Pre-Game Talk: Calgary @ Toronto | Friday at 7pm

[Leaf4Life79]

Do we think Simmonds will play tomorrow?

It's looking like it, however, not confirmed.

 

[123offtheglass]

Tavares-Nylander I believe have the best defensive numbers of any forward pair on the team.

Haha what defensive numbers are those?

 

[123offtheglass]

Spezza shouldn't be playing C anymore. Thornton might be able to play 4C but it's not preferable and I definitely wouldn't want him playing 3C.

I think Engvall is a top 9 forward here but imo his speed and defense at 4C really helps when the wingers are Spezza and simmonds.

I'm stuck somewhere between this and him playing with other fast players. Honestly I think he helps both situations/sceneries.

 

[123offtheglass]

Galchenyuk per Team

MTL: 418gms, 15:30, 49.8xgf% (-1.3rel), 21gl/50pt pace (PP: 6gl/15pt pace)
ARZ: 72gms, 15:44, 45.5xgf% (-4.0rel), 22gl/47pt pace (PP: 10gl/24pt pace)
MIN: 14gms, 14:56, 55.1xgf% (+.19rel), 18gl/41pt pace (PP: 0gl/6pt pace)
PIT: 45gms, 11:29, 46.6xgf% (-.46rel), 9gl/31pt pace (PP: 4gl/11pt pace)
OTT: 8gms, 9:30, 44.7xgf% (-1.8rel), 10gl/10pt pace (PP: 10gl/10pt pace)

TOT: 557gms, 15:06, 49.1xgf% (-1.8rel), 20gl/47pt pace (PP: 6gl/16pt pace)

Not a ton to get excited about here. He'll likely produce at a decent rate if he can keep getting decent minutes but the only way he becomes a legit solid player is if tavares/willy prove to be the best linemates he's had and/or waivers and the ahl stint have scared him to a new effort level.

The most discouraging line here is his stint with PIT where you figure he would have been put in a similar position as here but couldn't produce.

Though if you look closer I guess he did produce at first when given minutes but then lost the coach's trust for whatever reason and lost his spot:

First 15gms: 13:56, 49pt pace
Last 30gms: 10:15, 22pt pace
Minny 14gms: 14:56, 41pt pace

I guess there's a shot he works out if his effort is there playing with probably the best pair of linemates he's ever had.

Guy has a a lot of talent but unless he suddenly plays differently for us than he has for his past teams, he's pretty much the opposite of Zach Hyman regarding Hyman's good qualities. Hyman seems to be what complements those players (JT-Willie and Matthews-Marner). Either his game changes or JT & Willie do, and they're already drastically head & shoulders better than Galchenyuk off the puck as well as being harder on it.

 

[123offtheglass]

I don't expect any good things from Chucky. I don't think he is a good player. Waiver fodder. We'll see, I guess. I'd like to be positive, I just don't see it.

I just see him as a depth replacement if any of our top end talent goes down and/or we're ever desperate for what good he does bring (there's lots of bad with that too though). If say Matthews (or even Nylander) goes down temporally he's not taking his spot per say but could be the best replacement we have on the powerplay and offensive firepower. If Galchenyuk is ever in our top 6 I could see him producing if Hyman is attached to him; that and he gets even less starts in the d-zone as Jumbo. You almost don't let him start a shift there unless necessary. Watching Matthews not being able to shoot the puck with his hurt wrist (specifically on the powerplay) made me feel better about having Galchenyuk in our back pocket because compared to the rest of our depth & taxi squad guys (besides Robertson) he can wire it.

 

[HolyCrap]

Trust me, as a guy that broke his hand... he won't be getting into any fights any time soon.. for me, I broke my M5 Metacarpal, took almost 2 years to feel normal from that break, yet I still feel it when there is a storm coming.

Same here. Broke my hand 7 years ago. It took for ever to heal and I still have issues with it. I never went to doctor to have it looked at but I probably should have. Lol.

 

[123offtheglass]

No one can play with Nylander & Tavares. Adding a third shooter on that line wont change that.
Playing alongside Matthews getting feeds from Marner is a far more likely successful spot.

As long as he doesn't bring them down.

Matthews & Marner: "Chucky go get us the puck."
Chucky: "No. You go get me the puck."
Matthews & Marner look at each other: "What the hell. I want Hyman not this floater."

