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Sportsnet: Leafs half season review.

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Sypher04 said:
I’m far from shocked that you would take the glass half empty outlook but your takeaways are simply incorrect.

This team isn’t weak at even strength regular play at all. We have only lost 10 games of 39 in regulation. That’s actually 3rd best in the NHL. By your own admission, what happens after that point is gimmicks and cannot be extrapolated to post season play.

Samsonov’s excesssively leaky play was also a major part in so many early OT games.

Beyond that we have 17 ROW and 13 RW so quick math says we’ve won 4 games in 3 on 3 OT. The broadcast last game said we are 4-1 in shootouts, so we’re 8-8 in gimmicks which isn’t some amazing result. Entirely arguable we win a better percentage of those by just having the game play out 5 on 5

There is nothing inflated about our record.
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It's weird, because if there's any year we've benefitted from post-regulation gimmicks the most, it was 2017-2018, and yet the individual you replied to adamantly argued against the relevance of that context for years.
 
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C is the grade. They have not been nearly good enough. Goaltending has been probably the very worst in the league. They cannot put together any long extended winning streaks. They constantly get beat by crappy teams. Yeah, just not good enough.
 
Overall not a bad half year, I just don’t see any reason to believe the playoffs will be any different than the last couple of years. Goaltending is weak, defence is not big enough and the supporting cast doesn’t have much toughness. It will be a rude awakening again lol, so I don’t even know if you can still call it that, followed by likely another summer where our main issues aren’t addressed and then the Marner overpayment.
 
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5v5:
14th in expected goals for percentage (xGF%)
12th in goals for percentage (GF%)

12th in goals for (GF)
15th in goals against (GA)

9th in expected goals for (xGF)
20th in expected goals against (xGA)

10th in goals saved above expected (GSAx)

All-situations:
10th in expected goals for percentage (xGF%)
13th in goals for percentage (GF%)

7th in goals for (GF)
20th in goals against (GA)

5th in expected goals for (xGF)
20th in expected goals against (xGA)

17th in goals saved above expected (GSAx)
 
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The author should have waited 2 more games before writing that article instead of riding the high of beating LA (and then the other two trash California teams three times).

"David Kampf is a luxury item if he’s playing on your fourth line given his utility" lol. Kampf has been utter trash this season. I can't believe so many people were up in arms about his healthy scratch breaking his iron man streak. He is the single worst forward on the team, and notably has the worst xGA/60, and only Gregor (who also sucks but earns way less) and McMann (who "can rip it"? what, in warmup?) have worst xGA/60. And somehow this is a fourth line that "makes sense" compared to when Spezza was on it? What a joke.
 
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Now that the Leafs are back to playing teams that aren't actively trying to lose the results speak for themselves.

This is a mediocre team. Doing mediocre things. Achieving mediocre results.

Shit happens.

Now I know where Marner gets it from. Keefe's refusal to accept responsibility for his team's poor play is a leading example for his players. The product of an organization lacking accountability.

The team has been tuning Keefe out for a long time now.

You can see it reflected in their lackadaisical play most nights. He should have been gone years ago with his utter worthlessness to this franchise. They need a hard nosed coach who won't allow the players to just go through the motions.

Someone who can lead this team to the great things it should be accomplishing already.
 
All Mod Cons said:
Looks like years of borrowing from the future has taken it's toll.
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Considering that we had Knies, Robertson, and Holmberg playing for us last game, and we've had some combination of at least two prospects playing top-9 roles the whole season, no, it doesn't look like that at all. Looks more like a disappointing offseason from a nepotism hire after letting a great GM go is taking its toll.
 
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JT is now on his lowest PPG average since his rookie season and tied for lowest GPG average with his rookie season. He done.
 
C-, borderline D+

>Continuing to play Samsonov
>Continuing to employ Keefe
>Continuing to employ Shanahan
>Klingberg, Domi, Bertuzzi, Reeves being variants of disasters, can't believe how soft Bertuzzi and Domi have been, Domi can't stand up for teammates because "he's too small," and Bertuzzi can't because of....we can't expect offense from them and it seems they have no heart either
>D still sucks, should've added Zadorov for a 3rd, no idea why they didn't, especially because it seemed he had interest in coming to Toronto
>Matthews, Nylander take steps forward while Marner and Tavares take steps back
>More money thrown at the core who has accomplished nothing nearing a decade now

It's interesting because you probably could've traded Nylander for Hellebucyk in the offseason and saved a few mill. It's insane Keefe isn't gone, but softness has been cultivated from Shanahan/Tre/Dubas giving into the core's contract demands down to Keefe and down to the core.

I guess the silver lining is we all expect a 1st round smackdown this year, so for all the whiny babies that love to whine about pressure, there is none this year.
 
Cap'n Flavour said:
The author should have waited 2 more games before writing that article instead of riding the high of beating LA (and then the other two trash California teams three times).

"David Kampf is a luxury item if he’s playing on your fourth line given his utility" lol. Kampf has been utter trash this season. I can't believe so many people were up in arms about his healthy scratch breaking his iron man streak. He is the single worst forward on the team, and notably has the worst xGA/60, and only Gregor (who also sucks but earns way less) and McMann (who "can rip it"? what, in warmup?) have worst xGA/60. And somehow this is a fourth line that "makes sense" compared to when Spezza was on it? What a joke.
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I don't understand the hate for Gregor. Be specific what more do you expect from him in the role and the minutes that he gets?
 
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Dekes For Days said:
Considering that we had Knies, Robertson, and Holmberg playing for us last game, and we've had some combination of at least two prospects playing top-9 roles the whole season, no, it doesn't look like that at all. Looks more like a disappointing offseason from a nepotism hire after letting a great GM go is taking its toll.
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You claim a nepotism hire in Treliving, but in the same thought mention how great a GM Dubas was, who only got his start in hockey through pure nepotism. Nice work
 
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Still an entertaining team, plenty of subplots. Are we going to the post season? Maybe not so for those with Cup aspirations, keep waiting.
 
NVious said:
can't believe how soft Bertuzzi and Domi have been, Domi can't stand up for teammates because "he's too small," and Bertuzzi can't because of....we can't expect offense from them and it seems they have no heart either
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This is really a fan perception issue more than a player issue. So many people believed these two were different players than they actually are or ever have been. Neither player has ever been overly physical, so expecting them to now be something that they have never been is not fair to them.
 
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Evilhomer said:
This is really a fan perception issue more than a player issue. So many people believed these two were different players than they actually are or ever have been. Neither player has ever been overly physical, so expecting them to now be something that they have never been is not fair to them.
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I mean they suck offensively too, so that expectation is gone as well.
 
Regular season has never been more meaningless. I don't honestly get too worked up about it this year, much like last year.

Tre needs to make some moves at the deadline to make this a better playoff team. Right now he's done jack shit and we all know the team is 1st round fodder with the way it is.
 
Dekes For Days said:
Considering that we had Knies, Robertson, and Holmberg playing for us last game, and we've had some combination of at least two prospects playing top-9 roles the whole season, no, it doesn't look like that at all. Looks more like a disappointing offseason from a nepotism hire after letting a great GM go is taking its toll.
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Considering that we had nothing better than Knies, Robertson, and Holmburg playing for us last game, and we've had to use some combination of prospects filling in top-9 roles the whole season, yes, it looks like years of borrowing have taken their toll. Fortunately they finally let that terrible GM go, so there may be hope.
 
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They are who they are. The 20 game mark they were a C+.

Now they are a solid D.

A team like this should not be calling a wildcard position an "achievement".

Keefe must be feeling the heat right now.
 
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