Line Combos: Should the Leafs run 11F - 7D this season

[123offtheglass]

Leafs have 7 quality NHL defensemen right now & pretty stacked left side of Rielly, Muzzin, Giordano & Sandin; Everyone brings something different element to the table & nobody is considered just a depth or #6 defenseman.

Sandin looks like the most likely odd man out at the moment, unless there's injuries or you have somebody playing their off side.

I personally think they should give a longer leash to running 11F - 7D this season, maybe even do it routinely if everyone is healthy. It should help keep everyone more fresh, & give Keefe more options in game. Keefe already juggles lines quite a bit so I think it'd work up front & on defense.

Rielly - Liljegren
Muzzin - Brodie
Giordano - Holl
Sandin

They're gonna want at least 7 decent NHL defensemen come playoff time, I hope they keep all 7 this offseason.

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[ACC1224]

Pass stay 12-6 unless there is no other choice.

 

[justashadowof]

I don't like this configuration but the team is heavily invested in its top 6 and they should play as much as possible.

The problem with this configuration is simple: this works best with a 7th defenseman who's a hard as nails type who it's best to play with protected minutes. The Leafs don't have that type of 7th defenseman, not even down in the depth chart.

 

[Nineteen67]

Not a desirable way go on most nights.

And they’ll need more than 7 d

 

[notbias]

I don't like this configuration but the team is heavily invested in its top 6 and they should play as much as possible.

The problem with this configuration is simple: this works best with a 7th defenseman who's a hard as nails type who it's best to play with protected minutes. The Leafs don't have that type of 7th defenseman, not even down in the depth chart.

Why does this work best with a D that needs to be sheltered and not a good D?

To me, the answer is no, but I want us to ride our stars for ~20+ a night, so Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares, we become an extremely hard team to match too if Nylander and Tavares are on separate lines.

 

[justashadowof]

Why does this work best with a D that needs to be sheltered and not a good D?

Because there's a salary cap. One of those who can play a bit (healthy Muzzin) costs more than you can pay a 7th defender. And I don't see what you're looking to get from a 7th defenseman other than attributes most of the other defenders don't have. This hypothetical 7th defender is nothing more than a 4th line energy player.

 

[Buds17]

Although I can see an argument for doing so based on how the team is presently constructed, I just can't imagine the roster remaining as is. Furthermore, while the projected 7th D would be better than the projected 12th F, that seventh defender's role figures to be too marginalized for this to work out well enough on any sort of regular basis.

 

[notbias]

Because there's a salary cap. One of those who can play a bit (healthy Muzzin) costs more than you can pay a 7th defender. And I don't see what you're looking to get from a 7th defenseman other than attributes most of the other defenders don't have. This hypothetical 7th defender is nothing more than a 4th line energy player.

Everyone hates Holl at 5v5, he is a good PKer, attribute for a 7th D solved... he also can take a regular shift cause he is not as bad as everyone says.

I'd rather run 6 D, but bringing on a bad D who is tough seems pointless to me, the team becomes worse, but he can hit?

 

[Shooter2x]

Just put Sandin 2LW and call it a day

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I suppose I'm in favour of the idea of 11F and 7D for the following reasons:

1. The Leafs always lose in the playoffs
2. For some strange reason TOR's 4th line hasn't had success or an identity for most of Dubas' tenure.
3. It looks like they are keeping all their D. At this point they are not going to move Sandin. Plus they have Benn and Mete for depth.

How will they fill in on the 4th line? I say have Kerfoot go up and down the line up: play with JT and WN during offensive zone starts and then play C with the 2 others on the 4th line during d-zone starts.

 

[Hoglund4MvP]

I suppose I'm in favour of the idea of 11F and 7D for the following reasons:

1. The Leafs always lose in the playoffs
2. For some strange reason TOR's 4th line hasn't had success or an identity for most of Dubas' tenure.
3. It looks like they are keeping all their D. At this point they are not going to move Sandin. Plus they have Benn and Mete for depth.

How will they fill in on the 4th line? I say have Kerfoot go up and down the line up: play with JT and WN during offensive zone starts and then play C with the 2 others on the 4th line during d-zone starts.

If we finally put out a 4th line of 3 guys who play with heart on sleeve and not shells of their former selves you will see the benefit of having one finally. 11-7 is dumb. Ruining our 4th line every season isn't an excuse to just say fine, run 11-7 since our 4th line always sucks anyways.

 

[notDatsyuk]

If the 7th D is better than the 12th F, then play him there.

Weldel Clark (permanently) and Ian White (temporarily) are two good examples.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

If we finally put out a 4th line of 3 guys who play with heart on sleeve and not shells of their former selves you will see the benefit of having one finally. 11-7 is dumb. Ruining our 4th line every season isn't an excuse to just say fine, run 11-7 since our 4th line always sucks anyways.

