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Series Talk: Which Leaf has the most to prove in the postseason?

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Should make a poll, I'd like to see it be Matthews who proves himself but really it's between Mitch, Willie & Fred.

Feel like Nylander has untapped potential we only see flashes of, and some say he's too 'soft' or 'lazy' of a player so playoffs would be a perfect time to prove himself. Marner on the other hand needs to prove he's worth that 11m he held out for when asking for the same contract as Matthews...

I'll say the obvious answer is Fred whether you're a fan of him or not (some have him written off already, but he could potentially prove a ton of people wrong); he has sucked for a little while now, he's coming off injury, likely lost his starting role to Campbell, and most importantly he's been deemed a playoff choker by almost everybody coming into UFA at 31 years old... This playoff stretch might show everyone what he's really made of, good, bad or mediocre.

hopefully Jack doesn't give him a chance to prove himself.
 
team defence - this is mostly on the D-corps, but also the forwards and goaltenders.

Rightly or wrongly, I don't think the league takes the Leafs seriously in the playoffs because of their defensive meltdowns; this is going to keep happening until proven otherwise. Hope this is the year.
 
moon111 said:
Marner for sure.

He's appeared in 25 playoff games...
+3 once.
+2 twice.
+1 four times.
0 eight times.
-1 six times
-2 twice
-3 once.

Honestly, Marner is a double-bladed sword when it comes to the playoffs. You want to play safe playoff hockey against the Leafs?
Just keep getting in on Marner, and sooner or later he'll cause a turnover that will lead directly into Leaf fans blaming a defenseman
and goalie for not stopping a 2-on-1.

Multi-millionaire Marner is a -2 in the playoffs for the Leafs. At 5-on-5 he's produced 1.25 points/60 in the playoffs. Compare that
to Connor Brown who played a safer game, produced 1.15 points/60 in the playoffs and was a plus 2. In 20 playoff games, Brown was
only a minus player twice btw.

The only goal in the playoffs is to win. Marner just doesn't know when and when not to hotdog out there. If I were coaching against
the Leafs in the playoffs and the game was out of reach, I'm making sure my players aren't checking Marner too tight. I'd want to see
him score some useless points to encourage his play-style... because it might help in the next game.
Click to expand...

Marner has a history of showing up for the big games. Won chl mvp, memorial cup mvp and ohl playoff mvp.

34 does not. Even before the nhl I don't know if he has won a single series in his life.

Add on that marner has actually been the most productive leaf in the post season + matthews making more money for less years, its easy to see how silly your post is.
 
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It's close between, Mathews and Marner. Both have had poor playoff history, but since Mathews has the higher salary, I'd say that he has the most to prove.
 
Aside from the obvious choices...

galchenyuk. You were brought in and given a second chance. You’re getting an opportunity to play alongside two star players. Against your ex team that drafted you and gave up on you. show your worth and why you were a high first round pick. Make them regret giving you up.
 
Galchenyuk and Rielly.

Both youngish stars that have dimmed recently, some more than others, nearing their end of the contracts. Both have a great opportunity to prove themselves to the critics.
 
The whole damned team. I’m in love with this team, and I think it’s the one to do it. But there isn’t a single guy that has reallly acquitted themselves in the post season yet. Andersen has certainly underperformed the most. But it’s Campbell’s net anyway, and it’s possible Andersen is done as a starter in this league.
 
I think the simple answer here is the core.

Marner, Tavares, Rielly, Matthews, Nylander all need to lead with their play.

Marner: Tighten up with the Jr. hockey plays, produce.

Tavares: Lead by example - score.

Rielly: Stop a 2 on 1 - show you can be the horse on the backend.

Matthews: Come through for us Papi.

Nylander: Take a hit to make the right play.

We have insulation this year with our depth, and I think that could be the key to pushing our top guys. The only downside to that thought is the guys can't seem to get it done on their own. I believe they can get past MTL in 6. If they lose this series though, I dont see Rielly or one of Mitch/Willy back.
 
At the beginning I would have said
1) Andersen

2) Tavares
3) Nylander
4) Matthews
5) Rielly

But it’s been an interesting year hasn’t it?
Now for me it’s

1) Campbell
2) Tavares
3) Nylander
4) Foligno
5) Keefe

Obviously the big 2 are always going to have the most pressure, but in terms of “added” pressure in relation to their role, I think they’re pretty even. They’ve both had fantastic years, career years, and have been producing and playing very well overall in the playoffs - and now after a full season together it’s go time.

Campbell is obvious,he will be expected to be our new future starting goalie, and the pressure as a first year starter, being heavily favoured, on the team that already has the most pressing - I can only imagine how intense that is. We will really go as far as he goes, so good luck kid.

Tavares needs to be better all around this time- production and leadership as captain. Stakes are higher, so expectations are higher.

Nylander needs to produce, and is a bit tied to Tavares, needs to give this team a secondary scoring punch.

Playoffs is what we got Foligno for, so it’s being effective or bust.

And yeah, definitely pressure on Keefe these first two series…anything less than conference finals will be disaster considering our stacked lineup and history.

and as an aside, I really don’t understand all the criticism of Marner In the playoffs, he has been good to great, and often times saddled with players that weren’t producing while he was.
 
Garthinater said:
Marner has a history of showing up for the big games. Won chl mvp, memorial cup mvp and ohl playoff mvp.

34 does not. Even before the nhl I don't know if he has won a single series in his life.

Add on that marner has actually been the most productive leaf in the post season + matthews making more money for less years, its easy to see how silly your post is.
Click to expand...

Guess what... the NHL gods don't care if the game is 10-9 or 1-0... they're both wins. Marner ends up being on for two goals for and three against. Maybe it's not all him, but he not only has
to play within himself, but his team as well. If someone dedicates themselves to making the most fancy plays 100% of the times, yes they'll be 'productive'... but there's so many times a simple play would be so much more valuable. The PP is the perfect example of not working hard, smart, but trying to be cute.
 
Koolboss said:
John Tavares no doubt, he is has been no show in post season for most of his career. He needs to earn the 12mil we gifted him
Click to expand...

All I want to see is him throwing positive contributions to the pot. All steps forward, no steps backwards. Think he's been a lot smarter this season. It's not about how much you score, but how much you outscore. I'm very interested in seeing what he does in the playoffs. The biggest step the Leafs have made is with their two-way play, Tavares being someone who's been leading by example.
 
Rielly is going to cost us advancing out of the first round

This guy is awful and I feel like his play is just building into becoming the 2021 scapegoat
 
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If Tavares sucks Nylander will have a hard time produce on his own. Tavares should be able to produce if Nylander sucks.
 
I'm not sure what has happened to Reilly of late, but he really has to tighten up his defensive game. Be smart and simple with the puck, don't become a liability at this time of the year.
 
My answer would be Andersen, but of course, that assumes he will get some games.

2nd place would be Nylander for me, and not far behind in 3rd place would be Tavares. Tavares is based largely because of the big contract he has.

And, an indirect answer would be Keefe and the entire management team (Dubas, Shanny, etc.). Given the divisional format (a Canadian team will advance beyond the 2nd round), and the length of time since the draft that landed the #1 overall pick, there are no excuses now - zero.
 
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