Toronto is in big trouble... Matthews's injury is still there. Surgery incoming?

[leafsfan5]

How are they in big trouble? They’re first in the Atlantic

we're not in trouble in terms of making the playoffs, but any hope of a deep run rests on our best player being healthy. From that perspective we appear to be f***ed unfortunately

 

[HockeyVirus]

we're not in trouble in terms of making the playoffs, but any hope of a deep run rests on our best player being healthy. From that perspective we appear to be f***ed unfortunately

I mean, we are like 4.5 months away from the playoffs and an entire TDL so this comment can't be taken as anything but doomerism. We don't even know what our playoff roster looks like nvm projecting anything.

What we do know right now though is:

- We have strong goaltending
- An experienced coach who has mostly been able to keep the team playing with structure defensively
- Played well enough mostly without Matthews to be tied for first in the Division as the calendar rolls to the new year which is something the team has never done.

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

we're not in trouble in terms of making the playoffs, but any hope of a deep run rests on our best player being healthy. From that perspective we appear to be f***ed unfortunately

He's been healthy mostly every other playoffs and the team has done nothing.

 

[Goose]

I’m curious to know if JT offered an amulet at any point and how Matthews reacted.

That aside, lots of time to correct this issue, it’s not like the Leafs will miss the playoffs without him.

 

[LeafsNet]

Toronto is not in trouble, they’re literally tied for first in the Atlantic and the Leafs record without Matthews is stellar to say the least.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 42-23-2 without Auston Matthews all-time.

The only thing in trouble is the continuing growth of Montreal’s unhealthy inferiority complex with Toronto. Y’all literally obsessed with the Leafs.

He's been healthy mostly every other playoffs and the team has done nothing.

Past is past, look to the future now.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

I’m curious to know if JT offered an amulet at any point and how Matthews reacted.

A couple of WiFi amulets and some red light therapy and he’d be good as new, it’s a shame some ppl are so closed minded

 

[KCC]

we're not in trouble in terms of making the playoffs, but any hope of a deep run rests on our best player being healthy. From that perspective we appear to be f***ed unfortunately

They’ve been healthy in past playoffs and did next to nothing.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

They’ve been healthy in past playoffs and did next to nothing.

AM not playing would help them , guy is bad mojo

 

[HockeyVirus]

Toronto now sits solely in first in the Atlantic. Not good.

 

[FinlandPanther]

They play better without him tbh.

 

[FrozenJagrt]

A couple of WiFi amulets and some red light therapy and he’d be good as new, it’s a shame some ppl are so closed minded

View attachment 952406

We joke about it, but whatever voodoo bullshit Tavares is doing seems to be working this season, he's been terrific!

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

AM not playing would help them , guy is bad mojo

True, he's a very toxic player and only concerned with himself.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

We joke about it, but whatever voodoo bullshit Tavares is doing seems to be working this season, he's been terrific!

True that. Crazy how those amulets seem to work better in a contract year!

 

[FreeToShareWithMeOk]

Toronto's real problem is they don't have any legit playmaking/pass first centers at all. Matthews/JT are good and all but wingers feeding centers is easier to shut down in the playoffs than centers feeding wingers, which is what you see happening every year offensively in the playoffs when Toronto stops scoring midway through a playoff round and everyone blames their defense for some reason. They're dying for a Strome/PLD/Kadri type presence to put with Nylander and on the PP

 

[WarriorofTime]

Toronto now sits solely in first in the Atlantic. Not good.

They're tied for 2nd in Point Percentage in the division and tied for 10th in point percentage in the NHL. That's alright, but for a team that doesn't have an extensive track record of playoff success, I'm not sure where all the smugness comes from.

 

[FreeToShareWithMeOk]

Toronto now sits solely in first in the Atlantic. Not good.

Yep, Marner is a slam dunk to keep carrying them in the playoffs the way he's carrying them right now

 

[CokenoPepsi]

Matthews isn't very good in the playoffs.

If he misses the playoffs this year it just shines a brighter light on poor playoff performers like Nylander, Marner and Tavares

 

[Martin Skoula]

Toronto's real problem is they don't have any legit playmaking/pass first centers at all. Matthews/JT are good and all but wingers feeding centers is easier to shut down in the playoffs than centers feeding wingers, which is what you see happening every year offensively in the playoffs when Toronto stops scoring midway through a playoff round and everyone blames their defense for some reason. They're dying for a Strome/PLD/Kadri type presence to put with Nylander and on the PP

The bigger issue is that the guys you want shooting the puck are needed in front of the net. Other than Nylander, who’s a threat from distance if Matthews/JT are set up in the slot or crease looking for tips and rebounds? I know the meme is they’re a perimeter team but the reality is that Matthews and Tavares futilely jamming at pucks under goalie pads as the clock ticks down is a lot more common than them losing because they didn’t get to the net. The one series win they have, the abused Vasi from distance and then promptly went back to Marner trying to feed the slot from the wall, and between the D’s crosschecks and the Michelin man in net there’s no consistent window to force anything through.

It feels like half our goals against are tips pinballs and rebounds but for some reason they never figure out that they’re allowed to do that too.

 

[Schennanigans]

We have been better without him. The bigger concern is having healthy goaltending for the playoffs.

 

[SheldonJPlankton]

The Leafs are on pace for 102 points. Last season they finished 3rd in the Atlantic with 102 points.

It's not that the Leafs are a top team playing like a division leader. It's that last season's division contenders are playing so poorly that they're making Toronto look good in comparison.