Post-Game Talk: Leafs lose

[ACC1224]

It’s all relative to expectations and pay

Marner is expected to be a 100 point player due to skill and salary

Until next year nylander was expected to be ppg due to skill and salary

Marner plays his cards right and asks for 11x8 and will lose a lot of criticism as nylander becomes a whipping boy

Nylanders expectations started the moment he signed the new deal.

 

[TheDoldrums]

It's been a really disappointing year for Liljegren. With the defense getting old the team needed him to take a step up and it just isn't happening.

 

[hullsy47]

That was the biggest offseason deal to be made and they blew it. The biggest deadline deal should have been Nylander and they blew it. These aren't hindsight, I've been saying both for a long time. And before people get up in arms, I have nothing against either Keefe or Nylander. Keefe is in the unenviable position of being the easiest major change to make and it was a no-brainer after the latest playoff disappointment. Nylander (was) in the unenviable position of the only valuable asset they had control over.

This is the absolute sad truth

 

[rumman]

I don't think it's necessarily that trading Mitch Marner the player is the answer. It's that having 4, or even 3 forwards making 11mil+ a year is definitely not the answer.

So you have to pick who stays. Personally I think 2 is too many, but let's say we can get there with 2 forwards making 11mil+ a year.

Which two do you get rid of? And how?

Now that 88 has been inked to that albatross of a contract you have no choice, you have to keep 34 and 88. JT needs to sign the friendliest deal in NHL history and Marner is the odd man out, unless he too wants to play for peanuts which isn’t realistic……….

Can't have a happy family when 4 of the brothers are being treated like queens and the other brothers treated like serfs.

Roger that…….

 

[hullsy47]

You guys are obsessed with the first place thing. Turns out, barring the unexpected the rest of the season, I was wrong. I guess that never happens here?

As for Domi and Bertuzzi, I don't think any team would give a first round pick for Domi. I suspect they could get one for Bertuzzi because there are teams out there that would look past his numbers this season, but I think it's all irrelevant because I just don't see Treliving doing it.

Yep we got another pigeon GM

 

[notDatsyuk]

One guy is having a 'horrible season' and one guy is having a 'phenomenal season' yet they are separated by 2 goals and 6 assists.

One guy is playing mainly with the best scorer (11G, 4A 5-on-5 last 21 games) and one guy is playing mainly with a dying swan (0G, 2A 5-on-5 last 21 games).

 

[ACC1224]

One guy is playing mainly with the best scorer (11G, 4A 5-on-5 last 21 games) and one guy is playing mainly with a dying swan (0G, 2A 5-on-5 last 21 games).

Also gets to avoid the opponents top defenders.

 

[rumman]

It's been a really disappointing year for Liljegren. With the defense getting old the team needed him to take a step up and it just isn't happening.

I’m starting to think we’ve seen his potential has peaked, nothing more than a bottom pairing D man……..

 

[notDatsyuk]

Also gets to avoid the opponents top defenders.

It's been shown that quality of teammates is much more significant than quality of opponents.

Between home and road last changes, changing on the fly, icings, and coaching strategy, matchups aren't as black and white as some people suggest.

 

[weems]

It's been a really disappointing year for Liljegren. With the defense getting old the team needed him to take a step up and it just isn't happening.

It's been a disappointing year for alot of players that we were counting on bigtime.

Tavares, Brodie, Bertuzzi, Samsonov, Knies, Liljegren.

 

[andora]

Anyone who was counting on knies was being unreasonable - to dpuble your game output plus playoff in the top league is killer

Liljegren should receive some grace after his ankle injury.. it can take a lomg time to get your mind to trust your body again

 

[weems]

Anyone who was counting on knies was being unreasonable - to dpuble your game output plus playoff in the top league is killer

Liljegren should receive some grace after his ankle injury.. it can take a lomg time to get your mind to trust your body again

Knies is on something like a 30pt pace playing alot of his season with supremely talented players.

Noone is saying he sucks but that offensive production is just not good enough and most would have expected more at the start of the year if they knew how much time he would get playing on the top lines.

 

[Nineteen67]

Keep the two best and, if they won't waive their NTCs let the other two walk after next season.

Tavares will either retire or take huge pay cut , so there’s really only one choice, if they decide to move one of them.

 

[andora]

Knies is on something like a 30pt pace playing alot of his season with supremely talented players.

Noone is saying he sucks but that offensive production is just not good enough and most would have expected more at the start of the year if they knew how much time he would get playing on the top lines.

