TSN: Responsibility for playoff failures

[Stephen]

It's not jealousy at all.

I think it's pity. Let's not forget that most Panthers sought out that experience, and many resign there to continue with that experience; play for a fiercely competitive team, under a world class coach and fantastic hockey operations, and then walk to the beach and hang out with their families and enjoy fantastic weather without being recognized or bothered?

Don't forget - a number of players have re-upped in Florida because it's such a desirable place to play.

Matthew Tkachuk gets all this praise, but the reality is he sought out a zero-scrutiny market after spending some time in a Canadian market, and looks so much happier having done so.

It’s a double edged sword.

Yeah go win your cups in a quiet market. But I think deep down they know they won’t be truly celebrated and remembered like the big market championships in buzzy cities.

 

[NVious]

33% MLSE
33% Shanahan
33% Players

MLSE should've fired Shanahan after the Montreal series 100000%.

Shanahan should've made changes after the Montreal series 10000000000%.

The players had nearly 10 years and their final game 7 stats are:

22 games played 3 goals/9 assists.

You could even deal with it if they had ONE big game 7 where one of them completely took over like they're capable of, but it never happened.

The owners failed in realizing the president was an idiot, the idiotic president was seeing ghosts pretending Matthews was Yzerman, but he never got a Shanahan/Lidstrom that helped Yzerman get over the hump, the players sucked and were awful.

 

[alliuk12]

Easier question is who doesn’t, that’s a short list:
Tanev
Stoli
Benny
McCabe
OEL
Knies
Patches

all our so called superstars should never dawn a leafs jersey ever again and for the love of god get rid of matthews he's nothing more than a cancer on that team

 

[notbias]

Easier question is who doesn’t, that’s a short list:
Tanev
Stoli
Benny
McCabe
OEL
Knies
Patches

You just listed a bunch of players you like, half of those players didn't play well.

Stolarz, Benoit, McCabe, and OEL didn't play great.

Knies is getting praised for effort, but his production was not really great, a 44 point pace is not that great.

You basically just listed players who are supposed to defend well most (and Pacioretty and Knies), and the team had one of their worst GA in the playoffs in the Matthews' era, I know that wasn't all on the stars and two D.

 

[maskingagent]

Videos with Craig Button should have a warning.

I agree with Craig. Well said.

 

[dougieg93]

I exclusively blame Shanny and ownership. They had to commit to either Nylander or Marner but not both as we were too skewed to a particular playstyle. To let Marner walk for nothing when they had the chance is a major offence.

They sold us on the Leafs being a perennial contender by keeping their draft picks so that the pros can get pressure from underneath and they threw that plan away getting rid of all our firsts.

 

[nuck]

Regardless of where anyone stands on Kyle Dubas - he was the only one in that organization brave enough to actually trade away one of the core pieces, and when he tried to do it before the Marner NMC kicked in, Shanahan fired him and preferred to keep them together.

That's the sort of inept, embarrassing decision making that will condemn this franchise to ruin, and frankly, should be a fireable offense.

Today is their locker clean out day and chance to speak to the media - if I don't hear something about Shanahan being done here, I'm going to be livid.

But he didn't actually trade away anybody. If you are referring the the 2023 presser he said things like "perhaps the path has to be adjusted slightly" When pressed specifically about whether he would now be interested in moving one of his top players he said words to the effect that "after a very thorough evaluation I would consider anything with our group here that would allow us a better chance to win the Stanley Cup" He talked about the Tkachuk trade and later "I would take nothing off the table at all". Its important because I think that was the first time he even hinted he wasn't riding the core 4 right to the end though.

However this is the same presser where he said twice he wouldn't pop up with another team a week later so we need to take his words with more than a single grain of salt. That doesn't commit him to action any more than Tre who said Willie could talk to other teams. If you can't get sufficient value back that gives you an out to say you couldn't find a deal that would improve the team right?

Unless you are referring to something not connected to the exit presser in which case sorry It is likely of course that both GMs would need Shanny's sign off on what an acceptable return might be. Its definitely time he took his talents elsewhere. I like him in Buffalo.

 

[Tak7]

But he didn't actually trade away anybody. If you are referring the the 2023 presser he said things like "perhaps the path has to be adjusted slightly" When pressed specifically about whether he would now be interested in moving one of his top players he said words to the effect that "after a very thorough evaluation I would consider anything with our group here that would allow us a better chance to win the Stanley Cup" He talked about the Tkachuk trade and later "I would take nothing off the table at all". Its important because I think that was the first time he even hinted he wasn't riding the core 4 right to the end though.

However this is the same presser where he said twice he wouldn't pop up with another team a week later so we need to take his words with more than a single grain of salt. That doesn't commit him to action any more than Tre who said Willie could talk to other teams. If you can't get sufficient value back that gives you an out to say you couldn't find a deal that would improve the team right?

Unless you are referring to something not connected to the exit presser in which case sorry It is likely of course that both GMs would need Shanny's sign off on what an acceptable return might be. Its definitely time he took his talents elsewhere. I like him in Buffalo.

He wanted to trade off the core 4, and it was blocked by Shanahan.

Dubas then made a push for more autonomy, and got fired instead.

 

[Da Mash]

Blame?

Are we going back to 1968 now and finding out why the leafs can not win the cup?

So many failed.....so many great leafs like Sundin, Clark , Sittler, Salming...... etc

As Keith said recently

Sometimes you feel bad for [the Maple Leafs] because they have some unbelievable players and a great team. I was actually saying this last night to some of the guys, if their team was not in Toronto dealing with all the crazy circus stuff outside of it, they'd be an unbelievable team and such a hard team to play. They just have so much to deal with and I feel bad. We don't have to deal with that in Florida, I feel like that's what makes me and my team so lucky," Tkachuk said.

 

[Buds17]

Those who have been here the longest/for all of it arguably wear it differently. Contrast the team being a tougher out than they have been for some time with a one-sided drubbing to finalize that out as one wishes.

 

[Racer88]

Yup blaming the fans is a cop out by losers

 

[darrylsittler27]

Yup blaming the fans is a cop out by losers

When you have millions of hockey fans all in consensus , it's their fault! Shanahan ran it back , not the fans.

 

[hamzarocks]

He wanted to trade off the core 4, and it was blocked by Shanahan.

Dubas then made a push for more autonomy, and got fired instead.

Dubas wanted EK65

He was either adding EK65 for Rielly + or trading Nylander + for him

Either way we would have been f***ed