TheTotalPackage
Registered User
- Sep 14, 2006
- 7,564
- 5,871
Love the talent on the team, but for some reason I can't latch on to them as I have teams in years past.
They were a better team this past season than the previous. The fact that they underachieved has nothing to do with losing mediocrity like Bozak, Koma, etc. Komarov was awful his last season in Toronto. JT, Matthews, Kadri up the middle is much better than Matthews, Kadri, Bozak. Brown and Marleau are extremely replaceable by NHL min wage guys. This season's team is the best team we've had in 15+ years.
Marner, Tavares, Matthews, Rielly, Kapanen, AJ etc all had career years and we will need them to repeat.
Leafs PP in 2017-18 with JVR and Bozak performed at 24.9 (2nd in the NHL) behind only Pens & Komarov the previous year was Leafs best PK player as Leafs PK dropped from 81.4 to 79.1 and was brutal in the playoffs as Leo also took PK draws.
Matthews, JT and Kadri were all =+30 goal scorers and now Kerfoot << Kadri.
I think Leafs defensively are going to be in trouble after ended up 18th in goals against and now could give up more goals.. The went from 232 GA to 251 GA giving up almost 20 more goals last year.
They were a 105 point All time franchise best team in 2017-18 and have declined to 100 points last season and now we will have to see the impact of paying 4 forwards 1/2 your cap is going to impact the team. Hopefully Leafs are able overcome that as they will be easier now for the opposition to try and defend and keep in check.
Matthews, JT and Kadri were all =+30 goal scorers and now Kerfoot << Kadri.
I think Leafs defensively are going to be in trouble after ended up 18th in goals against and now could give up more goals.. The went from 232 GA to 251 GA giving up almost 20 more goals last year.
They were a 105 point All time franchise best team in 2017-18 and have declined to 100 points last season and now we will have to see the impact of paying 4 forwards 1/2 your cap is going to impact the team. Hopefully Leafs are able overcome that as they will be easier now for the opposition to try and defend and keep in check.
I know Marleau, as a UFA, signed for $1.75 million more then Kadri. And played in more games. It feels like many fans consider the gap between Marleau and Kadri to be slightly exaggerated.
Kadri 16 goals, 15 first assists,13 secondary assists
Marleau 16 goals, 15 first assists, 6 secondary assists.
Personally, I think any excitement for the team comes from optimism. I think putting Matthews on without a play-maker and great checker might of hurt his stats this season, but might of improved his game coming into this season. I'm more excited about Matthew's potential coming into this season then Marner. I think Marner will Marner, but I don't know how he'll grow his game. I know Spezza might of lost a step, but Dallas looks like a team that could of used Connor Brown in the top six. And I really think we'll look back and wonder how we ever got along with Polak and Zaitsev.
This is the HF factor. When you suck, it sucks. But when you are good and have to make big boy decisions and reality sets in, fun is over and the make believe fantasy is over.The version of this team in Matthews’ rookie season was so much fun without expectations, and it now feels like it’s all business all the time with this core, especially with the way the contracts have played out for Matthews/Nylander/Marner.
Marner, Tavares, Matthews, Rielly, Kapanen, AJ etc all had career years and we will need them to repeat.
Leafs PP in 2017-18 with JVR and Bozak performed at 24.9 (2nd in the NHL) behind only Pens & Komarov the previous year was Leafs best PK player as Leafs PK dropped from 81.4 to 79.1 and was brutal in the playoffs as Leo also took PK draws.
Matthews, JT and Kadri were all =+30 goal scorers and now Kerfoot << Kadri.
I think Leafs defensively are going to be in trouble after ended up 18th in goals against and now could give up more goals.. The went from 232 GA to 251 GA giving up almost 20 more goals last year.
They were a 105 point All time franchise best team in 2017-18 and have declined to 100 points last season and now we will have to see the impact of paying 4 forwards 1/2 your cap is going to impact the team. Hopefully Leafs are able overcome that as they will be easier now for the opposition to try and defend and keep in check.
Hey guess what, the stars before the salary cap were making more than what they are making today.No. You had ex war veterans who would BLEED for victory and their own teammates back in the day. Now the league is as drama centered and greedy as it's ever been. These *kids* on the leafs and every other team would go to the ends of the earth to negotiate for another million dollars. The media is getting more and more ridiculous for their clicks and publicity, and social media too. Everything results in memes or overreactions/arguments.
