Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose 4-2

[Clark4Ever]

Not looking good at the moment. We are healthy, and we can't match the opponent's intensity for 60 minutes now that the games are more meaningful.

I am really disappointed. I honestly thought Berube had them playing the right way earlier in the season which would prepare them for this stage of the season going into the playoffs.

 

[Alamo Leafer]

Do we even make the playoffs?

I hope not. What for, more embarrassment & pain for us fans?
I say F it, let MLSE lose couple of dollars at least.

 

[authentic]

Not looking good at the moment. We are healthy, and we can't match the opponent's intensity for 60 minutes now that the games are more meaningful.

I am really disappointed. I honestly thought Berube had them playing the right way earlier in the season which would prepare them for this stage of the season going into the playoffs.

No all it did was tire them out

 

[HockeyVirus]

The thing is.. where do you even go from here?

We have no prospects, no firsts. Our roster players are either on contracts that make no sense trading them for their production or are nothing special. Our stars are going to walk or have NMC.

We have no #1 dman. So our plan is to go hand out a bunch of overpayments in free agency? To players like Laughton, Klingberg, Bertuzzi, Carlo, etc? These are the guys our pro scouts think are worth getting lol.

I remember this quote from Burke before it saddled us with boat anchors for the next half decade. "Free agency will be our draft".

This team is heading back into the 2005-2015 Leafs.

 

[Bust]

If he’s injured why did he pkay in the four bations cup? I’ll tell you why, he’s selfish……

Honestly, I think he was told he needed surgery and went overseas for an 2nd opinion. Due to the 4 nations, he didn’t take that option, now he’s playing around 50% output.

He will have surgery immediately after we get eliminated.probably 3-6 months recovery if it’s his back.

Another wasted season it seems.

Surely we don’t do the same thing again, eh?

 

[wingman75]

Just came across this doozy... Can anyone say they are surprised by this stst? When the eye test and numbers match up like this you've got a major issue!

Via Kloke @ TheAthletic

Per Natural Stat Trick, the Leafs have owned the majority of the five-on-five expected goals in just two of their last 15 games: in a spirited game against the Florida Panthers on March 13 and a win over the lowly Chicago Blackhawks on February 23.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Wow this place is toxic
Because the team is toxic

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

I hope not. What for, more embarrassment & pain for us fans?
I say F it, let MLSE lose couple of dollars at least.

Never understood this argument. MLSE clearly want to win and have tried different tactics to find the right combination, it just hasn't worked. Even when there was no cap, they consistently had one of the highest payrolls (I think only the Rangers spent more). MLSE might be doing it wrong (or not, who knows) but that doesn't mean they should be punished. If they were cheapskates, I'd agree. They aren't, they're trying.

 

[Bust]

Nothing but heartache from this team, and sadly the majority of ghe fanbase is happy with mediocrity as long as they can love on their flashy players who bleed the team of cap space all while not contributing much to the effort. The majority of Leaf Nation gets exactly the team they deserve……..

I promise I’m not chasing you around replying to you LOL. I agree with a lot of what you’re saying.

We needed to make changes after MTL. There needs to be consequences. This should be a results oriented business; and if it was, we wouldn’t have these bitchy little contract disputes. It’s all pretty simple really - if you demand a $ figure and proceed to not produce in the playoffs, you’re gone. We should not be worried about anything but how players produce in a leaf sweater.

Lou wouldn’t have stood for it and we would be in a better position if he was still here. We finally landed a premier GM and we let him go in like a year, for another “yes man”.

 

[thewave]

Never understood this argument. MLSE clearly want to win and have tried different tactics to find the right combination, it just hasn't worked. Even when there was no cap, they consistently had one of the highest payrolls (I think only the Rangers spent more). MLSE might be doing it wrong (or not, who knows) but that doesn't mean they should punished. If they were cheapskates, I'd agree. They aren't, they're trying.

That's the problem..organizational bloat is weighing them down. They also bought into some bizarre ideology.

They hire a lot of friends. I mean how hard is this.

