Scoring Depth Issues

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BallardEra

Leafs&Caps Since 1982™
Dec 26, 2017
9,041
14,845
East York, Ontario
Sure we can rag on the goaltending and defence all day long (rightfully so) but depth scoring is a huge concern with this team:

Bertuzzi - 1 goal in last 25
Kampf - 1 goal in last 19
Gregor - 1 goal in last 19
Knies - 1 goal in last 16
Domi - 1 goal in last 14
Tavares - 1 goal in last 11

That is simply not good enough for any long term success especially come playoff time.

How do we fix this?

Discuss.
 
Sure we can rag on the goaltending and defence all day long (rightfully so) but depth scoring is a huge concern with this team:

Bertuzzi - 1 goal in last 25
Kampf - 1 goal in last 19
Gregor - 1 goal in last 19
Knies - 1 goal in last 16
Domi - 1 goal in last 14
Tavares - 1 goal in last 11

That is simply not good enough for any long term success especially come playoff time.

How do we fix this?

Discuss.
Short answer? We don't. At least not in season. We have no assets to spend. And even if we did, as you said, we have other issues that need addressing as well.

2025-26 season.
 
This is not about scoring depth, this is about 5 or 6 man team...and the rest do not put in enough emotion or effort to play oldtimers hockey.
Bertuzzis hair never got messed. Domi went for a coffee in each period. Brodie....wtf is he doing on the ice.
No way we make the playoffs.
 
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A lot of players regressed hard this year, Brodie (in our top pairing) and Tavares come to mind as two that probably won't bounce back a lot.

The rest? The goals will come, the shots are there, the chances are there.

I'm more concerned with our D right now because we can't seem to break out cleanly (Klingberg was supposed to help a lot there), which affects our ability to carry in with possession. We've always been a possession team and our success in the regular season was our ability to eat minutes in the OZ and keep the pressure on, but because we can't cleanly break out, there is no flow, and instead we're playing a dump and chase game that we're not equipped to win.

I would give Timmins another look with McCabe, try Liljegren up with Rielly, and push Brodie down with Gio on the 3rd pairing. Keefe won't do that.
 
Well they haven't beat those bottom feeders when they had the chances, and they also haven't done anything against the top teams either. One win against NYR, FLA, BOS and CAR so far.
True but I just don’t see two teams below them consistent enough to finish ahead of them.
 
Domi Bertuzzi and Knies have been head scratchers in the goal department. Bert and Domi should have been easy 20 goals a piece. Especially Bertuzzi.

I'd still take this combo of 3 over many other depth options in the league as far as playoffs are concerned though.

Bertuzzi is always battling in front of the net to the very last second when we're behind in games.

I think the Leafs are going to be like the 2018 Blues. First half "wtf" then they slap you around in the second half.
 
Undoubtedly. But Tre will push it as long as he can, more than likely until the offseason. As soon as Keefe is fired the clock actually starts to tick on Tre.
What? Treliving is going to be fired only to work half a season?

Scoring plan for the Maple Leafs:

Get Matthews his cookies
 
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Domi Bertuzzi and Knies have been head scratchers in the goal department. Bert and Domi should have been easy 20 goals a piece. Especially Bertuzzi.

I'd still take this combo of 3 over many other depth options in the league as far as playoffs are concerned though.

Bertuzzi is always battling in front of the net to the very last second when we're behind in games.

I think the Leafs are going to be like the 2018 Blues. First half "wtf" then they slap you around in the second half.
Or last year Panthers. First half they stink everyone write them off and said the trade for Tkachuk sucked. Second half top 3 in the league all way to Cup finals.
 
Or last year Panthers. First half they stink everyone write them off and said the trade for Tkachuk sucked. Second half top 3 in the league all way to Cup finals.
Yeah true but I use the Blues because they stormed back and won the Cup.

