The fans here have been asking for a team like this for years now, they got what they wanted. This is the monkey's paw

[DraftSchmaft]

Record would still be solid if we didn't start Kampf twice in OT

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

I certainly didn’t ask to bring in Reaves and Klingberg, nor did I advocate for the Leafs to get rid of all our PK guys. Thread title making a lot of wrong assumptions.

 

[Havoc]

Blah blah blah blah is all I'm reading.

Watch how quickly everyone acts like they never had any doubt when we're near the top of the standings 2 months from now

 

[thewave]

Dallas:
55 mil on forwards
22 mil on D

Avs:
48 mil on forwards (55 with Landeskog healthy)
28 mil on D

TBL:
46 on F (last year of Hagel at 1.5, 6.5 next year + re-up or replace Stamkos)
25 on D

Boston:
40 on F (Bergeron and Kreicji carryover not included)
26 on D

VGK:
45 on F
26 on D

We’re a Muzzin away from the same D spend every other contender has, flip Bertuzzi’s cap hit to D and it’s fixed.

The difference with those teams is that they’re getting guys like Amadio at the bottom of the lineup out-performing Kampf at a quarter of his cap hit. Instead of Brodie and Klingberg making almost 10mil combined, it’s Theodore + Martinez, Lindholm + Carlo, Towes + Byram, etc.

You can rebalance the available money all you want, it doesn’t matter if the guy spending it is a product of nepotism with a track record of completely misreading pro scouting before giving players massive money.

5m is a lot of money.

It's practically 20% 5m spread over 3 D could be the difference of having 3 very good D vs just 3 good D.

I think you underestimate the importance of every cap dollar. I am sure Dubas had the same attitude about cap until he went to build a deep contender and couldn't. So he mortgaged 1sts to get help ever single year and now we have a junky prospect pool and no great D coming up.

Sucks eh.

 

[Martin Skoula]

5m is a lot of money.

It's practically 20% 5m spread over 3 D could be the difference of having 3 very good D vs just 3 good D.

I think you underestimate the importance of every cap dollar. I am sure Dubas had the same attitude about cap until he went to build a deep contender and couldn't. So he mortgaged 1sts to get help ever single year and now we have a junky prospect pool and no great D coming up.

Sucks eh.

5m is a lot of money, I agree. That’s why we should have spent it on something better than Bertuzzi’s 3 points so far. Right now we have almost 20mil tied up in players giving us maybe 5 mil total of value.

Bert - paid 5.5, giving us replacement level value
Domi - paid 3, giving us replacement level value
Kling - paid 4.1, giving us maybe Holl level value
Kampf - paid 2.4, giving us replacement level value
Reaves - paid 1.4, giving us negative value, as in he hurts us more than having a worthless 0 value player in the lineup instead
Samsonov - paid 3.5, giving us journeyman tweener #3 value

If you’re mad about Matthews getting 13.5 and giving us 11 mil of value, you should be real mad about our UFAs that are about 15 mil overpaid relative to what they’ve contributed so far.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Record would still be solid if we didn't start Kampf twice in OT

Can;t turst our 13 and 1`1 million dolar forwards to win a faceoff

 

[TheRumble]

5m is a lot of money, I agree. That’s why we should have spent it on something better than Bertuzzi’s 3 points so far. Right now we have almost 20mil tied up in players giving us maybe 5 mil total of value.

Bert - paid 5.5, giving us replacement level value
Domi - paid 3, giving us replacement level value
Kling - paid 4.1, giving us maybe Holl level value
Kampf - paid 2.4, giving us replacement level value
Reaves - paid 1.4, giving us negative value, as in he hurts us more than having a worthless 0 value player in the lineup instead
Samsonov - paid 3.5, giving us journeyman tweener #3 value

If you’re mad about Matthews getting 13.5 and giving us 11 mil of value, you should be real mad about our UFAs that are about 15 mil overpaid relative to what they’ve contributed so far.

Have you noticed how quick many of them have blamed the top players in this thread for taking up too much of the money for us to create a solid bottom 6? Even though had $16 million in cap space in the off season and played hardball with Nylander in order to overpay Kampf and Reaves?

This forum has so many people that are out to lunch and are on the verge of another monkey's paw wish.

 

[Evilhomer]

Blah blah blah blah is all I'm reading.

Watch how quickly everyone acts like they never had any doubt when we're near the top of the standings 2 months from now

Bingo. You can set your watch to it.

 

[Leafsfan74]

Noone "wanted" Reaves. Most of us just wanted the core broken up. They need to make.the dance of couse but once they do, they will disappear. That's the problem, they do not like to sacrfice pnysically when ot matters most. That should also be Reaves and his lines job. The problem os,.Domi,.Bert,Reaves and even Kingberg don't like to play defense. Keefe demands defensive attention to details of all his players. Hopefully they will learn.

