Are the Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup contenders?

[WarriorofTime]

again,

im not sure why this is confusing but Dubas wanted to make the calls any GM would make. If he has to go ask big daddy Shanny then Dubas isnt really the GM.

A GM and POHO is a normal setup. Kyle can try and kick the blame upwards as for his own failings all he wants. That's what weasels tend to do.

 

[JianYang]

The Oilers fired the coaches and told the offensive guys to pay some attention to defending and no more cherry-picking for goals. Be more like Kopitar, Bergeron or Datysuk. Preventing 3 goals a game is better than scoring one. Those guys on a nightly basis did that and astute fans, coaches and commentators knew the real value of them. There has to be a total change in this team's run-and-gun mentality of outscoring your mistakes.

The Oilers are currently experiencing a coach bump much like they got when they hired woodcroft in the first place.


The leafs will also make the bench changes as required if it comes down to that. They will not miss the playoffs.

My assessment of the Leafs is the same as it always been under this era.

Playoff team? Yes
Realistic Cup contenders? No

 

[Koivu11]

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

again,

im not sure why this is confusing but Dubas wanted to make the calls any GM would make. If he has to go ask big daddy Shanny then Dubas isnt really the GM.

I think the amount of power a GM has these days is changing. The coveted job is now president of hockey ops.

He has complete control in Pittsburgh now for 7 years, so we'll get to see what he can do. Especially when it's time to rebuild. FSG is totally hands off.

 

[TheGroceryStick]

just go to Pittsburg, Sheldon. No matter the job, Kyle misses your musk.

 

[Number8]

He’s not wrong, here.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

A GM and POHO is a normal setup. Kyle can try and kick the blame upwards as for his own failings all he wants. That's what weasels tend to do.

OK, let's buy this line that what happened in Toronto is all the fault of Dubas and it was Shanahan saving him from screwing things up more.

How long (much longer) of a leash does Shanahan get, now that he's brought in a hand-picked GM, who's kept the same coach, before we start [accurately] pointing the finger of blame for why the Leafs can't get their shit together at Shanahan? What has to happen before "you know what, maybe Dubas wasn't all the problem here" gets whispered?

 

[Sasha Orlov]

This is real bad when you have four guys making $11M+

 

[nturn06]

He wanted the power to not have to answer to anyone, essentially to be GM and POHO. Even went to his buddies in the media and cried about "muhh family" to try and build a sentiment to get him the power and money he was after. He comes off like a smarmy weasel. Didn't work though, now he's Pittsburgh's problem.

I really believe that he did his best to get out of that gong show he created

 

[nturn06]

Yikes. Also, didn't he coach the core for 250+ games? If your coach sais that after soo many games, something is putrid.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

This is real bad when you have four guys making $11M+

If only the salary cap allowed them to have a fifth player making $11+ million. Maybe *he* could step up when the other 4 guys shrink.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

I guess, so?

O
Yes, an injury to the top players will have a bigger impact than an injury to depth players.

I doubt all four and reilly will play 82 games. Possible but unlikely.

 

[Leaf Fans]

I doubt all four and reilly will play 82 games. Possible but unlikely.

Well, we know Matthews won't. The team will have to deal with those problems should they arise.

 

[MrCreamm]

Core 4 is shrinking to a core 2 .
Marner and Tavares strike fear on absolutely no opponents

Which is the right move. I wonder how much they can recoup in free agency though, I kinda doubt they trade Marner just cause Shanahan let alone any other justification needed.

 

[LandfiII]

I just saw Sheldon Keefe on TV pleading the world to believe in his team, directly referencing the fact they managed to win that one playoff series in a decade as proof of how mentally strong his team is. Soft, fat loser. Just a perfect representation of the whole thing there.

 

[Nothingbutglass]

Wait until they get pasted by the Flames. Wheels will be flying off all over the road.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Well, we know Matthews won't. The team will have to deal with those problems should they arise.

Its discouraging to have a barely above avg record and only 13 RWs without even injuries as a reason. Just poor play/weaker team due to mismanagement.

 

[Strangle]

just go to Pittsburg, Sheldon. No matter the job, Kyle misses your musk.

Get Treliving to pickup the phone and call Kyle about sending Marner along with him

 

[Leaf Fans]

Its discouraging to have a barely above avg record and only 13 RWs without even injuries as a reason. Just poor play/weaker team due to mismanagement.

I don't think that is too much of a worry at this point. Obviously, it would be nicer to win the games in regulation, but as it stands they are 12th in the league with just under half the season to go. If they really want to become a contender, they have to improve.

 

[Strangle]

Its discouraging to have a barely above avg record and only 13 RWs without even injuries as a reason. Just poor play/weaker team due to mismanagement.

Due to the worst goaltending in the league for at least 16 games, depending on how many Sammy has been pulled in this year.

The Leafs team has problems, but Sammy has been their biggest one

All that said, the Leafs aren’t contenders because their stars don’t know what it takes to win. So they won’t win

 

[GirardSpinorama]

I don't think that is too much of a worry at this point. Obviously, it would be nicer to win the games in regulation, but as it stands they are 12th in the league with just under half the season to go. If they really want to become a contender, they have to improve.

They're gonna have to improve, avoid injuries just to make the playoffs. That SOS remaining is gonna make it tough.

 

[Leaf Fans]

They're gonna have to improve, avoid injuries just to make the playoffs. That SOS remaining is gonna make it tough.

Yeah, avoiding injury is important for every team.

 

[Nothingbutglass]

They could be out of the playoffs by the end of this road trip. It's time for blind panic.

 

[iCanada]

I think the Drai goal was pretty weak... he was cheating on the pass, wasn't hugging the post, and let it past......

Having said that, he also kept the Leafs in it, when perhaps they had no business being in the game.

Yeah but I think every Goaltender cheats pass there. No one but Draisaitl shoots that puck, and even if they did, no one but Draisaitl has that kind of cannon of a backhand.

Like the physics of that shot look like a glitch in an EA sports game.

 

[Leaf Fans]

They could be out of the playoffs by the end of this road trip. It's time for blind panic.

They could be.