Post-Game Talk: Ladies and Gents- The Core of the Maple Leafs does it again. Leafs lose

[fahad203]

Nah, it’s Kampf and Reaves fault…oh and Timmons

Not Kampfs fault. But we can't have Holmberg and Kampf
We need something different. I dont' mind giving Steeves a long look on the 4th line

Kampf is too expensive to be playing 4th and not producing even a bit.

 

[NVious]

Honestly very emblematic of the Core Four era.

We have some great (NJ/Tampa/LA), some good (PIT/MTL/NY) and some downright atrocious (tonight and vs CBJ).

A mediocre team thru and thru, a team oozing talent but no heart. The time to blow it up was after Montreal, they kept running these bozos back despite their atrocious record.

Not once did they have a massive playoffs or a massive season even because they just don't have the psychological makeup of winners, maybe Rielly does but honestly he's not as talented as the other 4 or if he didn't show it much. Tonight was just another manifestation of their poor record:

3 different coaches
3 different GMs
3 different captains

Same old results because the core itself is rotten, no compete. Not versus the Islanders for JT, not versus zamboni drivers for a bit of self pride and not for Berube tonight, just more of the same we saw for nearly a decade now.

Ideally we can force Marner to waive his NTC so we can get something for him because the guy isn't going to do anything in the playoffs again. It's Toronto though so that obviously won't happen. But yeah Shanhan, Tavares and Marner need to be gone this offseason.

Personally I'd put all of them on the market if I could, but obviously MLSE doesn't have the balls to lose their cash cows. Honestly, I expect all of them back next year because after all it is Toronto, Tavares 4 years at 5 mill and Marner 7x11 or some awful garbage like that.

 

[Rare Jewel]

Didn't mind his game at all. Got some good looks, got some shots in
He was one of the few bright spots tonight

Generous. He needs to produce more.

 

[Stephen]

Well the Matthews captaincy era is off to an absolute popcorn fart of a start.

And Marner sucks.

In the offseason, they took Auston Matthews and elevated him to captain, coinciding with his new league leading contract kicking in. At the time it seemed a little odd to reward a guy coming off the injury plagued and face planting series vs Boston, but I guess the thought was he would rise to the occasion and take his game and leadership to the next level...and so far he is trailing Philip Broberg in the scoring race deep in October, saving his absolute worst hockey for his new coaches' first game against his former team after what looked like a new level vs Tampa earlier this week.

With Marner, who cares? The team consciously put him into contract limbo, everyone thought he would pull a Nylander and come out hot (he never does anyway). He is who he is and we'll probably re-sign him. It is what it is. I will say he's taken a lot of heat that should go to AM34.

 

[Larcos_Unal]

That's not how you spell Edmonton.

I wish we were Edmonton, we'd have a couple of deep runs under our belts in addition to the best player in the game.

 

[wingman75]

It’s absolutely the players. In my humble opinion it’s a power struggle right now between the new Muskoka 5 and Berube

I think that is dramatic.

But, it is a struggle for the players to align to what the coach wants shift in and shift out. And it is a struggle for the coach to find a way to get through to his players, and work with them to ensure they are all on the same page.

As brutal as those last two games were, we all (should have) know(n) there would be struggles in the first quarter of the season as the players and coaches adjust.

I don't think it is some us vs them kind of thing like you suggest. And if it is, trade Marner now to show these assholes who is in charge (i.e. not them).

 

[htpwn]

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

At least this was Matthews first bad game defensively so maybe he gets a bit of a pass, but Marner has been trash so far. No it's not typical early season Marner either. He looks out of sorts. Of course what does the coach do like the old guy, they remove the 3rd guy from the line

This might be a typical Marner choke job when the stakes are high. He’s due for a new contract and instead of setting the world on fire he looks slow and predictable.

 

[BertCorbeau]

The team, especially the core guys looked so choppy with the puck again… passes were crisp and just looks fugly

 

[Smif]

At least this was Matthews first bad game defensively so maybe he gets a bit of a pass, but Marner has been trash so far. No it's not typical early season Marner either. He looks out of sorts. Of course what does the coach do like the old guy, they remove the 3rd guy from the line

You miss last game when Mattjews was -3? The C has a lot more contribution on the +/- than a winger does...

 

[weems]

I said this is the GDT, but we can complain about the coach, the core, Woll being injury prone or whatever, but if our PP doesn't consistently produce we ain't going anywhere.

How can you have one of the greatest goal scorers ever, two 90-100pt players like Marner/Nylander and a solid net front guy in Tavares and get shutdown? We have built our entire team around these four forwards and they have waaaay too much skill to ever be getting totally shutdown on the PP for extremely long stretchs.

Whether it's coaching or on the players, it's nowhere good enough.