 

[TheRumble]

Noone "wanted" Reaves. Most of us just wanted the core broken up.

From the Ryan Reaves signing thread with usernames omitted:

Not really, players on the roster who contributed in some way usually get to hold the trophy. Are you new to Stanley Cup celebrations?
Does Kurtis McDermid ring a bell?

. That’s position is open, and I for one would love Reaves to add a dimension we sorely have lacked for years VS some BS hybrid guy who really does f all and just skates around aimlessly. If we need toughness. Like you mentioned, there is currently no tougher.

They need to be afraid to come off the ice after floating for a shift and to be held accountable every shift.

Reaves added a lot to Minnesota when he went there last year. I think the players felt better knowing his presence would retrain opponents goons from taking cheap shots at them. So, Reaves’ reputation is a good thing to have around….he doesn’t even need to fight….just be there ….

Reeves would be like Simmonds but actually play in some games. He is there to keep are soft stars safe and protect Mathews from getting injured. Only fear protects your Starz and Toronto has no pushback. They had to add how many guys to win one round?

The player Ryan Reaves is vs Ryan Reaves Erotic Fan Fiction on HFBoards are two very different things as you can see here.

 

[Martin Skoula]

From the Ryan Reaves signing thread with usernames omitted:










The player Ryan Reaves is vs Ryan Reaves Erotic Fan Fiction on HFBoards are two very different things as you can see here.

My favourite is the “he’ll prevent the other teams goons from taking shots at Matthews”. You know, the goons that injure our players like Marchand, Bennett, Kucherov, real 4th line goon types that will 100% fight Reaves instead of scoring on him twice in 7 minutes.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

You wanted do nothing tough enforcers that would protect the team, you got Ryan Reaves.

You wanted a big name D-man, you got John Klingberg.

You wanted some snarl in the top 6, you got Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi.

You wanted a hockey man with lots of experience in charge of things, you got Brad Treliving who has 10 years of being a GM.

You were tired of the nerds running things, so now you have a team that has been caved in on expected goals this season.

You got what you wanted, you just didn't know what this team needed.

The problem with the Leafs over the last few seasons:

1) Goaltending - We haven't really gotten a stable solution since Andersen was here. I'm a Dubas guy but he does have a big weakness when it comes to evaluating goaltenders.

2) Transition Defense - This is something that dates back to the Columbus series. The Leafs are a slow skating team on the back end with Morgan Rielly as the only truly fast skater so they are suseptible to counter attacking teams. This was probably most clearly shown in the Montreal series; Montreal only scored 1 goal off of a sustained forecheck that entire series, the rest of their goals came on special teams (3) and or rush attacks. Justin Bourne after that series noted that Montreal that season relied more on transition offense than any other team in the league and Toronto was one of the worst at transition defense. The Leafs countered this by playing a heavy posession offense which. This problem would pop up vs Tampa the next season and Florida the season after. Florida in our most recent series scored 80% of their goals off rush attacks and not heavy forechecking as people here think.

3) Transition Offense - Basically the other side of the coin as above. This team only has two players who are truly good at transition offense - Nylander and Reilly. Most of the lines are built for heavy posession game. Not that there's anything wrong with that but you do need a balance. Teams that are too one dimensional don't go far.

None of these things were solved in the off season.

I don't think John Klingberg is what most people wantedThey wanted a big name, yes but they also wanted a physical presence John Klingberg Isn't that.

I mean, I liked the signing and still do, but I know I'm in the minority now and was then.

Also Max Domi Isn't in the top 6.

Regardless you listed 3 problems only one is truly relevant.

Goaltending.

This thread does not exist if Iliya Samsonov wasn't shitting the bed every night and you and 1 both know it.

Samsonov is essentially the entire issue.

 

[Puckstuff]

I just don't understand this team. They built a team of skill and talent over physicality and toughness but here’s the problem, they don’t dominate with their skill either. The teams +/- goal differential on the season is +0. They don’t dominate with skill either. I could actually accept a softer team if we were blowing teams out of the water every night with skill but they don’t do that either. Every game seems like it's a 1 goal battle and just a lull in the park to get the win with as little effort as possible. This team has no interest in dominating.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Two questions.

What's a 'monkey paw' ?

Is every thread going to be turned into Dubas worship this season?

A monkey paw in this context is the hand of a monkey that grands wishes but always has negative consequences.

For example you want 10 million dollars? Done but maybe you get the money by winning a wrongful death lawsuit because something happened to somebody you cared about

In other words OP is talking about a magic object that doesn't exist.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

"Why are we worse defensively?"

Spoiler: This is why

View attachment 763846
View attachment 763847
View attachment 763848
View attachment 763849

Spoiler: Bonus

View attachment 763850

We are worse defensively because Samsonov has an 855 save%

 

[TheRumble]

We are worse defensively because Samsonov has an 855 save%

Samaonov has definitely been a problem, won't deny that.

