Are the Leafs a better TEAM without Matthews?

[thewave]

That's never been true.

Oh please, after Montreal you needed to have you head in the sand to not see we were a long way away from being a contender.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Oh please, after Montreal you needed to have you head in the sand to not see we were a long way away from being a contender.

After Vegas lost even worse to that same Montreal team, we knew they'd also never win a cup too, right? Oh wait.
No, barely losing to a cup finalist with an injury-decimated team does not mean that you're a long way from being a contender.
You would have needed to have your head in the sand to not see that we were already a contender, with a better chance to win the cup than many playoff teams.

 

[rutz]

After Vegas lost even worse to that same Montreal team, we knew they'd also never win a cup too, right? Oh wait.
No, barely losing to a cup finalist with an injury-decimated team does not mean that you're a long way from being a contender.
You would have needed to have your head in the sand to not see that we were already a contender, with a better chance to win the cup than many playoff teams.

The difference between the Leafs and Vegas is that Vegas’ management are not afraid to get rid of their star players and coaches when they fail to win. This Core 5 can do no wrong with Shanahan and Leafs management. They have a loser mentality, just listen to the Core 5 interviews over the years.Individually they are regular season stars but collectively they have consistantly failed when it matters in the playoffs.

 

[Confucius]

The difference between the Leafs and Vegas is that Vegas’ management are not afraid to get rid of their star players and coaches when they fail to win. This Core 5 can do no wrong with Shanahan and Leafs management. They have a loser mentality, just listen to the Core 5 interviews over the years.Individually they are regular season stars but collectively they have consistantly failed when it matters in the playoffs.

Too funny appears you can’t enjoy games, just cry about playoffs 5 months from now,

 

[IPS]

Oh please, after Montreal you needed to have you head in the sand to not see we were a long way away from being a contender.

Nothing some pathetically delusional excuses can't fix!

"But but but but look at what they did to Vegas!!"

Lots of us were saying after that this team was just gonna keep spinning their wheels in the playoffs if no changes to the core are made. Lo and behold we've been proven right. No matter how many delusional excuses get churned out it can never change the reality of how things have unfolded.

 

[Dekes For Days]

The difference between the Leafs and Vegas is that Vegas’ management are not afraid to get rid of their star players and coaches when they fail to win.

Vegas hasn't gotten rid of any star players. In fact, all they have done throughout their entire existence is add more and more. Both teams have had 3 coaches over that time. In 2021, both were really good teams that got stopped in the playoffs by a team and goalie on a blazing hot run. The biggest difference is that we were much more depleted, and Montreal still had much more trouble with us.

This Core 5 can do no wrong with Shanahan and Leafs management.

That's not really true. The issue is, they have objectively done less wrong than some fans will accept. Some fans just see the team's outcome, and are angry, and want something easy to blame, and want change for the sake of change, regardless of the consequences. They don't care about what's true, or any of the messy details, or what's actually best for the team. They care about their feelings. And when you don't get the outcome you want (and almost all teams don't), it's easy to confirm your biases and convince yourself that you're right, and literally any alternative you can think up is better, without actually justifying it, even if it would have been worse. But management can't think like that. They have an actual job, and they need to live in the world of facts and context and understanding things, and do what's best for the team.

 

[Stephen]

Since we finished last overall and drafted him, the Leafs have been the 3rd best team in the NHL.

That’ll be a fun banner to hang up on the rafters.

 

[notbias]

When Matthews was out, you could see Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares all stepping up in various ways to become more Craig Berube type players.

Marner commands more of the ice, shoots more confidently, has added a little more greasiness to his game, shows so much hustle out there. It's really encouraging to see it.

William Nylander has adopted a real sandpaper edge to the way he hunts for offense, fights off bodies, goes to the net, generates breakaways on a nightly basis and exudes confidence.

John Tavares has been driving harder, pushing north south, been a handful in front of the net and has been laying the body a noticeable amount more than in the past.

With Auston Matthews, it feels like they elevated him after a very controversial playoffs with the hope he would grow into his role, with more responsibilities and he's basically looked injured, disinterested and the least adapted to Berube hockey. The guy is a chameleon and can simulate whatever finesse to power game he wants. I'm not sure if he's still on the Keefe program and others around him have moved away from it, but it's just so passive, so not take charge, so poor at reading the play, and there's zero evidence of leadership. Just that sullen, sniper mentality and otherwise coasting. Just a complete write off season from him to date.

Marner is playing with the puck as much or more than he has in the past and playing a lot of east-west hockey... this is not set in reality.

Berube hockey is just people trying to find a reason to praise a coach and take away the praise of the player.

