Around the League - PLAYOFFS!?

[TheShape]

Florida don't give a s**t about any sort of destiny. They'll play any style and do whatever necessary to win, nobody on that team is going to accept losing back to back finals.

As long as the Panthers remain healthy, they're the heavy favourites.

 

[ToneDog]

Blaming any one or two players is ridiculous in a team sport.

When you lose, everyone could have been better, when you when win, every shortcoming is overlooked.

Sure but when it is the same 5 guys making all the money and can't get it, who should get the majority of the blame? The dmen not named Rielly were great. Woll won us two games and Sammy gave us a chance in gme #7. The core has been garbage in every game #7.

 

[Fogelhund]

 

[Jojalu]

Sure but when it is the same 5 guys making all the money and can't get it, who should get the majority of the blame? The dmen not named Rielly were great. Woll won us two games and Sammy gave us a chance in gme #7. The core has been garbage in every game #7.

I am not really talking about the Leafs. They are all to blame.

The 4 should feel more heat, but talking about sports in general.

 

[Nineteen67]

Jesus imagine if the Kraken beat us to the cup finals too

I suspect they will , but I’m more interested to see how much longer the Leafs will remain ahead of Det, Buff and Ottawa.

 

[Stephen]

Blaming any one or two players is ridiculous in a team sport.

When you lose, everyone could have been better, when you when win, every shortcoming is overlooked.

Yeah but think about it another way. The Leafs have been basically stuck at the same development level since 2016-17 and since then they’ve purged everyone who didn’t do their jobs except Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Rielly, who as a core group continue to flop as the difference makers and underperform to their individual standards year after year. Why scapegoat others when it’s clearly their problem year after year?

Are the teams perfect year after year? No. Have they had random adversity and problems to overcome and injuries? Yeah. But at the end of the day, the core guys never deliver. They are such massive effing losers it’s actually inexplicable.

 

[ULF_55]

FIFY

The radio guys were saying #1 picks eventually get to the SCF with a few exception. All I can think is, when is it Matthews turn? God help us if he is an exception.

Ovechkin took his time.

Someone probably already mentioned this.

The core are always leading scorers in regular and post season.

Depth is really depth as in deep down under deep as in barely breathing.

Players who have scored more than 1 goal in the current playoffs run.

Season	All
Row Labels	Sum of GP	Sum of Points	Sum of Goals	Average of G/GP	Average of P/GP
Auston Matthews	55​	48​	23​	0.412​	0.87​
William Nylander	54​	43​	20​	0.389​	0.78​
John Tavares	38​	24​	12​	0.270​	0.53​
Morgan Rielly	57​	40​	11​	0.181​	0.66​
Mitch Marner	57​	50​	11​	0.180​	0.84​
James van Riemsdyk	13​	7​	5​	0.381​	0.54​
Zach Hyman	32​	13​	5​	0.159​	0.42​
Tyler Bozak	13​	8​	4​	0.310​	0.62​
Patrick Marleau	14​	7​	4​	0.286​	0.50​
Jake Muzzin	22​	8​	4​	0.155​	0.31​
Alex Kerfoot	30​	13​	4​	0.117​	0.48​
Kasperi Kapanen	25​	7​	4​	0.155​	0.29​
Ryan O'Reilly	11​	9​	3​	0.273​	0.82​
Jason Spezza	17​	6​	3​	0.143​	0.30​
David Kampf	25​	6​	3​	0.143​	0.23​
Matthew Knies	14​	7​	3​	0.214​	0.50​
Noel Acciari	11​	2​	2​	0.182​	0.18​
Tomas Plekanec	7​	4​	2​	0.286​	0.57​
Andreas Johnsson	14​	6​	2​	0.103​	0.30​
Ilya Mikheyev	19​	4​	2​	0.095​	0.19​
Travis Dermott	22​	5​	2​	0.071​	0.19​
Nazem Kadri	12​	6​	2​	0.222​	0.61​
Michael Bunting	13​	5​	2​	0.155​	0.40​

 

[Stephen]

Florida don't give a s**t about any sort of destiny. They'll play any style and do whatever necessary to win, nobody on that team is going to accept losing back to back finals.

As long as the Panthers remain healthy, they're the heavy favourites.

I think Florida is ready to win. Edmonton has been a survivor this run but Florida has been on that full throttle championship run and they’ve been running through teams like the kool-aid guy through living room walls.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Yeah but think about it another way. The Leafs have been basically stuck at the same development level since 2016-17 and since then they’ve purged everyone who didn’t do their jobs except Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Rielly, who as a core group continue to flop as the difference makers and underperform to their individual standards year after year. Why scapegoat others when it’s clearly their problem year after year?

