Knies let down by team and keefer. Teams afraid of confrontation.

[Gabriel426]

review his save percentage.

both goalies sucked. Sammy sucked a little less than Vasi.

Woll might have taken the first 3 games vs Panthers.

We'll never know.

We are speaking in hindsight though. No coach will start Holl over Sammy in the playoffs when Sammy was healthy.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

We are speaking in hindsight though. No coach will start Holl over Sammy in the playoffs when Sammy was healthy.

Woll outperformed Sammy all year and all playoffs.

Keefe is totally gutless because he isn't that smart. He plays not to lose.

I made the call Woll was a key piece this post season.

List of objective mistakes Keefe could make in the playoffs (A priori, aka before) (speak now or forever hold your peace).

Recently Keefe played JT in 3 on 3 overtime. JT is slow for 5v5 hockey, let alone 3 on 3. I think that is an objective mistake. With Dubas' job on the line this year, that makes Keefe a vulnerable target, if they dont win at least a round. So Keefe's job is potentially on the line as well...

forums.hfboards.com

 

[Jacquestrapless]

So tired of watching this team getting run over and nobody retaliates. IDGAF if Leafs get an instigator, make it worth your while and pound them into the ice.

If your core 4 is soft AF, then the rest of your group should be goddamn gangsters to make up for it.

 

[Albz]

Can we try get Tom Wilson and sign bertuzi as Ufa signing

 

[Lightsol]

Can we try get Tom Wilson and sign bertuzi as Ufa signing

Parros: Wait, the Leafs got Tom Wilson? LIFETIME SUSPENSION NOW!

 

[Hockeysawks]

NOT TO MENTION:

Keefe would have never played him.

Only the Bunting suspension brought him in.

Just like Woll. Who should have been worked in during the first series.

I don't think he should have played, asking a young kid with zero pro hockey experience to play a large roll and mix it up as a power forward in the playoffs is a health hazard and a little unfair.
Dirty hits or not the older established players will always target the kid who is playing tough.

 

[LeafsFan89]

Perhaps the first sign of this was when JT returned to NYI and the team got destroyed, humiliated, hounded out, JT weeping, the mayor of Toronto stepping in to console him, etc.

Or losing Auston Matthew's 4 goal debut in OT.... I know, way different team, but back then I thought "hahaha, such a bad omen".

... :'(

 

[saltming]

Agree 100%. Very disappointed in this team's makeup, so unlikeable.

Honestly I wonder if it's not the coaching saying don't retaliate.
Schenn will drop the mitts. Acciari Lafferty and even Rielly will. A response could easily have been arranged.

 

[thewave]

I've said this before, I'll say it again. There's only one team in the NHL where a rookie gets manhandled, injured, and nobody says a peep. Only one roster where Kampf gets absolutely buried by Gudas with a late hit and nobody comes to stand up for their teammate.

It's ingrained into their DNA to be bitches, dipsy doodle and show up when the games are easy. JT, Matthews, Willie, Marner all have the same mannerism, they want to get on the scoreboard but they shrink when teams push back.

Dubas put together an amazing regular season team that is not built for the playoffs. The fact that he hasn't seen it yet says a lot.

So true we're a weak pathetic core. Gary Roberts would have rolled in and speed bagged him or lined him up good later on. Nope we have a wimpy wimp team FFS.

 

[myleafs]

Keefe is your prototypical fat high school gym teacher with the motivational skills of an HR rep.

Watch the All or Nothing series. Foligno asks Keefe if he can go Lowry after several dirty hits and Keefe shuts him down. Foligno was perplexed. Guys come here and walk on egg shells.

So strange to have Shanny who was skilled and mean and Keefe who isnt big but he was tough and nasty when he played and yet the leafs are total opposite.

 

[thewave]

Honestly I wonder if it's not the coaching saying don't retaliate.
Schenn will drop the mitts. Acciari Lafferty and even Rielly will. A response could easily have been arranged.

Changed the series too.

 

[myleafs]

There probably could have been a more forceful response. But also let's not pretend for a second that the refs/league wouldn't destroy whomever did it with an instigator penalty plus likely supplementary punishment.

It probably would have made things worse if it had happened, all things considered

Florida sticks up for each other and are willing to take a penalty to make their point, they dont care. I want that cause the alternative is hard to watch.

