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News Article: No, William Nylander is not better than Mitch Marner, under any circumstances

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Nineteen67 said:
I firmly believe, based on his play, that’d he rather play in the Worlds than the NHL playoffs. Until his actions become louder than words, I’ll continue to assume that’s the case.

If I was in the media and was at training camp, I’d ask him straight to his face.
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Of course he would rather play in the soft no hit B-level tournament, where he's one of the best players, along with all the rest of the guys not good enough to win a cup, than play in the hard gruelling playoffs where he's just another grunt lost in the mix alongside with the real stars.
 
Nineteen67 said:
I firmly believe, based on his play, that’d he rather play in the Worlds than the NHL playoffs. Until his actions become louder than words, I’ll continue to assume that’s the case.

If I was in the media and was at training camp, I’d ask him straight to his face.
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Doubt he gives you a straight answer if you are right.
 
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Well if it makes Leaf fans happy Auston Matthews has ranked #3 of the same NHL Network rankings for Centers.

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John Tavares no longer considered a top 20 NHL center however and not on the list.
 
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TMLBlueandWhite said:
Of course he would rather play in the soft no hit B-level tournament, where he's one of the best players, along with all the rest of the guys not good enough to win a cup, than play in the hard gruelling playoffs where he's just another grunt lost in the mix alongside with the real stars.
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This is why Willie is always the best player in pre-season games IMO. Truth be told, he has scored huge (non OT) goals but I can't see him ever dominating a playoff series. This I expect from our unicorn but he has not done it to date.
 
Racer88 said:
It’s obvious that what they are doing is not working so maybe they should try mixing it up in the corners.
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They have mixed it up in the corners plenty. It doesn't help anything. If anything, it has hurt. The issue is that some people only accept one specific approach to every possible situation, and if anybody ever takes a different yet equally good approach at any time that doesn't result in player go boom, they refuse to accept it as valid and ridicule the player.
 
ToneDog said:
This is why Willie is always the best player in pre-season games IMO. Truth be told, he has scored huge (non OT) goals but I can't see him ever dominating a playoff series. This I expect from our unicorn but he has not done it to date.
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He's not "that guy" on a team full of players who aren't "that guy".

That also includes the new captain too.
 
HamiltonNHL said:
FTFY
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Over the last few playoffs, Matthews has been putting up PPG or better and not getting scored on much...

He is still performing amazingly in the playoffs.

No clue how people think Matthews is a bad playoff performer, he's been consistently good recently.

Marner/Nylander/Tavares all have good/bad series, Matthews is consistently our best player, and usually the best player on both teams.

Hitting a lot, blocking shots, and getting tons of takeaways.

Where do you rank him?
 
ToneDog said:
You are probably right but I'm holding out hope he can give us one good run before JT, Tanev and OEL do their best Thelma and Louise cliff dive.
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That could be as early as this year.

From the 2016/17 season to the 2017/18 season Duncan Keith went from perennial Norris candidate to "OMG this guy stinks get him off the team" in one year and never recovered. There's plenty of research that shows these older guys are all prone to crashing some time in the very near future. With so many players on the wrong side of thirty, and now even thirty five, the Leafs increase their chances of one of these so-called pillars of the team imploding.

With Tanev as 1RHD and Tavares 2C, for example, if one of those guys tanks with any serious money or term left that will be a costly lesson in damage control.
 
JT AM da real deal said:
Da major issue we have is are paying FAR FAR FAR too much for 2 wingers .. this is what is killing da team .. 2C's 1D and 1G fine .. but not 2Cs and 2Ws .. folks need to get back on course here .. 2 Ws at these pay levels relative to CBA CAP system is not feasible and why we fail terribly when it counts in a Cup pursuit .. also 4 guys at half CAP gives team roster depth issues which also kill us when it counts in a Cup pursuit .. folks it is gonna be anther year before this ship can sail properly into playoffs .. on Willy vs Mitch .. Willy has Mitch beat badly on raw tools of game - SPEED, STRENGTH on SKATES, STRENGTH on PUCK and SHOT .. but Mitch sees game better ie hockey sense and he can turl in a phone booth on his edges with anyone in da world today .. Mitch issue is very very simple and it has been da same since i 1st started coaching him when he wore green laces on ice and it affects his performance in highly competitive SPEED games like playoffs where SPEED and POWER always beat skill .. and da reason is really really simple and no one needs to over complicate it --- Mitch has a very short stride length due strictly to his technique which focus on his edgework .. and everyone who plays/played knows it including Leafs skating folks .. but there has been a strict focus and reliance on one of family friends who is a skating coach from very beginning and that is primary reason why da issue still exists
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Perhaps that is why he is so dependent on Matthews?