1. Decide the team you want to build.
2. Clear out what doesn't fit.
3. Get a 1G
4. Work on D
5. Work on getting C's

They don't know how to stick to a plan

 

[Hockey 4 Life]

The thing is.. where do you even go from here?

We have no prospects, no firsts. Our roster players are either on contracts that make no sense trading them for their production or are nothing special. Our stars are going to walk or have NMC.

We have no #1 dman. So our plan is to go hand out a bunch of overpayments in free agency? To players like Laughton, Klingberg, Bertuzzi, Carlo, etc? These are the guys our pro scouts think are worth getting lol.

I remember this quote from Burke before it saddled us with boat anchors for the next half decade. "Free agency will be our draft".

This team is heading back into the 2005-2015 Leafs.

The only viable option is a retool. You play hard ball with marner and Tavares to take the lowest and shortest deals possible so they can be turned into assets, if they walk afterwards then so be it. You then identify two main pieces in free agency, likely Bennett and Chychrun, sign both, trade Rielly for cap space and attempt to fill in holes within the roster with players who hate to lose who can actually produce. You give this process until the end of the 2027 season and if the results are the same you trade everyone you can outside of knies, Cowan, to get as many young assets and first rounders you can to bottom out for the 2028 season when we do have our own first again. We can't burn it down now and we certainly can't run it back again so to me that is the only option availible.

 

[Bust]

Wow this place is toxic
Because the team is toxic

My wife asked me earlier this year, “do you not watch hockey anymore?”

I realized, after the first couple games of Berube being here - it was just more of the same.

They don’t care, why should I invest my time into that?

Seems like others are in the same boat. Nothing to cheer for.

 

[HockeyVirus]

The only viable option is a retool. You play hard ball with marner and Tavares to take the lowest and shortest deals possible so they can be turned into assets, if they walk afterwards then so be it. You then identify two main pieces in free agency, likely Bennett and Chychrun, sign both, trade Rielly for cap space and attempt to fill in holes within the roster with players who hate to lose who can actually produce. You give this process until the end of the 2027 season and if the results are the same you trade everyone you can outside of knies, Cowan, to get as many young assets and first rounders you can to bottom out for the 2028 season when we do have our own first again. We can't burn it down now and we certainly can't run it back again so to me that is the only option availible.

Not happening. If they are even able to sign Marner and Tavares they will 100% have move protection. We have no assets to trade that are worth anything and massive holes on the roster.

I am convinced we are giving one of the Flyers or Bruins a top 10 pick

 

[ToneDog]

Honestly, I think he was told he needed surgery and went overseas for an 2nd opinion. Due to the 4 nations, he didn’t take that option, now he’s playing around 50% output.

He will have surgery immediately after we get eliminated.probably 3-6 months recovery if it’s his back.

Another wasted season it seems.

Surely we don’t do the same thing again, eh?

Making those TDL deals knowing this guy will not be 100% for the playoffs is plain and simple incompetence and will look very bad on them when they hold their annual playoff failure end of season presser.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

I promise I’m not chasing you around replying to you LOL. I agree with a lot of what you’re saying.

We needed to make changes after MTL. There needs to be consequences. This should be a results oriented business; and if it was, we wouldn’t have these bitchy little contract disputes. It’s all pretty simple really - if you demand a $ figure and proceed to not produce in the playoffs, you’re gone. We should not be worried about anything but how players produce in a leaf sweater.

Lou wouldn’t have stood for it and we would be in a better position if he was still here. We finally landed a premier GM and we let him go in like a year, for another “yes man”.

How are the Islanders doing these days?

 

[Evilhomer]

Wow this place is toxic
Because the team is toxic

This place is toxic only because everyone overreacts after every win and loss. Teams are allowed to lose a couple of games in a row. The great Tampa Bay Lightning, the team that everyone here loves to praise, lost three in a row before last night. Florida lost to Montreal and looked terrible doing it. It happens. These games of course have value for determining where teams land in the standings, but history shows that regular season games tend to have pretty low predictive value for the outcome of playoff games. Judge this team for what it does in games 5, 6 and 7 of a playoff series, not game 68 of the regular season.

