Where does Leafs defense rank now?

[sharks9]

Around the middle, same as last year

 

[TheGoldenGod]

Barrie doesn't make them any better in the d-zone but he's a hell of playmaker from the back end and a #1 PP QB

Marek worried he'll get the Gardiner/Phaneuf treatment

 

[bauer]

Gardiner had 30 points last season. Barrie had 60.

you're not factoring in PP time. Barrie was PP1 last year and Gardiner was PP2. take out the extra 20 points Barrie got on the PP and it's a whole lot closer. Barrie unlikely is on Leafs top PP unless Babcock rolls with 2 D. so Barrie's numbers will likely drop significantly.

 

[Jozay]

I would say its still pretty close to last years.

 

[Kamiccolo]

A lot of people saying close to last years, but they are ignoring that they will now have two right handed D which is massive. Teams were able to exploit the RD last year. IMO having Barrie in the top 4 RD is way better than Gardiner on the bottom pairing.

 

[4thline]

They have a really strong Top 3 though. Rielly and Barrie will make a very high end Top pairing, and Muzzin as a #3 is pretty great as well.


Ceci at the #4 spot and Liljegren at the #6 spot on that Right side is what takes them out of the Top 10 IMO.

I think this is fair as of today. Can't count chicken's before they hatch.
But Ceci could well be the Leafs Petry/ Schultz, and Liljegren could step right in and be a + level guy in that role. Add in the potential for development from Dermott and there is serious boom factor with this group.

 

[Makar Goes Fast]

middle of the pack d with elite forwards and an above average goaltender who can steal games but also slump. essentially same composition as last year.

 

[ccman68]

A bit worse than last year since Gardiner is better than Barrie. Ceci could be better than Zaitsev though so it’s not all bad.

 

[Mitch nylander]

Seems to be basically set.

Rielly - Barrie
Muzzin - Ceci
Dermott - Liljegren
Sandin - Gravel

I personally don't see Sandin up with the team, and even Liljegren. Maybe at the start of the year with Dermott injured but that's about it.

I see it ending up more like this.

Rielly - Dermott
Muzzin - Barrie
Marincin - Ceci
Kivihalme/Borgman/Holl/Harpur

 

[Bounces R Way]

Top 10 No Doubt

 

[Knies iT]

Gardiner had 25 even strength points in 62 games (31 adjusted to 78 games)
Barrie had 34 even strength points in 78 games

Barrie played 4:03 power play per game on PP1
Gardiner played 1:52 power play per game on PP2

Barrie won't be getting 25 poweplay points like he did last year being the go-to guy on Colorado

So Barrie gets discredited for being an elite PP player? He gets more minutes on the PP than Gardiner because he's a better, more skilled QB. Why can't he replicate those point totals on a team with Marner, Matthews, Nylander, Kapanen, etc. on the man advantage?

He very well might be the go-to guy with Toronto because the #1 PP struggled immensely down the stretch without a big shot presence from the point.

 

[filinski77]

So Barrie gets discredited for being an elite PP player? He gets more minutes on the PP than Gardiner because he's a better, more skilled QB. Why can't he replicate those point totals on a team with Marner, Matthews, Nylander, Kapanen, etc. on the man advantage?

He very well might be the go-to guy with Toronto because the #1 PP struggled immensely down the stretch without a big shot presence from the point.

Regardless, either Barrie or Rielly will suffer decreases in point totals this next season, since they both can't quarterback PP1

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

20ish to 15th at the highest.

 

[7even]

Barrie is the new hotness and all but I'm optimistic about what a full season of Jake Muzzin can add as well.

 

[McDavidCrushedLarkin]

20-25

 

[BlueBaron]

20-25

You're consistent.

 

[Holymakinaw]

Top 15.

Barrie is a legit upgrade on Gardiner, just a question of how much as they're comparable defensively.... But Ceci in the Top 4 is not good at all. He is so much worse than Zaitsev.



I'd say Top 15 and pushing into the Top 10.

Top 10-12 sounds about right, but that could easily drop to 15 or so. Who knows?

But Barrie is not any sort of Gardiner upgrade........Muzzin is the one who replaced Gardiner.
Barrie replaced Hainsey.
And Ceci replaced Zaitsev.

Once Dermott is back a few weeks after the season starts, we should get a good idea of things. Dermott could make all the difference.

 

[ricky0034]

you're not factoring in PP time. Barrie was PP1 last year and Gardiner was PP2. take out the extra 20 points Barrie got on the PP and it's a whole lot closer. Barrie unlikely is on Leafs top PP unless Babcock rolls with 2 D. so Barrie's numbers will likely drop significantly.

ice time only matters to Leafs fans when they are trying to pump up Matthews

 

[yzerman]

They need one more top 4 right handed defenceman to be top 10

 

[Luminiferous]

Gardiner is not better than Barrie.

Top 15 for sure. I'd say 12 or so. Very happy with the defense retool. Looking forward to how it all plays out.

 

[Muffin]

Your D isn't very good if Barrie is asked to be a top pairing defenseman. He was never asked to do that in Colorado. He needs to be in a sheltered offensive role. If you expect him to start in the defensive zone against the other team's top line....Oh boy....

 

[LeafGrief]

Feeling quite good about the Leafs D.

I am sure the pairings will get rolled around a lot, especially when Dermott comes back, but having a (healthy) top4 of Rielly, Barrie, Muzzin, and Dermott makes me feel really good. It's a shame that Dermott is injured to start the year, but he's a fantastic hockey player and was starting to get more responsibility before he got hurt during the stretch. I'm hoping that he gets thrown into the fire as Rielly's partner. I'm sure he'll struggle to start, but it will make him a better player by the time playoffs roll around.

Muzzin - Barrie is what I'm hoping for, because that's a sick pairing that can handle just about anything and moves the puck extremely well.

Ice time will probably be Rielly at #1, with lesser matchup difficulty than last year, followed closely by Barrie then Muzzin. A healthy Dermott is #4, but Ceci will do until he's back. Ceci #5, whoever wins 3LD in camp gets #6.

A top3 of Rielly-Barrie-Muzzin is easily top15 in the league if you've got NHL skaters for the other three. A healthy Dermott playing as the #4 will probably push them even a little higher. If Ceci doesn't suck on the bottom pairing they're probably inside the top10.

 

[Captain Mountain]

Marginally better than last year. Barrie is in the same range as Gardiner. Ceci is in the same range as Zaitsev. The better LH-RH balance should help though.

 

[thadd]

It's worse than the Oilers' but it won't look that bad because they've got a couple guys that can move the puck well and that'll keep Toronto scoring throughout the regular season. If they win a playoff round with the team they've got I'll be a little surprised.

 

[Albus Dumbledore]

Demott will move up in the top 4 muzzin-dermott while both left shots will be a very strong pairing.