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Playoff Roster

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Isaac Nootin said:
If anyone thinks Holl is coming out of the lineup, you're fooling yourself. Simply take a look at TOI, the coaching staff clearly trusts him.

Rielly - Brodie
Gio - Liljegren
Muzz - Holl

Sandin/Lub

However I'm not sure the staff puts Lil in over Lub. They should, but I'm not convinced.
Click to expand...

Holl dressing with a fully healthy lineup is a fireable offense.
 
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I thought JT looked good with Mikheyev specifically last night.

What about:

Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Knies - Tavares - Mikheyev
Kerfoot - Abruzzese - Nylander
Blackwell - Kampf - Engvall

With that 3rd line obviously getting sheltered offensive minutes
 
Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Robertson - Kerfoot - Nylander
Engvall - Kampf - Mikheyev
Blackwell - Tavares - Kase

Clifford - Spezza - Simmonds

Rielly - Brodie
Giordano - Liljegren
Muzzin - Holl

Sandin - Lyubushkin


Mrazek
Campbell
 
Puckstuff said:
Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Robertson - Kerfoot - Nylander
Engvall - Kampf - Mikheyev
Blackwell - Tavares - Kase

Clifford - Spezza - Simmonds

Rielly - Brodie
Giordano - Liljegren
Muzzin - Holl

Sandin - Lyubushkin


Mrazek
Campbell
Click to expand...
and if the Matthews-Marner combo gets shut out or very limited in the first 2 games like they did with Montreal in last years playoffs (less space to move in the playoffs) I quickly switch it up to give more balance.


Knies-Matthews-Nylander
Bunting-Tavares-Marner
Engvall-Kampf-Mikheyev
Blackwell-Kerfoot-Kase

*conditional on Knies getting games in regular season.
 
Keefe is going to have a tough decision when Muzzin is ready to be back, which could be soon. I think Holl might be the odd man out but he's been playing very well lately. The only other option is Liljegren and he's been great with Gio. I would rotate Holl and Liljegren if the defense is healthy.

The other big issue is obviously the 4th line, which affects the other lines that work. I think Blackwell has been put in a tough spot playing with 2 players that have struggled for a couple months but I think he could do well with Kampf and Engvall. Knies could be a BIG X factor but seems really optimistic to expect him to come in and replace a veteran.

As of right now this is what I would do.

Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Mikheyev - Tavares - Nylander
Kerfoot - Spezza - Kase
Engvall - Kampf - Blackwell
Clifford - Simmonds

Rielly - Lyubushkin
Muzzin - Brodie
Giordano - Liljegren
Sandin - Holl


Mrazek
Campbell
 
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SprDaVE said:
Keefe is going to have a tough decision when Muzzin is ready to be back, which could be soon. I think Holl might be the odd man out but he's been playing very well lately. The only other option is Liljegren and he's been great with Gio. I would rotate Holl and Liljegren if the defense is healthy.

The other big issue is obviously the 4th line, which affects the other lines that work. I think Blackwell has been put in a tough spot playing with 2 players that have struggled for a couple months but I think he could do well with Kampf and Engvall. Knies could be a BIG X factor but seems really optimistic to expect him to come in and replace a veteran.

As of right now this is what I would do.

Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Mikheyev - Tavares - Nylander
Kerfoot - Spezza - Kase
Engvall - Kampf - Blackwell
Clifford - Simmonds

Rielly - Lyubushkin
Muzzin - Brodie
Giordano - Liljegren
Sandin - Holl


Mrazek
Campbell
Click to expand...
Abruzzese is a potential wildcard. Tons of focus on Knies, and for good reason, but Abruzzese is not getting his due. Looking at that lineup above, Spezza and Blackwell are the two most likely to be replaced by either Abruzzese or Knies.
 
You win playoff series with real men on defense .. Lub and Gio are da anchors of our defense .. and Lily showed me last night he will be 3rd man ..
Rielly Lub
Gio Brodie
Muzzy Lily
This is it folks .. you read it here 1st .. we finally got a chance to win a series .. and it is entirely because on backend .. forwards will do little like every year .. forwards don't win series defenders, real,men, do .. and i think we have 3 now - one for each pair .. this has nothing to do with skill
 
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riffle said:
Abruzzese is a potential wildcard. Tons of focus on Knies, and for good reason, but Abruzzese is not getting his due. Looking at that lineup above, Spezza and Blackwell are the two most likely to be replaced by either Abruzzese or Knies.
Click to expand...

I like Abruzzese but I think he's more or less a next year player because of his skillset. I might be very wrong though. He's not going to have an impact on the fourth line playing 6-8 minutes and it feels extremely optimistic to see him grab a spot in the top 6/9 permanently.

Knies brings a lot of things the Leafs need more so I think he has a better chance of winning over a spot over a veteran. Blackwell in this instance would be the odd man out. For better or worse, Spezza shouldn't come out I don't think. He's great at draws and still does some good things, especially on the 2nd PP. Give him wingers that aren't always Simmonds and/or Clifford and I think he'll look a little better.
 
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SprDaVE said:
I like Abruzzese but I think he's more or less a next year player because of his skillset. I might be very wrong though.

Knies brings a lot of things the Leafs need more so I do think he has a better chance of winning over a spot over a veteran. Blackwell in this instance would be the odd man out. For better or worse, Spezza shouldn't come out I don't think. He's great at draws and still does some good things, especially on the 2nd PP.
Click to expand...
That's what is so fun about where the Leafs are right now. We don't know what they might be with those two looming over potential roster decisions.

