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Our 3rd line without Hyman

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ottomaddox

ottomaddox

Registered User
Oct 31, 2017
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Toronto
Tonight Hyman was a much needed presence on the 1st line, but that 3rd line without him is fairly awful.

I know we can expect Hyman to be up and down, but in the playoffs this 3rd line will be eaten alive.

I don't quite have a solution other then possibly getting Robertson to play there.

What should Dubas/Keefe do?
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But yea whoever he picks up I'd expect would be able to fill either of Hyman's spots, on the 1st or 3nd line.

That 2nd line should settle with Galchenyuk or any of Simmonds, Thornton, Kerfoot, Mikheyev...

Team only has so much cap space to add.
 
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123offtheglass said:
But yea whoever he picks up I'd expect would be able to fill either of Hyman's spots, on the 1st or 3nd line.

That 2nd line should settle with Galchenyuk or any of Simmonds, Thornton, Kerfoot, Mikheyev...

Team only has so much cap space to add.
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Simmonds and Thornton should be waived. Cut your losses and move on

I like Travis Boyd more than Simmonds. JT should be benched and used every other game

It's time we go with younger legs and faster. call up Anderson and Robertsson
 
Whoever Dubas picks up at the deadline, IF he does, will likely be someone that pushes Hyman back with Engvall and Mikheyev.

And then the Leafs can very likely sneak Thornton and Spezza back through waivers to give them some breaks and the Leafs can rotate players to finish the season.
 
fahad203 said:
Simmonds and Thornton should be waived. Cut your losses and move on

I like Travis Boyd more than Simmonds. JT should be benched and used every other game

It's time we go with younger legs and faster. call up Anderson and Robertsson
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I've gotta agree. Both Simmonds and Thornton are offering nothing to the team on the ice. I don't see Simmonds being this big deterrent in protecting our players. Recall how Tavares was bowled over a few games ago, I expected a response the next game, but Simmonds did nothing (granted he's getting over a hand injury, but hit the guy, get in his face, do something). Thornton just looks old and it's quite embarassing to just see him lumbering around on the ice, clueless, ineffective, and a detriment to the speed and pace we want to play with. Even Spezza, who is still playing well, looked better when Boyd or Petan were on his line. Now he's carrying around that anchor that is Thornton. We have to do what is right for the team, not what is right for respected veterans.
 
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I think that I can most confidently say that Dubas will not waive Thornton and Simmonds.

Simmonds played very well before his injury. If he can get back to that Toronto will be better off. What makes people think that he's all of a sudden a lost cause? Thornton was slow last year and most of his career. He can still contribute I think. I just think that is a hasty/fickle idea to waive him. Why have him and his leadership here to just declare "nah we don't need your leadership now".

Anyway, I would hope the thread stays on topic: the 3rd line. It's the younger/faster guys that seem to be the problem.
 
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fahad203 said:
Simmonds and Thornton should be waived. Cut your losses and move on

I like Travis Boyd more than Simmonds. JT should be benched and used every other game

It's time we go with younger legs and faster. call up Anderson and Robertsson
Click to expand...

I honestly thought you meant John Tavares when you referenced JT before reading this a second time.
 
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If Dubas can land a rental forward to bolster the top six allowing Hyman to rejoin the 3rd line, we should be able to steamroll teams rolling all four lines.
 
Whatever the cost is, whether it's a top six pick up or a specialized bottom six player the finer point is supplementing what we have while not disrupting what we have. I'd rather we find a piece to offset Hyman's third line rotation and maximize what he does best with our top line. I think it's easier to plug someone in to a more workmanlike role and have it succeed rather than count on chemistry to match that of Matthews Marner and Hyman. I also think there's a few players out there who have the sort of sandpaper we need who wouldn't be de facto top 6 players.

Use other assets to solidify our defense similarly and another goalie. Ekholm might not be an option at this point. I think he'd be our number one target if he was an option. Short of that, I hope Dubas is kicking tires on the popular pieces bandied about these days: Brandon Montour, Miles Wood, Nick Folgno and Chris Dreidger

Not knock out pieces like Ekholm, but they're that middle quality type players (excluding Driedger who I think is another Campbell-like piece and would make a great tandem.) that make life a lot easier for our guys and tougher for the other side.
 
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zeke said:
Hall works whether he goes on the top line and lets us reunite that 3rd line or whether he just goes down to that 3rd line himself in a Kessel cup role.

Either way.
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This is what I’m thinking as well.

I do think he will do a lot better if he comes to a team where he doesn’t have to be the leader or star player. I think he would be a great pickup and really give us 3 killer lines.
 
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Kerfoot/Hall - Matthews - Marner
Galchenyuk - Nylander - Hyman
Mikheyev - Tavares - Engvall
Simmonds - Spezza - Thornton

Hyman can help drive the Nylander line.
Tavares can't play the same game as Nylander. Put him back with grinders like in NYI, and let him do his thing.
 
HC7 said:
Kerfoot/Hall - Matthews - Marner
Galchenyuk - Nylander - Hyman
Mikheyev - Tavares - Engvall
Simmonds - Spezza - Thornton

Hyman can help drive the Nylander line.
Tavares can't play the same game as Nylander. Put him back with grinders like in NYI, and let him do his thing.
Click to expand...

I like looking at line combos and seeing what other possibilities are there.

My one negative critique on this is that Tavares would NOT be able to keep up with the pace of Soup and Pierre.
 
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Not sure I understand the concern over the 3rd line. Is there another team with a 3rd line that is going to dominate what we currently ice?
 
ottomaddox said:
Most certainly and likely in the playoffs. Columbus taught us that.
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The third line against CBJ was Robertson-Kerfoot-Kapanen.

A: They were not the problem in that series
B: Only one of them is still on the active roster

You didn't answer which team's 3rd line is going to dominate the Leaf's 3rd.
 
egd27 said:
The third line against CBJ was Robertson-Kerfoot-Kapanen.

A: They were not the problem in that series
B: Only one of them is still on the active roster

You didn't answer which team's 3rd line is going to dominate the Leaf's 3rd.
Click to expand...

I will answer, but we need bring out my time machine first.
 
I wonder if flipping Spezza/Simmonds does enough to matter.

Feels like Spezza has finish and hands, not a lot else, which is exactly what Engvall and Mik need.

Kerfoot needs someone else to pressure with him so he's not solo on the forecheck and backcheck. Simmonds can help there.
 
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