Speculation: Spezza, Muzzin, and Mikheyev are significant losses.

[Ianturnedbull]

Spezza - still had a skill level that made things difficult for the competition both on the 4th line and the 2nd PP.

Mikheyev - had speed that this current team doesn't have. His penalty kill was downright dangerous at times. I know he had a career season and priced himself out, but who is his replacement? Kerfoot? ZAR? Not good enough at all.

Muzzin - top 4 D and a big minute player. Can produce offensively, and play solid defense. Can PK and stop the cycle. His loss is massive. Holl is now looking terrible without him.

I know the season is early, but TOR's formula of scoring with big guns is sputtering. Clearly Matthews is playing injured, and to a lesser degree Engvall is too. Murray might not be a lost cause as well.

This team is not going to win with heart and hustle. Not in toughness. Definitely not in defensive play. Goaltending? Likely not. Coaching? No.

I'm not saying the season is over, but this is not a slam dunk into the playoffs. Toronto are actually veteran team too (aging).

Dubas/Keefe/Shanny and Manny Maholtra (kidding) have got their work cut out for them.

What do you think? Are they really good enough to be top in the division?

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[Amadeus]

I agree that we haven't replaced the offense we've lost with Spezza and Milheyev adequately, which is one of the reasons I feel it's going to require an additional effort to make the playoffs this year.

Calle Jarnkrok, Auve-Kubel and Aston-Reese don't replace what we've lost.

 

[Fogelhund]

Yes, clearly Mikheyev is a difference maker. Such a star leading the Canucks to leading their division in points. Surely it’s his singular PP assist and -2 standing that is what we miss this year.

Spezza. You gotta love him. Went 22 games near the end of last year with two points. Then 1 point in 5 games in the playoffs, and a minus 2. He was done. Sad

I commend you on working hard to create more sky is falling and misguided threads though.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Yes, clearly Mikheyev is a difference maker. Such a star leading the Canucks to leading their division in points. Surely it’s his singular PP assist and -2 standing that is what we miss this year.

Spezza. You gotta love him. Went 22 games near the end of last year with two points. Then 1 point in 5 games in the playoffs, and a minus 2. He was done. Sad

I commend you on working hard to create more sky is falling and misguided threads though.

Just because you don't agree doesn't make it misguided.

 

[Gabriel426]

Have you guys even seen Mik's play this season? You won't even notice his speed in the game.
Spezza, I love him but he was deadweight for pretty much every 9 our of 10 games last season.
I agree we do miss Muz as he is a stable Dman in the back but so far this season, it had more to do with the team just not skating in general.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Not everyone loved Mikheyev when he played on TOR, but is he really the top dog in Vancouver? He's the reason they are losing? Why dismiss Mikheyev after the season he had with TOR?

 

[Gabriel426]

Not everyone loved Mikheyev when he played on TOR, but he is really the top dog in Vancouver? He's the reason they are losing? Why dismiss Mikheyev after the season he had with TOR?

Soup is Soup, nobody is dismissing what he did last year. But looking at the way he is playing this year, he is really no better than Engvall, Calle and others.
Lets face facts, if Mik is with the Leafs, he won't be playing in the top 6 like he is with the Nucks, he will be on the 3rd line with Kerfoot and Engvall. He won't get any PP1 time as a Leafs like he is with Nucks(only briefly).
At the end. I really don't think Mik can help the Leafs with their current records.

 

[saffronleaf]

NAK and ZAR probably shouldn't be in the NHL

 

[Gabriel426]

NAK and ZAR probably shouldn't be in the NHL

Even though I sort of agree with you but the irony is that Leafs got beaten by two teams that are filled with players who shouldn't be in the NHL, lol.

 

[ponder]

I think Jarnkrok and Robertson are decent replacements for Mikheyev and Spezza, about equal. We don’t really have a Kase replacement, neither NAK nor ZAR are as good, but that’s a smaller loss.

On D, obviously Muzzin and Lily being injured are very significant losses. Booch too. Mete is OK, but not remotely Muzzin/Lily/Boosh. Lily will be back soon, but Muzzin … yeah, he might be done.

So far, Samsonov has been surprisingly good, hopefully he can keep it up.

The biggest issue so far is Matthews and Marner in slumps. Matthews’ shot, normally beyond elite, has been legit bad, no idea what’s up with that. Matthews and Marner combining for 2 goals in 7 games is super low, last year they combined for over 9 goals per 7 games. If Matthews and Marner were playing like they were last year, we’d be just as good - hopefully that starts happening soon.

