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Speculation: Eastern Conference is a Beast-Should we be sellers

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Definitely not. While each of the players mentioned in the OP bring some sort of value to a contender, they aren't going to help a team load up for next season in any significant way. Nylander for Lafreniere would also be a move that'd be tough to sell for the immediate future. It's understandably difficult to watch the competition be very much in buy mode and not easy having gone this long without winning a playoff round. Selling at the trade deadline while sitting in a playoff spot rather comfortably isn't the remedy for any of it though.
 
no rentals, but I'm okay with hockey trades. If we don't make out of the first round, I think Dubas is gone, so for that reason, I think Shanny don't ask Dubas to sell and Dubas will not sell.
 
Gary Nylund said:
I've heard this "best Leafs team in 20+ years" stuff for several years now. It doesn't mean anything, that much should be clear to everyone by now.

Saying this team is "just" lacking a goalie is like saying an NFL team "just" lacks a QB.
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I mean, it's pretty obvious this is the best Leaf team in 20 years despite your condescension and horrid goaltending.

2021-22:
5v5 GF/60 - 3rd
5v5 GA/60 - 23rd
5v5 xGF/60 - 3rd
5v5 xGA/60 - 8th
PPGF/60 - 1st
SHGA/60 - 5th
All situations SH% - 8th
AS SV% -19th

2020-21
5v5 GF/60 - 4th
5v5 GA/60 - 6th
5v5 xGF/60 - 4th
5v5 xGA/60 - 10th
PPGF/60 - 10th
SHGA/60 - 16th
ASSH% - 7th
ASSV% - 16th

I could keep going, but the teams prior to last year weren't even in the top-half of xGA, This current team is elite offensively, great defensively (actually rank 3rd in xGA/60 since Jan 1st), ridiculous in special teams, and have had HORRIBLE 5v5 goaltending. (29th in the league). The only teams that rank in the top-10 besides us for both xGF/60 and xGA/60 are the Flames (4th & 3rd), Penguins (6th & 4th) and the Lightning (10th & 6th) and none of those teams come close to our special teams ability besides the Flames (10th & 2nd). For reference Penguins (16th & 4th) and Lightning (19th & 13th).

So our team can match up with anyone offensively (besides Florida, who's in another world) and matches up with anyone defensively (besides Boston, who is in another world), and the only teams with close special teams are the Rangers (2nd & 9th) and Blues (3rd & 8th).

Kallgren showed before today's atrocious game by us that all we need is league average goaltending to beat good teams. This team quite literally has no holes besides goaltending. If Jack bounces back, or Mrazek can find his net at a NHL level we have the most complete team in the league (not saying they're the best) without having to burn assets in what will amount to a 50/50 match versus Tampa and Florida, two teams that are also easily top-5 teams.
 
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Funk21 said:
Looking at the trades that Florida, Boston and TB just made without us throwing the kitchen sink, the living room and the dining room into the pot I don’t think we have much of a chance.

Personally I would rather us trade some expiring contracts and load up for next year because IMO we are gonna get smoked. We could trade:

Lyubushkin
Holl
Dermott
Mikheyev
Mrazek-although I don’t think anybody I’ll be interested

There is talk the NYR would be willing to trade LaFrenier, Nylander would come to mind. Would could grab some prospects and free up cap space to drastically alter our team. I know this is super unpopular opinion but I just don’t think we have the personnel to win the SC.

Thought?
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Start by selling Dubas and Shanahan
 
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Yeah deadline deals are insane. You could almost rebuild the entire farm just cashing out on Michael Bunting.
 
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Morgs said:
I mean, it's pretty obvious this is the best Leaf team in 20 years despite your condescension and horrid goaltending.

2021-22:
5v5 GF/60 - 3rd
5v5 GA/60 - 23rd
5v5 xGF/60 - 3rd
5v5 xGA/60 - 8th
PPGF/60 - 1st
SHGA/60 - 5th
All situations SH% - 8th
AS SV% -19th

2020-21
5v5 GF/60 - 4th
5v5 GA/60 - 6th
5v5 xGF/60 - 4th
5v5 xGA/60 - 10th
PPGF/60 - 10th
SHGA/60 - 16th
ASSH% - 7th
ASSV% - 16th

I could keep going, but the teams prior to last year weren't even in the top-half of xGA, This current team is elite offensively, great defensively (actually rank 3rd in xGA/60 since Jan 1st), ridiculous in special teams, and have had HORRIBLE 5v5 goaltending. (29th in the league). The only teams that rank in the top-10 besides us for both xGF/60 and xGA/60 are the Flames (4th & 3rd), Penguins (6th & 4th) and the Lightning (10th & 6th) and none of those teams come close to our special teams ability besides the Flames (10th & 2nd). For reference Penguins (16th & 4th) and Lightning (19th & 13th).

So our team can match up with anyone offensively (besides Florida, who's in another world) and matches up with anyone defensively (besides Boston, who is in another world), and the only teams with close special teams are the Rangers (2nd & 9th) and Blues (3rd & 8th).

Kallgren showed before today's atrocious game by us that all we need is league average goaltending to beat good teams. This team quite literally has no holes besides goaltending. If Jack bounces back, or Mrazek can find his net at a NHL level we have the most complete team in the league (not saying they're the best) without having to burn assets in what will amount to a 50/50 match versus Tampa and Florida, two teams that are also easily top-5 teams.
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Best Leaf team in 20 years - so what? If the goaltending bounces back the team should be competitive in the playoffs but if it doesn't, we're toast. That's a pretty massive if though and while it could happen, at this point it would be naive to think it's likely to happen. Does that about cover it?