 

[123offtheglass]

Trust me, as a guy that broke his hand... he won't be getting into any fights any time soon.. for me, I broke my M5 Metacarpal, took almost 2 years to feel normal from that break, yet I still feel it when there is a storm coming.

Same here. Broke my hand 7 years ago. It took for ever to heal and I still have issues with it. I never went to doctor to have it looked at but I probably should have. Lol.

It's not always so bad, at least it wasn't for me. I broke my hand and was playing contact hockey 6 weeks later and boxing again within 7-8. I remember actually hitting the bag before the date that my cast was even supposed to come off. Simmonds timeline was 6 weeks so it hopefully too wasn't too bad a break. Hopefully he's fine, depends how much of it is tissue vs bone damage; the bone will often come back stronger than it was before the break. I likely accelerated my timeline by taking my cast off early although that's risky.

 

[Optimist]

We are well rested and healing nicely. A back to back against the Flames and then another 4 day break. These breaks are great for our nagging injuries. I feel confident that we can take both games and then go into another break feeling great and being that much more healthy for the stretch run.

 

[Leaf4Life79]

Same here. Broke my hand 7 years ago. It took for ever to heal and I still have issues with it. I never went to doctor to have it looked at but I probably should have. Lol.

ohhhh man... here was the issue with me... I never thought I broke anything, I thought it was just a bad bruise... my aunt, which is a nurse... I went to a family reunion which was 3 days after I broke my hand 'not knowing it was broken' and she told me right away, get to the hospital, you broke your hand!' ... well puck me... what a shit show! I ended up having to have my fingers in this abomination that stretched my ligaments or what have you, the swelling was so bad, that the doctor that was trying to reset my bone, could not feel the 'click' took 2 times... yeah, it sucked! lol

 

[Leaf4Life79]

It's not always so bad, at least it wasn't for me. I broke my hand and was playing contact hockey 6 weeks later and boxing again within 7-8. I remember actually hitting the bag before the date that my cast was even supposed to come off. Simmonds timeline was 6 weeks so it hopefully too wasn't too bad a break. Hopefully he's fine, depends how much of it is tissue vs bone damage; the bone will often come back stronger than it was before the break. I likely accelerated my timeline by taking my cast off early although that's risky.

I used to box as well.. not any longer due to my age... however... I am still apprehensive to smash someone as I fear it just exploding on me... even at this very moment of me typing this, I am not confident I could deliver a full blow without it breaking again... then again, I also suffer from Fibromyalgia, so that also expatriates the pain/healing. Hopefully Wayne Train is back in full force when he returns, but I 100% don't expect him to be throwing bangers for the foreseeable future.

 

[HolyCrap]

ohhhh man... here was the issue with me... I never thought I broke anything, I thought it was just a bad bruise... my aunt, which is a nurse... I went to a family reunion which was 3 days after I broke my hand 'not knowing it was broken' and she told me right away, get to the hospital, you broke your hand!' ... well puck me... what a shit show! I ended up having to have my fingers in this abomination that stretched my ligaments or what have you, the swelling was so bad, that the doctor that was trying to reset my bone, could not feel the 'click' took 2 times... yeah, it sucked! lol

That sounds painful. My hand was swollen for months. I couldn’t do anything with it. And I had no power in it for like a year. I have two large bumps on the bone and where the ligaments attach. It’s a lot better now but I feel it when I’m driving an ATV or a Snowmobile. I blew an ankle a few years ago. Did the same thing. It was a mess for a year. I’m a clumsy idiot lol.

 

[123offtheglass]

I used to box as well.. not any longer due to my age... however... I am still apprehensive to smash someone as I fear it just exploding on me... even at this very moment of me typing this, I am not confident I could deliver a full blow without it breaking again... then again, I also suffer from Fibromyalgia, so that also expatriates the pain/healing. Hopefully Wayne Train is back in full force when he returns, but I 100% don't expect him to be throwing bangers for the foreseeable future.

Damn I'm sorry to hear that man. And yea there's no way that when he starts playing that he's also ready to throw bombs. That said he won't sit until he can throw bombs, they need him to play some hockey for them once he's able too. Hopefully he glues his gloves on for the time being so he's not tempted to punch someone's face off.