And they're similar to us that year in the sense that a non elite at the time goalie saved their season in the second half with a strong playoff run. That's all we are missing (A Pietrangelo or 2 would be nice but matthews + marner offset not having one relative to their overall roster)

I'm not worried about the forward group in the playoffs. They're going to tear it up.
 
Half of the forward contingent being on that kind of a scoring skid is certainly not an easy fix.
 
I just believe Keefe doesn't get enough out of the players he has.

The top 4 are going to perform regardless of who is head coach but we've seen

Moore, Marchment, Vesey, Noesen, Lafferty and Gustafsson (just off the top of my head) move elsewhere and do better. We seemingly have the answers most years but the coach doesn't know how to get anything out of them.

A coaching change pretty much right now is probably the smart way to go because you could potentially salvage the season rather than wait until it is too late. I would need to know at the TDL if I am selling or buying.
 
Bertuzzi and Domi play hard in the playoffs. Write them off but you're just gonna look foolish in the end.
Bert's played 1 playoff series in his entire career and even with solid numbers he rode a pretty hot PP for the most part. Domi was a good depth option last year for Dallas after disappointing runs with Carolina and Montreal.

Maybe they put it together for a few weeks, they're certainly getting some chances, but these aren't exactly proven clutch players.
 
Sure we can rag on the goaltending and defence all day long (rightfully so) but depth scoring is a huge concern with this team:

Bertuzzi - 1 goal in last 25
Kampf - 1 goal in last 19
Gregor - 1 goal in last 19
Knies - 1 goal in last 16
Domi - 1 goal in last 14
Tavares - 1 goal in last 11

That is simply not good enough for any long term success especially come playoff time.

How do we fix this?

Discuss.
How do fix this ? Maybe we put the guy back in the lineup who had 3 goals in 5 games before he kept getting scratched. Anybody want to guess who that is ?
 
Sure we can rag on the goaltending and defence all day long (rightfully so) but depth scoring is a huge concern with this team:

Bertuzzi - 1 goal in last 25
Kampf - 1 goal in last 19
Gregor - 1 goal in last 19
Knies - 1 goal in last 16
Domi - 1 goal in last 14
Tavares - 1 goal in last 11

That is simply not good enough for any long term success especially come playoff time.

How do we fix this?

Discuss.
This mostly a CAP issue .. we are already spending WAY WAY WAY too much on forwards .. we have 4 guys who are top 10 in league in making CAP .. we should have 3 scoring lines from those 4 guys .. but we don't because each of them have big flaws and can't drive their own line .. but even next year it will be exactly da same results .. right now to have a chance in playoffs we need to gut our D and rebuild it .. maybe impossible to do in season but we need to add another 20M in AAV on backend with 3 top 4 D man .. without that fIX this team is finished
 
This mostly a CAP issue .. we are already spending WAY WAY WAY too much on forwards .. we have 4 guys who are top 10 in league in making CAP .. we should have 3 scoring lines from those 4 guys .. but we don't because each of them have big flaws and can't drive their own line .. but even next year it will be exactly da same results .. right now to have a chance in playoffs we need to gut our D and rebuild it .. maybe impossible to do in season but we need to add another 20M in AAV on backend with 3 top 4 D man .. without that fIX this team is finished
There's approx 24M being spent on those 6 players. 4 of them are making 2+M.

Domi and Bert aren't cheap players and don't bring much outside offense
 
Have you seen the bottom feeders in the East? Leafs will sleepwalk into the playoffs.

The Leafs have one win since Dec 12 against playoff teams.
If Detroit gets a point today Toronto drops to the 2nd WC spot with 3 teams within 3 points of catching them.
(Edit: If Detroit gets one more point than Toronto today)

Personally, I expect they'll make the playoffs, even if it's a WC, but it's no guaranteed thing: Just past the half-way point and it's clear that this team simply isn't as good as past seasons. Without a very strong run or two the best case scenario is they finish 3rd and likely get the Panthers again.
 
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