 

[thewave]

Florida sticks up for each other and are willing to take a penalty to make their point, they dont care. I want that cause the alternative is hard to watch.

Hard to teach that. Our guys don't want to mark up their pretty faces because you know, marketing.

 

[myleafs]

And this is why I think it is an organizational thing. Because they know that the league is much harder on them than most other teams, and this will likely be the case until Parros and Walkom are gone. Any attempt to play like they did under Burns and Quinn will be met by penalty parades and ridiculous suspensions that no other team in the NHL would see.

Excuse #1,098,045

 

[BlueForever75]

To me Knies was playing that shift with whom?

O'Reilly and Acciari!!! With McCabe on the ice as well. So for all intensive purposes the right character guys were on the ice. It wasnt the core 4!!!! So where were they?

Yet the core 4 are getting blasted for everything. If those players stepped up it is infectious throughout that room and bench. Thats what they were brought in here for.

Issue is the coach, doesnt get into their faces about things like this. This is why a change is needed behind the bench.

 

[Donnie740]

Keefe wasn't really a psycho fighter by nature though. He was more of a scrappy junior scoring star, a little like a Nick Robertson meets Michael Bunting.

Agreed, Bozo the Keefe was definitely not a fighter. He’s always been a smarmy little weasel as evidenced by how he proudly acknowledges that he was a “coach killer”.

 

[saltming]

Changed the series too.

Ya Keefe dropped the ball on many things imo

 

[ShaneFalco]

They're not a team
Disgusting they so rarely push back, unless it's a fringe guy

Honestly I wonder if it's not the coaching saying don't retaliate.
Schenn will drop the mitts. Acciari Lafferty and even Rielly will. A response could easily have been arranged.

I recall Foligno wanted to drop 'em and Keefe said no

 

[Donnie740]

Overall team toughness is something a competent GM will address.

You can’t have 17 out of 18 roster spots filled with finesse type puss players, then add one over the hill washed up fighter.

Just like adding a couple of grit guys at the deadline doesn’t really do much either because that kind of toughness needs to gel throughout the season.

Leafs need at least one young fighter who happy to drop his gloves anytime it’s required. A Chris Neil or Tie Domi type who can play a regular shift on the 4th line.

They also need two or three aggressive agitators like Kadri, Brad Marchand or Sam Bennett who play a dirty style of hockey that’s perfect for the playoffs.

 

[andora]

The minute they learned knies left due to injury bennett should have been targeted next shift hit or fight.. penalties damned

You want to learn how to be a team.. there it is.. black and white

 

[DarylO]

for all intensive purposes

Not to be too nitpicky but...

 

[leafsleafs]

I know.

It is “ in tents and porpoises “.

 

[Blanche Blanche]

The minute they learned knies left due to injury bennett should have been targeted next shift hit or fight.. penalties damned

You want to learn how to be a team.. there it is.. black and white

All Keefe right there. Coach issue.

Cooper and Maurice tells Stamkos and Bennet to run into our guys to wage war.

Keefe just sticks his finger in his nose like Ralph Wiggum doing nothing.

Add that with Dubas liking Keefe and signing 4 guys who don’t like confrontation as much.

Good thing we are separating the core 4

 

[horner]

I've said this before, I'll say it again. There's only one team in the NHL where a rookie gets manhandled, injured, and nobody says a peep. Only one roster where Kampf gets absolutely buried by Gudas with a late hit and nobody comes to stand up for their teammate.

It's ingrained into their DNA to be bitches, dipsy doodle and show up when the games are easy. JT, Matthews, Willie, Marner all have the same mannerism, they want to get on the scoreboard but they shrink when teams push back.

Dubas put together an amazing regular season team that is not built for the playoffs. The fact that he hasn't seen it yet says a lot.

Gudas was looking around for someone to come at him. NOBODY.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Honestly I wonder if it's not the coaching saying don't retaliate.
Schenn will drop the mitts. Acciari Lafferty and even Rielly will. A response could easily have been arranged.

So many things about this team that make you wonder. I'm just sort of numb, not thinking about things much, waiting for development (and there will obviously be many over the next 6 weeks or so) and I'll see where we're at come October.