Perhaps, neither is ready to contribute and the above is what we roll with. I hope Kase can last a series. Looking at the group he doesn't engender confidence that he'd be there for all potential 7 games of one.

Knies is 3 years younger than Abruzzese so I feel like Abruzzese should, in theory, be more ready but his body is nothing like Knies. Knies can literally destroy guys his age. I hope we soon find out if he has the want to and ability to do that to guys 5-15 years older than him from day one. If he believes he belongs, at 19, his hype may very well be realized right away. He presents as confident.

I'm so disappointed Minnesota won yesterday. That scheduling is awful. 10 days until he plays on the 7th of April. Good things come to those who wait. We've been waiting for over half a century so I guess we can wait 10 more days for one who might lead us to the promised land. Be nice to see what we have and get him and Abruzzese into the mix quickly to get them ready for a May run.
 
Calling up a player from college to replace a core player on the 2nd line for the playoffs is not going to happen.
 
Do people not remember how Leafs management was so fixated with getting Nic Robertson into the Leafs line-up against CBJ in the playoffs that they lost focus of the series and lost eventually?

Getting these inexperienced college kids into playoff line-ups should not be an all consuming focus and a high priority but rather focus on winning a series instead.
 
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Nineteen67 said:
Calling up a player from college to replace a core player on the 2nd line for the playoffs is not going to happen.
Click to expand...
Most likely not, but the bottom-6 is definitely possible.

In my most fun vision, Knies and Abruzzese are together on a 4th line. Two recent Team USA Olympians on a line trying to help the Leafs win a Cup. Maybe, that's just because I dread the thought of Simmonds and Spezza running on fumes and want that injection of youthful energy.

EDIT: I know how unlikely it is, but you hope to see one of these kids' names on a list like this one day. I know it ain't coming close on the 4th line.
thehockeynews.com

Fantastic Freshmen: Five of the most impactful playoff performances by rookies

Twenty years ago, Chris Drury became just the second rookie in NHL history to record four game-winning goals in one playoff. Let's look back at some other memorable post-season efforts by freshman skaters.
thehockeynews.com thehockeynews.com
 
Last edited:
Mess said:
Do people not remember how Leafs management was so fixated with getting Nic Robertson into the Leafs line-up against CBJ in the playoffs that they lost focus of the series and lost eventually?

Getting these inexperienced college kids into playoff line-ups should not be an all consuming focus and a high priority but rather focus on winning a series instead.
Click to expand...

No, because that is not what happened.
 
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Mess said:
Do people not remember how Leafs management was so fixated with getting Nic Robertson into the Leafs line-up against CBJ in the playoffs that they lost focus of the series and lost eventually?

Getting these inexperienced college kids into playoff line-ups should not be an all consuming focus and a high priority but rather focus on winning a series instead.
Click to expand...
I do. That is why I feel buzz for these two rooks because our org has shown a propensity in the past to try and force them like the aforementioned Robertson.

Can only speak for me, but the reason I'm focused so much on what they could potentially add is it just doesn't feel like the Leafs have enough right now to advance very far. We look at what we have and maybe feel like our scoring just isn't good enough unless Matthews and Marner have the kind of ridiculous series we need them to have that they haven't along with other guys like Willy and JT contributing and guys further down. And, again, thinking of Spezza and Simmonds is a buzz kill for me.

Perhaps, the shored up D is enough to make it different this time, but unknowns are one of the charms of hockey and I guess why the focus on them is so great.
 
riffle said:
Most likely not, but the bottom-6 is definitely possible.

In my most fun vision, Knies and Abruzzese are together on a 4th line. Two recent Team USA Olympians on a line trying to help the Leafs win a Cup. Maybe, that's just because I dread the thought of Simmonds and Spezza running on fumes and want that injection of youthful energy.

EDIT: I know how unlikely it is, but you hope to see one of these kids' names on a list like this one day. I know it ain't coming close on the 4th line.
thehockeynews.com

Fantastic Freshmen: Five of the most impactful playoff performances by rookies

Twenty years ago, Chris Drury became just the second rookie in NHL history to record four game-winning goals in one playoff. Let's look back at some other memorable post-season efforts by freshman skaters.
thehockeynews.com thehockeynews.com
Click to expand...
Maybe one day. Looking for answers to the second line, D and goaltending woes this late in the season is the reason most people don’t see the Leafs as a legit contender.
 
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Nineteen67 said:
Maybe one day. Looking for answers to the second line, D and goaltending woes this late in the season is the reason most people don’t see the Leafs as a legit contender.
Click to expand...
Ha ha! Hence, the focus on moonshot wildcards. I think deep down a lot of us know we need something we don't have right now to not have it end like it has the last 4 years.

The D has looked better. I have some confidence in them being stronger than anything we've previously rolled out.
 
Nineteen67 said:
Maybe one day. Looking for answers to the second line, D and goaltending woes this late in the season is the reason most people don’t see the Leafs as a legit contender.
Click to expand...

you should check out the question marks on all the other contenders.
 
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Nineteen67 said:
Maybe one day. Looking for answers to the second line, D and goaltending woes this late in the season is the reason most people don’t see the Leafs as a legit contender.
Click to expand...
D is solid .IMO, the goaltending is going to be their undoing this year..
 
zeke said:
the only contender is the team that just won the cup.
Click to expand...
You asked to check question marks on other contenders...plural. I kind of hate this kind of posting from me, but you did just say contenderS so it can't be just the Bolts.

Sadly, the best predictor of future behavior, is past behavior. Now, we're not the same team we were in any of the other 4 failed post-seasons, but optimism isn't coming naturally for me without really feeling something is different about the 2022 version.
 
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