Post-Game Talk: Woll/Devils 5 plus EN, Leafs 3

[Ports]

Tim Horton (R) and Borje Salming (L) were each runner-up twice and each finalist on two other occasions.

Nothing close in 45 years.

The discussion was about the current era not fifty years ago.

 

[francis246]

Bullshit, this market.

There’s something fundamentally wrong with a core group that relies on external validation whether they should play hard for something or not.

They suck in the playoffs so take the regular season off? Can’t win a division or conference title so it’s meaningless? If they can’t find their own reasons to just compete and be at their best, maybe they are just an immature group with no hope.

The truth is both of you are right.

People do under estimate the amount of pressure there is to be a leaf. We’ve had a long ass drought, not a ton of playoff success and the fans are insane. For some of the same reasons It makes it the best place to play. But to pretend or act like Toronto isnt one of if not the hardest places to play is just nonsense. There isn’t a ton of guys who could handle playing here in a big role.

That being said it shouldn’t be used as an excuse as to why this group hasn’t gotten it done. They’ve been given everything they need to succeed (except a legit #1 D)

 

[CabanaBoy5]

Core 4 wasn't available last night.

Members of the core 4? 75% of the core? I think you got my drift. Tavares, Nylander, and Matthews were hammered by Keefe post-game. Tavares especially was not very good.

 

[notDatsyuk]

The discussion was about the current era not fifty years ago.

"Never" meant "not recently". Got it

 

[ToneDog]

Maybe they are.. Which in the end is good for us cause it should lead to a coaching change and a revamped D-core for next season.

If we are lucky they will also blow up the core, finally.

Matty 13.25, Willie 11.5, Tavares 11, Marner 10.893 is a joke to some fans and the rest of the league. We can and we will continue to be stupid and start our vacations in late April/early May.

 

[Sypher04]

Bullshit, this market.

There’s something fundamentally wrong with a core group that relies on external validation whether they should play hard for something or not.

They suck in the playoffs so take the regular season off? Can’t win a division or conference title so it’s meaningless? If they can’t find their own reasons to just compete and be at their best, maybe they are just an immature group with no hope.

That isn’t really what I said, I don’t disagree with you.

 

[Racer88]

I miss the red car!

lol. It was my 46 ford coupe. I sold it last year. This is my 74 beetle that I have put a Subaru eJ22 engine in it

 

[ACC1224]

Members of the core 4? 75% of the core? I think you got my drift. Tavares, Nylander, and Matthews were hammered by Keefe post-game. Tavares especially was not very good.

I've always took the core 4 to be Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Rielly.

Tavares was one of many not very good.

 

[All Mod Cons]

I've always took the core 4 to be Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Rielly.

Tavares was one of many not very good.

There can't be many fans that don't include Tavares as part of the core. Single figures maybe?

 

[darrylsittler27]

They want the wild card. It's the only shot they have to win a round and re fake it for next year.

 

[ToneDog]

They want the wild card. It's the only shot they have to win a round and re fake it for next year.

If they can't beat Boston, they are not beating NYR IMO.

 

[ACC1224]

There can't be many fans that don't include Tavares as part of the core. Single figures maybe?

Sure he makes it the fantastic 5.

 

[Racer88]

There can't be many fans that don't include Tavares as part of the core. Single figures maybe?

Tavares cost 11 million dam dollars, of course he is part of the core

 

[notDatsyuk]

I've always took the core 4 to be Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Rielly.

Tavares was one of many not very good.

"Core 4" really depended on who was posting and what they were talking about:

Longest: MR, WN, AM, MM
Highest paid: AM, JT, MM, MR
Highest paid forwards: AM, JT, MM, WN
Best players: AM, MM, WN, MR
Best playoffs: MR, WN, AM, MM

In order, with some flexibility in the 'best' categories.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Lily isn't playoff worthy but Benoit had a bad game? can't make this shit up I love me some Benoit believe me I do but he's he's had a rough go for a while now though I'd still resign him he is by no means a locc over lily no matter what bottom.hand holds their sticcs

When donkey Keefer pulls our Benoit when he is playing great that's what makes me shake my head ... as a D man myself i know when you get sat for reasons beyond your play it is both demoralizing and it is harder to get into a game flow when you are in and out of lineup

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Best playoffs: MR, WN, AM, MM

Hopefully MR is resting up good

 

[Doublerum1975]

We beat Edmonton so let’s change the lineup and all our lines nice job keefe

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

Sure, but if you ask teams if they'd rather go through the Atlantic or Metro - nearly every team would pick the Metro.

The same thing happening in the West. The Pacific is a cake walk while the Central is stacked. The playoff format is completely unfair.

WC1 in the West right now would be competing for home ice in the Pacific.

You keep spewing that the Pacific is weak when it could very well have 3-4 100 point teams including the defending champs.
Nashville was garbage all season and only are where they are because of an 18 game point streak
Maybe if they hadn't sucked for 50+ games they would be in the top 3.
You also realize that if they were in the Pacific they would basically be in the same position right?

You are acting like they would be the clear 2nd place team in the Pacific when in reality they would be 3 points out of 4th .

