Are the Leafs a better TEAM without Matthews?

[Racer88]

Yeah I mean I don't want to criticize him for not being captain material, it's not his fault. He's a great player obviously, one of the best of his generation. But when I look at our playoff record and the way our core keeps disappointingly withering away when the stakes are highest, I can't help but feel like there's a leadership vacuum. I feel like none of these core guys have it, and that's why we're going to keep on losing. If we could trade one of these core guys for someone with that it factor, that could go a long way to solving our problems but now they're all locked in ... the time to do it was after we lost to MTL, could have gotten a massive return for 1st all-star Marner despite his pukey playoffs, imagine 2 lesser guys with leadership qualities, something like ROR and that type of Dman. But our management group has no balls to make that kind of move and now it's too late anyway. I expect Marner to be resigned for a small fortune and we'll likely watch many more scenes of the same movie.

I can't tell you how badly I hope I'm wrong about this, but that's what I see.

Ya I’m cheering for you to be wrong too but we haven’t seen anything out of any of this core group that say leadership.

 

[Stephen]

Yeah I mean I guess everyone has their moments when they don't look good, it happens to the best of them. That said, it's not even that he's supposed to be so good defensively (and he really is good defensively too), it's that what you ideally want out of your captain is to set a good example, and probably the most important part of that is to be seen giving 100% as close to 100% of the time as you possibly can. I remember Sittler and Gilmour were like that and that's one thing this team is really missing IMO - a leader!

From what I've seen so far, Matthews just doesn't have it in him. I guess they made him captain because he's the best player and they didn't see that they had any better choices and that's maybe my biggest concern for the playoffs. New coach, great. New system, people are raving about that OK great but if you don't have leadership, you're going nowhere.

I feel like what holds Matthews back in all aspects of his game is his inconsistent energy levels. When he's really on and healthy, he comes at you in waves, dog on a puck, scores in bunches and blows the roof off the building. That's kind of your gold standard, Hart winning version of Matthews, the one where you look at the pace he sets and it's undeniable the Leafs belong to him as a team, and he should be captain, etc. Granted it's hard to play this way, but if you're still staking claim to be the second best player in the game, it takes effort.

But when he doesn't bring that energy level, when he scores those nonchalant too cool for school goals, it seems like the team's energy level also stays flat. So if you're in a captain's role, I think part of that leadership has to do with leading by example, and letting your play energize the team.

 

[Antropovsky]

5v5 Matthews leads the league in most scoring chance and shooting categories xg/60, icf/60, ihdc/60, iFF/60, he is also 2nd in shots blocked /60 for centers, and among the top in faceoff win % and came back from IR.

We are very lucky to have him and stats indicate he's just been unlucky...if he keeps it, goals will start to come.

 

[Stephen]

5v5 Matthews leads the league in most scoring chance and shooting categories xg/60, icf/60, ihdc/60, iFF/60, he is also 2nd in shots blocked /60 for centers, and among the top in faceoff win % and came back from IR.

We are very lucky to have him and stats indicate he's just been unlucky...if he keeps it, goals will start to come.

Of course we are lucky, but Matthews also needs to quickly get back to a let’s say Top 5 forward status in the game, behind Connor
McDavid and somewhere with Nathan Mackinnon, Leon Draisaitl.

 

[Gary Nylund]

5v5 Matthews leads the league in most scoring chance and shooting categories xg/60, icf/60, ihdc/60, iFF/60, he is also 2nd in shots blocked /60 for centers, and among the top in faceoff win % and came back from IR.

We are very lucky to have him and stats indicate he's just been unlucky...if he keeps it, goals will start to come.

He's a great player, no doubt about it. I can think of only 2 things that could be better:

1)
I would really like him to be more consistent in the playoffs

2)
I don't see him as possessing much in the way of leadership qualities. On one hand I can't really criticize him for that, he is what he is and that's that but since he's the captain, maybe it's a valid point. But if he can be more consistent in the playoffs and lead by example on the ice, that would be great and both points would be covered.

Of course we are lucky, but Matthews also needs to quickly get back to a let’s say Top 5 forward status in the game, behind Connor
McDavid and somewhere with Nathan Mackinnon, Leon Draisaitl.