Are the teams perfect year after year? No. Have they had random adversity and problems to overcome and injuries? Yeah. But at the end of the day, the core guys never deliver. They are such massive effing losers it’s actually inexplicable.

This guy never misses.

I understand fans want to keep great players in their prime, it makes perfect sense. However, just an ounce of context is a rebuttal.

I don't think we'd stand a chance against most of the teams in the 2nd round and onwards. We are fighting for dear life to make it to game 7 of round 1 after we have career years from Nylander and matthews.

I want to stop watching if the core runs back but the team means too much to me and I unfortunately will have to see them lose in a similar way for the 9th try.

What exactly are we so adamant to preserve? We are 3rd in the Atlantic and probably closer to a wildcard team.

 

[Stephen]

FIFY

The radio guys were saying #1 picks eventually get to the SCF with a few exception. All I can think is, when is it Matthews turn? God help us if he is an exception.

We got 2 1st overall guys who aren’t going to make the finals. Throw JT in there too.

 

[ULF_55]

Ovechkin took his time.

Someone probably already mentioned this.

The core are always leading scorers in regular and post season.

Depth is really depth as in deep down under deep as in barely breathing.

Players who have scored more than 1 goal in the current playoffs run.

[TABLE=collapse]
[TR]
[TD]Season[/TD]
[TD]All[/TD]
[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]

[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Row Labels[/TD]
[TD]Sum of GP[/TD]
[TD]Sum of Points[/TD]
[TD]Sum of Goals[/TD]
[TD]Average of G/GP[/TD]
[TD]Average of P/GP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Auston Matthews[/TD]

[TD]

55​

[/TD]

[TD]

48​

[/TD]

[TD]

23​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.412​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.87​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]William Nylander[/TD]

[TD]

54​

[/TD]

[TD]

43​

[/TD]

[TD]

20​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.389​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.78​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]John Tavares[/TD]

[TD]

38​

[/TD]

[TD]

24​

[/TD]

[TD]

12​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.270​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.53​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Morgan Rielly[/TD]

[TD]

57​

[/TD]

[TD]

40​

[/TD]

[TD]

11​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.181​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.66​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Mitch Marner[/TD]

[TD]

57​

[/TD]

[TD]

50​

[/TD]

[TD]

11​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.180​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.84​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]James van Riemsdyk[/TD]

[TD]

13​

[/TD]

[TD]

7​

[/TD]

[TD]

5​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.381​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.54​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Zach Hyman[/TD]

[TD]

32​

[/TD]

[TD]

13​

[/TD]

[TD]

5​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.159​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.42​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tyler Bozak[/TD]

[TD]

13​

[/TD]

[TD]

8​

[/TD]

[TD]

4​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.310​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.62​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Patrick Marleau[/TD]

[TD]

14​

[/TD]

[TD]

7​

[/TD]

[TD]

4​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.286​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.50​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jake Muzzin[/TD]

[TD]

22​

[/TD]

[TD]

8​

[/TD]

[TD]

4​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.155​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.31​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Alex Kerfoot[/TD]

[TD]

30​

[/TD]

[TD]

13​

[/TD]

[TD]

4​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.117​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.48​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Kasperi Kapanen[/TD]

[TD]

25​

[/TD]

[TD]

7​

[/TD]

[TD]

4​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.155​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.29​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ryan O'Reilly[/TD]

[TD]

11​

[/TD]

[TD]

9​

[/TD]

[TD]

3​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.273​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.82​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jason Spezza[/TD]

[TD]

17​

[/TD]

[TD]

6​

[/TD]

[TD]

3​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.143​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.30​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]David Kampf[/TD]

[TD]

25​

[/TD]

[TD]

6​

[/TD]

[TD]

3​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.143​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.23​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Matthew Knies[/TD]

[TD]

14​

[/TD]

[TD]

7​

[/TD]

[TD]

3​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.214​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.50​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Noel Acciari[/TD]

[TD]

11​

[/TD]

[TD]

2​

[/TD]

[TD]

2​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.182​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.18​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tomas Plekanec[/TD]

[TD]

7​

[/TD]

[TD]

4​

[/TD]

[TD]

2​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.286​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.57​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Andreas Johnsson[/TD]

[TD]

14​

[/TD]

[TD]