Unlike the east, both divisions in the west 4 legitimate playoff teams.
The east is filled with bubble teams like the caps, wings, Islanders and devils who would be afterthoughts in the west.
There are no easy outs

 

[arso40]

When donkey Keefer pulls our Benoit when he is playing great that's what makes me shake my head ... as a D man myself i know when you get sat for reasons beyond your play it is both demoralizing and it is harder to get into a game flow when you are in and out of lineup

i agree with the how he treats the young D men and Benoit wasn't the worst of the 6 and didn't warrant being pulled out but to say he was playing great hoccey at the time is setting the bar too low more on the point there's no way you can straight face make that comment and have that take on lily just my opinion anyway

 

[Divine]

You keep spewing that the Pacific is weak when it could very well have 3-4 100 point teams including the defending champs.
Nashville was garbage all season and only are where they are because of an 18 game point streak
Maybe if they hadn't sucked for 50+ games they would be in the top 3.
You also realize that if they were in the Pacific they would basically be in the same position right?

You are acting like they would be the clear 2nd place team in the Pacific when in reality they would be 3 points out of 4th .

Unlike the east, both divisions in the west 4 legitimate playoff teams.
The east is filled with bubble teams like the caps, wings, Islanders and devils who would be afterthoughts in the west.
There are no easy outs

The Pacific is weak. Look at the top 3. Add up their points. Compare it to every other division.

The defending Champs might not even be in the Pacific bracket by the way. So we'll ignore the wildcard teams.

Who would you rather face - Vancouver, Edmonton, LA or Colorado, Dallas, Winnipeg?

The choice is obvious to most people.

Just because the Edmonton Oilers keep beating a team who hasn't won a round in 10 years doesn't make the Pacific some powerhouse.

Colorado > Vancouver
Dallas > Edmonton
Winnipeg > LA

NYR > Vancouver
Carolina > Edmonton
Washington = LA

Boston > Vancouver
Florida > Edmonton
Toronto > LA

 

[therealkoho]

Impotent offense, pre-season level defensive awareness, joke special teams and dogshit goaltending. All on display tonight.

This team is ready to take on the Panthers and Bruins more than ever.

I was impressed by the steady diet of turnovers that were committed by way of careless laziness and a glaring lack of intensity, which the Leafs are paying a lot of money for. Maybe the folks in the west haven't noticed it yet.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

I’m pretty sure the market is not eating them up alive. What’s more likely is they realize they can paper over bullshit efforts on a regular basis with a party game and everyone gives them their flowers easy. It just shows a lack of commitment at work and quality control…

The only time it really bites them is when they want to flip the playoff switch but realize they haven’t put in the work and come up lame. Mix in a little flawed team construction and this is who they’ve always been and probably always will be. Not serious.

The complacency in this fan base is mind numbing.

The so-called pressure to win is a myth. No one is spamming these guys on tv or through ad campaigns about how it's only the playoffs that matter. Unless they come onto hardcore fan sites like this they probably don't even hear that phrase at all.

If the fans are complacent with mediocrity why wouldn't the team?

 

[Hellcat]

If we are lucky they will also blow up the core, finally.

Matty 13.25, Willie 11.5, Tavares 11, Marner 10.893 is a joke to some fans and the rest of the league. We can and we will continue to be stupid and start our vacations in late April/early May.

Not impossible to do but they all have a NTC or NMC, they would have to agree to the movement first. Which probably means they dictate which team they go to , which means the return is pennies on the dollar because the other team knows you have few options and they dictate terms not the Leafs. Change is only good if it addresses your needs. Change for the sake of change rarely works. After Tre's last few poor trades, not sure I trust this guy to get good value for any of the core 4.

 

[ToneDog]

Not impossible to do but they all have a NTC or NMC, they would have to agree to the movement first. Which probably means they dictate which team they go to , which means the return is pennies on the dollar because the other team knows you have few options and they dictate terms not the Leafs. Change is only good if it addresses your needs. Change for the sake of change rarely works. After Tre's last few poor trades, not sure I trust this guy to get good value for any of the core 4.

Agreed so the question is overpay (see Nylander) with virtually no chance of playoff success or , allow him to walk and use the cap space to fill your needs or get him to waive to a team he is wiling to extend with (see MT, PLD).

The Leafs being the Leafs will choose to overpay and it will be rinse and repeat. He will suck in the playoffs, they will exit quickly, fans will criticize him and his dad, the Marner fan club will continue to tell anybody who will listen that he is a HOFer, super elite PKer and Matty needs him, and the media will put shambles in his head.

#SayNoToInsanity

 

[Hellcat]

The complacency in this fan base is mind numbing.

The so-called pressure to win is a myth. No one is spamming these guys on tv or through ad campaigns about how it's only the playoffs that matter. Unless they come onto hardcore fan sites like this they probably don't even hear that phrase at all.

If the fans are complacent with mediocrity why wouldn't the team?

Compare the Media huddle after a Leafs game vs a Kings or Panthers, etc. on a Tuesday night and then tell me again there is not more scrutiny for the Leafs. In many NHL cities the NHL barely gets off the back pages, Willie riding the TTC was front page news in Toronto.

I do agree complacency has seeped in but then again can you blame fans? The Leafs have shown us who they are for the last 6 years and will show us again this year. They are first round chum in the waters for the better teams. We are the warm up round for good teams, I bet every team that has faced us in the playoffs would not say, wow those guys really beat us up. They would say , if we stick to our system , we know they wont, so we will eventually break them down into individuals trying to be Jesus the saviour and we will beat them. There is not a single playoff team this year that I think we can beat in a 7 game series except for Washington.