Speculation: The Leafs Will Be Sneaky Elite This Season, And Here's Why:

[Blanche Blanche]

You had me at Holl gone.

We improved ALOT

 

[Evilhomer]

I don't know about "sneaky elite" because I am not sure what that really means. If they play well early on they won't be "sneaky" for long, that's just the way it goes.

I do, however think that this team might surprise a lot of people of those people are expecting a step back. Here's why...

First of all, this team finished with 111 points last year and that was good for fourth overall in the NHL. They were playing at a 111 point pace at the trade deadline and continued to do so after they added O'Rielly, Acciari, Schenn, McCabe, Lafferty and Gustafsson. The team that started last season was good enough for fourth in the NHL. I believe this year's team is better than the team that broke camp last October and I can't see any reason why they are worse.

Let's start with core. If Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Rielly continue to grow and develop (as players at this age do) and if they are as healthy or healthier than last year then we are already better. Growth in their games should offset age-based declines, if any from Tavares, Brodie, and Giordano.

I would add Liljegren to the list of players that should provide internal roster improvement. He has got better every year and we should see another step up this year. The same could be said for Samsonov building on last year, thought goalies are voodoo and hard to forecast.

As for the rest of the roster, lets look at the "ins" and "outs"...

Bertuzzi should be better than Bunting
Domi should be better than Kerfoot
Knies should be better than Engvall
McCabe should be better than Holl
Klingberg should be better than Sandin
Lafferty should be better than Aston-Reese
Reaves should be better than Aube-Kubel
Will should be better than Murray

Timmins, Benoit, Robertson, Holmberg, Gambrell, Gregor, McMann, and Jones are sold depth options compared to what we had last year also.

We have two new bench coaches and a New GM. The culture, energy and room COULD be stronger....I think new blood and new voices were necessary and let's hope they brought in the right ones.

Bertuzzi Matthews Nylander
Domi Tavares Marner
Knies Kampf Jarnkrok
Lafferty Gambrell Reaves
Robertson Holmberg Gregor McMann

Rielly Liljegren
Brodie Klingberg
Giordano McCabe
Benoit Timmins

Samsonov
Woll
Jones

...don't worry about the cap....injuries will take care of that.

Our PK could be weaker without Kerfoot and our team D could suffer with Bertuzzi and Domi taking regular shifts. But we added grit and toughness and this was also needed.

Sneaky elite? I don't know...but better than last year's 111 point team? Why not just exactly?

This lineup won't take a step back at all. In fact, I expect it to be very much the opposite. I think this lineup will cruise to a division win. Maybe second in the conference to Jersey, but no other team in the East will be close to as good as the Leafs.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

One of the guys was mopping the floor last night and I had to walk over it to get into the kitchen.

He said something like "Make way for Jesus". I didn't get it right away. I realized hours later it's because I walked on water.

Miracles happen.

The Leafs have been an elite regular season team for years. If they miraculously win the cup, however, that would be both sneaky AND cement their status as elite, period. There's probably a better chance of me getting off the couch and jogging around block though.

Now THAT would be a miracle.

"Head Coach: Keefe" was supposed to be a forward thinking coach that would take this team to a Stanley Cup. That was the deal, that was the hype, that was the story. He's actually a fraud that doesn't know any better than the fans on this forum.

The only miracle Keefe could pull off is turning wine into water.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

One of the guys was mopping the floor last night and I had to walk over it to get into the kitchen.

He said something like "Make way for Jesus". I didn't get it right away. I realized hours later it's because I walked on water.

Miracles happen.

The Leafs have been an elite regular season team for years. If they miraculously win the cup, however, that would be both sneaky AND cement their status as elite, period. There's probably a better chance of me getting off the couch and jogging around block though.

Now THAT would be a miracle.

"Head Coach: Keefe" was supposed to be a forward thinking coach that would take this team to a Stanley Cup. That was the deal, that was the hype, that was the story. He's actually a fraud that doesn't know any better than the fans on this forum.

The only miracle Keefe could pull off is turning wine into water.

Mediocre coaches have won the cup before...ugh...

...I guess only a hand full have.

 

[Hellcat]

Leafs will be penalty box pirates this year, there is going to be a lot of us watching Matthews and Nylander sit on the bench while Bert, Max and McCabe sit in in the box.

Get use to seeing Kampft and Lafferty a lot.. the PK is going to be a main feature of the Leafs this season.

 

[Evilhomer]

Leafs will be penalty box pirates this year, there is going to be a lot of us watching Matthews and Nylander sit on the bench while Bert, Max and McCabe sit in in the box.

Get use to seeing Kampft and Lafferty a lot.. the PK is going to be a main feature of the Leafs this season.

Huh? Bertuzzi takes relatively few penalties, all things considered. A grand total of three minors during his 21 regular season games with Boston. Domi takes a few more, but nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly not fewer than Bunting.

 

[tmlms13]

Unless the Jays win the WS, Raptors are 1st in the NBA and hell is freezing over, Nothing the Leafs do will be sneaky.

That word does not exist in Leaf Land

 

[Hellcat]

Huh? Bertuzzi takes relatively few penalties, all things considered. A grand total of three minors during his 21 regular season games with Boston. Domi takes a few more, but nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly not fewer than Bunting.