 

[Nineteen67]

If he’s injured why did he pkay in the four bations cup? I’ll tell you why, he’s selfish……

Honestly, I think he was told he needed surgery and went overseas for an 2nd opinion. Due to the 4 nations, he didn’t take that option, now he’s playing around 50% output.

He will have surgery immediately after we get eliminated.probably 3-6 months recovery if it’s his back.

Another wasted season it seems.

Surely we don’t do the same thing again, eh?

If surgery requires 6 months of therapy, he should have had it done after the 4N before the TDL so he can be ready for the Olympics and the Leafs could have used his cap money.

 

[IPS]

This place is toxic only because everyone overreacts after every win and loss. Teams are allowed to lose a couple of games in a row. The great Tampa Bay Lightning, the team that everyone here loves to praise, lost three in a row before last night. Florida lost to Montreal and looked terrible doing it. It happens. These games of course have value for determining where teams land in the standings, but history shows that regular season games tend to have pretty low predictive value for the outcome of playoff games. Judge this team for what it does in games 5, 6 and 7 of a playoff series, not game 68 of the regular season.

What your seeing is a fanbase who's witnessed many, many years of failure literally seeing a repeat of the same movie and knowing precisely what they're seeing.

Not a fanbase who's just slapping the blue and white goggles on and pretending it's all hunky dory.

Overreaction? Get the f*** out of here with that nonsense, believe it or not some of us a have memory that goes past 1 offseason.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Who were the 3 stars and of course no one’s gonna mention marners miscues the most you’ll get is a vague he had an off night followed by Hes been our best player this year(he has not by the way) tanev then the goalies but whatever any line he touched was horrible today I’ve never seen him this bad in a regular season game

Three stars were Ullmark, Sanderson, and Nylander.

Yes, in the last few games Marner's been getting worse and worse. I guess the trade talk may be affecting him.

 

[Bust]

The team has had no identity for years other than this “core 4” bs.

Payers outside of the “core 4” probably love hearing about it in the media. Wouldn’t it bother you to be basically treated as less than, on your own team? That is not a team mentality.

Probably why winning vets delcine to come here when having the option. Like ROR or Schenn.

 

[Hockey 4 Life]

Not happening. If they are even able to sign Marner and Tavares they will 100% have move protection. We have no assets to trade that are worth anything and massive holes on the roster.

I am convinced we are giving one of the Flyers or Bruins a top 10 pick

You're opinion certainly has merit considering what this team has done and where it currently sits. If Marner and Tavares walk then so be it. The only option that cannot be explored again is running this team back. Both the 26 and 27 picks have protection but regardless of that the team has to be reshaped in the offseason and if that doesn't work over the next two years you rip everything down to the ground and start over.

 

[IPS]

Rielly is moveable. We're not getting a top prospect and 1st for him but he's moveable. And Mo doesn't seem like the type of dude to stand in the way of a trade. I'd rather allocate the 7.5m in cap space at this point.

Full NMC though - he doesn't need to move anywhere. He's already establishing a family in TO.

We're stuck with him dude.

 

[Gary Nylund]

A proper rebuild, which would have included at least three more yrs of evaluation after the Matthews draft, would have been nice. Draft baby draft, evaluate your needs, build a team. Hiring the apprentice and going down the path of “we can and we will” ruined the rebuild.

I wonder if I will ever forget that phrase and what it means in the context of this core? Probably not.

Is this the most memorable Leaf related phrase of the last 50 years? Probably, at least I can't think of anything else ATM. Sad stuff.

 

[SprDaVE]

They are just not fun to watch right now.

Should be a fun off-season though I guess?

 

[Evilhomer]

What your seeing is a fanbase who's witnessed many, many years of failure literally seeing a repeat of the same movie and knowing precisely what they're seeing.

Not a fanbase who's just slapping the blue and white goggles on and pretending it's all hunky dory.

If this were actually the case, then this place would be far more measured after the Leafs win a few games in a row, but it's not. And that's fine. It's the nature of being a sports fan. But just like you shouldn't plan a parade when the team wins three games in a row, there is no reason to start talking about rebuilds after they lose two games in a row. Let's see what they look like when the playoffs start.