The Case For Bringing Back The Core

[justashadowof]

Quick history lesson to the kiddies and the aged who never learned a thing....
Back in 1979, the Islanders failed to win a cup after dominating the regular season yet again. In 5 years they were either conference finalists or semi finalist (once)
In 1980, Arbour decided to focus the team on energy and learn how to play in the playoffs. They traded 2 depth players and picked up Butch Goring...a great 2 way center at the trade deadline. No core removal required. They dipped below the 100 point mark for the first time in 5 years.
They won the 1st of many cups that year and a dynasty was born.
Bossy, Trottier and Gillies were no longer the focus of a team's defensive effort. Yeah...that sounds familiar.
Coaching and tactics matter.
Depth matters.
Get your shit together folks because this lynch mobs makes zero difference in the scheme of things and you just show how little you grasp the game.

No salary cap, a bunch of hard as nails star players (Potvin, Trottier, especially Gillies), 7 playoff series wins in the previous 5 playoffs, tough and fast secondary players (Nystrom, Sutter, Tonelli).

Ages of Islanders at the time of their 1st Stanley Cup (after previously winning 7 playoff series):
Trottier - 23
Bossy - 23
Gillies - 26
Potvin - 26
Tonelli - 23

Ages of the Leafs at the time of their 1st playoff series win:

Matthews - 25
Marner - 26
Nylander - 27
Tavares - 32
Rielly - 29

 

[Sypher04]

Watching Florida handle Carolina this far even easier than us puts things a bit more in perspective. Doesn’t absolve some of the performances that were not up to snuff, but Florida is legit. They seem like the odds on favorite to win it all imo

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

The case for bringing back the core is that they're all extremely talented individuals who have shown they are capable of elevating their games in the playoffs. We're talking about a reigning MVP who will be a Rocket contender for years to come, a high scoring winger who's one of the best defensive forwards in the league, a highly skilled 40 goal winger, a consistent PPG centre, and one of the best puck moving defensemen who always brings it come playoff time. Their biggest obstacle is an obstinate coach who can't strategize or adjust for shit and had a hard-on for two of the most unremarkable players on the team.

 

[Notsince67]

No salary cap, a bunch of hard as nails star players (Potvin, Trottier, especially Gillies), 7 playoff series wins in the previous 5 playoffs, tough and fast secondary players (Nystrom, Sutter, Tonelli).

Ages of Islanders at the time of their 1st Stanley Cup (after previously winning 7 playoff series):
Trottier - 23
Bossy - 23
Gillies - 26
Potvin - 26
Tonelli - 23

Ages of the Leafs at the time of their 1st playoff series win:

Matthews - 25
Marner - 26
Nylander - 27
Tavares - 32
Rielly - 29

So you can throw up whatever to show equivalency to your hearts content. The point is that this team was largely intact between winning the cup and losing. The change in direction is well documented. You can pout about the leafs or learn how it was done.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Carolina about to go down 3-0. If they lose to FLA do they give up on their core?

If they underachieved for 6 straight playoff seasons then yes.

this isn’t based on 2023 alone.

The case for bringing back the core is that they're all extremely talented individuals who have shown they are capable of elevating their games in the playoffs. We're talking about a reigning MVP who will be a Rocket contender for years to come, a high scoring winger who's one of the best defensive forwards in the league, a highly skilled 40 goal winger, a consistent PPG centre, and one of the best puck moving defensemen who always brings it come playoff time. Their biggest obstacle is an obstinate coach who can't strategize or adjust for shit and had a hard-on for two of the most unremarkable players on the team.

But they aren’t capable of elevating their games when it matters most…..Please don’t include Rielly with the others. He’s actually a Leaf.

 

[NVious]

No salary cap, a bunch of hard as nails star players (Potvin, Trottier, especially Gillies), 7 playoff series wins in the previous 5 playoffs, tough and fast secondary players (Nystrom, Sutter, Tonelli).

