Can they break the streak?

Melrose Munch

Registered User
Mar 18, 2007
24,062
2,283
Are we going to see what we see every year? The same 8 teams make it as last year when people do their predictions?

I actually like the Islanders to make it. Tampa will be much better. The Devils, imo, are out.
The Devils run is over. Marty is too old.
 

Finnish your Czech

J'aime Les offres hostiles
Nov 25, 2009
64,453
1,983
Toronto
what a heck are you talking about. two years ago we were one of the worst 3-4 teams in the league the first half of the season.

You're right, the only good thing at the start of the 10-11 season was the 4 game winning streak. After that everything went downhill :cry:
 

Longshot

Registered User
Jul 2, 2008
11,161
312
Ontario, Canada
We always play good first the past 2 seasons...well now this is the first half. If we can get around 32-35 and some confidence, we can not only make the playoffs but make a run to the cup

Thoughts?

Was the Cup run part a joke?

The reality for the Leafs is pretty simple. One year ago this was the fifth worst team in the entire NHL.

Management has done very little to improve the roster.

Burke moved out a top four defenceman for a top six forward and he let one of the goalies that played half the games a year ago leave as a free agent.

I'm excited that there is going to be a season, but if you take a rational look at this roster - as it it currently constituted - and I don't see much more than an 11th or 12th place finish in the Eastern Conference.
 

GordieHoweHatTrick

Registered User
Sep 20, 2009
16,473
284
Toronto
No way.

The Leafs through 48 games last year were a playoff team. colombus was out of it from day 1.

Thats true. My post was trying to highlight how anything is possible with such a short season though.

About Perry/Getzlaf, wouldn't they be better served re-signing with Anaheim now? They can both get 8 year terms there. An extra year at, say, 8M could be worth the equivalent of 0.5M per year extra from other teams over 7 years
 

onebighockeyfan

Registered User
May 2, 2010
1,626
0
Probably not. Definitely not if Kessel is not in game shape. He's probably been wolfing down Twinkies all summer :)
 

RogerRoeper*

Guest
Thats true. My post was trying to highlight how anything is possible with such a short season though.

About Perry/Getzlaf, wouldn't they be better served re-signing with Anaheim now? They can both get 8 year terms there. An extra year at, say, 8M could be worth the equivalent of 0.5M per year extra from other teams over 7 years

I honestly don't think Anaheim can afford them. (They can afford 1 maybe, but if 1 leaves, so does the other imo).
 

RogerRoeper*

Guest
The fatter Phil gets, the better of a player he becomes. He's an oddity. Calories increase his speed.


Mario Lemeiux was like that too. He lived on cigarrettes and hot dogs.
 

hockeyfanz*

Guest
No chance with the current roster. No playoffs. Why do the Leafs have a better chance with a shortened season? Do they become better because they have less games to play? Do their competitors become less effective because there are less games to play. I don't understand the logic here. If you think they can make the playoffs based on a 48 games season.....you must believe they would with a full sked as well.
 

RogerRoeper*

Guest
No chance with the current roster. No playoffs. Why do the Leafs have a better chance with a shortened season? Do they become better because they have less games to play? Do their competitors become less effective because there are less games to play. I don't understand the logic here. If you think they can make the playoffs based on a 48 games season.....you must believe they would with a full sked as well.

Since everyone is saying the fact they finished 5th last is proof, I'd like to point out, they were indeed a playoff team through 48 games last season with terrible coaching and goaltending.

I don't get with this parity and half a season how you can say "No Chance". Any team in the East can make it.
 

Shimso

Registered User
Oct 9, 2011
1,709
0
Things are a lot more volatile when the season is shortened.

I really hope they make the playoffs and I don't think its that farfetched, although if they don't, I REALLY don't want another 9-13th place finish in the conference.
 

hockeyfanz*

Guest
Since everyone is saying the fact they finished 5th last is proof, I'd like to point out, they were indeed a playoff team through 48 games last season with terrible coaching and goaltending.

