Toggle sidebar

Post-Game Talk: Traverse City tournament. Leafs finish with 2-1 record.

  • Work is still on-going to rebuild the site styling and features. Please report any issues you may experience so we can look into it. Click Here for Updates
weems said:
Now imagine if Grebyonkin was also playing in this game.

Our prospect pool gets ripped on alot but we have some good future NHL players.

Cowan, Knies , Woll, Grebyonkin, Minten, Niemela, Hirvonen, Tverberg, Hildeby are all guys that should help the big club eventually or be used in trades.
Click to expand...
The top-9 prospects (Knies, Grebenkin, Minten, Cowan, Robertson, Holmberg, Woll, Niemela and Hirvonen) are all trendiing towards NHL futures. That's a good stack of youth that are very likely to have NHL careers on some level. Considering the number of picks and where they have been selecting from that is not a bad group.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DragoGrizzly and weems
Magic Man said:
The top-9 prospects (Knies, Grebenkin, Minten, Cowan, Robertson, Holmberg, Woll, Niemela and Hirvonen) are all trendiing towards NHL futures. That's a good stack of youth that are very likely to have NHL careers on some level. Considering the number of picks and where they have been selecting from that is not a bad group.
Click to expand...
I’m not that high on Hirvonen actually. Every game I’ve seen of him he just doesn’t really do anything that sticks out. I’m really pulling for Tverberg because of his dog on a bone qualities but think he’s a long shot too. But what I think is impressive about the list of players you mentioned who will likely play in nhl, is that only one of them is a first round pick, and a late one at that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lemontree and Magic Man
DragoGrizzly said:
I’m not that high on Hirvonen actually. Every game I’ve seen of him he just doesn’t really do anything that sticks out. I’m really pulling for Tverberg because of his dog on a bone qualities but think he’s a long shot too. But what I think is impressive about the list of players you mentioned who will likely play in nhl, is that only one of them is a first round pick, and a late one at that.
Click to expand...
I agree on Hirvonen. Reading about his playing style when he was overseas, it seems like he had the type of game that would make him a solid winger option on a 2nd line or more likely a 3rd line even though his size wouldn't necessary have you put him in that role. After watching him since he arrived in N.A, I just don't see how he will carve out a career in the NHL.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DragoGrizzly
Leaf Army said:
I agree. Although I think the jury is still very much out on those guys at the back end of your list we do have some NHL players on the way.

Another thing I think gets overlooked is that when you’re a team like the Leafs who should be at the top end of the standings for the foreseeable future the lineup is pretty well set. You don’t need 3 or 4 guys graduating every year. If you have 1 or 2 key guys making the jump you’re good.

When you’re in the Leafs situation more important than having crazy depth is to ensure you’re drafting, developing and keeping the right ones.
Click to expand...

I think that’s where I disagree, especially given our cap situation. We should be looking to replace some of our depth on the 3rd and 4th line with guys from our system. We should be looking for a guy like Tverberg to supplement our roster. You need to graduate both high end talent and home grown bottom six guys. Both are essential to success.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lemontree, GreatDayforHockey and TMLAM34
Green Snow Storm said:
Think

Agreed. The NHL leadership needs a workover from the top down in the worst way.
Click to expand...

I made that point in the Matthews thread and the response I got is “I don’t give a shit about Matthews importance to the game of hockey, just want a Stanley Cup.”

The problem is the NHL is unwilling to make changes that would help grow the game because they have a niche group they know will support them year after year. You also have fans who don’t understand that growing the game would then in turn lead to more revenue and more cap to work with. It’s a shame because there is potential to grow the game but when you have an older fan base that’s content with status quo and not yearning for change, it’s not going to happen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JSn0w93
Stephen said:
Tverberg looks like a guy who should follow the Zach Hyman development handbook to a T. Just be a tenacious winger, dog on a bone.

Cowan looks really high end. Effortless wheels and just great hands, puck control and awareness. He kind of reminds me a little of a Marchand the way he buzzes around and the puck is always following him around.

