The Core Has To Go

[Eye Test]

Ironically, Nylander. Say what you want about his streakiness and his compete level, the guy is still a 40 goal, PPG player for under $7 million.

Matthews and Marner have never been worth their contracts. I remember thinking back in 2017 that this core had the potential to be the next Chicago Blackhawks, with Matthews being our Toews and Marner being our Kane. It's hilarious how both players received more than their Blackhawks counterparts, despite those Blackhawks counterparts having three Stanley Cups under their belts, as well as each individually winning the Conn Smythe, when we hadn't won a single round yet.

Our players have been given everything, despite earning nothing. It's no wonder they are the way they are. Entitlement is one of the main reasons society at large is such a mess these days and it runs rampant through MLSE, top to bottom. Burn it down.

Fair enough I was going to add styles to the maybe list of players earning his contract in the playoffs. During the year he killed it for sure.

Sad day buddy feel your pain

 

[ULF_55]

You have to look at the leadership of the team.

Tavares, Matthews and marner are the players who've been granted a golden hall pass.

They've abused it, moreso Matthews and marner, Tavares is Tavares.

Matthews and marner have completely dropped the ball on more than one occasion in the playoffs.

Big game stage fright.

Sigh, there was so much hope, but they're proving it is too much for them.

Be happy with regular season personal stats, or move them for lessor players with more character.

 

[Hockey 4 Life]

Our forwards haven't been near good enough, with that being said our defense and goaltending have been horrible. Outside of Reilly and Schenn our d core has been mediocre to terrible. Samsonov has been average to terrible as well.

 

[TonsofPuppies]

Fair enough I was going to add styles to the maybe list of players earning his contract in the playoffs. During the year he killed it for sure.

Sad day buddy feel your pain

No pain from me. I've been calling for this core to be dismantled since 2019-2020. The only way one could feel pain in this scenario is if they had any expectations to begin with and if you had any expectations from this group, at this stage of the "Shanaplan", then that's on you and and you alone. Hope people start opening their eyes now, as they should have been doing 4 seasons ago.

I was actively cheering for Tampa in R1 and am actively cheering for Florida now. I'll always be a Leaf fan, but I cannot stand the current regime. I have never disliked any group more than this one, in my 30 years watching. I want what's best of the team. And just as I would actively cheer against them when they're tanking, I'll actively cheer against them now, if I believe that losing is the best long term solution. And it is. Fingers crossed that they simply lie down and die on Wednesday - it would be so on brand for them. Then, on Thursday morning, get rid of this entire regime, from Shanahan down.

 

[BallardEra]

 

[wingman75]

The way the big guns blamed crummy luck sounded eerily reminiscent of the Montreal series or the Columbus series or….

"A couple posts. Stuff's just not falling, but just can't get discouraged. Gotta keep pushing. Keep putting our work before everything else and just believe and have faith in each other that we’re going to break through," Matthews said. "It's do-or-die now."

And later: "Sometimes it goes in. Sometimes it doesn’t."

Added Marner: "I don’t think we can get frustrated. We just have to stick to our abilities. Once you get frustrated, things don’t go well for you at all.

"We’ve had our looks. Just hasn’t gone for us."

"But gotta forget about it quickly. Be pissed off. Now it’s do or die."
Questions about character and heart and cap structure and the futures of the general manager, the head coach, and the star-studded core will all be raised over the next 48 hours.

"I mean, it sucks," Marner said.

Yea, the fact that these guys don't seem to get pissed off is probably a big part of why they suck in these situations. It's like they are just not willing or able to raise their level. Make it f***ing go your way dipshits... You ARE that good.

 

[shaner82]

The worse part is that I’ve stopped looking forward to next year now

Just a brutal situation

I don't even care about game 4. I really don't care about next year. How can I care all over again? How can I ever believe that maybe next year will be different? I wish I hadn't taken my season tickets for next season. I should have paused them for a year. I have no interest in dealing with those tickets at all. I sure as hell don't want to go see them live.

I no longer care about this team, for the first time in my life. It will be hard for it to come back at this point

 

[DueDiligence]

Marner has been there best player this playoffs. Giving a $#it vs. Being mentally fragile is two different things. The guy bleeds blue and white and that’s worth having.

Marner's game doesn't work well in the playoffs against a "heavy" team. At minimum you need a reasonably talented big bodied brute to play on his line to give him some space.

 

[DueDiligence]

Yea, the fact that these guys don't seem to get pissed off is probably a big part of why they suck in these situations. It's like they are just not willing or able to raise their level. Make it f***ing go your way dipshits... You ARE that good.

Leafs are a very talented team but they don't match that in the mental aspect. And that starts with the captain.

 

[Gallagbi]

Marner's game doesn't work well in the playoffs against a "heavy" team. At minimum you need a reasonably talented big bodied brute to play on his line to give him some space.

Marner's "game" works fine, many players have generated east/west with creativity in the playoffs.

Marner himself has some serious question marks in the playoffs though

 

[Dragao6]

Marner's game doesn't work well in the playoffs against a "heavy" team. At minimum you need a reasonably talented big bodied brute to play on his line to give him some space.

We’ll see if his supporters still agree when his contract is up

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

I can't be the only person that thinks the Leafs got much worse at the deadline, can I?

Slower
Less puck possession
Less depth offence

We spent all our assets and didn't bring in a top pairing Dman?

I disagree strongly with the "Dubas did all he can" takes.

