GDT: Pre-Season Game #2: Toronto @ Montreal | 7pm

[Arthur Morgan]

Nikita Gusev has got to be one of the more interesting case study players that I have ever seen in my 30+ years of watching hockey.

In any other league or international tournament, he’s one of the most impactful, dominant players on the ice every shift, but, the moment he plays in an NHL game, he turns into a pumpkin and a guy who looks like he’s never played the game in his life. I honestly don’t know how to explain it. He looked so lost and out of place against the Habs last night.

Thats because the NHL is the best league in the world.
you see it all the time. Mikko Lehtonen was another example. the Finnish Bobby Orr they called him I recall. yeah he couldn't hold down a spot and I dont think he did much better in Columbus either.
just shows HOW tough this league actually is

 

[Captain Crunch]

The habs attended and Price won the series

And the Blue Jackets goalies won the series last year. Maybe, if we make the playoffs, we will face a team with an average to below-average goalie so we can win a round.

 

[ZEBROA]

Marner was great. Nylander had an off day.

 

[Fonzieleaf]

Hard game to watch but thought Mrazek was great outside of the one goal that was 50/50 blame on Rielly. Still don't get how at 27 Mo still struggles with gap control.

Menell looked competent but he's clearly behind Dermott/Liljegren/Sandin, in that order. He'll most likely be waived. I liked his game but not sure I see a future for an OFD with no stand out offensive traits; he's a smart puck mover with good deception but that's about the extent of it. Only one game though.

Dahlstrom was a tire fire, i'd have Rubins ahead of him on the depth chart. Rubins was also subtly effective and would have liked to see how he did beside Holl.

Menell will probably get the Lehtonen treatment, traded to someone for a lesser known prospect.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Trust me, I’ve been advocating for Liljegren to be on the team since last off-season.

This year it’s even more apparent.

He and Muzzin looked great the other night. They compliment each other incredibly well.

It's 1 pre-season game so...I don't want to jump conclusions however I have seen the Justin Holl movie without Jake Muzzin before...it is...not good.

 

[Stigma]

Marner was great. Nylander had an off day.

 

[Sypher04]

I’ve been saying both of those things well before tonight’s game my friend. Average Leafs fan hahaha, if you’re not disgusted with this team and the way things are being run, you’re not a true fan, just another one of Dubass and Shanascam’s puppets.

Oh bugger off with this crap. Don’t tell people what does or doesn’t make them a fan. Not everyone has to agree with your overtly negative viewpoint. That isn’t to say people think it’s all sunshine and roses either, but your opinions are not facts.

 

[Sypher04]

I'd rather see Gabriel on the ice than 41 year old Joe Thornton or Jimmy Vesey, Nic Petan or Malgin.

thankfully we won’t have any of them

 

[4thline]

The whole "Holl isn't a middle pairing D without Muzzin' is one of the weirdest criticisms. He's an underpaid 4-5. With the right partner can handle borderline top-pair minutes. With an equal partner = Meh middle pair that you wouldn't want to lean on that hard. With a lesser partner the best you should really hope for is a strong third pair. That he can't be the best D on a pairing tasked with matchup duties isn't exactly damning criticism of a 4-5, it's more of a "well, duh"

 

[Cams]

And to think we lost McCann to protect Justin “AHL defenseman without Muzzin” Holl, absolutely f***ing pathetic. Dubass is the worst GM in the league and it’s showing more and more every day.

Also, remember what I said about not drawing too many conclusions from the first preseason game, cause duds like this (more of what this team is capable of) are bound to happen.

The sky is falling over losing a player that never even touched a Leafs jersey? Was it to protect Holl, or maybe to protect Kerfoot? Were you waiting for an autographed puck from McCann or something?????

That worked up about losing a player that was never a player for the team........odd

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

so your idea is for every team to guess what a quarter of there starting line is going to be going into the year or what lines each player should be on ?

how else would you know that gusev is complete garbage and we can finally shutdown these people that say he should be in the opening night roster ? playing with tavares no less....

He played with Adam Brooks

 

[egd27]

It’s preseason, the games are beyond meaningless and already people are criticizing players?