 

[Leaf4Life79]

That sounds painful. My hand was swollen for months. I couldn’t do anything with it. And I had no power in it for like a year. I have two large bumps on the bone and where the ligaments attach. It’s a lot better now but I feel it when I’m driving an ATV or a Snowmobile. I blew an ankle a few years ago. Did the same thing. It was a mess for a year. I’m a clumsy idiot lol.

haha, yeah man.. well.. technically. I live every day in pain... but I am used to it because of all my aliments, people don't understand me in that regard,, yeah... I literally drove my car 'manual' to the reunion. My hand was massively swollen lol... again, I thought nothing of it, just thought I badly bruised a bone... until my aunt, a nurse said that I broke my hand.. haha... yeah man... if there is rain coming within 24 hours. I feel it in that exact break spot... also broke both of my wrists two times... lol. it sucks getting old!

 

[Leaf4Life79]

Damn I'm sorry to hear that man. And yea there's no way that when he starts playing that he's also ready to throw bombs. That said he won't sit until he can throw bombs, they need him to play some hockey for them once he's able too. Hopefully he glues his gloves on for the time being so he's not tempted to punch someone's face off.

Hopefully given that he can't throw bangers... hopefully his net front presence is all he needs right now, because..... lets face it... we need that right now! And he was damn good at it, reminded me of JVR kind of, in that aspect!

 

[Leaf4Life79]

The Leafs are now7th in the League

Should have never made JT captain. AM34, just sayin... puck the whole drunk incitant 'which iam 100%, before that, Dubas was naming him C' JT aint no leader.

 

[123offtheglass]

Should have never made JT captain. AM34, just sayin... puck the whole drunk incitant 'which iam 100%, before that, Dubas was naming him C' JT aint no leader.

I do wonder if Matthews ever becomes captain while JT is still around. Matthews has at least taken a huge step as a leader on the ice since the series against Columbus & even more so now.

 

[zeke]

Haha what defensive numbers are those?

By forward pairing:

Goals Against per 60

1. Nylander-Kerfoot 0.49
2. Nylander-Tavares 0.95
3. Hyman-Mikheyev 1.03
4. Marner-Thornton 2.02
5. Kerfoot-Mikheyev 2.27
6. Engvall-Mikheyev 2.35
7. Matthews-Marner 2.39
8. Hyman-Marner 2.39
9. Matthews-Thornton 2.67
10. Spezza-Boyd 2.74
11. Matthews-Hyman 2.82

Expected Goals against per 60:

1. Matthews-Thornton 1.61
2. Marner-Thornton 1.84
3. Nylander-Kerfoot 1.84
4. Hyman-Mikheyev 1.90
5. Matthews-Marner 2.01
6. Spezza-Boyd 2.05
7. Tavares-Nylander 2.09
8. Mikheyev-Engvall 2.14
9. Kerfoot-Mikheyev 2.16
10. Matthews-Hyman 2.17
11. Marner-Hyman 2.33

 

[Leaf4Life79]

I do wonder if Matthews ever becomes captain while JT is still around. Matthews has at least taken a huge step as a leader on the ice since the series against Columbus & even more so now.

We shall see.. we have seen it happen with other teams! HE WILL! be captain at some point, just a gut feeling. JT looks stale as puck! I am not inside the locker room so I can't judge him on his capabilities other than one video in that series a year or so ago 'blue print?' other then that... man... wished we could have spent that 11m on way more important spots on the lineup.
Am I a fan of JT? clearly not.

 

[Leaf4Life79]

I do wonder if Matthews ever becomes captain while JT is still around. Matthews has at least taken a huge step as a leader on the ice since the series against Columbus & even more so now.

Matthews has taken another step far more than any other player on the team 'except Hyman and Marner this year' Matthews is on another level, what an absolute beauty.. 'bought his jersey a couple of months ago haha' yeah,, big fan of Papi! his hands,vision, release, is unlike nobody else I have ever wittnessed in my 41 years of being a NHL fan of the one and only team I have ever cheered for! Papi brings Prizes! .. name this beauty C... fuk JT!... it's a shame he has a NVM clause..and it even sucks more that fans are not allowed in the building....things could go way different, Toronto boy or not... he is WAY underperforming. Especially at his status and pay grade.

