LeafsNation75
Registered User
I don't know how much this stat will matter but since 2016-17 which was Matthews rookie season, the Leafs are 7-1 against McDavid and the Oilers.
Who's our hardest matchup?
- Thread starter Tairy Greene
- Start date
Warden of the North
Ned Stark's head
Why not? Did you not follow what Ottawa did? They loaded up.
I dont agree. Montreal was primed to miss the playoffs and Toffoli doesnt move the needle that much. Price is a year older. The kids are inexperienced. I dont think the habs even make the playoffs. Leafs toughest challenge will be the oilers.
Remember when the league allowed 24 teams in instead of 16, thus allowing Montreal to make the playoffs? They were well primed to miss the playoffs and Toffoli doesnt move the needle that much.Remember last year when Leafs with Matthews and Tavares behind Freddy Andersen lost in the play-in round to the 3rd lowest scoring team Columbus behind strong goaltending, while Montreal with Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi playing in front of All-World Carey Price eliminated the 2 X recent Cup Champs Pens with Crosby and Malkin also a MUCH wider gap at center to advance to the playoffs?
The team with Suzuki and Kotkaniemi at C advanced to round #1 of playoffs, while teams with Matthews and Tavares or Crosby and Malkin all were eliminated in the qualifying round.
Defense wins Championships and that starts with your goalie !!
Someone hasn't been paying attention to the off season. Ottawa loaded up and they loaded up big. Add Stuetzle to the kids there and all their acquisitions, they are going for it. Goaltending got much better. They brought in toughness and size combined with speed. If you think they are easy, give your head a shake bud.
Slow, slower and slowest. Perry is done. Weber is one injury away from retiring. Edmuson? Are you serious?
Try looking at the players on their roster and then look at the rosters of the other teams in the North division. You will then understand why the Vegas odds have them as a massive underdog in the division and they are last on every ranking.
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I'm aware, they have done some good things but unless somebody else is absolutely gutted with injury nobody but Ottawa is finishing last in the division
JayfromNB1219
Registered User
hahahahaha, oh my side...hahahahaha
Glad I could provide some entertainment for you haha personally I hope I’m wrong but it wouldn’t surprise me
613Leafer
Registered User
- May 26, 2008
- 13,031
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Weak goaltending, blueline, and team defence.
They're the type of team we match up well against, not poorly. Even though they have McDavid/Draisaitl, their #3/4 options are RNH and Kassian, ours are Tavares and Nylander.
They have the better top 2 players (though ours are still pretty high end players), and then we're better across the rest of the roster. Blueline, goaltending, depth scoring, etc.
I'm not sure who our hardest matchup is. Physical and strong defensive teams, like Boston, Columbus, etc give us trouble. Montreal somewhat fits that bill, though their blueline after the top 2 thins out pretty quickly. Maybe Calgary if Giordano is still good and Markstrom plays well.
Vancouver I think is the best team after us on paper in the division, though I don't think they're a bad matchup for us.
Blue Nate
Registered User
He said 'easiest' not that they would be easy. It's a relative comparison.
And while Dorian deserves credit for improving the team most of the acquisitions are middling players that don't move the needle while the high impact players are undeveloped for the most part still.
I agree with your other posts that Montreal is being overrated like crazy.
Stigma
Registered User
I don't think so. I think the NHL is now announcing when players get Covid. It's something else. A bit concerning!
Mess
Global Moderator
Montreal has made some nice additions this offseason, since their playoff appearance that include
Forwards
Power forwards Corey Perry (6-3/205), Josh Anderson (6-3/222) & 2-way and PKer Michael Frolik as well as goal scorer Tyler Toffoli
Defense
Joel Edmundson D - STL 6-4/215 72 Pims from STL Cup winning team.
Alexander Romanov D - rookie hard hitting
Goalie
Jake Allen - G STL from Blues Cup winning team.
Combine that with the internal growth of young Centres Kotkaniemi, & Suzuki and I think their the Canadian team that moved the needle the most and that will be our Leafs biggest and toughest opponent literately and physically. The days of the Montreal Smurfs is over and now behind Carey Price in net Leafs are going to need to up their own game with their new additions in tow to battle it out nightly. IMO
Blue Nate
Registered User
They will have to depend on internal growth of Kot and Suzuki as all of the players they added are complimentary at best (good players though, don't get me wrong). They look like a team that will struggle to score and win enough during the regular season but will be play you tough and be a very hard out in the playoffs. Would not want to play them in the first round.
LeafsNation75
Registered User
One of those games Toronto won against Edmonton was when Kris Russel scored into his own net in a 4-4 game with 1:05 left in the 3rd period and Nazem Kadri got credit for the game winning goal.
Cobra777
Registered User
Cobra777
Registered User
Loved that team, too bad they crumbled with that 4-1 lead to Boston with 7 min left or they could have done damage in the rest of the post season as Boston went far that year. Carlyle benched his tough line the whole second half the third period, the guys who got them there and Boston kept loading up with Chara and Lucic and the likes double shifting them with the 7 min left. Toronto had no answer but panic, should have thrown Orr, McClaren, Mark Frazer out there at least a few shifts to break Bostons stranglehold it couldn't be any worse at what happened anyway and it could have prevented Boston's Dominance and confidence which they only showed last 10 min of the 3rd, because Toronto played the 1st 2 1/2 periods solid. Yes for all the guys who says we lost, at least that whole season not ONCE did we get pushed around or manhandled and teams FEARED us, Carlyle should have rolled the 4 lines right to the end but he chose to keep playing 1st 2 lines and odd 3rd line shift while the bangers were benched with the 7 min left trying to preserve the lead and they were all completely out of GAS and choked.
Question of who's the leafs hardest matchup?....any team that will play the body...play in your face....that should be near every team in the Canada division....the Ottawa/Leaf series would likely be entertaining for many reasons.