Yes it is.

If everything hasn't worked (for as long as I can remember) why not have 1 more D and 1 less F?

The last I looked Dubas and Keefe were still in charge. They stink at 4th line construction.

 

[LeafEgo]

Yes it is.

If everything hasn't worked (for as long as I can remember) why not have 1 more D and 1 less F?

The last I looked Dubas and Keefe were still in charge. They stink at 4th line construction.

I would just go 9-6-5 and put aside our 4th line woes altogether.

Each goalie plays 4 minutes a period, or if they can learn to hop the boards they swap out on regular shifts like everyone else.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I would just go 9-6-5 and put aside our 4th line woes altogether.

Each goalie plays 4 minutes a period, or if they can learn to hop the boards they swap out on regular shifts like everyone else.

Just because you don't agree doesn't mean you have to troll/belittle.

The OP is only suggesting 1 less F and 1 more D. The OP is not at all suggesting the "flying V formation" from The Mighty Ducks.

Why are so many fans open to this idea? Because Toronto stinks in the playoffs, and their 4th lines have been garbage for a very long time.

 

[LeafalCrusader]

What was that game during the bubble season where we played 11/7 looked out of sorts and lost and Keefe said how much he regretted doing it lol?

 

[Its not your fault]

Has a time and a place they don't really line mix and match so it doesn't make much sense for them to deploy such a line up.

 

[rocketman588]

The biggest issue is that we're already over the cap and still don't have sandin signed

Everyone hates Holl at 5v5, he is a good PKer, attribute for a 7th D solved... he also can take a regular shift cause he is not as bad as everyone says.

I'd rather run 6 D, but bringing on a bad D who is tough seems pointless to me, the team becomes worse, but he can hit?

Or we could just not have his cap hit on the roster and find someone who we can play 5 on 5?

 

[hockeywiz542]

Travis Yost: Grading every NHL team’s blueline depth | TSN

Travis Yost presents a multi-piece series grading every team’s lineup across the positional groups in tiered fashion, analyzing the depth charts across all positions and create talent tiers for all 32 franchises. We continue today with the blueline.

www.tsn.ca

Our feature grading the positional depth of each NHL team continues this week, with a focus on the blueline.

Our approach to grading defencemen will be similar, but not identical to the way we evaluated forwards. We overweight top-four defenders – for most teams, three to four defencemen play nearly identical ice time across all situations – and underweight third-pairing defenders.

One other critical housekeeping note: third pairings are a frequent area of intra-season change, with coaches bringing up players from the AHL (due to injury, underperformance at the NHL level, or whatever the case may be), and to that end, most teams’ depth chart runs seven or eight players deep at the defensive position.

We score based on a core group of six defenders we expect to see regular NHL ice-time.

And little different format this time – addressing all 32 teams. To the tiers!

Toronto: Kyle Dubas doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s done with the defensive group, turning it from a laughingstock in years past to a reliable group. (If you hate Toronto, you’ll want to come back around for the goalie tiers.) They have three deep and capable pairings, and this roster doesn’t even include restricted free agent Rasmus Sandin, who will need a new deal before the season starts. Sandin and Timothy Liljegren both would seem to feature in this lineup full-time next year, so I’d keep an eye on Justin Holl, who may be the odd man out.

 

[darrylsittler27]

I think Holl is gone and Sandin plays way more.

 

[Oscar Peterson]

I think Holl is gone and Sandin plays way more.

I’m praying that you’re right

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I don't know where to start this discussion, but I really dislike Keefe putting 5 forwards on the power play.

It serves no purpose. A lot great teams in the past used 2 Defensemen on the point. How bad could that be?

Can you imagine if I proposed the idea that Keefe play 5 Defensemen on the PP?!?!


WTF Keefe. Stop this!

 

[Dekes For Days]

I don't know where to start this discussion, but I really dislike Keefe putting 5 forwards on the power play.
It serves no purpose. A lot great teams in the past used 2 Defensemen on the point. How bad could that be?

Of course it serves a purpose. The whole reason teams moved away from multiple defensemen on the powerplay is because forwards are generally better at generating offense and finishing, and that's more important than defense in a game state that's all about pushing for offense.

With our main PP defender injured, and our secondary PP defender not clicking very well with the top unit, I don't see the issue with trying this out, especially in a regular season situation where we are down and need a goal.

 

[ULF_55]

Just put Sandin 2LW and call it a day

Or Rielly.

 

[The Iceman]

I don't know where to start this discussion, but I really dislike Keefe putting 5 forwards on the power play.

It serves no purpose. A lot great teams in the past used 2 Defensemen on the point. How bad could that be?

Can you imagine if I proposed the idea that Keefe play 5 Defensemen on the PP?!?!


WTF Keefe. Stop this!

or 4D on the PK....HMMMMMM