But:

The 2021-22 Leafs vs the current iteration:

xGF% - 55.92%, 2nd best in the league vs 48%, bottom 10 in the league

CF% - 53% vs 49%

Shot Attempts Allowed - 7th best in the league vs 5th worst in the league.

Both teams had weak goaltending but the 21-22 Leafs supported their weak goalies by being stout defensively.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Samaonov has definitely been a problem, won't deny that.

But:

The 2021-22 Leafs vs the current iteration:

xGF% - 55.92%, 2nd best in the league vs 48%, bottom 10 in the league

CF% - 53% vs 49%

Shot Attempts Allowed - 7th best in the league vs 5th worst in the league.

Both teams had weak goaltending but the 21-22 Leafs supported their weak goalies by being stout defensively.

Samsonov is the reason this thread exists, if he's even slightly below average instead of completely unplayable they are probably 9-3 and we aren't having this conversation because you don't make this thread.

If he's average or maybe slightly above they would be up with Boston and this thread doesn't exist.

All it would have taken would probably be somewhere between 890-905, maybe closer to 905 but still that's barely average.

Instead he's unplayable and thus we have this thread.

He's not a problem.

He's THE problem.

Nothing else you wrote In the OP is relevant

Samsonov has single handily pissed away AT LEAST 6 points.

and that's not even including the 2 Woll pissed away against Buffalo

 

[rumman]

Blah blah blah blah is all I'm reading.

Watch how quickly everyone acts like they never had any doubt when we're near the top of the standings 2 months from now

Watch as those same posters say “I told you so” when the Leafs once again have a early exit in the playoffs…………

 

[WillyC]

This thread really could be merged with the flawed thread

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Kyle brought in multiple guys who played the same role as Reaves, they just also could play hockey... that is the difference.

Reaves hasn't been able to stick with a team recently, do these GMs not understand roles?

Who are these players? Are you talking about Clifford and Simmonds?

There was a very short time where Simmonds had a bit of production. Then he got injured. After that he joined Clifford in the questionable "could play hockey" club.

Clifford is a Marlie now. You could petition to have him return to the big club.

 

[Rob Brown]

5m is a lot of money, I agree. That’s why we should have spent it on something better than Bertuzzi’s 3 points so far. Right now we have almost 20mil tied up in players giving us maybe 5 mil total of value.

Bert - paid 5.5, giving us replacement level value
Domi - paid 3, giving us replacement level value
Kling - paid 4.1, giving us maybe Holl level value
Kampf - paid 2.4, giving us replacement level value
Reaves - paid 1.4, giving us negative value, as in he hurts us more than having a worthless 0 value player in the lineup instead
Samsonov - paid 3.5, giving us journeyman tweener #3 value

If you’re mad about Matthews getting 13.5 and giving us 11 mil of value, you should be real mad about our UFAs that are about 15 mil overpaid relative to what they’ve contributed so far.

It's been 12 games. It's not like we're sitting here mid April and all of the new players have sucked all year. Sometimes it's okay to exhibit a little bit of patience.

 

[notbias]

Who are these players? Are you talking about Clifford and Simmonds?

There was a very short time where Simmonds had a bit of production. Then he got injured. After that he joined Clifford in the questionable "could play hockey" club.

Clifford is a Marlie now. You could petition to have him return to the big club.

I think most of the fanbase would welcome Clifford over Reaves... Clifford will at least hit people when they have the puck and not 2 seconds after.

I'd rather neither, but I still think Simmonds is better than Reaves, and I know Clifford is, Clifford's issue is dumb penalties.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I think most of the fanbase would welcome Clifford over Reaves... Clifford will at least hit people when they have the puck and not 2 seconds after.

I'd rather neither, but I still think Simmonds is better than Reaves, and I know Clifford is, Clifford's issue is dumb penalties.

Honestly you must have something better to do then concentrate on a player who last night played 4 min of hockey. You can't always say that so and so is a waste of a roster spot when you have a coach who's playing his main players 23 min each.

 

[notbias]

Honestly you must have something better to do then concentrate on a player who last night played 4 min of hockey. You can't always say that so and so is a waste of a roster spot when you have a coach who's playing his main players 23 min each.

His taking up a roster spot is the issue... if you want our top players playing 22+ a night, keep Reaves and basically bench him, if not, play someone else.

I'd rather they use the roster spot on Holmberg.

If they want tough guys they have a better one in the AHL.

 

[TheRumble]

Honestly you must have something better to do then concentrate on a player who last night played 4 min of hockey. You can't always say that so and so is a waste of a roster spot when you have a coach who's playing his main players 23 min each.

He's -8 in 12 games while averaging 7 minutes a night. People wouldn't complain about him so much if he wasn't on the ice for 8 goals this year. I would but it wouldn't be worthy of a thread.