AND.. Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson are the voice of the leafs ON TOP OF ALL THAT??? Damn
Nah these pesky kids who have won nothing have ruined our cap and made it harder for us to win a cupHey guess what, the stars before the salary cap were making more than what they are making today.
Let that sink in the next time you call them greedy.
My like for the team has been slowly fading since Willy got back (not blaming him although I think he's a big part of it) Dubas has made the team softer somehow. He fails to realize why we can't get through a playoff round. I foresee 1st round exits for a long time now unfortunately.
This has a very Muskoka five vibe going on and I don't like it.
Fair points. But soft teams don't make it through 4 rounds. They just don't. I would love nothing more than a playoff round victory. But that's not the goal. I get the game is getting more focused on skill and speed. But it's still blatantly clear you need a team that will stick up for themselves and each other to prevail in the playoffs. We're softer that ever before. I can't remember a team ever being this buttery. Maybe I'm just a cranky old man saying 'why is the game I love changing?' but I don't think that's itthe reason why we couldn't get out of the first round in the last three years were
1: Anderson not being the better goalie 2 of the last 3 seasons.
This season he was much better until game seven but we shouldn't even have been in game seven. a part of the reason why Andersen wasn't good was because Babcock rode Andy into the ground.
2: Lack of centre depth.
Lou failed to address it in year 1, and Kadri twice shot the team in the foot, including this year when we had the advantage.
He's gone now, so that liability is gone.
3: God-Awful Powerplay.
The Leafs the last three years have been 2nd, 2nd, top 10 in the powerplay. in the playoffs they were dead last.
4: God-Awful Penalty Kill.
If you can't score on the powerplay, you better stop the penalty kill, and they couldn't do that either.
blaming the the failures of the team on being soft (which drives me insane because the last two seasons the Leafs, outside of Game 2 two years ago) has matched the Bruins hit for hit, and hasn't been intimidated by it. thinking that this is the only thing that will make the Leafs amazingly better simply is not true. 1 through 4 is. now. don't get me wrong. if they address one through four, and we still struggle, then sure. maybe we can look at their "perceived" softness. but that - is like. dead last on the things they need to address on this team.
Fair points. But soft teams don't make it through 4 rounds. They just don't. I would love nothing more than a playoff round victory. But that's not the goal. I get the game is getting more focused on skill and speed. But it's still blatantly clear you need a team that will stick up for themselves and each other to prevail in the playoffs. We're softer that ever before. I can't remember a team ever being this buttery. Maybe I'm just a cranky old man saying 'why is the game I love changing?' but I don't think that's it
I don't like the vision Dubas appears to have for the most part. We're gonna waste our Matthews years. We already regressed in overall points his first year at the helm with the addition of JT. Which could mean nothing. But I'm willing to bet that happens again this year.
Probably because of the snooze fest from february to april due to our defence trying to launch the puck into outer space every time they had the puck.Love the talent on the team, but for some reason I can't latch on to them as I have teams in years past.
Fair points. But soft teams don't make it through 4 rounds. They just don't. I would love nothing more than a playoff round victory. But that's not the goal. I get the game is getting more focused on skill and speed. But it's still blatantly clear you need a team that will stick up for themselves and each other to prevail in the playoffs. We're softer that ever before. I can't remember a team ever being this buttery. Maybe I'm just a cranky old man saying 'why is the game I love changing?' but I don't think that's it
I don't like the vision Dubas appears to have for the most part. We're gonna waste our Matthews years. We already regressed in overall points his first year at the helm with the addition of JT. Which could mean nothing. But I'm willing to bet that happens again this year.
Watching the Raptors successful championship run was a nice reminder of why we fall in love with teams. Beyond the winning, there's also the perseverance in pressure situations, personal heroics, sacrifice and team chemistry coming out to the fore, taking on different opponents and adapting on the fly, all that good stuff.
Hopefully the Leafs go on that journey soon. But I would be happier with the program if the Leafs management team looked like they were building a team that could take on all comers and not be this poster child for "skill skill skill."
Skill is the best thing in the game, but I wish they'd pay all the other stuff some attention too.