He's playing in Toronto now, remember when Bunting use to draw all those PIMs in the first part of his career ..then the Toronto effect hit and he became a marked man and refs started to wrestle him off the ice? Bert has the personality of an angry Wolverine... Refs dont like being shown up on the national stage and there is no stage bigger than toronto.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Leafs will be penalty box pirates this year, there is going to be a lot of us watching Matthews and Nylander sit on the bench while Bert, Max and McCabe sit in in the box.

Get use to seeing Kampft and Lafferty a lot.. the PK is going to be a main feature of the Leafs this season.

I think you're at your cynical maximum. Time to cheer for another team. If you'd like to come back to the Leafs' bandwagon give us a little nugget of positivity.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Elite at the regular season

 

[Nineteen67]

Jarnkrok might be the guy that gets let go or traded.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

The Leafs have put up 111 and 115 points the last 2 years.

They have won 105 of their last 164 games.

They have at least a point in 122 of those games.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are not sneaking up on anybody.

What are you talking about

 

[authentic]

This lineup won't take a step back at all. In fact, I expect it to be very much the opposite. I think this lineup will cruise to a division win. Maybe second in the conference to Jersey, but no other team in the East will be close to as good as the Leafs.

A full year of Knies alone and a healthy Matthews will be the difference, along with better overall goaltending without Murray in the mix. The rest of the additions/subtractions may even out including our deadline deals from last season (even then I think we are better), but compared to the start of last season we are easily a better team on paper.

 

[Hellcat]

I think you're at your cynical maximum. Time to cheer for another team. If you'd like to come back to the Leafs' bandwagon give us a little nugget of positivity.

Oh I clearly have more space to be cynical, its like an expanding star eating up everything in its path.

 

[Cleetus]

I like this Team, but I dont trust the Goaltending... hopefully it holds up, and they change my mind

 

[lipstickjunkie]

I kinda like JT on the third line (but I know it won't happen).

Bertuzzi-Matthews-Nylander
Knies-Domi-Marner
Robertson-Tavares-Jarnkrok
Reaves-Kampf-Lafferty

 

[Niagara Bill]

Mediocre coaches have won the cup before...ugh...

...I guess only a hand full have.

And some considered excellent coaches have never won.

I kinda like JT on the third line (but I know it won't happen).

Bertuzzi-Matthews-Nylander
Knies-Domi-Marner
Robertson-Tavares-Jarnkrok
Reaves-Kampf-Lafferty

Don't over estimate Domi. He has failed on a number of teams for a reason.

 

[Drytoast]

Our defense on paper looks sketchy. We are missing a Luke Schenn physical stalwart in front of our net. And the sad part is we had a Luke Schenn.

 

[ULF_55]

Bertuzzi Matthews Marner
Knies Tavares Nylander
Domi Kampf Jarnkrok
McMann Lafferty Reaves
Holmberg

Rielly Brodie
McCabe Klingberg
Giordano Liljegren
Benoit

Samsonov
Woll

Isn't this team over the Cap?

As someone already suggested, Jarnkrok looks like a Cap casualty, although if they could move Brodie and replace him for half the cost it might get it close.

 

[Sypher04]

Isn't this team over the Cap?

As someone already suggested, Jarnkrok looks like a Cap casualty, although if they could move Brodie and replace him for half the cost it might get it close.

I believe it’s fine if you remove the 13th F and 7th D

 

[Ianturnedbull]

Our defense on paper looks sketchy. We are missing a Luke Schenn physical stalwart in front of our net. And the sad part is we had a Luke Schenn.

We only had Luke Schenn at the deadline + playoffs. Was he a leaf for more than a month? Somehow we got into the playoffs without him.

 

[Lightsol]

Huh? Bertuzzi takes relatively few penalties, all things considered. A grand total of three minors during his 21 regular season games with Boston. Domi takes a few more, but nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly not fewer than Bunting.

I get what he's trying to say, though; something you notice when watching the Leafs is that if anybody comes in playing physical, legal or otherwise, they turn into a penalty magnet. We watched it happen with Muzzin over a year, and with Bunting over a year and a half. Don't be surprised if Bertuzzi plays the same way he always has and ends up with more penalties than he has had in the last 5 years combined. And I wouldn't be surprised if Reaves gets a penalty every time he steps on the ice.

 

[Shanwhatplan]

I believe it’s fine if you remove the 13th F and 7th D

Who is your 7th d?

 

[Blanche Blanche]

I get what he's trying to say, though; something you notice when watching the Leafs is that if anybody comes in playing physical, legal or otherwise, they turn into a penalty magnet. We watched it happen with Muzzin over a year, and with Bunting over a year and a half. Don't be surprised if Bertuzzi plays the same way he always has and ends up with more penalties than he has had in the last 5 years combined. And I wouldn't be surprised if Reaves gets a penalty every time he steps on the ice.

Sad but true.

Bettman knows best how to slap the hand that feeds.

How’s that Arizona team going Bettman, oh right… that’s right. All the welfare money gifting in the world couldn’t get some states to buy into Hockey.

Don’t think it’s too wild that we had a Sunbelt Stanley cup finals and Bettman and his boardroom stockholders just salivated and couldn’t stand up.

 

[DarylO]

Our defense scares me...and not in a good way.