Post-Game Talk: Predictable Outcome - Leafs Give Up 5+ on Home Ice, Lose

[thewave]

Matthews, Nylander, and Marner are all on pace for 100+ points, and yet we're just holding onto the last wildcard spot (and most likely only because other teams have games in hand). Crazy stuff.

Because they are playing for stats totals, for next contract purposes. Not winning Hockey. Because the cap situation many players are rentals so naturally on a team like this they are going to want to pad their stats for the next contract.

Essentially we are a means to an end, that end is money, not a cup.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Many don't realize it but the beatings will continue until morale improves. You pay to watch, so there is zero incentive to win. Any other sports team has empty seats right now.

 

[Contenderorpretender]

If Matthews would have atleast scored a hattrick they leafs would have gotten a point.

 

[stealth1]

The went back from last season. One single home win in two playoff rounds.

It's hard for players to get up for home games when the fans are so quiet.

 

[Niagara Bill]

Many don't realize it but the beatings will continue until morale improves. You pay to watch, so there is zero incentive to win. Any other sports team has empty seats right now.

I thought The Masked Singer was very good last night, exciting to the end, every contestant tried really hard, no bad penalties or coaching. I had a good night sleep without frustration.

 

[Nineteen67]

We had the d we had. The excuse for Vegas winning was that they got to add Stone free of cap constraints.

I fully understand.
Adding either of the players, Stone or Kucherov, that were used to ‘circumvent’ the cap to win a Cup would not have been enough for the Leafs to win. The two teams that did it were built right to begin with and used the loophole to their advantage.

 

[stealth1]

You can absolutely spend 50% of the cap on 4 elite players. They're the ones carrying our team right now.
What you can't do is waste the other 50%.

You can as long as they aren't all forwards.

 

[verdi]

We suck at hockey.

 

[Nineteen67]

Unreal really

View attachment 765331

Not unbelievable at all. If you watched the playoffs you saw a D that wasn’t capable in either series and they’re worse than last year. Couple that with replacing half decent defensive forwards with defensively deficient forwards, this was expected.

 

[BallardEra]

If Matthews would have atleast scored a hattrick they leafs would have gotten a point.

Imagine where they'd be if Matthews had 4-5 goals on the season.

 

[Nineteen67]

The supporting cast would have gotten a PPG two-way winger on the third line... that'd go a long way to helping us with our secondary scoring that we desperately needed.

What would have been the forward group?

Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Knies - Tavares - Nylander
Jarnkrok - ROR - Stone
Kerfoot - Kampf - Acciari

something like that? Ya, I think we could have potentially won...

LOL.
Brodie, Holl, Gio, Lilly, McCabe

 

[rumman]

Fire Keefe

Who’s idea was it to extend him? That guy’s got to go……..

A lot of people called it the day he signed.

But to be fair, he's even worse than predicted.

Try him on the wing, he’s useless on D……..

 

[rumman]

Sure sounds like there's a rift in the room

Sounds like a coach trying to keep his job, criticizing this bunch is likely to have the opposite effect………

 

[Leafs98]

Many don't realize it but the beatings will continue until morale improves. You pay to watch, so there is zero incentive to win. Any other sports team has empty seats right now.

I dont know why but I watched the Sharks/Flyers the other night. That building was maybe 20% full. Thats putting pressure on above, never happens here.

 

[Leafs98]

Sounds like a coach trying to keep his job, criticizing this bunch is likely to have the opposite effect………

In his trash mouth poetry he is careful to point out new guy this, new guy that. Never Dubas.

 

[rumman]

It's hard for players to get up for home games when the fans are so quiet.

The quiet fans are not the cause of this tire fire……..

 

[ACC1224]

I dont know why but I watched the Sharks/Flyers the other night. That building was maybe 20% full. Thats putting pressure on above, never happens here.

What do you think will happen once they start 'putting pressure on above' ?

If you don't think there is pressure here you're not paying attention.

The quiet fans are not the cause of this tire fire……..

