Where do the Leafs go if they blow it yet again?

[BLNY]

Some guys want to play as long as they can. Some guys want to play as well as they can.

 

[FerrisRox]

They showed up flat to a pivotal game 5 at home after blowing a 2-0 series lead... if they get bounced this year, what can the Leafs do at this point? The effort displayed in this game ON HOME ice is absolutely pathetic.


Are the "big 4" the biggest collection irredeemable chokers in the NHL and maybe of all time? Do the Leafs finally break them up and start shipping out some big pieces?

I don't think either of Nylander or Tavares deserve to be painted with the same brush as Matthews and especially Marner.

 

[FerrisRox]

They'll scapegoat Marner and keep blaming Dubas as if those are their only issues.

Both Marner and Dubas deserve the lion's share of the blame.

Dubas is a terrible, terrible manager and Marner's efforts in the post-season are absolutely pathetic.

 

[FerrisRox]

The writing was on the wall with a 1-dimensional goal-scoring centre being your main focus. The same with a playmaking winger but Marner's a better offensive player than Matthews IMO.

Positions should've been switched a long time ago.

You think Auston Matthews is one-dimensional?

 

[Gregsky99]

To the golf course like the rest of the other teams that lost out?

 

[NVious]

I don't think either of Nylander or Tavares deserve to be painted with the same brush as Matthews and especially Marner.

Tavares 100% does, he was terrible for so many years, now he has a few good games and people forget that he was one of the highest paid in the league putting up 2 goal series, 0 goal series, 1 goal series.

He had a good game where he got 2 goals, but over his last 10 games vs the Panthers he has literally those 2 goals and an assist lmfao.

11 mill for 2 goals and an assist in 10 games, abysmal just like the rest of his playoffs.

Tavares put up 5 goals in a series in 2015 and that's his career high on those low scoring Isles teams, he put up 2 goals/2goals/0goals/3goals/4goals/0goals/1goal/3goals/2goals in all his Leaf series since.

 

[Makaveli]

golfing

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Think positive.

Not IF they blow it. WHEN they blow it.

 

[quackquackquack]

the obvious answer (same as the last 4-5 years) is to blow up the core. the leafs have given the biggest leash in sports history to their failing core.

 

[FerrisRox]

Sounds a lot like they said about Ovechkin and Yzerman until they won.

Uh... what are you talking about?

Nobody said any such thing, because those players didn't fizzle out spring after spring in the playoffs.

If you take Matthew two best playoffs, and combine them, he has 22 points. Yzerman posted playoffs of 18 points and 20 points before ever winning the Cup.

In just his second playoff, Ovechkin had 21 points in just 14-games. He scored almost as many as Matthews two career-best post seasons in just 14 games.

Your comparison is clueless and nobody was calling Yzerman and Ovie playoff duds cause they quite obviously weren't.

 

[FerrisRox]

They haven't been eliminated yet, so let's not go too far ahead. However, if they lose next game, just trade or let go Marner.

They can't trade Marner. He has a NTC, and why on earth would he want the team he's going to commit the better part of the next decade to to have to surrender assets to acquire him when he could just go there for free a couple of weeks later?

 

[sampollock]

sign more players and trade more 1st picks

 

[RogerRoger]

Leafs will swap Marner for Marchand and be very happy about it.

 

[sampollock]

SN is pumped tonight to wet there pants over a 34 goal

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

Give JT the Stammer 8x4 contract.
Let Marner walk.
Try and fail to get a big-name FA to sign.
Give Knies 10M+ long term or a bridge that takes him to FA.
Sign a few 5-7M players.

 

[coooldude]

Uh... what are you talking about?

Nobody said any such thing, because those players didn't fizzle out spring after spring in the playoffs.
[...]

Your comparison is clueless and nobody was calling Yzerman and Ovie playoff duds cause they quite obviously weren't.

I don't really have a dog in this fight, but people absolutely talked ad nauseam about Yzerman being unable to win it, didn't play the right way, didn't have the heart, wasn't the right leader... I know this because it was the Sharks that beat them in 7 in 1994 and led to a year of "these guys don't have it"... Until they did.

And exact same for Ovie. There was, absolutely, a ton of criticism of Ovie as an empty calories player who couldn't drive a team to post season success even if he got his points. Year after year losing in the second round to PIT etc... until they won. I remember it well because they were "the Sharks of the East" while the Sharks core was getting flamed just like the current TOR core for being unable to get it done, and they never did, and that will forever mark Thornton and Marleau's careers... And Karlsson, Burns. Somehow Pavelski escapes the criticism because he wasn't the top player and he always played his heart out.

I am not at all saying this is true or would be true of the core 4 - that they're winners who just haven't won yet - but facts are that a huge amount of public discourse was spent on Yzerman and Ovie re whether they could ever win, until they did. Here's Yzerman receipts from 1998. Here's one about Ovie.

Same will be true of the next ones, too. Michkov, Celebrini, Demidov, Bedard, the insane talent on the Ducks. "They can't get it done" until they do.

 

[nORRis8]

defensively there is no comparison between nylander and matthews. nylander cheats way to much.

Well that's too bad, he'll never get nominated for a Selke award that way

 

[celtic man]

I put all this mess also on Dubas.He signed Travares and lost their depth.Kadri,Brown and Hyman left.Kept Kerfoot and let McCain walk.Dubas put all his eggs in one Basket and didn't build an overall balanced team

 

[MVP of West Hollywd]

You HAVE to move on from one of Marner or Matthews. This isn't just first 2 or 3 playoff runs.

 

[tiefan]

Give JT the Stammer 8x4 contract.
Let Marner walk.
Try and fail to get a big-name FA to sign.
Give Knies 10M+ long term or a bridge that takes him to FA.
Sign a few 5-7M players.

- JT 7x3 at most (maaaaybe 7x4)
- yup
- 8x8 for Knies. Love him as a player, but you can't discount the boost of to numbers by playing with M&M
- Easier said than done, but Bennet would look pretty good in the Blue and White

 

[Kennerback]

They need to build a more balanced team. Somehow cash in two of the Core 4 for a big mean forward with some offensive skill and the best defenseman they can get there hands on. If I get back in my Habs fan hat, give Marner 13 Million and don’t change a thing.

 

[sampollock]

I put all this mess also on Dubas.He signed Travares and lost their depth.Kadri,Brown and Hyman left.Kept Kerfoot and let McCain walk.Dubas put all his eggs in one Basket and didn't build an overall balanced team

how???
Shanny has changed GM and coach
he could have fixed this and he chose not too

 

[VaporTrail]

They probably move the team to Quebec is my guess.

 

[Voight]

If they lose, let Marner walk. If they bring him back they deserve what they get. Dude makes Johnny "strip club" Huberdeau look like Gretzky. Also I dont think you trade Matthews but god hes awful too. Try to build around Nylander and Knies.

Thats incredibly stupid.

You dont let a top player walk for free.

 

[Voight]

Should have never traded Kadri. Signing Tavares for that term set their franchise back at least 5 years. Tavares is a career loser.

Kadri had been suspended in the playoffs 2 or 3 years in a row, it's understandable why they felt that they needed to move him.

Tavares signing I get. Nobody foresaw a global pandemic that would tank revenues and result in very minor cap increases. They had a top player willing to join their team and it wouldn't cost any assets outside of cap space. They would've been stupid to say no.