Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose in Game 7. Again.

[57 Years No Cup]

Hopefully this series shows the flaws in the team construction. The players individually played really well. They competed hard and seemed a lot more willing to sacrifice their bodies to win. Yet, they lost anyway. Why?

Tampa Bay’s stars didn’t even play well. Sure, Hedman was a beast, but Kucherov was horrible. Point and Vasilevakiy were both pretty pedestrian. They still won. Why?

Because the Leafs don't make you physically pay.

 

[saffronleaf]

It's gotten to the point where even if they win a series it won't change anything. It's like when you're waiting on a so-called friend to pick you up and they keep delaying over and over and over again, dozens of times, by the time they finally get there you're not appreciative as much as you are angry and want to smack them.

History doesn't matter, you already lived through it.

nothing matters

Leafs reputation improved from laughingstock of the NHL to laughingstock of North American pro sports.

 

[Nineteen67]

How are we STILL bitching about losing I the 1st round???

How can this team not manage to win 1 f***ing round

They can't close a team out. Why does the offense always go MIA in the do or die game

Winning 4 playoff games is no accomplishment at all. Leafs are treating losing in the 1st like they have been through war. They can't even meet the lowest of expectations.

Because the opposition focussed on playing sound defensive hockey when their lives were on the line.

 

[stealth1]

i cant f***ing believe they called that goal back in a game 7 where they were letting EVERYTHING else go ALL GAME. give me a f***ing break.

They still tied the game after that. Who's to say they score the 2nd goal if that one counted. They still had ample opportunity to win the game. They did have 3 PP and only the last one looked dangerous. They couldn't get setup on the first 2.

 

[Eddo22]

The refs absolutely 100% sucked and the league is a joke BUT the Leafs had it within reach, they just had to grab it. They didn't.

That's what I say. They knew the refs where going to suck and they needed to find a way to win despite that.

 

[Nineteen67]

Hopefully this series shows the flaws in the team construction. The players individually played really well. They competed hard and seemed a lot more willing to sacrifice their bodies to win. Yet, they lost anyway. Why?

Tampa Bay’s stars didn’t even play well. Sure, Hedman was a beast, but Kucherov was horrible. Point and Vasilevakiy were both pretty pedestrian. They still won. Why?

Kucherov had 8 or 9 points

 

[SCD]

On the bright side, there is 2.3 mil in cap space for next year.

 

[SprDaVE]

On the bright side, there is 2.3 mil in cap space for next year.

If you're going by cap friendly right now, that's because the Leafs have 37 players on the roster since there is no roster limit in the playoffs. They are all being calculated in their cap for next season.

The Leafs have roughly 11M in cap space at this time for next season.

 

[BTP]

They still tied the game after that. Who's to say they score the 2nd goal if that one counted. They still had ample opportunity to win the game. They did have 3 PP and only the last one looked dangerous. They couldn't get setup on the first 2.

Both teams scored 2 goals. Thats all I take out of it. All the what-ifs are irrelevant. There should have been OT last night. Bullshit there wasnt. Im pissed the f*** off this morning. Let me get outta here before i get banned.

 

[rumman]

Can’t wait to hear the tripe spewing from the President’s/GM’s mouths in the coming days……..

 

[Stephen]

Tavares contract isn't great, but he was UFA, and was always going to get overpaid.

The problem was the other double digit contracts which has hamstrung the team from landing another top 6 winger.

Unfortunately, I think they might have someone but he went back to college.

In hindsight, it feels like climbing out of the basement in 2016-17 too early was a double edged sword. They didn't stay in the basement long enough to scoop up a finishing piece like a Makar or Heiskanen but the accelerated timeline led to accelerating expectations and salaries which hit the Marleau and Tavares UFA signings which forced them to churn through an entire supporting cast (Kadri, Brown, Johnsson, Kapanen, etc.) Some of the early success like the Washington series and even meeting Boston are now looking like failures even though the Leafs were quite ahead of schedule.

A slower build, more of a program emphasis would have yielded a stronger team up and down.

 

[Nineteen67]

Can’t wait to hear the tripe spewing from the President’s/GM’s mouths in the coming days……..

Me too.

 

[Apex Predator]

If you're going by cap friendly right now, that's because the Leafs have 37 players on the roster since there is no roster limit in the playoffs. They are all being calculated in their cap for next season.

The Leafs have roughly 11M in cap space at this time.

Can we improve goaltending and still fill out the roster?

 

[SprDaVE]

Can we improve goaltending and still fill out the roster?

Yes?

 

[New User Name]

Exactly. This team should be the benchmark for other teams. The team that everyone fears. We should be competing for Stanly Cups. Yet we aee happy to win a round, even that we cant do

Trading Kadri, Kapanen. Losing JVR, Hyman to nothing

Tampa gets Nick Paul and Hagel. We get Blackwell

Florida picks up Bennett last year for 2nd round. We get Foligno

Florida picks up Giroux we get Blackwell

Kase Spezza Mikayev Engvall Kampf are just too soft to be bottom 6

That's the main problem with this franchise. We let JVR, Bozak and Leo walk for nothing when most knew the Leafs didn't have a chance to advance very far in the PO.

