What pisses you off the most about our team?

[BrannigansLaw]

That every contemporary complaint about the 2022-23 roster was identifiable as an issue or a developing issue 4 years ago.

To expand on this, the fact they never seem to learn from their mistakes or seemingly care enough to fix them.

Like, how long have we been complaining about them not starting on time? Or playing down to the opponents level? Or not putting in consistent 60 minute efforts?

We hear the same song and dance about all they’ve learned after they get bounced in round 1 but then just go back out there and repeat the same bullshit next year.

That’s what pisses me off. They don’t seem to want to grow up.

 

[ULF_55]

That every contemporary complaint about the 2022-23 roster was identifiable as an issue or a developing issue 4 years ago.

So we're talking the core players, not the kids on defense or the scrubs in the bottom.

 

[IPS]

The lack of accountability.

Star players fail in the playoffs, no worries! The GM won't call you out, in fact he'll get right into the media and defend you, he'll even call criticism of you "idiotic".

It's never anybody's fault, it's always just the unfortunate circumstances and bad luck.

 

[OVO16]

Just how soft we are. We are the only team in the league who refuses to implement the physical component into our game plan.

Never seen a team so lifeless and lack of aggression when it comes to big games.

 

[Clyde Brewer]

We were finally looking good. A new president came in and they named his vision the "Shanaplan".

We brought in the best that money could buy in a highly regarded coach and a proven GM. Things were changing. Toronto media was different, positive for a change. We were even warned that there would be pain, so we were patient, because things seemed to be going to plan. Nobody complained about not winning, not even the usually vile Toronto media.

We lucked out with the 1st overall pick and we now had our superstar. Our other recent pics (Willy and Mitch) were also starting to silence their critics as they were now playing better than many had expected.

We even had the foresight and guile to bring in one of the league's most respected veterans (Marleau) to be an example of professionalism for our young up-and-comers.


We were looking like we finally had our shit together. Everything was working out and we were getting better and better. The fanbase had waited decades to see Toronto finally have some patience and follow a plan. We were a solid team, especially down the middle with a future Rocket Richard winner at 1C, a physical, chippy, heart and soul 32-goal scoring, defensively responsible Kadri at 2C, and Bozak with his 56% face-off winning and supplemental scoring at 3C.


Why the hell did we need to sign Tavares?

Why couldn't we follow the plan?

Everything went to hell after that. Johnny T came in and everybody's stats went up. The timing was terrible. Stats went up just as new contracts needed to be signed. Inflated stats = inflated contract.

Our next moves were:
Incomprehensibly signing Marner to nearly $11 million, getting rid of that legendary GM, getting rid of that very highly touted coach, trading away nearly all 1st round draft picks.

 

[Tarmore]

Yup, there are probably lots of reasonable answers (accordiing to you)...And that is what matter most when looked at and summed up after responses.

For me: We are too soft all arround: and ya ya some fans tend to think that the "forward motion thinking and stacking those chips will work,...eventually)

WRONGO!

Our team can only create a momentem swing (Which is totally important) But,...we can only create one when we score.

There are way more aspects to the game, and when we get pinned in our end and no one hits,..or they just do a drive by,.,..it shows our weakness, and proves one of our weaknesses. The opposition shows no fear against us. Can you blame them? Nom,,it's our lack of effort and guts that are to blame and it carries on and throughout our line-up.

Yup we need to add gritty players that cover up our finesse players that want no part of of playing griity!

We need a shake up and new direction unfortunatley. (lets not blame it on goalies,...the players up front give too much white ice because "WE THE GREATEST POND HOCKEY TEAM THAT COULD PLAY WITHOUT BOARDS"

Teams around us that are up-coming have added tons of grit so,..there is also that.

IT is time to give up 1 of our top 4. Marner still makes so ego headed passes, Morgan does too and looks more like a forward.

WE are desperate,..I am desperate. Dubas should be desperate ( and has never made a ballsy big trade)

Guts before glory is all I'm asking. GLG!

throw out some ideas, likes or dislikes, remedies....bandaids..ect...

The thing I hate most about our team is all the negativity from our 'Fans'!

 

[Eternal Leaf]

They play too soft and how often they look scared in knockout games.

That's why it's hard to trust this core.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Put me in the anti Tavares camp.

But only as Captain.

 

[egd27]

The inability to play a system that minimizes the opportunity for costly mistakes. (bad pinches, stupid turnovers, high risk passes, etc.)

If Dubas won't or can't change the core then he needs to find someone that can implement a system they can execute without revolting

 

[Stephen]

The inability to play a system that minimizes the opportunity for costly mistakes. (bad pinches, stupid turnovers, high risk passes, etc.)

If Dubas won't or can't change the core then he needs to find someone that can implement a system they can execute without revolting

Dubas should be challenged a lot more on the notion that he "believes" in x, y, z about his build.

Like what is your actual process is, why do we always see a regression back to the same old problems, what is your basis in your belief, how do you hold yourself accountable to past failings but seem to be building the same team over and over again, how come your team doesn't seem to be progressing on the same track as the previous championship teams you compare yourself to?

I don't think it'll be his problem for long anyway though.

 

[The Hanging Jowl]

Nothing pisses me off at all about them. They are what they are. But if you asked me what disappoints me the most about the Leafs it's that It's looking more and more like they will never live in my lifetime and several cities that barely care have won multiple times. Life is cruel.