That would be good. Mind you I'm fine if he sort of drifts through most of the season and turns it on in time for the playoffs, I'm just so sick of sub .500 playoff hockey.

 

[Stephen]

That would be good. Mind you I'm fine if he sort of drifts through most of the season and turns it on in time for the playoffs, I'm just so sick of sub .500 playoff hockey.

I’m not cool with the notion that you can mail in a season and save it for when it really matters. Success doesn’t look like that and only seems to have been popularized by Leafs fans who have taken to some kind of effort load management bargaining.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I’m not cool with the notion that you can mail in a season and save it for when it really matters. Success doesn’t look like that and only seems to have been popularized by Leafs fans who have taken to some kind of effort load management bargaining.

I don't really think he's mailing it in, if I thought he was then I'd be on his case for sure. Maybe I gave the wrong impression with my use of the word drift, that probably came out wrong. Sorry about that, that's not really what I meant to say.

 

[Stephen]

I don't really think he's mailing it in, if I thought he was then I'd be on his case for sure. Maybe I gave the wrong impression with my use of the word drift, that probably came out wrong. Sorry about that, that's not really what I meant to say.

End of the day we don’t know what’s wrong with Matthews health wise.

I’m just making a general comment I don’t like the idea you can conserve energy and play uninspired hockey in the regular season and then bring it up to another level when the playoffs start.

 

[Jojalu]

He's a great player, no doubt about it. I can think of only 2 things that could be better:

1)
I would really like him to be more consistent in the playoffs

2)
I don't see him as possessing much in the way of leadership qualities. On one hand I can't really criticize him for that, he is what he is and that's that but since he's the captain, maybe it's a valid point. But if he can be more consistent in the playoffs and lead by example on the ice, that would be great and both points would be covered.


That would be good. Mind you I'm fine if he sort of drifts through most of the season and turns it on in time for the playoffs, I'm just so sick of sub .500 playoff hockey.

That would be more on the Leafs organization if he wasn't really showing any signs of being a leader.

That being said, we have no idea what happens in the room, in team meetings, while they travel and are on the road.

He certainly isn't a fiery rah rah captain but there are a lot of ways to lead that are successful. If he can lead the team to a couple playoff round wins it will be tough to argue the right decision wasn't made.

 

[LeafEgo]

It sure looks like Matty is not 100% so he should be managed with only the playoffs in mind, whatever that looks like with whatever is wrong. Maybe thats what we're seeing.

Kuch had his best playoffs after not playing a single reg season game.

If he is 100%, or just working through typical big league stuff, than we're pretty much screwed.

 

[Maple Leaf]

I’m not cool with the notion that you can mail in a season and save it for when it really matters. Success doesn’t look like that and only seems to have been popularized by Leafs fans who have taken to some kind of effort load management bargaining.

you ever heard of kawhi leonard

 

[Darcy Tucker]

That's like asking if Kamala Harris was legible candidate against a stacked field. Result , at least I can breakfast again with out hearing rude boi Babylon bustling for a Mix tape to Zion. Or whatever the whipper snappers drunk on moms ivory say these days , a rum ting ting. Sorry. Fire in hole. Time for Kush and musical theatre.

 

[Maple Leaf]

That's like asking if Kamala Harris was legible candidate against a stacked field. Result , at least I can breakfast again with out hearing rude boi Babylon bustling for a Mix tape to Zion. Or whatever the whipper snappers drunk on moms ivory say these days , a rum ting ting. Sorry. Fire in hole. Time for Kush and musical theatre.

how mich kush anccan one man handl

 

[Darcy Tucker]

how mich kush anccan one man handl

A whole Bakery

 

[Stephen]

you ever heard of kawhi leonard

Does this look like basketball?

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Like Keefe breakfast request. No more Candies the mNd m to spicy. Me like is man explode they on fire like mix tapes at ruckus.

These Amulets are like Rosetta Stone foe the hearing impaired.

 

[Apex Predator]

you ever heard of kawhi leonard

nba and nhl are vastly different.