 

[ViD]

I think Lyubushkin is a real loss for the Leafs, their defense is lacking grit and pragmatic plays

 

[Menzinger]

I'd agree Muzzin is a loss in the top 4D that is hard to replace. Though once Liljgren returns that will be an easier transition.

A couple decent depth forwards like Soup and Spezza aren't going to be the reason the Leafs miss the playoffs. Robertson alone could end up being as good if not better than either. I do miss Spezza as a guy, but I think his loss is manageable

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Mikheyev looks noticeably slower with the Canucks, and that was really the main thing he had going for him.

 

[htpwn]

I think it is far too early to be doing this and, as others have said, the fact that Matthews and Marner have started the season with bad slumps is going to make this team look a lot worse than it really is.

That said, of course Muzzin's decline is hurting us. We already knew that for a couple years now. Fortunately Liljegren's development, the GIo trade, and Lyubushkin helped to mitigate the damage last year. If he can pick up where he left off, Liljegren's return should provide the same stabilizing effect to our D this year.

I do also think we are missing Mikheyev more than I thought we would. I watched the Vancouver game last night and you almost forget how fast he is, which can bring a certain element to a team. Our current third line in particular just feels plain at the moment. I do think we're going to have to find an upgrade at some point (or perhaps someone like Steeves can step in).

 

[Havoc]

Based on how they replace outgoing depth, Engvall will soon have this thread, and he's only half a Mik

 

[ACC1224]

The loss isn’t that significant, need better replacements though.

 

[Morbo]

not sure why you'd group Muzzin with the other two. One has been a pillar of an improved defence(not looking anywhere near as good without him), the other two were strictly supporting cast. Mikheyev, in particular, is exactly the sort of player you let go without overpaying.

 

[LeafGrief]

Losing Muzzin is going to hurt a lot as the season goes on and especially in the playoffs. People talk a lot about who raises their game come playoff time, and Muzzin always went to the next level. Replacing him is organizational priority #1 IMO.

Mikheyev and Spezza were both good in their roles as Leafs, but neither are at the level that we should be worrying about. Our depth hasn't been scoring this year, but neither have Matthews or Marner (either of which get paid more than our entire bottom six on any given night). We'd like to see more ofc, but it's also only seven games in. We'll pick up a scoring depth piece at some point before the deadline.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Muzzin would be a significant loss, but we don't know that we've actually lost him.

The other two are irrelevant.

 

[ULF_55]

A healthy Liljegren is an add they'll have shortly.

And the new additions aren't the main issues right now it is Matthews and marner.

So there are a whole bunch of passengers right now, not just the new guys.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Yes, clearly Mikheyev is a difference maker. Such a star leading the Canucks to leading their division in points. Surely it’s his singular PP assist and -2 standing that is what we miss this year.

Spezza. You gotta love him. Went 22 games near the end of last year with two points. Then 1 point in 5 games in the playoffs, and a minus 2. He was done. Sad

I commend you on working hard to create more sky is falling and misguided threads though.

This. Hard working and tenacious too.

 

[danny90]

Just because you don't agree doesn't make it misguided.

It’s objectively wrong, those players were not difference makers and the offense is easily replaced.

 

[The Podium]

I think people are sleeping on what NAK could be.

Play him with some offensive players and he can be a 30 point guy. He’s certainly not a line driver but can be good on the forecheck/puck retrieval similar to Hyman/Bunting. For example, Newhook was his most common line mate last season.

 

[fahad203]

The problem isn't the people that left. It's who they got replaced with

Jarnkrok looks so average at best
Zar Nak are just fillers

Spezza however slow he was, he could make something out of nothing, he had good control, shot and he could still pass.

His legs are not missed, but his hands definitely are

 

[Ianturnedbull]

It’s objectively wrong, those players were not difference makers and the offense is easily replaced.

No. Where do you pick up these buzz phrases like "objectively wrong"? You have a very subjective view of Muzzin, Spezza, and Mikheyev. I think you're guilty of seeing these players as seasonal statistics. They are real people. They are not judged on how well they did in your Fantasy league. They are judged on their careers. If Nylander, Matthews, and Marner were gone it would be significant. They had significant contributions. They are not gone though. I'm speaking about the players who had a significant impact in their time as Leafs. I'm not talking about Vancouver and I'm not talking about Fantasy Hockey.