Post-Game Talk: Leafs lose 3-2 in OT | Down 3-0 in the Series

[The Apologist]

None of that matters if the team lacks the makeup to get it done in the spring. There's no argument against blowing it up. We're losing all these guys for nothing anyway.

There absolutely is an argument against it. When you have three young superstars you can retool rather than rebuild.
Matthews has looked fine in the playoffs and is rounding into a hell of a two way superstar.

Mitch is a ppg star but seems to disappear under pressure and Willie has always been an enigma.

We have d pieces we can move and we have a young goalie coming up who looks like he may be legit.

The one thing we have not yet done is mess with the big four. Clearly that's our next step.

We also need someone in management that will stand up for the team (that the NHL gives a crap about).
The liberties taken against this team and the imbalance in how things are enforced are beyond gross.

 

[seventieslord]

It's only a shot on goal if it would have been a goal if not stopped. Very simple and obvious.

What losers we are, that one of the hot topics this morning is whether a shot, that had exactly 0% likelihood of entering the net at the instant it left Matthews' stick, should count as a shot on goal because if it did, it would make his performance look incrementally less putrid.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Get rid of this guy for sure.

I'm really concerned about the prep as well. No excuse why these guys aren't ready to go.

Yeah I'm not going to blame their effort level on Keefe since any NHL player worth anything would just automatically give their best effort in the playoffs. He just doesn't do them any favors in terms of instilling structure, confidence, or tactics. He is unable to adjust and it's embarrassing frankly

 

[PromisedLand]

We were a soft and fast team that was deadly in transition. We have developed into a possession heavy team that can't create offense in transition....and still kind of soft.

Transition in playoffs hardly exists as teams dial up the intensity and there is less time and space. Also, you play the same team again and again so you adjust to make it even harder for the opposition. It is easy to do as its the same players with the same tendencies.

In these cirsumstances great players elevate their game and try to get different looks, and coaches also adjust to counter opposition. Neither of these has been evident in the series against panthers.

 

[Brown Dog]

Count me as one of the suckers who thought we'd see the core guys raise their game to another level once the first round monkey was lifted. Instead it's been the opposite.

 

[1specter]

No matter what, everyone should be able to agree that a coach who has no answers needs to go. One of the top reasons it feels the same as every other playoff showing is Keefe has zero clue what he's doing. There's nothing about what the Leafs are doing wrong that should be difficult for any decent hockey mind to understand and fix, but that clearly doesn't apply to Keefe

This is literally this clown's f***ing job. 4 playoffs in a row of this f***ing garbage

 

[PromisedLand]

Are you kidding me? He's going to be the most sought after UFA in NHL history. Of course someone will offer him that.


Who said anything about a contending team?

As long as its not the Leafs offering him 15 AAV i don't care who wants to commit that cap space to Matthews given his playoff performance. Hey it may work out as he may be the contributing factor in a well assembled team.

Together Matthews-Marner-Nylander-Tavares are not championship material. Its like trying to fit squared pegs in a round hole. its a misfit.

 

[Amadeus]

Count me as one of the suckers who thought we'd see the core guys raise their game to another level once the first round monkey was lifted. Instead it's been the opposite.

Yeah it's like they'll take another 6-7 years figuring out how to get past round 2.

 

[stealth1]

Woll played good but he was pretty clueless on that wrap around. Like come on dude you can't let that shit happen

Every Leaf on the ice was clueless on that play.

 

[PromisedLand]

LOL Maurice trolling so hard

 

[CabanaBoy5]

What I can't wrap my head around is how this team, who on paper should be the best that Dubas has assembled, is playing worse hockey than they ever have with this core 4. All the first round exits we've had in the past 7 years, the team has played much better overall. These two series they haven't come close to playing their best.

The only conclusion is that this core 4 doesn't fit well together, doesn't rise up to big moments, are lacking drive and heart, or quite frankly aren't good enough. One or two have to go. I know Tavares should go, but that's going to be difficult. Marner is a great regular season player, but the playoffs are too big a moment for him. Nylander has so much skill that he uses inconsistently. And Matthews is the big centre all good teams need to succeed. He's the only one I'd have difficulty losing, unless he really wants to leave.

 

[Ziggdiezan]

We were a soft and fast team that was deadly in transition. We have developed into a possession heavy team that can't create offense in transition....and still kind of soft.

Also one of the slowest defense in the league. Vast majority are average or below average skaters. That is why Rielly has been so noticeable as he is the only defender who can skate with the puck dangerously

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Transition in playoffs hardly exists as teams dial up the intensity and there is less time and space. Also, you play the same team again and again so you adjust to make it even harder for the opposition. It is easy to do as its the same players with the same tendencies.

In these cirsumstances great players elevate their game and try to get different looks, and coaches also adjust to counter opposition. Neither of these has been evident in the series against panthers.

Watch the Carolina-Jersey series and tell me transition doesn't exist in the playoffs. Hell Florida is literally killing us in transition in this series.

