How Much Better is This Team With Berube/New Personnel?

[BigBlu]

Only as good as Mitch Marner‘s new contract hamstrings upper management.

 

[Blanka]

We lost 3 in a row, and yes, we haven’t played well even during the win streak. It takes time for new systems to click and a team begins to excel at it. Yet we were 1st in the division a week ago. I’m reminded that the panthers barely got into the playoffs a couple years ago when Maurice arrived.

I like the direction, I’m not overly concerned about a few game stretch. There are ups and downs in a season, we’re in a down. I’m optimistic they will figure it out.

We've have lights out goaltending this season. In what feels like 80% of our games, we've been badly outshot and seemingly hemmed in our end for long stretches of the game. When we don't get phenomenal goaltending, we tend to lose.

This team just doesn't seem like a convincing playoff contender as a result.

 

[LeafEgo]

New personnel certainly. We have strong defence and goaltending now. It's taking some time to get used to actually - how lucky some other teams have been.

Berube I think has a lot of good hockey ideas, and has made some progress with the team in terms of consistency and closing out games, but there's still more work to do, and I find his personnel decisions questionnable for the moment.

He will be stronger than Keefe in the playoffs.

 

[NVious]

After yesterday's game, I think we can safely conclude they're not.

It's just Tanev and Stolarz that mask the underlying issues. This team is still coasting on it's talent as it was 2 years ago, 4 years ago, 6 years.

5 straight games giving up 3 unanswered (guess only 2 vs the worst team in the league).

After Pitt, they should've said "awful game, let's pump San Jose next to be #1 in the division," nope they're beating SJ until they're not as they fall asleep at the wheel like they always do. Chance for redemption vs two cup champs, horrendous showing in Vegas, can blame goaltending all you want but the team owes the goaltending after all the wins they've given them, nada. Ok onto the Avs, same thing as always another blown lead in the 3rd. And top it off with another blown 3 goal lead vs a mediocre Utah team.

This year: 6th in the league 82 points in 63 games
Last year , 9th in the league 82 points 64 games
2 years ago, 4th in the league 84 points 64 games
3 years ago, 7th in the league 83 points in 62 games
6 years ago (for simplicity sake), 4th in the league 82 points in 64 games
7 years ago, 6th in league 81 points in 63 games

Basically this team stalled in progress after their first year. Endless coaches/goalies/gms and literally the exact same result and they're still trying the same formula and talking about how we need to bring everyone back. The core is rotten and all of it should be open to be moved/changed, for all it's talent it won 2 more games in a single playoff run than Kessel's Leafs, says it all really.

This team wins the cup if Stolarz/Tanev/Knies (NOT the core) play out of their minds, otherwise expecting the core to do anything other than what they've done is insane.

 

[Skullz]

Not convinced so far.

 

[Buds17]

They might at least have the goaltending and defence/defensive play now to win in low-scoring games if/when the offence fails to come through.

 

[HkyBeegs3]

They might at least have the goaltending and defence/defensive play now to win in low-scoring games if/when the offence fails to come through.

Im not too sure that the Defensive play come playoff time will really make a difference with this group, The forwards melt like popsicles in the hot summer sun come playoffs, the defence seem good but not that good

 

[TheGreenTBer]

This is my read as well. They got away from it and he never reigned it in.

What that shows me is, he lost the internal power struggle. Upper management (Shanny) lets the core do whatever they want and act how they want and protects them. They are the teams money makers and gets them into the playoffs.

These losers do not have it in them to do what is needed to win a cup. Plain to see.

Sums it all up right here.

On a side note, you OK man? I feel like this team has finally broken you.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

It's amazing how much difference there is between last year and this year.

Just look at the numbers:

2023-2024 (82 games)
3.6 gf/g; 3.18 ga/g; 32.5 sf/g; 29.8 sa/g; 11.2 s%; .893 sv%; 16.5 blk/g; 27.8 hit/g

2024-2025 (64 games)
3.2 gf/g; 2.95 ga/g; 28.3 sf/g; 29.3 sa/g; 11.3 s%; .899 sv%; 16.1 blk/g; 23.9 hit/g

Wow isn't that something.

It's like night and day. So hard to believe. They're practically two completely different teams.

What blows me away is how much more blocking and hitting they've been doing this year.

Berube clearly has them playing a heavy hitting defensive first game. Just what you want to see for the playoffs. Stanley Cup here we come.

Keefe was such a loser.

 

[arso40]

It's amazing how much difference there is between last year and this year.

Just look at the numbers:

2023-2024 (82 games)
3.6 gf/g; 3.18 ga/g; 32.5 sf/g; 29.8 sa/g; 11.2 s%; .893 sv%; 16.5 blk/g; 27.8 hit/g

2024-2025 (64 games)
3.2 gf/g; 2.95 ga/g; 28.3 sf/g; 29.3 sa/g; 11.3 s%; .899 sv%; 16.1 blk/g; 23.9 hit/g

Wow isn't that something.

