Sportsnet: Frank Seravalli: Core guys don't work as hard as other stars

[Rare Jewel]

I am not sure what some are watching. I am not saying our top players dog it... The eye test alone tells you that a guy like McDavid, like Crosby, like Nate... they put much more into each game. Relentless.

Have you ever described any of our top players as relentless?

I'm not sure.

Would people describe Kucherov, Ovechkin, Eichel or Barkov as that? I don't think so, but they had a much more diverse supporting cast that could make up for what they lacked

It's not an absolute necessity that the main guy has to be a mouth-frothing psycho like Mackinnon or Doughty.

 

[GoonieFace]

And yet there are numerous reports about how hard Matthews works off the ice from team mates, former team mates, his coach end of year presser and his former coach

To be fair, it’s a union and they will pump each others tires as it benefits them all

 

[PanniniClaus]

I'm not sure.

Would people describe Kucherov, Ovechkin, Eichel or Barkov as that? I don't think so, but they had a much more diverse supporting cast that could make up for what they lacked

It's not an absolute necessity that the main guy has to be a mouth-frothing psycho like Mackinnon or Doughty.

I would not call them relentless but I would call them clutch and productive in the playoffs which is also an area our core lacks.

 

[rumman]

And yet there are numerous reports about how hard Matthews works off the ice from team mates, former team mates, his coach end of year presser and his former coach

do you really believe any of the above would call out Mathews? Do yourself a favour and stop drinking the Kool-Ade...........

 

[rumman]

People realize that the games are publicly broadcasted, right?

"Matthews works weally weally hawd "

apparently only really hard in the gym and at practice, kinda hard in regular season, and not very hard at all in the playoffs...........

 

[Racer88]

These takes always make me laugh. How good do these bozos think our core is they can put up 100 points, contend for the Selke, score 60 goals, but don't work hard and float around.

Damn if they tried they would be what, Grestky?

If they tried in game 7 we might still be playing

 

[Rare Jewel]

I would not call them relentless but I would call them clutch and productive in the playoffs which is also an area our core lacks.

That's fair.

I'll give Matthews a break because of injury. But I just think that, if from the outset, you just don't have the right mix in terms of depth and then more of an emotional variance, it's almost as if it was supposed to be disappointing.

Just look at how the one team that the Leafs have been chasing for the last decade, Boston, deals with somebody like Marchand, especially when he gets into trouble, and then contrast that with Kadri and even Hyman here. It's like anything that wasn't statistics on a page was deemed less important to the function of a team. Goals and assists are very important, as are the other metrics to view players, but what happens when all that is more or less even?

You can see that mistake coming from a rookie GM (and it did), but how this got past Shanahan is inexcusable.

 

[Gabriel426]

"They don't think they work as hard as the other top guys"

MacKinnon worked so hard that he got Makar by finishing last... without Makar, they don't win.

Who are the people saying this? Where did they play with these players? 4Nations? Early in their career? Last week?

Haven't we heard how hard the Leafs work also?

More context would be great, and which players said this would be awesome.

Meaningless as is, it will just drive the narrative home for people who don't like them, and for everyone else it is just a clip with a somewhat reliable insider of nameless players who have an opinion and not much else.

I would say Barrie who actually played with all of them for at least a season.

If you are really notbias, you would had make the connections right away

 

[Gabriel426]

These takes always make me laugh. How good do these bozos think our core is they can put up 100 points, contend for the Selke, score 60 goals, but don't work hard and float around.

Damn if they tried they would be what, Grestky?

Not as hard as McD and Mack just means they don’t work as hard and it doesn’t mean they are lazy.

Like McD and Mack are close to 100% while AM and the others are at 93%

 

[The Shadow]

Because there's a rotten culture that's infested this team for years.

Some people actually thought a coaching change was gonna change this

Exactly. There’s an odour on this team and that’s why Rielly needs to go

I think Nylander is the worst actually. He talks a big game like he wants to win but he is pathetic defensively. An absolute joke

 

[The Shadow]

I would say Barrie who actually played with all of them for at least a season.

If you are really notbias, you would had make the connections right away

Hyman was on 2 of the 3

 

[Gabriel426]

Hyman was on 2 of the 3

So are Brown, Ceci, even Kap and Dermott.