You say we have no holes besides goaltending. Even if we say that's true - so what? Without goaltending, we have no shot at the cup, period.

Also this idea that this team is elite, has no holes besides goaltending and so on is hyperbole and is completely ignoring the fact that in the last 3 game 7's, we scored a total of 2 goals. We've had pretty good fancy stats ever since Keefe took over but in the playoffs, those numbers don't mean a damn thing. This core has a history of choking, simple as that. Doesn't mean they'll choke again this year but it's cause for concern. And there's nothing whatsoever "condescending" about any of this so not sure why you're using that word, it's just the way it is. But again, if you want to call this team elite, you go right ahead, agree to disagree and that's about it.

This team has shown us the same movie for a number of years now. Finish 5-7th in the regular season and 9-16th in the playoffs, depending on how you rank the 1st round losers. Except of course for the year we lost in the playin's to CLB but whatever, we'll just ignore that. Elite is a subjective term so if that to you is elite, what can I say, be happy I guess. It's not elite to me though, not even close.
 
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Funk21 said:
Looking at the trades that Florida, Boston and TB just made without us throwing the kitchen sink, the living room and the dining room into the pot I don’t think we have much of a chance.

Personally I would rather us trade some expiring contracts and load up for next year because IMO we are gonna get smoked. We could trade:

Lyubushkin
Holl
Dermott
Mikheyev
Mrazek-although I don’t think anybody I’ll be interested

There is talk the NYR would be willing to trade LaFrenier, Nylander would come to mind. Would could grab some prospects and free up cap space to drastically alter our team. I know this is super unpopular opinion but I just don’t think we have the personnel to win the SC.

Thought?
Click to expand...
I fully agree with you, they are going to get f***ing killed in first round for sure. I would not be surprised if they still miss the playoffs. The team is that bad. The very worst Goaltending in the NHL. It is embarrassingly bad. Dubas knows it too, you can just see it with his facial expressions. He knows he is f***ed.

As far as who should be on the table for trades, the only person I would not trade is Matthews. Everyone else is fair game. If you can get the right price dump them.
 
34 said:
I fully agree with you, they are going to get f***ing killed in first round for sure. I would not be surprised if they still miss the playoffs. The team is that bad. The very worst Goaltending in the NHL. It is embarrassingly bad. Dubas knows it too, you can just see it with his facial expressions. He knows he is f***ed.

As far as who should be on the table for trades, the only person I would not trade is Matthews. Everyone else is fair game. If you can get the right price dump them.
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You're drunk. We're not getting smoked in anything.
 
Dekes For Days said:
Which is very different from what you said.
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I said worst d and goaltending going into the playoffs. Even if the D is a stretch you can definitely make a case they have the worst goaltending of the east playoff teams heading into the playoffs.
 
I don't think we should be sellers, but I do believe Dubas is a thick headed idiot if he doesn't utilize Muzzin's LTIR space.

If he doesn't use Muzzin's LTIR space, he's very limited in what he can do -- as if you assume Liljegren to the minors; I believe there's only about $1.2-$1.3m of full-season cap hit that can be acquired with a 21 man roster.

He seems to be adamant about not moving top assets, which I can agree with to an extent, but there has to be a better strategy than "sub Dermott for Schenn"; or more "Change up the mix" type moves. To me, the approach should be to "weaponize" cap space. Max Domi is a $2.6m addition at 50%. There's not a ton of contenders that can still add that type of salary. Mark Giordano a $3.375m addition. Those 2 together can practically fit within Jake Muzzin's LTIR.
 
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Advanced stats said:
We're 1-0 against Boston.

We've 1-1 against Tampa

We haven't played against Florida, and they just lost their best defenseman.

We're 5th in the league and rising.

Knock it off with this bullshit loser mentality
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Yeah and we were like 6-2 or something against the Habs last year in the regular season. How’d that turn out again? Please remind me.
 
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Ban OP and everyone that encouraged him.

Time to make a sacrifice to the hockey gods.
 
Gary Nylund said:
I've heard this "best Leafs team in 20+ years" stuff for several years now. It doesn't mean anything, that much should be clear to everyone by now.

Saying this team is "just" lacking a goalie is like saying an NFL team "just" lacks a QB.
Click to expand...
Or a NBA team lacking a Lebron or Kawhi
 
It was less then 10 years ago every year we had a shit team and were begging for the Leafs to be in the playoffs and icing a good team. They are now 5th place in the NHL and people are claiming we should be selling our team, so I am assuming we want to go back and be begging to make the playoffs again?

News flash, there are good teams in the playoffs every year and every year these good teams trade to make their team better, there won't ever be a playoffs were good teams are not in it.
 
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Why would they be sellers?
Do you really think contending teams can afford someone like Willie?
Guys like Bunting, Kampf, maybe even Mik are teams willing to overpaid at the TDL but are the Leafs really be better off with 2 1st round picks and a few 2nd round picks?
The team is in Win Now Mode, if anything, they should start trading away prospects and picks for players with another 1 1/2 year left on their contract at TDL.
 
We really can't sell. We potentially only have 3 more playoff runs with Matthews (including this one), and if you are in the playoffs, you can't justify selling. That 5 year deal, combined with JT's really means we have to go for it almost every chance we get. Now, that doesn't mean we have to be aggressive buyers, especially considering our lack of picks.
 
Don't sell, don't buy.

Ride this team to the playoffs and save the farm.

If they win, they win. If they lose, make trades in the off-season.

We have the toughest division in hockey, it's the unfortunate situation that when we're good, the entire Atlantic seems to be cup favourites and the format is adjusted so you basically have to play an Atlantic team.

Bad goaltending might put us in WC1/2, where we can hopefully avoid the Atlantic until the ECF.
 
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