Did Minten put on a lot of muscle over the past year? He seems a lot bigger and more physical than last fall. Didn't follow him much, heard he got hurt late in the year and his numbers didn't look so hot.
Click to expand...
I would love for all these guys to work out but don't put too much stock in these games
 
Leaf Army said:
I’m not saying this tournament should be at Summer League level. But the gap between how the the two are promoted and executed is just massive. The NHL has no idea how to generate excitement.

It goes well beyond money. I can find stats for my beer league softball team online the next day easier than I can for this tournament.
Click to expand...
This is hilarious and sad because it's true.

It would take little effort or work to at least have a page dedicated to all the rookie tournaments going on
 
  • Like
Reactions: GreatDayforHockey and francis246
Minten is coming along nicely and may be ahead of the teams expectations for him.
He's had some really strong stretches in games, imposing himself, good in the circle, first in on pucks, always one of the first back on transition.

He isn't a game breaker but I think just one of those centres who will function best on line 3 and a 1st up for the PK.

Easton Cowan will have me going to see the Knights when playing in the area this year. The kid has some shift and a lot of quick in his game, great hands and a shot that looks like it's almost there.

Nothing like Bedard of course, he had a nice game today, last I looked he had a hat trick going.

It was nice just sitting back enjoying some hockey with nothing at stake, just a bunch of talented players having some fun.
 
  • Like
Reactions: leafsfan2point0, LeafSteel, Metroid and 3 others
Magic Man said:
The top-9 prospects (Knies, Grebenkin, Minten, Cowan, Robertson, Holmberg, Woll, Niemela and Hirvonen) are all trendiing towards NHL futures. That's a good stack of youth that are very likely to have NHL careers on some level.
Click to expand...
This seems a tad...aggressively optimistic tbh
 
Been really impressed with how steady Minten’s game has been. I think he’s going surprise a lot of people in training camp and pre-season games. I can already see a good third line with Minten and Jarnkrok.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LeafSteel
Been really nice getting to see hockey again this week even though only 1 game was fully televised. I watched some of the Blues and Hawks games as well and Bedard certainly seems legit and that was before he scored, he was dominant.

Tuesday players report to camp and Wednesday is when the players have their first media availability. Sunday we play the Sens in pre-season game 1.

Exciting times are back!
 
  • Like
Reactions: therealkoho, Aashir, LeafSteel and 2 others
therealkoho said:
Easton Cowan will have me going to see the Knights when playing in the area this year. The kid has some shift and a lot of quick in his game, great hands and a shot that looks like it's almost there.
Click to expand...
Will most likely take the kids to a Steelheads game this season since it's cheap and I'm like 10-15 mins away lol
Def gonna pick a game vs the Knights now to see him as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: therealkoho and ktownhockey
francis246 said:
I made that point in the Matthews thread and the response I got is “I don’t give a shit about Matthews importance to the game of hockey, just want a Stanley Cup.”

The problem is the NHL is unwilling to make changes that would help grow the game because they have a niche group they know will support them year after year. You also have fans who don’t understand that growing the game would then in turn lead to more revenue and more cap to work with. It’s a shame because there is potential to grow the game but when you have an older fan base that’s content with status quo and not yearning for change, it’s not going to happen.
Click to expand...

We have to acknowledge the Cap also restricts what teams are permitted to do.

A lot more money could be put into the game if teams were allowed to spend.

Growing the game would be good for non-hockey fans. As a Leafs fan I don't care if Arizona was dropped from the league, same applies to many of the teams ... It's like having 100 channels on cable, I care about 20 of them.

I don't care if Matthews makes 1 million or 30 million a year.

I don't care if a team spending 20 million or 100 million wins the Cup.

Anyway, I don't think age comes into play, people are not who they are because of age, they are who they are because of who they are. Is Greta Thunberg the same age as David Suzuki?