6​

[/TD]

[TD]

2​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.103​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.30​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ilya Mikheyev[/TD]

[TD]

19​

[/TD]

[TD]

4​

[/TD]

[TD]

2​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.095​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.19​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Travis Dermott[/TD]

[TD]

22​

[/TD]

[TD]

5​

[/TD]

[TD]

2​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.071​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.19​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Nazem Kadri[/TD]

[TD]

12​

[/TD]

[TD]

6​

[/TD]

[TD]

2​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.222​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.61​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Michael Bunting[/TD]

[TD]

13​

[/TD]

[TD]

5​

[/TD]

[TD]

2​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.155​

[/TD]

[TD]

0.40​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

I know I'm referencing my own post but

Hyman ... he didn't do it in Toronto
Kadri ... he didn't do it in Toronto (own worst enemy)

Bozak ... just looks like a good middle 6 player.
JVR ... he scored goals at the 3rd. highest rate.
O'Reilly ... would have been nice to have him stick around for stuff.
marner ... does he have to shoot more or change sticks?

 

[Stephen]

This guy never misses.

I understand fans want to keep great players in their prime, it makes perfect sense. However, just an ounce of context is a rebuttal.

I don't think we'd stand a chance against most of the teams in the 2nd round and onwards. We are fighting for dear life to make it to game 7 of round 1 after we have career years from Nylander and matthews.

I want to stop watching if the core runs back but the team means too much to me and I unfortunately will have to see them lose in a similar way for the 9th try.

What exactly are we so adamant to preserve? We are 3rd in the Atlantic and probably closer to a wildcard team.

People cling onto Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Rielly because they once embodied so much promise. As long as the band is together that unrealized potential is still there, somewhere. That’s why management has been so patient and that’s why the players themselves want to stick together. Once you start pulling on the loose thread and start moving one and another, you come to the quick realization it’s a lot less than you had hoped.

As a group and as individuals each one of those core guys is absolutely the wrong stuff. We have 8 years as sample size. Let’s not pull any punches. The only hope left is you crop it down to a much smaller core and you start infiltrating it with the right stuff, so they can be dragged up to some semblance of success.

 

[Jojalu]

Yeah but think about it another way. The Leafs have been basically stuck at the same development level since 2016-17 and since then they’ve purged everyone who didn’t do their jobs except Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Rielly, who as a core group continue to flop as the difference makers and underperform to their individual standards year after year. Why scapegoat others when it’s clearly their problem year after year?

Are the teams perfect year after year? No. Have they had random adversity and problems to overcome and injuries? Yeah. But at the end of the day, the core guys never deliver. They are such massive effing losers it’s actually inexplicable.

The Leafs have failed over and over again.

With Hyman and Kadri on the team, without them. With ROR and Schenn. Without them.

The 4 obviously don't work together. I just don't blame one or 2 of them. Collectively, for whatever reason it doesn't work. They need to try something else.

Just like when Ovie got blamed, Drai and McDavid, it is foolish to blame any one person.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Anyway, back on topic - I think this is Florida's cup to lose.

This is the 2nd year in a row in the finals, I can't see them losing both.

 

[McSnypsky]

View attachment 879113

an interesting thing about that stat though, is he's only won it once! might be curse instead!!!

 

[Stephen]

The Leafs have failed over and over again.

With Hyman and Kadri on the team, without them. With ROR and Schenn. Without them.

The 4 obviously don't work together. I just don't blame one or 2 of them. Collectively, for whatever reason it doesn't work. They need to try something else.

Just like when Ovie got blamed, Drai and McDavid, it is foolish to blame any one person.

They aren’t McDavid and Draisaitl level players.

 

[Al14]

I think the allure of leading Toronto to its first Cup in 60ish years would be quite alluring for a hometown kid, regardless if he already has a Cup or not.

Too bad it hasn't worked for our own hometown kids in Tavares and Marner !!!

On paper, Tavares and Marner have been surrounded a pretty good, and very expensive talent in Matthews. They still haven't got anywhere near the ECF never mind the SC final !!!

Would McDavid make that big a difference when the rest of the team around him are lacking HEART and MOTIVATION to win already?

Hyman plays with more heart than our core 5 combined. Is McDavid bringing him and Draisaitl with him?

 

[TMLegend]

Chasing NuHockey set this team back so far. Kadri, Bozak, Hyman, Marchment, Brown all let go and good enough to play a variety of roles on cup contending teams.

