Would the leafs have beat the Kings, Stars, Predators(without Saros) or injured Penguins

[Nineteen67]

No. Too much travel to beat the western teams and Sid being the best player in the world is a built in excuse

 

[ShaneFalco]

No all option? Our generational GM has assembled a record making team. We were beatin by the champs and the refs. It was a black swan event. You run that series again, with fair reffing, we win 999 out of 1000 times.

Generational GM who has the dubuis distinction of having the most first round losses ever

This is so Leafy, hypothetical wins, debate.

Yup. We would have beat these teams......you know, based on our previous playoff accomplishments

 

[All Mod Cons]

No

 

[keonsbitterness]

This is so Leafy, hypothetical wins, debate.

In the imaginary Chick Magnet World Cup, I pulled in 47 times more women than the guy who finished second.

True story!

 

[1specter]

You caught him on our board Dude is obsessed with this team

 

[kevsh]

In all honesty I can't say with any certainty the Leafs win any of those series.

The pattern is perfectly clear: Once a series settles down from the initial penalty-filled/high scoring EANHL22-type entertainment into tight-checking, low-scoring chess matches, the Leafs falter. That is, they stop scoring.

I see any of those teams capable of employing the relatively simple strategy of keeping the Leafs forwards on the perimeter, for which the Leafs forwards will happily oblige. Then the opponent just needs to score a goal or two of their own and victory is theirs.

Edit: I did pick the Predators as the one most likely I think they could beat, primarily because they had a very serious injury between the pipes.

 

[Stamkos4life]

I've been making some excuses for this team but I started thinking if the leafs would do better with another opponent and I'm not so confident.

If we couldn't beat the jackets in 2020 or the Habs in 2021, then why should we be able to beat any of these teams?

 

[Al14]

My Leafs suck, so they would find a way to lose to all of them !!!

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Yes, yes, yes, maybe.

 

[Bleedred]

As someone who (up to this point) has given up picking the Leafs to win a series until they actually do. I picked Tampa in 7 and that's exactly what happened, but I got burnt by the Leafs last year against Montreal, so I am hesitant to pick them again.

I do think they would have beaten most of these teams. Nashville without Saros is a gimme and Pittsburgh with Domingue playing almost 6 whole games is also a gimme. If Domingue hadn't played all those games and DeSmith didn't get injured or Jarry was available the entire series? I think Pittsburgh could have beaten them.

I think they would have beaten Dallas, but Dallas could have also beaten them as Oettinger played way better than Campbell. Although Campbell had a tougher opponent in Tampa than he would have faced against Dallas. Dallas has enough firepower themselves to make it interesting though.

I think they would have beaten the Kings, but the Oilers needed 7 and that was with Mike Smith actually being their best player.

Eventually they'll break through the first round. If they faced a team like say the 2021 Montreal Canadiens again in the first round? I think they'd win that series if the other team had an ordinary goalie in net.

 

[PromisedLand]

Could the Leafs have beaten CBJ, Habs?

jeez... wait a minute.....

 

[Seras]

Doesn't matter if you don't win the cup, no clue why people care when teams lose.

 

[Shooter2x]

I chose all of them....but they deserve 100% votes in none of them as punishment

 

[rocketman588]

I know it's not in the title but there's no way we beat the pens when prior to Crosby's injury. He was going absolutely insane

That starts team plays the exact style that chokes us out and we blame getting goalie'd on.

They're a CBJ with better scoring

 

[2 Slick]

There is no evidence to support that the Leafs could beat any of these teams in the first round given their utter disappointments against much lesser teams in Montreal and the Blue Jackets. To watch the core four completely no show the elimination games in those two series leads me to believe that nothing else would've been different, just the same end result.

If you can't beat Montreal up 3 games to 1 on home ice who had a dismal 24-21-11 56 game season record, then no, they couldn't beat much superior teams in a seven game series. You can give me any hypothetical situation that you want, but I base my opinions based on facts on what has happened for six years in a year.

So no, nothing would be different, absolutely NOT.

 

[MSZ]

It's all mental, these guys probably won't win against Seattle in a 7 game series.

 

[Smif]

I would have bet on the Leafs against most teams. TB was always 50/50 imo.

 

[Smif]

I would have bet on the Leafs against most teams. TB was always 50/50 imo.

 

[Lauro]

I'd say any team but the Bolts. But who knows ...

 

[CapspaceKiller]

These hypotheticals shouldn't matter anymore. This team is an all-in team in their prime. Cup or failure

 

[WillyC]

In hockey?