 

[fahad203]

I wish we were Edmonton, we'd have a couple of deep runs under our belts in addition to the best player in the game.

No doubt. Some how every team's top end player takes it to another level. Crosby rarely had back to back bad games back in the days. Back when he was the star of this game, the highest paid player in the league

Mack would have killed somebody. But this is our core. We have seen this movie one too many times

 

[Moonman]

Berube tries to hold Matthews accountable and the cappy just looks away.

That's the leadership I have expected from him.

 

[fahad203]

Berube tries to hold Matthews accountable and the cappy just looks away.

That's the leadership I have expected from him.

There was a time Pierre Paige ripped into Mats Sundin. I remember that scene so well.

 

[IPS]

I said this is the GDT, but we can complain about the coach, the core, Woll being injury prone or whatever, but if our PP doesn't consistently produce we ain't going anywhere.

How can you have one of the greatest goal scorers ever, two 90-100pt players like Marner/Nylander and a solid net front guy in Tavares and get shutdown? We have built our entire team around these four forwards and they have waaaay too much skill to ever be getting totally shutdown on the PP for extremely long stretchs.

Whether it's coaching or on the players, it's nowhere good enough.

Well we should know damn well for certain now that it's not the coaching. Let's just get that straight here. No amount of bad coaching makes a PP go 1/23 in the playoffs, something else has to give.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1849625411363406139

 

[MilkofthePoppy]

Nylander looks woeful tonight.

 

[PromisedLand]

Fans are pissed. GOOD!

 

[Aashir Mallik]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1849625411363406139

teams played like they are tanking

We are not the buffalo sabres, or the ottawa senators, or the detroit red wings

Fans should be pissed, this isn't what we were promised by management, ownership and the players

 

[On-the-Fly]

I said this is the GDT, but we can complain about the coach, the core, Woll being injury prone or whatever, but if our PP doesn't consistently produce we ain't going anywhere.

How can you have one of the greatest goal scorers ever, two 90-100pt players like Marner/Nylander and a solid net front guy in Tavares and get shutdown? We have built our entire team around these four forwards and they have waaaay too much skill to ever be getting totally shutdown on the PP for extremely long stretchs.

Whether it's coaching or on the players, it's nowhere good enough.

Agreed. This has been glaring problem #1 since day 1. Stagnant, perimeter, and very easy to defend.

Savard needs to show his worth here.

 

[Al14]

Hey, it's simply due to growing pains.

All of Pelley, Shanahan, and Treliving's HUGE CHANGES just need to gel a little.

This team is NOT A CONTENDER at this very time.

Too bad the NHL has a salary cap as our Leafs could use at least 4 more players making over $10M.

 

[Jojalu]

It’s absolutely the players. In my humble opinion it’s a power struggle right now between the new Muskoka 5 and Berube

It is highly unlikely this is the case. I get that the management is obtuse, but their is zero chance after 8 games the Leafs core is rebelling against Berube.

The team won 4 out of 5 and looked good and suddenly they decided they didn't like it?

 

[stickty111]

I said this is the GDT, but we can complain about the coach, the core, Woll being injury prone or whatever, but if our PP doesn't consistently produce we ain't going anywhere.

How can you have one of the greatest goal scorers ever, two 90-100pt players like Marner/Nylander and a solid net front guy in Tavares and get shutdown? We have built our entire team around these four forwards and they have waaaay too much skill to ever be getting totally shutdown on the PP for extremely long stretchs.

Whether it's coaching or on the players, it's nowhere good enough.

I think we have enough evidence it's the players or the core to be specific. 3 different head coaches, and 6 PP coaches have all failed to figure it out

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1849617204796424598

The same four underachieving forwards on the top PP should’ve been split ages ago. Ludicrous that they’re still thrown over the boards every man-advantage to just f*** around.

 

[Stephen]

I think that is dramatic.

But, it is a struggle for the players to align to what the coach wants shift in and shift out. And it is a struggle for the coach to find a way to get through to his players, and work with them to ensure they are all on the same page.

As brutal as those last two games were, we all (should have) know(n) there would be struggles in the first quarter of the season as the players and coaches adjust.

I don't think it is some us vs them kind of thing like you suggest. And if it is, trade Marner now to show these assholes who is in charge (i.e. not them).

I don't see it like the Core Five is revolting against Craig Berube, but post-Tampa seems maybe they hit a wall and can't maintain the standards required of them and have backslid into their trash level F Game. With Keefe being here for so long, they really had their seasons fall into predictable patterns.

Sluggish Octobers, red hot runs in November-January when people had their doubts, a second hot streak somewhere in February, March. Going on energy saver mode to finish the season and the playoff face plant. Will be interesting to see if Berube can correct any of this or if he falls into the same deep rut.