It's like Dubas came in, decided he was going to strip away every ounce of toughness, grit, and competitiveness, fill the holes with the Alex Kerfoots, Denis Malgins, and Justin Holls of the world, and was like I'm good. This is also the guy that brought in Nick fkn Ritchie to play top line minutes with AM and MM. Probably the softest, most uncompetitive player in the league at the time. He just didn't get it, as history as shown.

 

[bax]

Yeah, and all his urgency to win a cup with our Leafs will be non-existent. He'll just be on a retirement contract here !!!

If I wanted McDavid as a Leaf, I'd want him HUNGRY to win a cup. There is less incentive if he already has a cup.

JMHO.

There’s nothing about McDavid that doesn’t scream competitive as hell all the time. If he ended up here somehow (which I doubt) he would try and do everything he could to win with his boyhood team.

 

[Mess]

I don't feel 'forced' to do anything, seems kind of insecure to be feel that way.

Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman took a friendly shot at Leafs fans following the Edmonton Oilers' Game 6 victory to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.​

The Edmonton Oilers advanced to the Stanley Cup Final after a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars last night in Edmonton. Following the game, the 31-year-old was asked if he and the Oilers felt any additional pressure knowing that they were 'Canada's team' where he responded with a friendly shot at Leaf fans.

"I don't know if Toronto is cheering for us," said the NHL's post-season goal scoring leader. "But it's nice to know Ottawa is. Hockey means so much to Canada and Canadians and it's been a long time since a Canadian team has won the Cup so it would mean a lot to Canadians whether they're Oiler fans or not I'm sure. Some pride over the Americans, but that's pretty cool to hear."

The 31-year-old left Toronto and signed a 7-year deal with the Oilers in the summer of 2021 and while many Leafs fans were disappointed to see him go, they were happy to see him get paid. While fans in Toronto may despise the Oilers, if there is one player that many would like to see hoist Lord Stanley's mug, it is Hyman.

 

[Squiffy]

Long wait between series worse for one team or other?

If I'm Edm I'm worried that Skinner forgets that he was playing like Hasek for a week and goes back to playing like Skinner. You'd think they'd have preferred to be playing tomorrow.

 

[Trapper]

Chasing NuHockey set this team back so far. Kadri, Bozak, Hyman, Marchment, Brown all let go and good enough to play a variety of roles on cup contending teams.

It's like Dubas came in, decided he was going to strip away every ounce of toughness, grit, and competitiveness, fill the holes with the Alex Kerfoots, Denis Malgins, and Justin Holls of the world, and was like I'm good. This is also the guy that brought in Nick fkn Ritchie to play top line minutes with AM and MM. Probably the softest, most uncompetitive player in the league at the time. He just didn't get it, as history as shown.

Unfortunately the previous management stripped away the draft picks and depth in order to keep supporting a core that repeatedly failed them.
There is a minimal amount of players in the system we have hope for but mostly we are left trying to build a team through UFA. No other real assets to trade for improvement.

 

[VanW27]

The Leafs have failed over and over again.

With Hyman and Kadri on the team, without them. With ROR and Schenn. Without them.

The 4 obviously don't work together. I just don't blame one or 2 of them. Collectively, for whatever reason it doesn't work. They need to try something else.

Just like when Ovie got blamed, Drai and McDavid, it is foolish to blame any one person.

It was silly to blame those players because they delivered, Drai and McDavid have scored at historic levels their entire playoff careers, Ovie was putting up Game 7 hatties in a losing effort.

Matthews and Marner might as well not play when the games turn into clincher/knockouts

 

[Trapper]

Too bad it hasn't worked for our own hometown kids in Tavares and Marner !!!

On paper, Tavares and Marner have been surrounded a pretty good, and very expensive talent in Matthews. They still haven't got anywhere near the ECF never mind the SC final !!!

Would McDavid make that big a difference when the rest of the team around him are lacking HEART and MOTIVATION to win already?

Hyman plays with more heart than our core 5 combined. Is McDavid bringing him and Draisaitl with him?

You have to be careful handing out those big contracts for just the glimmer of stars in your eyes.
That skill also has to come with something else. It has to mesh with the other sum of the parts in a playoff style and atmosphere or it’s only so useful to you. Eventually you just stall at a certain point.

 

[Evilhomer]

Anyway, back on topic - I think this is Florida's cup to lose.

This is the 2nd year in a row in the finals, I can't see them losing both.

Back to back Cup final losses hasn't happened since the 70s. I don't think it will happen this year either.