It's like last years draft. (yes I know the player we picked is batteling cancer and this is in no way a knock of him) BUT he wasn't what we need. IMO the player Dubas should have picked is 6'2" 210 lb Dman Braden Schneider currently playing for the Rangers and even played for Canada at the WC. Now in the long run I could be proven wrong but just my opinion on what we needed.

Then I look at last years trade deadline disaster. Only can happen to the Leafs!!

 

[Nineteen67]

In hindsight…….

A slower build, more of a program emphasis would have yielded a stronger team up and down.

I’ve been saying that for years.

 

[SoVi3t]

You know when I knew this season would end this way?

When we kept losing in overtime so damn many times this regular season. It literally showed that we do NOT have what it takes to commit to a win when it is do or die.

 

[ULF_55]

In hindsight, it feels like climbing out of the basement in 2016-17 too early was a double edged sword. They didn't stay in the basement long enough to scoop up a finishing piece like a Makar or Heiskanen but the accelerated timeline led to accelerating expectations and salaries which hit the Marleau and Tavares UFA signings which forced them to churn through an entire supporting cast (Kadri, Brown, Johnsson, Kapanen, etc.) Some of the early success like the Washington series and even meeting Boston are now looking like failures even though the Leafs were quite ahead of schedule.

A slower build, more of a program emphasis would have yielded a stronger team up and down.

Yeah, they blew it.

IMO, the fanbase was willing to do the correct rebuild, not another "it doesn't have to take 5 years" blunder.

 

[The Masters]

With the expansion draft looming, the Maple Leafs have protected eight skaters and one goalie.

The Seattle Kraken will have to keep their hands off Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Jake Muzzin, Justin Holl and Jack Campbell.

There's really no debate on four of the forwards, three of the defencemen and the goalie. But the inclusion of Holl, a 29-year-old middle-pair defenceman, over others like forwards Alex Kerfoot and the just-acquired Jared McCann is sure to raise the debate level around the team, at least until Seattle makes its selection on Wednesday.



Exposed to the Kraken are Kerfoot, McCann, Travis Dermott, Wayne Simmonds, Jason Spezza, Pierre Engvall and Adam Brooks.

If the Kraken take McCann, then the 25-year-old will have indeed acted as insurance to keep the versatile Kerfoot. You could look at it as the Leafs losing a prospect (Filip Hallander) and a seventh-round pick in 2023 in the expansion draft. That was the price they paid to the Penguins, who figur

 

[BackPassChampions]

Fire Steve Briere.

Get him off this team ASAP.

 

[Racer88]

What

Tavares contract isn't great, but he was UFA, and was always going to get overpaid.

The problem was the other double digit contracts which has hamstrung the team from landing another top 6 winger.

Unfortunately, I think they might have someone but he went back to college.

Dubas should have done is let some other team pay Tavares the outrageous contract and concentrated on goal tending and defence.

 

[Gabriel426]

I agree that we got beat by a better team. My problem is that Dubas was supposed to build this “better team”. He has had all the resources in the world to accomplish that but instead he has built this model of investment 50% of your cap in 4 similar forwards. I will give him credit for improving the defence but the rest of the team including the goalies are made up of table scraps. The Leafs are not even closely as well balanced as Tampa.
The real question now becomes how does he fix it, does he even think it needs to be fixed or does he think shuffling around a bunch of low paid bottom players is enough and finally is he even the guy to be making decisions any longer.
As far as the goal being winning the cup I agree but I also don’t think you go from not winning a single round for 18 years straight to winning the cup…….it has to start by winning rounds.

It will be interesting to see what Dubas is going to do. Would he go big or bargain hunting.
I agree no Cup champs went from not winning a round to Champs but stranger things happened, maybe Leafs will
break that norm.

 

[Racer88]

If you're going by cap friendly right now, that's because the Leafs have 37 players on the roster since there is no roster limit in the playoffs. They are all being calculated in their cap for next season.

The Leafs have roughly 11M in cap space at this time for next season.

Is that including the players heading to UFA and does that include Reilly new contract kicking in next year

 

[Al14]

In hindsight, it feels like climbing out of the basement in 2016-17 too early was a double edged sword. They didn't stay in the basement long enough to scoop up a finishing piece like a Makar or Heiskanen but the accelerated timeline led to accelerating expectations and salaries which hit the Marleau and Tavares UFA signings which forced them to churn through an entire supporting cast (Kadri, Brown, Johnsson, Kapanen, etc.) Some of the early success like the Washington series and even meeting Boston are now looking like failures even though the Leafs were quite ahead of schedule.

A slower build, more of a program emphasis would have yielded a stronger team up and down.

Better pieces would have meant squat, as paying them would be impossible with our core 4 taking up half of
our cap !!!

 

[Racer88]

It will be interesting to see what Dubas is going to do. Would he go big or bargain hunting.
I agree no Cup champs went from not winning a round to Champs but stranger things happened, maybe Leafs will
break that norm.

To be honest when considering the Leafs anything could happen. Lol