It's like night and day. So hard to believe. They're practically two completely different teams.

What blows me away is how much more blocking and hitting they've been doing this year.

Berube clearly has them playing a heavy hitting defensive first game. Just what you want to see for the playoffs. Stanley Cup here we come.

Keefe was such a loser.

Right it’s as if it’s the same exact team

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Right it’s as if it’s the same exact team

The exact same team, with the exact same problems, headed for the exact same results.

 

[Leafsfan74]

The exact same team, with the exact same problems, headed for the exact same results.

To quote Ovie: "Same team, different coach".

It won't change until it does change. It will either be this offseason or 8 years from now, but change it will.

 

[Evilhomer]

The exact same team, with the exact same problems, headed for the exact same results.

It's not the same team at all. It's a team with far better defense and goaltending than it has had in the past. Let things play out.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Sums it all up right here.

On a side note, you OK man? I feel like this team has finally broken you.

Tired of caring more about the team than the core players do

 

[thewave]

Berube has been the biggest disappointment so far this season. The team started playing his style early on then by December he gave up on it. For a coach whos calling card is accountability and tough hockey hes failed on both fronts. Might as well have kept Keefe.

It seems Berube can't enforce accountability. The core runs the show and all the moves he makes leaves the core alone pretty much. The Morgan coverup is the biggest tell. Though shalt not speak I'll of Morgan.

 

[kevsh]

They can play disciplined, low-event, tight-checking hockey when they feel they really need to (or maybe just when they're in the mood).

It's just that the moment they feel they don't have to they instantly regress to their natural, freewheeling, pond-hockey, stat-padding ways.

It seems Berube can't enforce accountability. The core runs the show and all the moves he makes leaves the core alone pretty much.

And that's why they still get away with it.

 

[Gary Nylund]

It's not the same team at all. It's a team with far better defense and goaltending than it has had in the past. Let things play out.

6th overall, goal differential is +16, light years behind the league leaders in both categories. Seems like this is about where we were last year at this time, maybe a bit worse on goal differential.

It's not the same team, seems like same results so far though, maybe a bit worse.

 

[thewave]

They can play disciplined, low-event, tight-checking hockey when they feel they really need to (or maybe just when they're in the mood).

It's just that the moment they feel they don't have to they instantly regress to their natural, freewheeling, pond-hockey, stat-padding ways.



And that's why they still get away with it.

Hahaha exactly

 

[TheGreenTBer]

They can play disciplined, low-event, tight-checking hockey when they feel they really need to (or maybe just when they're in the mood).

It's just that the moment they feel they don't have to they instantly regress to their natural, freewheeling, pond-hockey, stat-padding ways.



And that's why they still get away with it.

Lmao

when a meme literally defines your hockey team perfectly

 

[Evilhomer]

6th overall, goal differential is +16, light years behind the league leaders in both categories. Seems like this is about where we were last year at this time, maybe a bit worse on goal differential.

It's not the same team, seems like same results so far though, maybe a bit worse.

I think goal differential is another one of those stats that doesnt mean much at the end of the day. Tampa has a great goal differential because their top line beats up on bad teams, but then they play a decent team and they don't score nearly as much.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

It's not the same team at all. It's a team with far better defense and goaltending than it has had in the past. Let things play out.

According to Hockey-Reference they are 0.5 shots against per game better thsn last year under Keefe.

Of course that's offset by the -4.2 shots for per game. So they have a worse shot differential. Not surprisingly they also have a worse goal differential.

The goaltending last year was .893 and this year is .899 and dropping.

 

[notbias]

It seems Berube can't enforce accountability. The core runs the show and all the moves he makes leaves the core alone pretty much. The Morgan coverup is the biggest tell. Though shalt not speak I'll of Morgan.

Has he ever enforced accountability or do you think he has tried to in this scenario?

The video of him talking about accountability and doing nothing doesn't count.

 

[Evilhomer]

According to Hockey-Reference they are 0.5 shots against per game better thsn last year under Keefe.

Of course that's offset by the -4.2 shots for per game. So they have a worse shot differential. Not surprisingly they also have a worse goal differential.

The goaltending last year was .893 and this year is .899 and dropping.

I'm not sure where your goaltending number is coming from. Stolarz is .921 and Woll is .905.

 

[notbias]

It's not the same team at all. It's a team with far better defense and goaltending than it has had in the past. Let things play out.

Can you show how they are FAR better defensively?

On paper they are, not sure if it is the systems or what, but they don't appear to be better (could be wrong).

 

[thewave]

Has he ever enforced accountability or do you think he has tried to in this scenario?

The video of him talking about accountability and doing nothing doesn't count.

He seemed to start well, they played what I would call Berube hockey. Then is stopped and they were still winning playing rather loose. I think Matthews had an injury around then and after that it's sort of just this, whatever we are witnessing now.. looks like they reverted to what they have done under Keefe for 5 years or so.