 

[The Apologist]

Also one of the slowest defense in the league. Vast majority are average or below average skaters. That is why Rielly has been so noticeable as he is the only defender who can skate with the puck dangerously

I would say Rielly has been so noticeable because he always seems to step it up a level in the playoffs.

 

[stats1]

Hey Keefe you know what’s hard to understand? It’s hard to understand that it’s May 8th and you still don’t know what your best line-up looks like. This isn’t training camp or October….. we’re in f***ing May and you’re still mixing and matching. This guy is clueless

I just can’t believe how much time we spend in our own end re grouping circling back behind the net come back out as one group it doesn’t work we go back in our end and do it all over again and while this is going on Florida is sending 2 fore checkers and it’s causing a billion turnovers. Just rip the puck off the glass if you have to, sometimes you just have to get the puck out. Just brain dead turnovers that’s killing us

 

[PromisedLand]

Watch the Carolina-Jersey series and tell me transition doesn't exist in the playoffs. Hell Florida is literally killing us in transition in this series.

that series has not allowing opposition easy entries and then transition. Leafs have not managed to deny easy entries to the panthers, while crumbling under heavy forecheck.

transition with speed only has meaningful impact if you have speed and you have players willing to take the hit to make plays in the offensive zone once you gain teh zone. Leafs' players are not willing to do that.

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

Watch the Carolina-Jersey series and tell me transition doesn't exist in the playoffs. Hell Florida is literally killing us in transition in this series.

Seattle also says hi. One thing in common with all these teams: they're fast

Leafs? Not anymore.

 

[Gallagbi]

Also one of the slowest defense in the league. Vast majority are average or below average skaters. That is why Rielly has been so noticeable as he is the only defender who can skate with the puck dangerously

Brodie and Rielly are great skaters. McCabe and Lilj are good skaters. Gio's slow, Holl and Schenn are pretty much what you expect. Feels very average from a speed perspective

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

It’s been a problem for a while. The main guys we have don’t seem to have the playoff gear

If I am not mistaken...MM is the only one of the core 4 that has won a championship in his younger days. This is a problem...we have too many guys who have never willed their team across the finish line. AM was always the youngest player...same with Willy...JT I am not sure about...but he never won anything in Junior.

The worst part is it could have been helped along by signing Justin Williams instead of Patty Cakes Marleau. One of them knew how to win in big games....the other had is C taken away. We choose the supposed hungry vet over the guy who is named Mister Game 7. That was Lou catering to Babcock...not on Dubas...but Joe Thornton is on Dubas...same result except the trading of assets to get his stink off the team.

 

[geo25]

I'd offer 3x12m which extends him to the 8 years they should have signed him for with the promise of bigger bucks the next contract if the cap rises significantly.

I'd trade him....period. e
Enough is enough.
..

 

[usernamezrhardtodo]

Maybe we should just trade everyone for a bunch of solid pieces but not quite as high end, become somewhat like the recent expansion teams or something. They seem to be doing much better than us.

You meant to say "Less entitled" and I agree. It seems the cast offs on the expansion teams relish being left to be picked and they also seem to know that nobody is going to superstar their way to wins...they all just work hard.

 

[hockeyes]

Isn't Babcock still under contract? Get him a ticket down to Florida and tell him he has to coach game 4 or he forfeits the rest of his contract.

Next rebuild I don't think we should bring in career losers for our young and upcoming stars to learn from.

 

[stealth1]

There absolutely is an argument against it. When you have three young superstars you can retool rather than rebuild.
Matthews has looked fine in the playoffs and is rounding into a hell of a two way superstar.

Mitch is a ppg star but seems to disappear under pressure and Willie has always been an enigma.

We have d pieces we can move and we have a young goalie coming up who looks like he may be legit.

The one thing we have not yet done is mess with the big four. Clearly that's our next step.

We also need someone in management that will stand up for the team (that the NHL gives a crap about).
The liberties taken against this team and the imbalance in how things are enforced are beyond gross.

I'm sorry those superstars have yet to carry this team anywhere. Look at what Hughes, and the Oilers top players are doing. That's what Matthews, Marner and Tavares should be doing. It's been 7 years with Matthews. At this point this is what he is. He's a great goal scorer but not a guy that carries a team.

 

[geo25]

If I am not mistaken...MM is the only one of the core 4 that has won a championship in his younger days. This is a problem...we have too many guys who have never willed their team across the finish line. AM was always the youngest player...same with Willy...JT I am not sure about...but he never won anything in Junior.

The worst part is it could have been helped along by signing Justin Williams instead of Patty Cakes Marleau. One of them knew how to win in big games....the other had is C taken away. We choose the supposed hungry vet over the guy who is named Mister Game 7. That was Lou catering to Babcock...not on Dubas...but Joe Thornton is on Dubas...same result except the trading of assets to get his stink off the team.

Justin Williams (love him) would never come here..
.he only wanted to return to his former team. Even if offered more!

 

[darrylsittler27]

For too long Leaf fans rewarded the most pathetic sports team in history with full seats , money and adoration while they got spat on. Many will finally move on now. The NHL in general is joke now.