Are the Leafs' players tanking

[notbias]

Yes, they are tanking, they decided to have the most scoring chances through 7 games because they are trying not to score.

You people are idiots.

It appears a lot of you need hobbies, the Leafs not playing well is not the end of the world.

 

[Enga Olly]

Oi! Folks it's going to be alright, try not to jump off a bridge in the next month. In a month's time all should be back on track. Meanwhile, keep yourself entertained by the habs

 

[Havoc]

Shane Wright, Auston Matthews, Joe Thornton and Justin Bieber. Coming to a summer near you.

 

[ponder]

No, they’re trying to win, I just think they can’t handle the pressure, and have psyched themselves out. That Montreal series was absolutely must-win - this group was already 4-for-4 on 1st round exits, this was a series where they were much more talented, went up 3 games to 1, they HAD to win. Especially with the North division - such a rare opportunity to have an easy path to the Conference Finals, no Tampa, no Boston.

Instead they choked in brutal fashion, and I think it just broke them. The first 3 years, the 1st round exits were OK, understandable, a young team going up against stronger Boston/Washington teams. The Columbus series was a choke, but it was the first real playoff choke. But then this massive Montreal choke … just devastating, I don’t think they’ve recovered mentally, and I’m not sure they will.

That was a major tipping point for the fans, players, management, media, everyone. The hope/optimism is gone, I think a major shakeup is needed for the mental reset it could provide alone. Seems like nobody has any remaining confidence in this group, not even the players themselves.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

they started their "tank" in game 5 last season vs Montreal. T

They were trying their best. They knew winning a round would take some pressure off.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

The hope/optimism is gone, I think a major shakeup is needed for the mental reset it could provide alone. Seems like nobody has any remaining confidence in this group, not even the players themselves.

Dubas had a chance to make a major change this summer. He didn't.

 

[justashadowof]

I'll suggest that the level of talent throughout the league might be so high in the modern game that star talent dialing back their efforts 10% can make themselves ordinary performers without the decline in effort really showing.

 

[ErnieLeafs]

He has a “no move”, just came home to play for his hometown team and be the captain, and has a young family he’s raising.

some of you just talk to talk. Nonsensical topics for the sake of boredom.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

Not tanking but they are mentally collapsing. Pretty obvious. I'm not sure what the solution is. I think they feel how I feel after the Montreal debacle: demoralized with no clear path to anything changing. Pretty tough to compete at an elite level under those conditions. There has to be major changes in my opinion, nothing else will solve this.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Mental toughness should be an advanced stat.

 

[HockeyMad68]

I blame the Habs. They used powerful voodoo to curse us in the playoffs. We are still feeling the effect.