

 

[Felidae]

It's about time we have a general team discussion thread.. even less active team boards have their own.

Anyways, I wasn't expecting a deep run at the start, but with all these additions, at least not making the conference final would be disappointing, especially if Tkachuk is back for the POs

We don't really have much weaknesses.. just the addition of Seth jones alone has done wonders for the Dcore. None of our defenseman are playing a pairing above their level of ability anymore.

Goaltending is still a bit precarious, but Bobrovsky has been heating up lately. As long as he gives even just solid goaltending and we wont need to use our backups during the POs, I'm feeling good about this team.

 

[FloridaMan]

"Get on their body..."
Greer gonna get physical

I don't think that's what he meant by that.

It's more about this:

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

It's about time we have a general team discussion thread.. even less active team boards have their own.

Anyways, I wasn't expecting a deep run at the start, but with all these additions, at least not making the conference final would be disappointing, especially if Tkachuk is back for the POs

We don't really have much weaknesses.. just the addition of Seth jones alone has done wonders for the Dcore. None of our defenseman are playing a pairing above their level of ability anymore.

Goaltending is still a bit precarious, but Bobrovsky has been heating up lately. As long as he gives even just solid goaltending and we wont need to use our backups during the POs, I'm feeling good about this team.

I'd say that overall this team is better than the one last season.

BM > Tara
Sturm > Stenlund (based on stats)
Greer > Lorentz
Samo, Boqvist, JP > Cousins, Lomberg, Okposo (Maurice didn't utilize Cousins and Lomberg much in the POs)

Jones = Montour
Schmidt < OEL

 

[KW]

I think they’re better than last year too. So they have to shoot higher than last year. They win the Cup and then they beat the parade weather.

 

[I am not exposed]

I wonder how much 2 time Stanley cup winner Ekblad would demand? Too much for us to re-sign I'm sure.

 

[FloridaMan]

I wonder how much 2 time Stanley cup winner Ekblad would demand? Too much for us to re-sign I'm sure.

I think Ek is well aware of the situation and knows that Forsling is currently the better D. So, unless he gets a crazy offer from another team, he shouldn’t get more than Fors.

 

[IdleTraveller]

I'm hoping we win the division obviously, but then [as we know] wild cards can go on crazy runs, particularly when they've won the President's trophy the year before... If we don't win, I'm mildly more worried about Tampa than Toronto but then we'd have to beat both anyway, so the point is a bit moot. Not worried about teams in the Metro - definitely worrried about teams in the West [Dallas and Colorado are scary].

I think our team on paper is stacked, particularly at forward: really happy about what Zito has done here - that man is a GOD. The issue are the uncertainties: how injured Tkachuk and Marchand really are, how reliant we are on Bobby being 100% throughout the playoffs, and our overall chemistry given some very critical additions to the team. We could have also done with more depth on our blue line but that's probably more of luxury.

 

[CHGoalie27]

Please avoid both Tampa and Toronto in the first round. They are the two biggest threats in the east imo. Yes, I believe Toronto is a threat in the east with their new coach and some of their additions.

No sir.

5 of our top 6 played in the last two SCFs and the the other is Brad Marchand.

There are no teams for us to avoid, we are the biggest threat, we are the unavoidable team to avoid.

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

We could have also done with more depth on our blue line but that's probably more of luxury.

None of the depth defensemen (Bals, Mahura, Bjornfot) played during the Panthers' cup run even though I'm pretty sure that some of the dmen in the top6 sustained something more than just couple of bruises. If they refuse to come out of the lineup or Mo wants them to fight it through then there's no point in acquiring depth players for defense if there's no way those guys will ever be used in the playoffs.

Even though I'd prefer to avoid the Dolts and Leaves in the first round, I don't consider them particularly threatening. The conf and SC finals are where this team truly tested but ofc anything could happen on the way there.

 

[CHGoalie27]

I think Ek is well aware of the situation and knows that Forsling is currently the better D. So, unless he gets a crazy offer from another team, he shouldn’t get more than Fors.

Further, let's not forget the state of the team when he signed that deal and compared to what his teammates were making.

 

[CHGoalie27]

It's about time we have a general team discussion thread.. even less active team boards have their own.

Anyways, I wasn't expecting a deep run at the start, but with all these additions, at least not making the conference final would be disappointing, especially if Tkachuk is back for the POs

We don't really have much weaknesses.. just the addition of Seth jones alone has done wonders for the Dcore. None of our defenseman are playing a pairing above their level of ability anymore.

Goaltending is still a bit precarious, but Bobrovsky has been heating up lately. As long as he gives even just solid goaltending and we wont need to use our backups during the POs, I'm feeling good about this team.

Liked all except the last part- goaltending is the least precarious of all! Don't forget the name we were chanting when McDavid's name was called! Our goaltender was robbed of his deserved playoffs MVP trophy the last two years running. Our GM too, but 3 years.
Maybe they don't snub them this time around.