That’s happening…. Now. Tanev better be taking his protein drinks because he might be looking at 25 minutes of ice time. Any injury to the top 4 is now a nightmare.
I agree but now there’s less depth and the third pairing is ultra weak. Timmins and Benoit on the ice at the same time. Not exactly championship calibre D.
People see those January games against passive teams when he can skate up ice, when there is no hard forecheck, and he looks good. Makes nice passes, exits the zone, skates, shoots, you think, this guy is a top 4. Then he faces a team with a hard forecheck, takes away space and time, and his inability to process the game (which was all the talk with the Marlies, why he wasn't a staple up here earlier btw) becomes a glaring liability. He can't win board battles, can't clear the net, loses all poise with the puck. Think it was Johnston last year in the playoff who nailed it, he passed the puck like it was now someone else's problem. Zero composure, mentally and physically over matched. It was the final confirmation to move on from him. Some guys just don't have the mental fortitude, he sure seems like one of them.
I don't get who people think Benning is going to play over. Hakanpaa is available after tomorrow's game. That leaves us with:
And Timmins and Benoit are better because???
Well two coaches now think Benoit is better. Enjoy Sharks games I guess, we good here.
If you mean better as in bigger then sure. I’m not sure the math works that way though. The players salaries suggest otherwise.
The leafs coaching staff fell in love with Justin Holl too….. not exactly a glowing track record.
Maybe he gets a good run in SJ and somehow ends up back in TO. You just never know.
I have to agree here.
It wasn’t a hockey trade. It was just a salary dump to free up cap space for injured players to return.
Timmins and Benoit is exactly the kind of 3rd pair of a championship caliber d pair have had. Vegas recently had guys like Hague, Hutton, Whitecloud and Pachal as the guys playing on their 3rd pair I believe. Florida had OEL, Kulikov and Mikkola. Colorado had guys like Erik and Jack Johnson and maybe Girard. I can't remember if he played much or if he was hurt at the time.
This is just delusional. OEL and Kulikov are miles better than Timmins and Benoit. Haakanpaa probably won’t last 20 games with his bum knee. Benning will likely get buried in the minors. The only way the leafs contend this season is if they trade another first rounder for more D help at the deadline… like every other year.
No, it's delusional that you think having Hakanpaa, Benoit, Benning and Timmins as your 5th and 6th d man is not a good enough d core to compete for a cup. The main thing they need to do now to make the team better is find a legit 3C. People aren't trading 1st round picks for a 3rd pairing defender when their top 4 is already settled so you even saying they'll need to do that is also very delusional.