Ages of Islanders at the time of their 1st Stanley Cup (after previously winning 7 playoff series):
Trottier - 23
Bossy - 23
Gillies - 26
Potvin - 26
Tonelli - 23

Ages of the Leafs at the time of their 1st playoff series win:

Matthews - 25
Marner - 26
Nylander - 27
Tavares - 32
Rielly - 29

lmfao he's literally comparing an old school team to a bunch of tik tok zoomers that failed for SEVEN YEARS and got btfo by a MIDDLE AGED ZAMBONI DRIVER.

Even failure, Leafs land can live with, but oh no that's not enough.

The zoomers THEN (after all this failure) want to BEND THE TEAM OVER and take EVERY LAST PENNY FROM US.

But the people who say enough is enough are the bad guys because we're going to rob him of his yearly playoff humiliation lmfao.

 

[Antropovsky]

No salary cap, a bunch of hard as nails star players (Potvin, Trottier, especially Gillies), 7 playoff series wins in the previous 5 playoffs, tough and fast secondary players (Nystrom, Sutter, Tonelli).

Ages of Islanders at the time of their 1st Stanley Cup (after previously winning 7 playoff series):
Trottier - 23
Bossy - 23
Gillies - 26
Potvin - 26
Tonelli - 23

Ages of the Leafs at the time of their 1st playoff series win:

Matthews - 25
Marner - 26
Nylander - 27
Tavares - 32
Rielly - 29

Tavares won a series with the Islanders around 26 years old.

 

[Donnie740]

So what exactly has Bos and Car failed to do that is any different than Tor?

Watch the games and tell me if you see any difference in the style of play Boston and Carolina use in comparison to the Leafs.

Actually, never mind because you likely wouldn’t even realize what you’re seeing.

Need a GM who believes D and G are how you build a team for playoffs .. shed Murray but keep our 2023 pick .. use free agency/trades to build our D over summer keep Rielly Schenn Lily McCabe and ADD 2 big tough fast D download Brodie Holl Gio .. sign Sammy 1-year deal and go with him and Woll .. one of D needs to be a top 2 guy .. then resign ROR short term for 2 years .. move JT to LW .. add a couple big fast wingers who can play hard on puck and be physical .. resign Matty

You really need to do something about your user name.

“JT da real deal” is embarrassingly bad.

 

[horner]

This core doesn't have it.

This has to be accepted because on paper this year's team was more than good enough for a cup run. Marner's performance at the end of the Tampa series and then the entire Florida series was unacceptable.

Besides a few good bursts of hockey from Nylander, the entire core flopped.

A coach can be blamed when core players are putting up good numbers but the tactics are letting them down. In this case, the coach is terrible but so are the core players when it comes to pressure situations.

A perfect example would be Rielly of how a core player should perform. He almost always shows up in the playoffs even when the coaching is terrible or he's stuck with a rubbish partner.

Can you imagine Cooper with Mathews Marner Nylander or JT.


They would have splinters in there ass from sitting on the bench because of bad plays.

He sat down his top line .

You need to treat everyone the same .

The only way everyone will follow.

Train them for the playoffs.

 

[Aashir Mallik]

The case for bringing back the core is that they're all extremely talented individuals who have shown they are capable of elevating their games in the playoffs. We're talking about a reigning MVP who will be a Rocket contender for years to come, a high scoring winger who's one of the best defensive forwards in the league, a highly skilled 40 goal winger, a consistent PPG centre, and one of the best puck moving defensemen who always brings it come playoff time. Their biggest obstacle is an obstinate coach who can't strategize or adjust for shit and had a hard-on for two of the most unremarkable players on the team.

This is where the contacts come into play then, if they were all on 8 years then we aren’t worrying about potentially losing Matthews and nylander for nothing. They’d all have 3-4 years left still.

