The Past Returns?

[Faltorvo]

This Ottawa game is a prime example of why TO needs some serviceable muscle, the skill wasn't there and when it isn't TO won't win because there's no other alternative. Tonite was a night where TO needed to crash the net, run over Ottawa rather than trying to pass the puck around them to further out in the periphery.

Yes Matthews reacted with I'm getting the heck out of here as soon as I cross check him. We need players who want to own the game thru whatever means, it doesn't need to be the stars but the stars do need proper support.

We need Gallaghers, Andersons, Tkuchuks(Brady or Matthew), players with both skill and will on the top 2 lines. TO is way too incomplete, too easy to play against, we need players that will bring the fight to the opposition.

we have 7 players with 0 registered hits so far ,,,we have been out hit 65 to 26 so far

and the list is a who's who , of our so called "leaders"

how long do you think it will take the other teammates to say F this noise , i'm going to take the soft route like our overpaid leaders?

 

[Faltorvo]

Ferland might retire and Roussel is more of an agitator than a tough guy. They’ve already handled tkachuk for a couple years and Watson is a 4th liner. Kassian can take silly penalties all he wants it’ll just keep mcdavid and drai off the ice lol. Lucic and Rinaldo are fourth liners that won’t be able to keep pace with anyone but jumbo and spezza. And Anderson has quite simply become one of the most overrated players on this board he’s not some prime lucic menace or Tom Wilson he’s a guy that can throw the body around like bogosian or simmonds or jumbo if he wants to or muzzin or Hyman or mikheyev. This idea that the leafs are soft as butter compared to these “heavys” is laughable mainboard nonsense.

we have been out hit 65 to 26 so far

care to rethink the bolded?

 

[Trapper]

we have been out hit 65 to 26 so far

care to rethink the bolded?

You can add a new Simmonds/Thornton every year from the recycling bin. It’s great and I like it but:

Intensity has to come from the 4 at the top.
Do not pass go, collect 40 mil regardless.
Everyone wants to ignore that.

 

[Faltorvo]

You can add a new Simmonds/Thornton every year from the recycling bin. It’s great and I like it but:

Intensity has to come from the 4 at the top.
Do not pass go, collect 40 mil regardless.
Everyone wants to ignore that.

not everyone

i been btchn about it for a longgggg time now

but what do i know,,i'm just an old Neanderthal

this is "the new nhl" and "new pay structure",,,sadly someone forgot to tell the rest of the league that.

 

[Stephen]

you are going to see the intensity that come with 4 point games from the other teams

i don't believe we know what that is.

If I put myself in the opposition's shoes, I think there's got to be a lot of enjoyment in taking down the Toronto Maple Leafs skill team. We're a team that seems to want to embarrass the other team with overwhelming skill but all the other team needs to do is lean in with a bit of muscle, intensity and that will often neutralize whatever advantage Toronto has.

 

[Stephen]

not everyone

i been btchn about it for a longgggg time now

but what do i know,,i'm just an old Neanderthal

this is "the new nhl" and "new pay structure",,,sadly someone forgot to tell the rest of the league that.

The idea about the Leafs New-New School hockey feels like more of a James Mirtle/Kyle Dubas theory that reality.

The NHL is certainly not as gritty, power, physicality as in the past during the Dead Puck era but you watch the playoffs and a random sampling of the contenders coming out of the gate and their skill game is often characterized by executing simple plays at very high kamikaze-like pacing, get that puck to the net with a ton of urgency and wreck havoc. There's not a lot of huge hits but there's often a heated puck retrieval battle, etc.

The way the Leafs play (going back to 2019-20) reminds me a lot of the quote about Alexei Kovalev. He took more enjoyment out of deking out a guy, cutting back and deking him out a second time than actually finishing off the play with a simple goal.

The way Toronto plays that ugly off speed game, fussy zone entries, perimeter pass, only to kick the puck back to the defenseman, who then exits the zone voluntarily is difficult to watch. I appreciate they want to maintain puck possession, but if the initial puck carrier is too hesitant to take the puck the final 15 feet the net, we have a problem.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Yep we are same team as last year and year before ... we rely on our skill ... we don't like to work really hard ... $$$ for nothin and your chicks for free ...

 

[hobarth]

we have 7 players with 0 registered hits so far ,,,we have been out hit 65 to 26 so far

and the list is a who's who , of our so called "leaders"

how long do you think it will take the other teammates to say F this noise , i'm going to take the soft route like our overpaid leaders?

I feel basically the better players are doing their job but players like Vesey, Mikheyev and even Hyman aren't contributing, Hyman turns it on when he plays up in the lineup but TO needs him to be what we've seen from him when playing in the top 6. Mikey loses all puck battle, has zero physicality and just mostly isn't involved, a total waste of a 3rd line spot. I have a hard time remembering what number Vesey wears because he's totally invisible, that's why TO got him so cheap.

I hadn't seen anything to like from Mikhey then late in the 3rd tonite he throws two heavy checks at the end of his shift.

TO benches Barbanov tonite, I thought Versey and Mikhey should've been benched, I sorta like Barbanov's game. Replace Vesey and Mikhey with Anderson, Boyd or even Engvall, those 2 are too high in the lineup for what they bring.

When Vesey and Mikhey start to show Marner talent, they can say F this noise, but when they are as bad as they are they better find a way to become useful. They both PK so I'd demote them to the 4th and find players with more drive and talent to take their places.

 

[Pookie]

whew that'll be tough. Now explain how teams will handle Tavares/Nylander and Matthews/Marner on a consistent basis.

If we lose because we can't handle playing against Kassian and Lucic I think we have MUCH bigger problems than we think.

That's like saying teams won't be able to handle us because we have Bogosian and Simmonds...

probably the same way Columbus handled our prowess.