 

[123offtheglass]

By forward pairing:

Goals Against per 60

1. Nylander-Kerfoot 0.49
2. Nylander-Tavares 0.95
3. Hyman-Mikheyev 1.03
4. Marner-Thornton 2.02
5. Kerfoot-Mikheyev 2.27
6. Engvall-Mikheyev 2.35
7. Matthews-Marner 2.39
8. Hyman-Marner 2.39
9. Matthews-Thornton 2.67
10. Spezza-Boyd 2.74
11. Matthews-Hyman 2.82

Expected Goals against per 60:

1. Matthews-Thornton 1.61
2. Marner-Thornton 1.84
3. Nylander-Kerfoot 1.84
4. Hyman-Mikheyev 1.90
5. Matthews-Marner 2.01
6. Spezza-Boyd 2.05
7. Tavares-Nylander 2.09
8. Mikheyev-Engvall 2.14
9. Kerfoot-Mikheyev 2.16
10. Matthews-Hyman 2.17
11. Marner-Hyman 2.33

Gotta know the context here or hidden numbers. I think Willie gets an undeserved bad knack defensively and is a little underappreciated but he & Tavares tend to get easier matchups than Matthews-Marner, more OZ starts/DZ starts & zero penalty killing time; don't see Willie out there late in a game defending a lead. Thornton better have some good numbers given who he plays with but in sheltered minutes, the amount of o-zone starts he gets while most of his d-zone starts are taken by Hyman, plays PP but not PK or when the team is defending a lead late in games. So I guess these numbers make sense at a glance.

 

[therealkoho]

Should have never made JT captain. AM34, just sayin... puck the whole drunk incitant 'which iam 100%, before that, Dubas was naming him C' JT aint no leader.

hate to burst your bubble there mate, but JT has been a captain everywhere he's played, starting in tyke hockey, Matty while being a truly great player and the best player on every team he's played on, has never worn the C, not at any level, at least to my knowledge.

It almost seems like the best player on the team gets the C, but some guys just don't wear it very easily and so never accept it, if offered

Gordie Howe took it reluctantly, wore it for 4 short years and gave it back saying he didn't want it

Bobby Orr only wore it his last year in Oshawa and turned it down in Boston every time it was offered to him

Bobby Hull only took the A near the end of career, didn't want anything to do with letters

The Rocket only wore it for his last 4 years in the NHL, because he knew he was going to retire soon. From day 1 he was the best player in Montreal and neck and neck with Howe as the leagues best player.

 

[123offtheglass]

We shall see.. we have seen it happen with other teams! HE WILL! be captain at some point, just a gut feeling. JT looks stale as puck! I am not inside the locker room so I can't judge him on his capabilities other than one video in that series a year or so ago 'blue print?' other then that... man... wished we could have spent that 11m on way more important spots on the lineup.
Am I a fan of JT? clearly not.

Did love this speech by JT in Keefe's first win with the team though.

 

[123offtheglass]

One thing with Willie I wish he took more risks in the offensive zone.

I find he doesn't take enough risks whether its taking a certain shot on net or making a risky but high reward pass; I find he too often makes the simple safer low risk play when distributing the puck which he is very very good at, but I find Marner takes risks a lot more in the offensive zone and it works out for him big picture; sometimes it looks bad but adding up all those risky plays together they're beneficial, he's dangerous, creative & makes things happen.

I say this of Willie because obviously he is an elite puck carrier and distributer and has the ability and high skillset to take more risks than he does and I think the positives would outweigh the negatives. He's been scoring at a high clip for sometime now but I think he could create more high danger scoring chances than he already does, even if it results in some offensive zone giveaway, I think the rewards would outweigh the negative plays made (e.x. an offensive zone giveaway).

As good as he's been I think he could be better; I found he played riskier in his early days with Matthews and the assists came along with it. If he's on AND playing with some risk I think there's a lot more offense to his game that what we've seen, despite how good he's been especially as of late.

I just wish he took more of the risks that Marner takes because I think he's very capable of executing them. Some of this might just be Marner's elite hockey sense & vision but I think it's also his approach and trust in himself.

 

[Coachcorner]

I do wonder if Matthews ever becomes captain while JT is still around. Matthews has at least taken a huge step as a leader on the ice since the series against Columbus & even more so now.

Also eh uh its also about the way they talk and have that verbal chemistry/leadership with all of them players. I've been a captain miself and was a vocal sucka, not a leader type by play example. So sometimes its not enough to be a fine player like matthews. Tavares might have everybody's attention while he be speaking out loud. Now we have others too sire, like simmonds and big talker joey. We have em all now We the best like khaled said and don't have to worry bout a damn thang ever again.