Keefe being here past the Montreal series is insane. Think about it, he kept AM and MM together no matter what, even when nylander could’ve played with one of them, or we could’ve ran three lines. Hell he didn’t even try to get danault away from them, he didn’t try to get them to change their game up. He’s just an AHL coach above his head. Doesn’t help that he played his own “stars” like kerfoot and holl

But I don’t feel comfortable with the july 1st passing and Matthews not signing on that day. I personally think we should move Marner no matter what in a hockey trade, but I’d blow it up if Matthews isn’t coming back.

 

[Lightsol]

If they underachieved for 6 straight playoff seasons then yes.

this isn’t based on 2023 alone.


But they aren’t capable of elevating their games when it matters most…..Please don’t include Rielly with the others. He’s actually a Leaf.

The f***ing irony of these two comments together...

 

[Donnie740]

Can you imagine Cooper with Mathews Marner Nylander or JT.


They would have splinters in there ass from sitting on the bench because of bad plays.

He sat down his top line .

You need to treat everyone the same .

The only way everyone will follow.

Train them for the playoffs.

That’s the difference between having a professional coach like Cooper or Al Arbour or Pat Burns compared to a clueless jackass like Bozo the Keefe.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

This is where the contacts come into play then, if they were all on 8 years then we aren’t worrying about potentially losing Matthews and nylander for nothing. They’d all have 3-4 years left still.

Keefe being here past the Montreal series is insane. Think about it, he kept AM and MM together no matter what, even when nylander could’ve played with one of them, or we could’ve ran three lines. Hell he didn’t even try to get danault away from them, he didn’t try to get them to change their game up. He’s just an AHL coach above his head. Doesn’t help that he played his own “stars” like kerfoot and holl

But I don’t feel comfortable with the july 1st passing and Matthews not signing on that day. I personally think we should move Marner no matter what in a hockey trade, but I’d blow it up if Matthews isn’t coming back.

Matthews' potential departure is the axe that swings above this team's neck. Without an elite #1C we're f***ed and you may as well blow it up. The NMC in his last year is scary but you've gotta try to re-sign him regardless, even if negotiations spill into next season. The alternative is preemptively dismantling the team when you may not need to. Especially if we get a new coach who's not a complete idiot, I'd wait even if we don't have a commitment from him come July 1st.

 

[Lightsol]

would you rather see a

Jones-Werenski pairing with a prime bobrovsky in net
or
Matthews-Marner
Tavares-Nylander

i'm sure stats alone can answer this one

I love how this one playoff has somehow erased how BAD Boborvsky has been pretty much since he signed that contract in Florida. He wasn't even their initial playoff starter, for f***'s sake...

 

[Donnie740]

Casual fans don’t realize how difficult it is to build a core of star players. This isn’t NHL ‘23 where you make deals with a computer and can pick whoever you want.

Somehow the Leafs hit the lottery and over a five year span drafted Rielly, Nylander, Marner and Matthews.

The likelihood of that occurring again is infinitesimal.

You’re much more likely to end up with Fred Gauthier, Juri Tlusty, Ty Biggs and Stuart Percy.

 

[GoonieFace]

[/QUOTE]

The case for bringing back the core is that they're all extremely talented individuals who have shown they are capable of elevating their games in the playoffs. We're talking about a reigning MVP who will be a Rocket contender for years to come, a high scoring winger who's one of the best defensive forwards in the league, a highly skilled 40 goal winger, a consistent PPG centre, and one of the best puck moving defensemen who always brings it come playoff time. Their biggest obstacle is an obstinate coach who can't strategize or adjust for shit and had a hard-on for two of the most unremarkable players on the team.

Did you just say they have shown they can elevate their games in the playoffs?

 

[Donnie740]

I love how this one playoff has somehow erased how BAD Boborvsky has been pretty much since he signed that contract in Florida. He wasn't even their initial playoff starter, for f***'s sake...

You are 100% correct.