I think the term "old boys club" is a misnomer, or at least some place too much emphasis on the "old" and think of age, not saying you do, but the is about the "club" being old not the members being old.
Well, at least the Leafs current management is more "old boys" than the last one.

Nice to see the "kids" are getting their legs against competition, and yes in less than a full game of viewing Cowan looks like he's a step above.

So Steve Sullivan will be 50 next year ... time flies eh?
 
  • Like
Reactions: francis246
ULF_55 said:
We have to acknowledge the Cap also restricts what teams are permitted to do.

A lot more money could be put into the game if teams were allowed to spend.

Growing the game would be good for non-hockey fans. As a Leafs fan I don't care if Arizona was dropped from the league, same applies to many of the teams ... It's like having 100 channels on cable, I care about 20 of them.

I don't care if Matthews makes 1 million or 30 million a year.

I don't care if a team spending 20 million or 100 million wins the Cup.

Anyway, I don't think age comes into play, people are not who they are because of age, they are who they are because of who they are. Is Greta Thunberg the same age as David Suzuki?

I think the term "old boys club" is a misnomer, or at least some place too much emphasis on the "old" and think of age, not saying you do, but the is about the "club" being old not the members being old.
Well, at least the Leafs current management is more "old boys" than the last one.

Nice to see the "kids" are getting their legs against competition, and yes in less than a full game of viewing Cowan looks like he's a step above.

So Steve Sullivan will be 50 next year ... time flies eh?
Click to expand...

i don't think i used the world old, but I completely understand what you are saying. That's why I used "niche". I don't think it's just old people that think like that. I think that perspective comes from old, young, middle age, everyone.

In general I think hockey fans are not as receptive to change, nothing really to do with age. But I hope that we do see some change in the game to make it more interesting and to see cap flexibility. I'd love to see a luxary tax system to allow teams who have the cash to spend extra if they are willing.

EDIT* I did use older towards the end there!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ULF_55
League has a strategy to get TV coverage across US. This leads to teams like the Leafs subsidizing lower revenue teams. Unfortunately this process has been going on for too long.

Extrapolating criticism of the coverage of a prospects game to the league as a whole seems bordering on hyperbole and just an opportunity to attack the core fanbases. Personally, I'm not interested in growing the revenue pie, I'm interested in a quality on ice product.
 
DuklaNation said:
League has a strategy to get TV coverage across US. This leads to teams like the Leafs subsidizing lower revenue teams. Unfortunately this process has been going on for too long.

Extrapolating criticism of the coverage of a prospects game to the league as a whole seems bordering on hyperbole and just an opportunity to attack the core fanbases. Personally, I'm not interested in growing the revenue pie, I'm interested in a quality on ice product.
Click to expand...

See but that makes no sense to me, how do you expect the on.ice product to improve with out the money (aka revenue) to do so? That’s what leaves fans like me confused. How can people not see that both are connected. Things can’t improve without money. Revenue has to increase in order for the product to get better. Every other league has recognized that.


NBA Summer league is must see TV. And the NBA makes a ton off of summer league. We wanna see the upcoming rookies in action and those games and stats are accessible. Should be the same in the NHL, they should find a way to profit off the rookie showcase and make it compelling. How many people know Connor Bedard had a hat trick last night? And looked fantastic.
 
ULF_55 said:
Anyway, I don't think age comes into play, people are not who they are because of age, they are who they are because of who they are. Is Greta Thunberg the same age as David Suzuki?

I think the term "old boys club" is a misnomer, or at least some place too much emphasis on the "old" and think of age, not saying you do, but the is about the "club" being old not the members being old.
Well, at least the Leafs current management is more "old boys" than the last one.
Click to expand...

Well "Old Boys club" doesn't mean every member has to fit that identity. There are members in there who are young or female. But the vast majority of the members are older men. Guys who have been around for a long time and formed connections across every space of the league.

I agree with you this is a much more old boys club than previous teams, and I think that will earn Toronto more "respect" than they were getting around the league. Whether that has any impact on the success of the team remains to be seen, but history would suggest it doesn't.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom