Post-Game Talk: Don't worry folks, Andersen won't play tomorrow night.

[Faltorvo]

They were insufficient.

This team has a real aversion to hard work, and to dirty, grindy type of games.
Winnipeg tried to match them offensively and got blown to smithereens.
Winnipeg tried to suffocate and stifle the Leafs, and they did it well enough to win without the help of the pathetic zebras out there.

This has been this team's Achilles, as has been the same for many skilled teams in the past (Ottawa of the 2000s, Ovechkin's Capitals forever, etc), and will continue to be our downfall unless it is addressed.
The team is in desperate need of Simmons' return.

Also, someone fire up contract talks with Freddy. The numbers are starting to speak for themselves here.

A multi-year, sub 3 million dollar deal should look like found treasure to him right now, the way he's playing.

F ,,,,,that ,,,,,2.5m MAX for 2/3 years

 

[NK94]

Strange how the "there's just something rotten about the Leafs mentally" takes all came back when Andersen did. It almost makes you think that the two are related in one way or the other.

 

[Leafsfan74]

Lolz is that a shot for trading Lehtonen

The problem is, Dubas is against the Cap. It was always going to be a problem, and why winning teams often find players who take a slight haircut collectively, to ensure the team can attract good talent.

I hope they can find every loophole and angle possible to improve. They do have a Taxi Squad also, maybe it should be used more often.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

you do know how nuts this sounds right??

they came into OUR BARN and earned 5 out of 6 points,,,,,, but ,,,,,,,,,we were,,,, "pretty easily better"???

again,,,,,, tenders,,,,,, are part of the team,,,,,,,,they are not some appendage

Were watching different games in the first 2? Hellebuyck stole points, that's not even debatable. Yes, goalies are part of the team, but it's not the same as a center or winger having a bad game. If Matthews doesn't play well it doesnt cost us the same as Andersen.

 

[Faltorvo]

Needless to say, a successful Cup winner needs everything to click. Nothing more important than a goalie.

I won't look past the last two Cup champs TB and St.Louis. In 2018-2019, Binnington had a .927 SV% in the regular season and .914 in the playoffs. The 2019-2020 TB Lightning saw Vasi with a .917 and .927 respectively.

I didn't go further back, it was just for reference. Bottom line, a goalie needs to be tuned in or no team can expect to succeed on a consistent basis. An extra goal every game or two is the difference between winning and losing.

I won't throw Andersen under the bus, but, if he isn't going to be the goalie he was, we need someone who will be. He was lights out a 2-3 years ago. It's a shame our team wasn't good enough in front of him. They are better today. He must be as well, or, other goalies need to be rotated in and you go with the hot hand. There was a time that there was far more parity in splitting the goalie duties, you simply ride the hot hand. Nothing wrong with this.

The franchise can't worry about hurt feelings or politics. There are many livelihoods on the line if a team fails vs if it succeeds.

Fred is DEAD ,,the bus already ran him over ,his season sv % is officially .899

that puts him 30th among tenders with 12+ starts this season,,,basically he is the worst starter in the NHL atm.

think how many starters have a better sv% but are on total crap teams.

 

[HolyCrap]

There's a goalie cult around here

I don't understand how people can't see a sub 900 starter is a serious problem if you like winning

No more man, Andersen blows and he deserves every bit of criticism coming to him

100 zillion percent.

 

[Stephen]

Incorrect. It started with the refs letting Winnipeg get away with a hundred interference penalties then deciding in the third to start calling everything on us.

Wouldn't have mattered though if we had a goalie.

Would be interesting if the NHL kept records for officials in terms of penalties called, against whom, which players. Would love to do a little digging on Graham Skilliter and crew.

 

[Maplebeasts]

Play Liljegren you cowards

 

[Legion34]

The problem is, Dubas is against the Cap. It was always going to be a problem, and why winning teams often find players who take a slight haircut collectively, to ensure the team can attract good talent.

I hope they can find every loophole and angle possible to improve. They do have a Taxi Squad also, maybe it should be used more often.

iiiiiifff dubas wanted to do it. He could trade Freddie as a dump. Freddie makes no money right now. Would give cap space.

Lots of goalie are injured right now. But say ulmark comes back.......


Trade Freddie for him. Buffalo saves like. Million. And leafs get space.

Won’t happen but that’s the kind of thing they might look at as a nuclear option

 

[makbeer]

Anyone else confused why Keefe broke up the lines that were dominating...he seems to over coach at times.

 

[Leafsfan74]

iiiiiifff dubas wanted to do it. He could trade Freddie as a dump. Freddie makes no money right now. Would give cap space.

Lots of goalie are injured right now. But say ulmark comes back.......


Trade Freddie for him. Buffalo saves like. Million. And leafs get space.

Won’t happen but that’s the kind of thing they might look at as a nuclear option

It would take some courage to make a big move like that. I would not blame him for doing so, moving on from the Andersen era and saying "we need to try something different". Few teams win championships by being timid with their personnel.

Leafs don't want to spiral down as the Habs are currently, especially after they played so well against the Oilers. With Matthews banged up and the team always playing catch up, they need a spark or two to push them through the second half stretch. It's a short season, a teams fortunes can change on a dime.