 

[GoonieFace]

The thing I hate most about our team is all the negativity from our 'Fans'!

You know what, you’re right. There’s nothing wrong here, everything is fine…just fine

 

[Magic Man]

They're f***ing soft.

Drafting for skill because you can find grit easily is a bullshit philosophy. Every good physical player is labelled a unicorn. They are overpaid in FA. You should be drafting and developing them even if the odds they make it aren't all that high.

 

[Dave92]

This team get's me much less angry this season, I just don't care anymore. They're proven losers until they demonstrate otherwise, which i don't expect.

Matthews and Marner have played in 6? winner take all games and scored 0 goals? They're losers, it's not even debatable.

 

[Anthrax442]

I'll just leave this here.

 

[Dreakmur]

I'll just leave this here.

John Wick would definitely help right now.

 

[cyris]

The players want things to be easy and don’t give their best effort nearly enough. When they do we are a hard team to beat. But we maybe see it in half our games.

The coach refuses to break up Matthews and Marner not in my opinion because he thinks it won’t work but because he is afraid it will. And if it works he has to keep it that way.

The GM refuses to move on from his guys like Kerfoot, Engvall, and Holl. Even if their cap space would fill the holes everyone else sees on their roster. Physical top 4 RHD, 3rd line C and top 6 LW. Preferably guys that bring some size and ability to stand up for their teammates.

One a side note I do think this management group does the best job of amateur scouting and drafting of any group I have ever seen here but that is more of an indictment of just how bad we have been at that for the last 30 years.

 

[Pebble live]

That it took the fan base this long to realize prioritizing pure skill over everything else was not a recipe for success. Over the last 4 seasons if you mentioned this team was soft 90% of the fan base would attack you. We're really starting to see the issues on this team when you don't put an effort into building a bottom 6 that can grind down teams and win games when your skilled guys aren't going.

You need to be able to play multiple styles of hockey, depending on the opponent. This team is a one trick pony.

 

[Lightsol]

What pisses me off? That we've had two straight head coaches who seem to be incapable of (or absolutely refuse to) recognize when things simply aren't working and CHANGE THEM. But Keefe's pissing me off even more because he's also a coward who's afraid to change ANYTHING. Kallgren looked like shit last night, so... let's start him again! God forbid you start a goalie with no NHL experience...

And that's what gets me about this whole goaltending situation. It's underlining with a red marker that Keefe will not start a goalie with no NHL experience unless he's literally forced to. In four years, Keefe has started a zero experience goalie twice, and both times it was a situation where the only goalies available were zero experience goalies, forcing him to choose one. If he has a chance to choose a goalie with NHL experience, he'll take it no matter how shitty they're playing.

And seriously, the only changes you make after a terrible game against Pittburgh is swap Marner and Nylander, move Robertson down and move Kerfoot up, and replace Brodie with Jamie Benn? WTF?

 

[Atrusai]

Horrible ownership group that lets horrible management continue managing this team horribly into a horrible decade of horribleness.

 

[MoreMogilny]

That we tore it down really well. Acquired the best talent this team has had in a generation, but ultimately rushed the rebuild anyways.

When the team should have continued to focus on the future, the little taste of the playoffs destroyed the long term plan.

Expensive free agents were signed. Then we went ahead and spent precious picks and young talent on getting rid of players, and then more of that acquiring players who have ultimately not moved the needle at all.

I wish we never made the playoffs in 2017. It is what gave the management the green light to make horrible decisions.

Now we sit on the cusp of needing to rebuild again. We lost the youth and the depth, and our hopes hinge on broken goaltenders and the talent at the top end of our lineup.

 

[Jackothy]

It pisses me off that Dubas is the only one who can't see that running back the same gutless team year after year is dumb. They have two players that will go to war at this point, Bunting and Giordano...

Targetting a player like f***ing Jarnkrok in FA this year while keeping Kerfoot is a perfect representation of this problem. Engvall seemed like he might have been growing a backbone last year but he's part of the problem...

Bunting — Matthews — Nylander

Kerfoot — Tavares — Marner

Robertson — Engvall — Jarnkrok

Aston-Reese — Kampf — Malgin

The bolded add absolutely nothing to this team...Robertson gets a pass because of his age and potential but the others are losers. Bunting should be moved down a line or two, Marner should be traded for a top four and a top 6 with drive and determination. Bolded should be replaced with players who have heart.

 

[Stephen]

They couldn't even come out with an acceptable first period on a night with Borje, Mats and Sittler, Williams in the crowd. You kind of wonder what that interaction will be like after the game. Meanwhile the Canucks are playing hard for the Sedin's.

There are just so many unique layers to how much this group falls short every time.

 

[Lightsol]

Now we sit on the cusp of needing to rebuild again. We lost the youth and the depth, and our hopes hinge on broken goaltenders and the talent at the top end of our lineup.

Leafs fans; the only fans in the league talking about rebuilding with the key pieces just entering their primes. The Leafs are only rebuilding if Matthews leaves in FA.

 

[MoreMogilny]

Leafs fans; the only fans in the league talking about rebuilding with the key pieces just entering their primes. The Leafs are only rebuilding if Matthews leaves in FA.

They’re not just entering their primes. NHL players peak earlier in their careers. Matthews was drafted over 6 years ago, Marner 7, Nylander 8.

All of these three have expiring contracts within the next couple years.

The time to make those decisions is fast approaching.