Pace yourselves, it’s a long season.

add in that they took 4 minors in the 1st period that essentially killed any flow they were trying to establish and it was an ugly game. Not much new learned IMO

 

[justashadowof]

You would have thought that a 9 minute video for a condensed game on the NHL site would contain enough footage to get a good glimpse at all of the players in the lineup. Barely saw Simmonds, SDA, Ritchie, Kase, Rubins and Menell. I'm very interested in Menell because I'd think he has a real chance of making the team.

What I did see is that Dahlstrom has really slow feet.

 

[Sypher04]

add in that they took 4 minors in the 1st period that essentially killed any flow they were trying to establish and it was an ugly game. Not much new learned IMO

we were the far better team 5 on 5 and being early preseason, special teams aren’t really set at all yet, so I’m not even slightly concerned

 

[justashadowof]

add in that they took 4 minors in the 1st period that essentially killed any flow they were trying to establish and it was an ugly game. Not much new learned IMO

The entertainment value of any level of hockey that is mostly power plays is very low.

 

[zeke]

Most would see Holl as a solid bottom pair defenseman. He’s a bit over his head in the middle pair. I think this year he moves down the lineup and the team will be better off for it.

Guy was literally part of one of the toughest usage most effective matchup pairings in hockey for the last season and a half.

 

[justashadowof]

How about this: if Holl were on the 3rd pairing that would mean there was a worthy 2nd pairing right sider in his place. That defender isn't here currently unless somebody took a massive leap in the off-season. Fantasy time: a 1st pairing RHD is acquired, Holl slides down to the 3rd, Brodie to the 2nd and this team has championship calibre defense.

 

[ottomaddox]

Losses create a lot more criticism and skepticism than TOR deserves but I must say this:

Marner,

Get your 2 on 1 play in order. NHL 101 taught you that you cannot make extra passes on a 2 on 1.

 

[justashadowof]

Losses create a lot more criticism and skepticism than TOR deserves but I must say this:

Marner,

Get your 2 on 1 play in order. NHL 101 taught you that you cannot make extra passes on a 2 on 1.

Only saw a highlight video but the Leafs must have dominated the game. They nearly doubled Montreal's shots and Montreal also blocked twice as many shots while having an advantage in power plays.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Guy was literally part of one of the toughest usage most effective matchup pairings in hockey for the last season and a half.

Muzzin is one hell of a defenseman.

 

[Sypher04]

Losses create a lot more criticism and skepticism than TOR deserves but I must say this:

Marner,

Get your 2 on 1 play in order. NHL 101 taught you that you cannot make extra passes on a 2 on 1.

I would need to watch it again, but I remember thinking that 2on1 overpass was on brooks not marner

 

[Fogelhund]

Losses create a lot more criticism and skepticism than TOR deserves but I must say this:

Marner,

Get your 2 on 1 play in order. NHL 101 taught you that you cannot make extra passes on a 2 on 1.

Wasn't it Brooks who made the "one pass too many"? I was hoping to find the video, in Leafs in Six, but it isn't there. I recall Marner on the right side, Brooks on the left... Marner floated Brooks the pass to shoot, but Brooks passed it back, and didn't it bounce off a D's leg.

 

[ottomaddox]

Wasn't it Brooks who made the "one pass too many"? I was hoping to find the video, in Leafs in Six, but it isn't there. I recall Marner on the right side, Brooks on the left... Marner floated Brooks the pass to shoot, but Brooks passed it back, and didn't it bounce off a D's leg.

I'll take your word for it, but this just reminds me of a team-wide issue. I don't have numbers or video documentation, but it seemed like a real issue last year. It drives me nuts that no shot is produced in a play like that.

 

[notDatsyuk]

The generally accepted usage in preseason is to send the required minimum of established players to away games, and fill with hopefuls.

So Saturday ours regulars beat their scrubs 4-1, and "there was much rejoicing". Two days later their regulars beat our scrubs 5-2, and "heads will roll".

Welcome to Leafland.

 

[ottomaddox]

The generally accepted usage in preseason is to send the required minimum of established players to away games, and fill with hopefuls.

So Saturday ours regulars beat their scrubs 4-1, and "there was much rejoicing". Two days later their regulars beat our scrubs 5-2, and "heads will roll".

Welcome to Leafland.

It's true, but this comes in the wake of a soul crushing playoff loss to MTL.

Outside of the harsh criticism, some of the questions have been answered about Kase, Bunting, Ritchie, Liljegren, Mrazek and (to a lesser extent) Ho-Sang. I think these players might be what TOR needs to fill in around the stars.