 

[Dragao6]

And when Montreal wins the lottery tonight and we’re the laughing stock of league again lol

 

[Gallagbi]

I can't be the only person that thinks the Leafs got much worse at the deadline, can I?

Slower
Less puck possession
Less depth offence

We spent all our assets and didn't bring in a top pairing Dman?

I disagree strongly with the "Dubas did all he can" takes.

We havent been a fast team for a while now and we added significant offensive depth at the deadline.

 

[capfit9]

On May 7th, 2023, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares & William Nylander QUIT on the city of Toronto & on the logo.

 

[Tufted Titmouse]

We havent been a fast team for a while now and we added significant offensive depth at the deadline.

ROR, Acciari and Lafferty are significant to you?

Not being fast is a big deal. The top teams all play with pace. We're left running around in circles in our own zone.

Every time I thought we were about to have a nice transition rush in this series, our forwards just dumped the puck in lol.

The core (and Giordano) are cooked. Do not bring back ROR, he's too slow as well.

 

[Dragao6]

I don't even care about game 4. I really don't care about next year. How can I care all over again? How can I ever believe that maybe next year will be different? I wish I hadn't taken my season tickets for next season. I should have paused them for a year. I have no interest in dealing with those tickets at all. I sure as hell don't want to go see them live.

I no longer care about this team, for the first time in my life. It will be hard for it to come back at this point

Very happy I took my nephew to his vs game thisbyear in ottawa because I won’t be going to a live game for some time
Bettman and Leafs can suck it

 

[horner]

I wouldn't gut the team unless Matthews and Nylander say they're not re-signing. At that point, you're sort of pushed into doing it anyway and it's time to find the best deals on the market.

Assuming everyone wants to stay, they need to move one of Marner/Tavares and re-tool the roster with the acquired asset(s) + cap space. I would imagine Tavares is going nowhere, so you move Marner.

I don't think the solution is in gutting the team though. You don't want to go so far back in frustration that you're left sitting out of the playoffs with a mish-mash of assets.

Instead, you change the coach and you remove one core piece + other supplementary pieces to redistribute the cap space.

Neither mathews or Nylander have shown up in the biggest games .
Take a look at what the core 4 hame done when the chips are on the line nothing.
I just want a hard working team like Seattle that hits and work no stars.

 

[Trapper]

Core change is probably not happening.
We have no draft picks.
Soon everyone will have NTC.
Soon everyone will be UFA.
Not enough time to change over management (because it will probably need that for change) in order to go through all these processes.
This is what we have, it is what it is. Cheer for them to win game 4. Not much else we can do.

 

[ULF_55]

No pain from me. I've been calling for this core to be dismantled since 2019-2020. The only way one could feel pain in this scenario is if they had any expectations to begin with and if you had any expectations from this group, at this stage of the "Shanaplan", then that's on you and and you alone. Hope people start opening their eyes now, as they should have been doing 4 seasons ago.

I was actively cheering for Tampa in R1 and am actively cheering for Florida now. I'll always be a Leaf fan, but I cannot stand the current regime. I have never disliked any group more than this one, in my 30 years watching. I want what's best of the team. And just as I would actively cheer against them when they're tanking, I'll actively cheer against them now, if I believe that losing is the best long term solution. And it is. Fingers crossed that they simply lie down and die on Wednesday - it would be so on brand for them. Then, on Thursday morning, get rid of this entire regime, from Shanahan down.

30 years?

Newcomer eh? J/K

60+ years and while never cheering against this unlikeable team ... it is an unlikeable team. Actually, I really only find a few players unlikeable, but they are the face of the team. Players like Kampf I'm fine with.

Coaching ... is he afraid of offending marner and Matthews?

 

[BallardEra]

I'd look at trading for Tom Wilson from the Caps. He's UFA after next season.

 

[horner]

Our defensive structure sucks
We need a coach that has a system we have none

 

[ryno23]

Here is the problem with getting rid of the core. You get rid of the core and you are back to non-playoff hockey and being out of playoff contention by Christmas. Some of the older folks went thru the 80's with no playoff hockey and look how dogshit the team was post-lockout. Prior to Matthews, they were out of the playoffs 10 out of 11 years.

yeah sucks there is no playoff success but do we really want to go back to garbage 82 painful regular season to watch.

We are Ovie'sCapital team good enough to make the playoffs every year but only once did it all come together. Do we want to hope for that or go back to Leafs not being in the playoffs year after year?

I won't want to go thru another rebuild cause when will it end this time?

 

[Gallagbi]

ROR, Acciari and Lafferty are significant to you?

Compared to Engvall, simmonds and a Marlie? Yup.

Not being fast is a big deal. The top teams all play with pace. We're left running around in circles in our own zone.

Every time I thought we were about to have a nice transition rush in this series, our forwards just dumped the puck in lol.

The core (and Giordano) are cooked. Do not bring back ROR, he's too slow as well.

I agree speed is a big deal, but im as worried about our tenacity. We dont retrieve pucks well and play too cautious without the puck

 

[Trapper]

30 years?

Newcomer eh? J/K

60+ years and while never cheering against this unlikeable team ... it is an unlikeable team. Actually, I really only find a few players unlikeable, but they are the face of the team. Players like Kampf I'm fine with.

Coaching ... is he afraid of offending marner and Matthews?

It’s funny how I find (and feel) the same thing. I like Rielly and some others but as for the faces you mention, not so much.