 

[MSZ]

Play Liljegren you cowards

Play Woll too while we're at it.

 

[makbeer]

I was a big Freddy fan but today was the last straw for me. Dude has changed pads a billion times you can tell he is scrambling to find confidence.

I’ve never seen a 6’4” goalie look so small in the net.

I defended him on the first two goals but that third goal just can’t happen. Back breaker.

 

[Jojalu]

Well Keefe himself alluded to the point he wants to see more consistency in play.

For sure. Every coach wants their team to be more consistent. I think you can agree the Leafs have made pretty big strides in that area this year. There is always room for improvement, but I don't believe it comes down to effort all the time.

 

[stickty111]

I get it, it's never Andy's fault. The team should have scored more then 2, it's not his job to save mistakes. He put up a .937 in the playoffs but his bad goals don't matter.
Oh it's also the defence's fault.

Dubas your on the clock. Do you want to listen to the Freddy excuse makers and waste a season, or get a half decent goalie?

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Play Woll too while we're at it.

I mean f*** how much worse can he be?

 

[Stephen]

Another thought I had re: tonight and the dynamics of a series.

Spectacular wins like the flashy OT win on Thursday can be dangerous. The Leafs won Game 4 in 4-3 OT after tying up the game vs CBJ down 3-0 on a heroic Auston Matthews one timer. The Leafs were riding high and the next game it just steeled the opponent to play a lockdown game. Sometimes you just want to win in mechanical cruise control fashion.

 

[baton elevated]

For sure. Every coach wants their team to be more consistent. I think you can agree the Leafs have made pretty big strides in that area this year. There is always room for improvement, but I don't believe it comes down to effort all the time.

Well if we continue on that vein, we have lost 4/5 . We have superior talent than most of our opponents. The mitigating factor has to be effort. IMO

 

[Jojalu]

Well if we continue on that vein, we have lost 4/5 . We have superior talent than most of our opponents. The mitigating factor has to be effort. IMO

Or it could be a streak of poor goaltending.

There is no doubt the Leafs were the far superior team in the first two games against the Jets and arguably the better team against the Canucks.

So how is it effort if you are outplaying your opponent by a wide margin and losing?

 

[therealkoho]

I'd go the opposite route.

Thornton - Matthews - Nylander
Hyman - Tavares - Marner
Engvall - Kerfoot - Mik
Whatever else you want

Give Matthews a shooter if he's limited there.

Kerf a 1st 2021 + (2nd 2022 or a prospect) + for Forsberg + Colorado 4th 2021

Liljegren and Sandin are off limits, if they want somebody like Robertson, then a 2nd is the price and they do not get a 1st from us, the plus is a future considerations kind of thing

Kerfoot + Robertson + 2nd 2021 + 3rd 2022 for Forsberg and a 2nd 2021

Forsberg - Matty - Mitchell
Spezza/Thornton - JT - Nylander
Simmonds - Engvall - Mikheyev
Galchenyuk - Boyd - Thornton/Spezza

Spezza and Thornton rotate on and off the top line so they both get @12mins +/-

If Galchenyuk looks like he can play again at this level, then he plays with JT and Willie and reshuffle the bottom 6 to look like this:

Forsberg - Matty - Mitchell
Galchenyuk - JT - Nylander
Boyd - Engvall - Mikheyev
Simmonds Spezza Thornton

 

[Kiwi]

I get it, it's never Andy's fault. The team should have scored more then 2, it's not his job to save mistakes. He put up a .937 in the playoffs but his bad goals don't matter.
Oh it's also the defence's fault.

Dubas your on the clock. Do you want to listen to the Freddy excuse makers and waste a season, or get a half decent goalie?

Well @stickty111 it would seem you were proven right about our tussle in the off-season

Finding another starter is easier said than done, Andersen sucks but finding a good starter now is bloody difficult mid season

We needed to do that during the last off-season

 

[Menzinger]

There's a goalie cult around here

I don't understand how people can't see a sub 900 starter is a serious problem if you like winning

No more man, Andersen blows and he deserves every bit of criticism coming to him

There's definitely a thing in hockey (goes beyond the Leafs) where folks get too overprotective of goalies.

And while admittedly I don't like pile on but there's zero excuse for him to be sitting at a sub .900 sv%. Especially with how Hutch and Campbell have played.

He's a starting goalie. He NEEDS to be better than this. Especially for 5 million a year

 

[Superstar]

You're just splitting hairs by leaving Mitch out. lol or Eichel for that matter

Just comparing with the 2 top centres in the game.

 

[stickty111]

Well @stickty111 it would seem you were proven right about our tussle in the off-season

Finding another starter is easier said than done, Andersen sucks but finding a good starter now is bloody difficult mid season

We needed to do that during the last off-season

I was but not happy about it. It's sad he put up .936 and still was outplayed by 2 other goalies. It's why looking at raw SV% is misleading. This season it's not misleading.
When your starter is getting outplayed by Hutch, you have problems.

 

[Gabriel426]

The boys didn’t have a good game tonight, it is one of those games that you wish your goalie can bail you out. I know the team is 1-4 in their last five but tonight game is the only game they didn’t play well enough to win.

Keefe should go back to having the HEM line esp against teams with really good offensive players.
Let Jumbo-AM-Marner find their game.