Passing the puck eliminates the need to power through checking.

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HamiltonNHL said:
He can't carry the puck and drive play.
He can score with open ice when fed a great pass (best in the game)
Those opportunities aren't there in the post season.
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I am convinced you have never watched Matthews play, but alright, good to know I should ignore any opinion you have on the game, thanks.
 
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notbias said:
I am convinced you have never watched Matthews play, but alright, good to know I should ignore any opinion you have on the game, thanks.
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Dont bother. Just a bitter Tigercats fan watching his Smoke Stack city deteriorate around him. This guy used to pitch relocation Proposals to Bettman on the Main board to move a franchise to Hamilton or Markham. I actually find him kind of hilarious sometimes.
 
Dekes For Days said:
They have mixed it up in the corners plenty. It doesn't help anything. If anything, it has hurt. The issue is that some people only accept one specific approach to every possible situation, and if anybody ever takes a different yet equally good approach at any time that doesn't result in player go boom, they refuse to accept it as valid and ridicule the player.
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If they would try a different approach and it worked I would be thrilled to accept it but such an occasion has not occurred so I’m looking at anything that they can do to reverse their continual failure
 
Dekes For Days said:
I care if we win or lose, but that play impacted nothing. Just because you may like seeing players go boom, that doesn't make it the correct play in every possible situation, and there's really no benefit to getting run over there. He very clearly attempts to anticipate and block the lane up the boards. It's a common play, and Marner is actually quite good at it. It's too bad that it didn't work that one time, but hardly anything notable.
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Dekes, I gotta disagree with you here brother.

I believe not stepping into that play sets a precedence to Boston that feeds into the belief that we are soft. That if they take it to the boards they will beat us. That belief in their system and team, is what propels them to beat us in any series. The same could be said for FLA, and Tampa (years past). I made a point in another thread that I think NYI would do the same to us. I truly believe, if we somehow matched up with them, they would have beaten us this past playoff.

I don’t want to see skill players getting greasy for no reason, game 65 of the regular season, absolutely not. In the playoffs, IMO, it’s a non-negotiable. Especially from a captain and 11Mil player.

And yes, I absolutely cheered when Matthews cross checked Dahlin in the face or whatever. Why do you think players take these liberties constantly with our top guys? The no push back, “cutting off corners”, “move valuable on the ice”, doesn’t win playoff series. Look at the snarl McDavid has in his game now, or what Crosby developed into - I’m not saying Mitch needs to McSorley a guy over the head, but you have to put it all out there sometimes to become a champion in the NHL.
 
Darcy Tucker said:
Yeah some retired grinders looking for attention. Do fans in New York send letters to Panarin to get bodied into the boards or they'll send him on the first plane back to Chicago? Yes let's all sit and hope that we get our only offensive threats nice and mangled and rugged next season so they can make John Tavares look handsome for once in his life.
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So your saying add them all to the long list by you and @Dekes For Days of Sportsnet writers and former NHLers who are out to sewer Marner...for no particular reason at all? lol

I made it clear that numerous (in fact 5 at least) former NHL players have commented to Marner pulling the chute. Not one of them have said it was anything but him avoiding a hit.

@Dekes For Days whats the list at of people with no professionalism that are just out to sewer Marner for no particular reason at all?

By my count you and your gang have 6-7 former NHL players, numerous Sportsnet writers and a handful of hosts. Jeez... poor Marner cant catch a break.

Tie Domi Esquire said:
regular season in games that don't matter against teams that don't matter vs. every playoffs
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Yea its strange... who gives a $%%^ if a player takes shifts off in regular season games? Everyone does it. Majority dont do it in the playoffs though. 100% preferabe to do it in the season than playoffs.
 
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