 

[Gallagbi]

The only difference to the leafs and oilers starts to the season is that their stars were slumping and ours weren’t.

But both teams have the precise same flaws.

Honestly the Oil have played much better than us, but the goaltending is atrocious. When goaltending is that bad your other play gets over analyzed

 

[TheDoldrums]

So after the offseason, a lot of people said all the new additions would.be a big test for Keefes defensive system. Massively failing that test right now. Everyone knew Klingberg, Bertuzzi and Domi were among the worst defensive players at their positions so I guess our team defensive collapse shouldn't be shocking.

Kerfoot and Holl > Domi and Klingberg and its not even close. God I miss watching a structurally sound defensive team, this is brutal.

 

[Evilhomer]

So after the offseason, a lot of people said all the new additions would.be a big test for Keefes defensive system. Massively failing that test right now.

Kerfoot and Holl > Domi and Klingberg and its not even close. God I miss watching a structurally sound defensive team, this is brutal.

I think the question will be whether Treliving gives Keefe enough time to integrate all of the new players into the team's system, or if the pressure gets to him and causes him to make a kneejerk decision (such as firing Keefe). Keep in mind that it Florida half a season last year to integrate their new players before things starting falling into place for them. Nobody wants to hear it today, but sometimes it just takes time.

 

[ToneDog]

We are playing with 4 bottom 6 dmen, shaky goaltending and forwards who are O first and D second. There are moves to be made. I hope Tre does not inflict more wounds trying to make them since every move he has made has been a wrong one.

 

[HockeyVirus]

I find the hate on Keefe to be a little comical...

Last couple of seasons this team has been very very good defensively. That was playing within Keefe's plan/structure. I get there has not been playoff success, so wanting Keefe out for that I get.

We changed a lot of players on the roster this offseason, and almost ALL of the players we lost had a very high defensive acumen. I would argue that ALL of the players we brought in, have a low(er) defensive acumen.

Our PK is shambles in the brain as Marner would say, it is literally atrocious.

We have so many players cheating in risky areas... and our goaltending has been unable to bail the mistakes out shit.

I dunno what a coach is supposed to do with that, but if this continues he will be the one to fall no doubt. For the record, I wanted Keefe replaced in the off-season a I felt bring back the core and the coach made no sense. One or the other had to change.

This is going to be a 'battle for a wild card' season, with yet again a massive fringe turnover for next season after another early playoff exit.

That is because many posters simply don't watch the sport they watch the scores and react based on that.

Keefe had us a top 5 defensive team last year and a top 7 team the year before but now posters say he can't coach a defensive system.

This is on Tre for giving Keefe shit players. Who is winning with this D core? Who is winning with Sammy playing how he is?

 

[Nineteen67]

The Leafs with their capspace last offseason could have went with,

Cole 3 million
Soucy 3.25
Accari 2
Rodrigues 3
Suter 1.6.

It seems easy to make decisions after the fact but I believe those 5 make a bigger impact.

Treliving evaluated the team and saw there’s too many needs and not enough time or resources to fix it in one off-season. Also, they had to figure out what Matthews and Nylander and they were obligated to ice a team this season.
I assume they wanted to try Bertuzzi, Domi and Klingberg to see if they could be a part of the future.

 

[wingman75]

That is because many posters simply don't watch the sport they watch the scores and react based on that.

Keefe had us a top 5 defensive team last year and a top 7 team the year before but now posters say he can't coach a defensive system.

This is on Tre for giving Keefe shit players. Who is winning with this D core? Who is winning with Sammy playing how he is?

It is!

But, I will say the returning players are at fault here too. They need to chat as a group and figure out what the f*** their deal is.

I liked a lot of Keefe's post game comments about team and stepping up for each other. It's not happening right now.

Getting some good goaltending would help give the guys some time to figure it out as a team...

Two big games this weekend before the mega roadie to Sweden.

 

[Peasy]

I honestly dont think missing the playoffs would be the worst thing in the world. Should give the ownership, management and the core a wake up call. Theyve been spinning their wheels for way to long at this point. Need change.