Is Nylander regressing because of Berube hockey?

These types of posts are comical.

All these players have gone through hot streaks and slumps, they aren't playing very different games under the new coach, they are largely the same.

 

[HolyCrap]

Oh please, after Montreal you needed to have you head in the sand to not see we were a long way away from being a contender.

There’s a lot of fans that have their heads stuck up a lot worse than sand. Lol

 

[Confucius]

That’ll be a fun banner to hang up on the rafters.

lol it has been fun, plenty of great games. More good nights than downers.

 

[Nineteen67]

Oh please, after Montreal you needed to have you head in the sand to not see we were a long way away from being a contender.

FWIW, I predicted TTOE would win that series.

 

[HellasLEAF]

He was exactly as bad as I noted in real time. Go back and watch the game and find me another reason why this team lost to Pittsburgh of all teams.

Also let’s think about standards for a second. Matthews is the highest paid player in the game and ranks 45th in PPG average. For a guy at his level this season has been a pretty big disappointment, mixing in injuries, expectations and all.

You are harping on him for game 7 of 7. I asked what about the other 6 games.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Since we finished last overall and drafted him, the Leafs have been the 3rd best team in the NHL.

You love regular season or something it will be forgotten only cup stands the test of time leafs haven't accomplished anything keep dreamin

 

[Dekes For Days]

You love regular season or something it will be forgotten only cup stands the test of time leafs haven't accomplished anything keep dreamin

I love hockey. Ignoring the most representative and overwhelming majority of hockey is pretty ridiculous. I want the cup too. But that's not the only thing that a team can accomplish, and not being one of the few teams that have gotten it in that time doesn't change the rest of the facts.

 

[notbias]

You love regular season or something it will be forgotten only cup stands the test of time leafs haven't accomplished anything keep dreamin

We are tied for 8th with 25 other teams?

 

[Menzinger]

He takes up 22 minutes of ice time which means someone can’t try harder while he’s on the ice.

Nobody in the league tried harder every second of every shift than David Clarkson. Didn't mean he wasn't absolutely terrible on the ice .

 

[Its not your fault]

This line of thinking you have to be worse then alot of the team... . So not sure what you're thinking in this 1.

 

[Racer88]

I love hockey. Ignoring the most representative and overwhelming majority of hockey is pretty ridiculous. I want the cup too. But that's not the only thing that a team can accomplish, and not being one of the few teams that have gotten it in that time doesn't change the rest of the facts.

Winning the cup is hard however it sure would be nice if these guys didn’t crap out in the first round every damn year

 

[Gary Nylund]

FWIW, better off with him in the lineup tonight anyway.

 

[HellasLEAF]

OT GWG.

A fairly elite goal, one would say.

 

[Gary Nylund]

OT GWG.

A fairly elite goal, one would say.

The thought crossed my mind right after he scored - how many players could have scored that goal?

He played one of the most dominant games I've seen him play before getting hurt in the playoffs, I really hope we see that Matthews in April, May and June.

 

[Mr_Fun]

That's the benefit of having a guy like AM. He can be off all night and then totally redeem himself on one play like that. He missed a few chances in regulation time that he'd normally have buried at least one. Frustrating, but it's better he's missing chances than not getting them; the puck will start to fall.

 

[thusk]

The thought crossed my mind right after he scored - how many players could have scored that goal?

He played one of the most dominant games I've seen him play before getting hurt in the playoffs, I really hope we see that Matthews in April, May and June.

Dominant game?!?! We don't saw the same game at all

Without the puck he had been pretty good, with the puck he was totally trash outside of his goal. When he touched the puck :

Breakaway resulting of a missed shot
or losing the puck over and over again every time he touched it... especially on PP, every time he touched the puck leafs lost it max in the next 2-4 second.

That's not really my definition of dominant game... If it's that Matthew we see in april/May, leafs are in trouble

 

[Gary Nylund]

Dominant game?!?! We don't saw the same game at all

Without the puck he had been pretty good, with the puck he was totally trash outside of his goal. When he touched the puck :

Breakaway resulting of a missed shot
or losing the puck over and over again every time he touched it... especially on PP, every time he touched the puck leafs lost it max in the next 2-4 second.

That's not really my definition of dominant game... If it's that Matthew we see in april/May, leafs are in trouble

I think you misread my post - I wasn't talking about his play last night. Read this again:

"He played one of the most dominant games I've seen him play before getting hurt in the playoffs"

 

[Evilhomer]

The Leafs play Anaheim next. Matthews usually dominates Anaheim, so I'm sure he'll score a couple of goals in that game.