Then that is unrealistic and unreasonable

 

[Evilhomer]

Knies is on something like a 30pt pace playing alot of his season with supremely talented players.

Noone is saying he sucks but that offensive production is just not good enough and most would have expected more at the start of the year if they knew how much time he would get playing on the top lines.

Knies is a rookie. It's not fair to expect anything more from him. Give him a couple of years and he will become an impact player.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Marner plays his cards right and asks for 11x8 and will lose a lot of criticism as nylander becomes a whipping boy

That would be a sneaky smart move for Marner to make. Sign at 500k less than Nylander and a couple million under what he could get maximum and let them use that money to upgrade. Put all the rabid fans pressure on Nylander and get some help on the PK and look good. I wonder if he even considers this because it is the right thing to do after getting overpaid on the first contract and he will have another contract afterwards.

 

[weems]

Then that is unrealistic and unreasonable

This is extremely easy to say in hindsight but at the start of the season it was almost universal that Knies was one of the more talented rookies for the 2023/2024 season.

If you had told people he would spend most of the year playing with the teams best players, almost everyone would have expected more offensive production out of him than going at a 30pt pace.

I wasn't expecting him to be dominant in his first year but him scoring at such a low clip alongside great players is somewhat suprising.

 

[rumman]

Anyone who was counting on knies was being unreasonable - to dpuble your game output plus playoff in the top league is killer

Liljegren should receive some grace after his ankle injury.. it can take a lomg time to get your mind to trust your body again

It’s a good point about Lilly’s injury, I’ve forgotten about that and have not taken that into my criticism of him of late, high ankle sprains are difficult to return from………

 

[andora]

Lol yep the team is going places when the guys need to play politics with their contracts...yep.. cohesiveness

 

[Stephen]

No leadership. Very entitled. Really do think it's bad luck having 4 or 5 core players that are very talented but lack intestinal fortitude. You'd think at least 1 of them would have turned out to be a heart & soul kinda player.

Heart and soul guys usually lack a little something in the natural talent department so they make up for it in the effort, emotion. Etc. For now it seems like an under developed part of the core Leafs since they’ve never had to scrap and claw their way and persevere.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Solid grinding game last night at Scotia .. Isles played it tight and forced Leafs forwards to attack net which they didn't - no surprise - til last seconds .. we lost game on Isles forecheck late .. Brodie was a step slow and made a bad board pass to Rielly who tried a skilled touch pass instead of taking a hit and eating a puck OR going high and hard on glass .. once puck got lost then Engval (folks Engval??????????) outmuscled Rielly to net and it was over .. BAD BAD BAD D in every single way possible .. folks no pro team can win with that D .. that was a pretty simple sequence lost by our D .. we need a couple defensive D very very badly if we plan on passing round 1 this year .. as i stated games tighten up and time and space on puck decreases after new year and it will only get worse as teams fight for playoff spots .. scoring dries up and games get decided by D and G

 

[andora]

This is extremely easy to say in hindsight but at the start of the season it was almost universal that Knies was one of the more talented rookies for the 2023/2024 season.

If you had told people he would spend most of the year playing with the teams best players, almost everyone would have expected more offensive production out of him than going at a 30pt pace.

I wasn't expecting him to be dominant in his first year but him scoring at such a low clip alongside great players is somewhat suprising.

I stay with my opinion - he is jumping into the top league DOUBLING his game output

He could even potentially benefit from a marlie trip jist for some rest

 

[Stephen]

Hold at the trade deadline. This team isn't winning shit. Get rid of Keefe, reassess both Shanahan and Treehugger in the summer.

Just get Berube in there and stir things up. Jeez.

 

[hamzarocks]

It's been a really disappointing year for Liljegren. With the defense getting old the team needed him to take a step up and it just isn't happening.

Another young player Keefe doesnt know what to do with

Sandin
Dermott
Lilijgren
Knies so far
Robertson

He hasnt been able to develop a single top 4D or top 6 winger yet from that crop.

Keefe needs to find ways to utilize the three left here to their strenghrs and get surplus value from them while they are dirt cheap

Im scared he will screw up Cowan and minten (to lesser extent as I see a 3C ceiling for Minten) when they become full time leafs

 

[andora]

It’s a good point about Lilly’s injury, I’ve forgotten about that and have not taken that into my criticism of him of late, high ankle sprains are difficult to return from………

Yeah i remember learning more about them when crosby went through it and what he said afterwards about healing time and trusting time being different