Bobo was so terrible that he was pretty much unplayable. So bad Florida went with something called an Al Lyon in net to start the playoffs.

 

[Trapper]

Did you just say they have shown they can elevate their games in the playoffs?
[/QUOTE]
Maybe he meant elevator. Like they get off at the 1st floor and leave.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Did you just say they have shown they can elevate their games in the playoffs?

3/5 can. Rielly, Nylander, Matthews. Tavares is hit or miss and Marner too often turns into a ghost.

 

[Lightsol]

3/5 can. Rielly, Nylander, Matthews. Tavares is hit or miss and Marner too often turns into a ghost.

Well, Matthews, Marner and Tavares were much more consistent at playoff game elevation when Keefe wasn't the coach. I wonder how much overplaying the shit out of the former two played into them dropping off by playoff time...

 

[Buds17]

Watching Florida handle Carolina this far even easier than us puts things a bit more in perspective. Doesn’t absolve some of the performances that were not up to snuff, but Florida is legit. They seem like the odds on favorite to win it all imo

The regular season generally loses meaning for me once the playoffs begin. I'd say that Florida became a foe not to be taken lightly once they ousted Boston. It was good to have Toronto finally win that elusive series and unfortunate once the ride ultimately ended soon thereafter.

 

[horner]

Watching Florida handle Carolina this far even easier than us puts things a bit more in perspective. Doesn’t absolve some of the performances that were not up to snuff, but Florida is legit. They seem like the odds on favorite to win it all imo

Carolina is missing one of there top scorers.

Carolina like us is getting no traffic in front of Bob

I was watching the london knights game against the Pete's. Mark Mathot who played for the London said his players like clockwork whenever they get control of the puck 2 players to the front of the net.
Everyone plays the same way.
Dale was doing the same thing when Mathot played.

It seems as though both are afraid to go to the net ?

How many times did our Core drive to the net .
Except for Morgan who was robbed by the nhl and Knies

TB we jammed the net and scored.

 

[Donnie740]

Carolina is missing one of there top scorers.

Carolina like us is getting no traffic in front of Bob

I was watching the london knights game against the Pete's. Mark Mathot who played for the London said his players like clockwork whenever they get control of the puck 2 players to the front of the net.
Everyone plays the same way.
Dale was doing the same thing when Mathot played.

It seems as though both are afraid to go to the net ?

How many times did our Core drive to the net .
Except for Morgan who was robbed by the nhl and Knies

TB we jammed the net and scored.

LOVED Dale Hunter as a player. Tough, skilled and played with a nasty edge.

He understands the importance of parking someone’s ass in front of the goalie.

Which is why I’d advocate for Dale as coach and Mark as GM unless they could bring in Bowman and Quenneville.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Quick history lesson to the kiddies and the aged who never learned a thing....
Back in 1979, the Islanders failed to win a cup after dominating the regular season yet again. In 5 years they were either conference finalists or semi finalist (once)
In 1980, Arbour decided to focus the team on energy and learn how to play in the playoffs. They traded 2 depth players and picked up Butch Goring...a great 2 way center at the trade deadline. No core removal required. They dipped below the 100 point mark for the first time in 5 years.
They won the 1st of many cups that year and a dynasty was born.
Bossy, Trottier and Gillies were no longer the focus of a team's defensive effort. Yeah...that sounds familiar.
Coaching and tactics matter.
Depth matters.
Get your shit together folks because this lynch mobs makes zero difference in the scheme of things and you just show how little you grasp the game.

Thanks

 

[authentic]

Watching Florida handle Carolina this far even easier than us puts things a bit more in perspective. Doesn’t absolve some of the performances that were not up to snuff, but Florida is legit. They seem like the odds on favorite to win it all imo

I tried to say they won because of their goalie and everyone thought it was crazy

I get that we have a habit of running into hot goalies but really though it is funny how the team we lost to 3 years in a row went/is going to the Cup finals and they handled teams after us a lot easier every time