I don't get with this parity and half a season how you can say "No Chance". Any team in the East can make it.

Strongly disagree....Everything remains equal. Every other franchise plays the same shortened season. What does how the Leafs performed over 48 games last season got to do with anything? It has zero relevance. One can easily pick a 48 game section of the season where they were a lottery team too. Your logic does not compute.
 

onebighockeyfan

Registered User
May 2, 2010
1,626
0
Since everyone is saying the fact they finished 5th last is proof, I'd like to point out, they were indeed a playoff team through 48 games last season with terrible coaching and goaltending.

I don't get with this parity and half a season how you can say "No Chance". Any team in the East can make it.

I distinctly remember feeling we won tons of games early on last year where we were completely dominated. The puck was rolling for us. No way we get this lucky again this year.
 

Rants Mulliniks

Registered User
Jun 22, 2008
23,087
6,151
No chance with the current roster. No playoffs. Why do the Leafs have a better chance with a shortened season? Do they become better because they have less games to play? Do their competitors become less effective because there are less games to play. I don't understand the logic here. If you think they can make the playoffs based on a 48 games season.....you must believe they would with a full sked as well.

A simple thing called sample size.
 

FelixPotvin29

Registered User
Oct 21, 2012
2,577
325
Strongly disagree....Everything remains equal. Every other franchise plays the same shortened season. What does how the Leafs performed over 48 games last season got to do with anything? It has zero relevance. One can easily pick a 48 game section of the season where they were a lottery team too. Your logic does not compute.

It's simple... a good stretch of games is harder to overcome in the standings then in a reg. 82 game season. No team, no matter how good, is guaranteed to get hot right out the gate thus giving some teams a leg up who might not have one.

Also, consider that the match ups will be entirely different in a shortened season. Simple.
 

Rants Mulliniks

Registered User
Jun 22, 2008
23,087
6,151
Strongly disagree....Everything remains equal. Every other franchise plays the same shortened season. What does how the Leafs performed over 48 games last season got to do with anything? It has zero relevance. One can easily pick a 48 game section of the season where they were a lottery team too. Your logic does not compute.

Every single season you see strong teams struggle out of the gate and weak teams soar out of the gate. 48 games does not allow for the cream to settle out. That doesn't mean it will happen to everyone but you can fully expect a couple teams in each conference to finish higher or lower than they realistically should. Your 2nd last sentence perfectly illustrates what you are about to see. The question is "who will it be"? Keep in mind, for 3/4 of last season the LA Kings had a worse winning % than the Toronto Maple Leafs.
 

Mess

Global Moderator
Feb 27, 2002
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Leafs Home Board
I would be pretty confident if we could land Luongo. Or if Reimer returns to his rookie-season form. I highly doubt that will happen though.

I think Luongo is only a foregone conclusion, and just a matter of when and not if and how much it will cost the Leafs.

With Luongo the Leafs odds in a shortened season would be much better than they have been in a long time.
 

Melrose Munch

Registered User
Mar 18, 2007
24,062
2,283
They overachieved last year. They aren't that good.

Rangers choked.

Was the Cup run part a joke?

The reality for the Leafs is pretty simple. One year ago this was the fifth worst team in the entire NHL.

Management has done very little to improve the roster.

Burke moved out a top four defenceman for a top six forward and he let one of the goalies that played half the games a year ago leave as a free agent.

I'm excited that there is going to be a season, but if you take a rational look at this roster - as it it currently constituted - and I don't see much more than an 11th or 12th place finish in the Eastern Conference.

Thing is, this is half a season. No bad last year blood. In half a season, the Leafs can make noise.
 

TrueBlue86

Registered User
Oct 17, 2010
3,190
24
Toronto, ON
wait, i'm still trying to figure out the 'we always play well the 1st half' thing

both of the two years before last we were in the bottom 3 of the nhl at the half way point
 

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