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

This shouldn't be a surprise. We've seen it with our own eyes. Heck, even Matthews said we had too many passengers (including himself)

 

[Aashir]

i mean.....just watch an oilers playoff game vs leafs playoffs game

Mcdavid has the puck on a string, he gets 1-2 points a game and sets up 2-3 more chances that should go in

Matthews gets hurrays for face off wins and puck battles won.

Draisaitl is dangerous all times and scores from anywhere

marner is always looking to pass and shoots from the point

it's hard to describe the difference, but its super easy to tell when watching a playoff game. One duo looks like two superstars in the league on a great team, the other duo looks like a great checking line on a decent team.

 

[sxvnert]

Frank Seravalli: Core guys don't work as hard as other stars​

Thanks captain obvious.

 

[notbias]

i mean.....just watch an oilers playoff game vs leafs playoffs game

Mcdavid has the puck on a string, he gets 1-2 points a game and sets up 2-3 more chances that should go in

Matthews gets hurrays for face off wins and puck battles won.

Draisaitl is dangerous all times and scores from anywhere

marner is always looking to pass and shoots from the point

it's hard to describe the difference, but its super easy to tell when watching a playoff game. One duo looks like two superstars in the league on a great team, the other duo looks like a great checking line on a decent team.

Drai without McDavid is not great...

 

[Clark4Ever]

I have been as critical of the core as anyone but to suggest that they don't work as hard as other stars is not accurate. They just don't play that in your face style and it becomes more evident in crunch time in the playoffs.

 

[rumman]

This shouldn't be a surprise. We've seen it with our own eyes. Heck, even Matthews said we had too many passengers (including himself)

He didn’t include himself in thst passengers comment……..

 

[Gabriel426]

I don’t know why some here are so defensive.

It is like like McD is better than AM and MM. which is true but it doesn’t mean AM and MM are bad players, just mean they are not as good as McD.

So if someone says AM and MM don’t work as hard as McD and Mack. What’s wrong with that? As both are better players than AM and MM.

 

[Stephen]

It’s an open and shut case. And I appreciate Frank Seravalli defending Toronto and brushing aside all the pressure talk and refocusing right on the players shoulders where it belongs.

 

[Stephen]

He didn’t include himself in thst passengers comment……..

He certainly wasn’t driving the bus.

 

[Stephen]

I am not sure what some are watching. I am not saying our top players dog it... The eye test alone tells you that a guy like McDavid, like Crosby, like Nate... they put much more into each game. Relentless.

Have you ever described any of our top players as relentless?

The ultimate frustration is we’ve seen them in their relentless mode but they don’t want be at that level. So we have these cycles of boom bust, high level cruise control, flame out, doubt and redemption arc where they only give you their best in small spurts. After they get their asses kicked. Last 10 minutes of a game they no showed for.

The talent to seriousness ratio is not high with this group.

 

[arso40]

Exactly. There’s an odour on this team and that’s why Rielly needs to go

I think Nylander is the worst actually. He talks a big game like he wants to win but he is pathetic defensively. An absolute joke

Yet we don’t get out the first round without him specifically think about that one

 

[Aashir]

Exactly. There’s an odour on this team and that’s why Rielly needs to go

I think Nylander is the worst actually. He talks a big game like he wants to win but he is pathetic defensively. An absolute joke

I think his offence was worse

Dude got 4 breakaways and scored 0 in games 3-7. Imagine he scores the game 7 partial break to make it 1-0, changes the entire game, but alas chokers choke.

I can live with shit defence if you bring offence. He wasn’t any more useful than kampf out there in the last 4 games

If you talk the talk, you have to walk the walk, and he wasn’t able to do that.

 

[Stephen]

I think his offence was worse

Dude got 4 breakaways and scored 0 in games 3-7. Imagine he scores the game 7 partial break to make it 1-0, changes the entire game, but alas chokers choke.

I can live with shit defence if you bring offence. He wasn’t any more useful than kampf out there in the last 4 games

If you talk the talk, you have to walk the walk, and he wasn’t able to do that.

Nylander fading out wasn’t good after Florida put the Barkov coverage on him. But doesn’t it stand to reason that with the hardest assignment has shifted to your hottest player that this the moment when Matthews and Marner need to slice and dice the Lundell line or the Bennett line, no excuses? They got 1 Matthews goal in Game 6. How different would Game 5 and 7 have gone if Matthews and Marner had found a way when it was still close?