What does Vegas do differently than us?

[Gary Nylund]

If the draft were today who might that player be? How difficult will that decision be?

Well the draft isn't today and until we know when it is, there's not much point in speculating but it's safe to say that we will have to protect some players that didn't need to be protected last time like Marner, Matthews etc. It's safe to say though that we will have to expose someone much more valuable than Leipsic.

 

[djdev]

lets also have a what did Boston, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Washington, San Jose better than us thread too!
and then we can have threads like, what did we do the same, but different as Minnesota, New jersey, Columbus, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Philadelphia and Colorado.

its endless content!!!
seriously though, they are a different team that has different players and a different coaching staff. they could fall back down to earth next year and we could win the cup. sports is just funny that way.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Goaltending ...

 

[ottomaddox]

Well the draft isn't today and until we know when it is, there's not much point in speculating but it's safe to say that we will have to protect some players that didn't need to be protected last time like Marner, Matthews etc. It's safe to say though that we will have to expose someone much more valuable than Leipsic.

I understand your point. Toronto might have been in one of the best positions for an expansion draft.

I just know that not every team did a side deal, and not every team suffered a big loss when a player was selected.

I hope that our current GM doesn't balk at Seattle's GM hovering around to pluck a player. 7 forwards 3 defence, and 1 goalie will be chosen correctly. An exposed 2nd / 3rd liner, a #4D or a back up won't cave us in.

 

[Gary Nylund]

I understand your point. Toronto might have been in one of the best positions for an expansion draft.

I just know that not every team did a side deal, and not every team suffered a big loss when a player was selected.

I hope that our current GM doesn't balk at Seattle's GM hovering around to pluck a player. 7 forwards 3 defence, and 1 goalie will be chosen correctly. An exposed 2nd / 3rd liner, a #4D or a back up won't cave us in.

It all depends on who our 8th forward or 4th Dman is at that time. But that's all speculation, for now yes, the part I bolded was my point - the timing of expansion was perfect for us this time but next time, we won't escape unscathed (which of course isn't the end of the world).

 

[bobber]

The league basically handed a great team to Vegas on a Golden platter. These players are considered cast offs by many but this team has everything you need to win championship. They basically got to legally blackmail other franchises to keep them away from their skilled base. Teams gave up some decent draft picks in this fiasco besides good players. Also as Cherry says " "Show me a great goalie and I'll show you a great coach". Seems to ring true at the moment.

 

[Falon]

What Vegas has that the Leafs don't is no players who are defensively weak. They have an experienced core of players who, almost all, made their bones defensively first. Top flight goaltending will only get you so far, you have to have full team commitment to playing defense first. Toronto didn't have that last season, although they look better defensively this season than last. The departure of JVR and Bozak helps alot. Toronto had a ton of second year players who haven't rounded out the d-game yet. Nylander will get better defensively, Gardiner will not, which creates a defensive hole on the blueline. There were a number of factors that led to the first round exit, and with several very young players in the line-up next year, there will still be some gorwing pains. That said, they will have a better defensive season although they will not score as much.

 

[Gary Nylund]

The league basically handed a great team to Vegas on a Golden platter. These players are considered cast offs by many but this team has everything you need to win championship. They basically got to legally blackmail other franchises to keep them away from their skilled base. Teams gave up some decent draft picks in this fiasco besides good players. Also as Cherry says " "Show me a great goalie and I'll show you a great coach". Seems to ring true at the moment.

That's overdoing it by a good bit. Sure they had a goalie play the best hockey of his life but that could just as easily have happened to a number of teams. It's also been a popular song on these boards how you can't win without a bonafide #1 Dman or without a bonafide #1C and Vegas has neither of these.

 

[bobber]

That's overdoing it by a good bit. Sure they had a goalie play the best hockey of his life but that could just as easily have happened to a number of teams. It's also been a popular song on these boards how you can't win without a bonafide #1 Dman or without a bonafide #1C and Vegas has neither of these.

May be true but they are doing something others aren't Gary. You don't go as far as they have without a bunch of talent.

 

[Gary Nylund]

May be true but they are doing something others aren't Gary. You don't go as far as they have without a bunch of talent.

OK, I actually misread your original post - I thought you said they were handed the cup on a platter. My bad, it's been a long day. You're right, they were handed a good team (or at least the chance to put together a good which they made the most of). And you're probably right that they are doing something others aren't but who the hell knows what it is, maybe it's just a bunch of castoffs wanting to show everyone something, who knows. At any rate, it's an interesting phenomenon and I don't mind them being in the final at all. And I think it's super cool how so many have been predicting they'll fade away any moment now and they just keep winning. I think they've proven they're a top team and I expect them to make the playoffs as a 1st round favourite again next season.

 

[nsleaf]

MARC Andre Fleury >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Frederik Andersen.

Yes and water is wet. Was your 1st clue the 3 Stanley Cups?

 

[Fogelhund]

Would it be trite to say that they win series? What they've done is not repeatable, certainly not by an existing team. They've caught lightening in a bottle, skill and luck involved. Good for them, but it isn't anything useful for building our team.

 

[ITM]

Vegas is an outlier. A very special outlier.

I wouldn't wonder or worry about what they did as something replicative. Because in order to repeat the process, all manner of elements have to be ideally placed and then maximized and none of those conditions will ever fall to Toronto and likely, never fall to another expansion team. If anything , GMs will have learned from this experience, who and what not to protect and who and what to protect.

Full marks to McPhee.

I'm on the Golden Knights train for the duration of their ride, that's for sure.

Here's hoping the Capitals come back. The drama between McPhee's former and present clubs just seems too good not to fall into Fate's good hands.

Baby!

Heck of a Final coming up.

 

[TakeTheBody]

Win.

 

[Bomber0104]

Goaltending ...

This and a great team system.

 

[GordieHoweHatTrick]

1) redhot goaltending

2) dumb opposition GMs basically handing them prime assets on a silver platter

Not much that’s replicateable. There is going to be a lot of over analysis about their success.

Say what mate? Vegas took a tonne of picks instead of taking BPA from several teams. They coulda taken Silfverberg or Manson from Anaheim, for example, but acquired Theodore via trade in exchange for selecting Clayton Stoner in the expansion draft.

Minny sent them Tuch and a pick so that way they select Erik Haula instead of E.Staal, Dumba or Scandella.

William Carrier from Buffalo was BPA?

McPhee got lucky catching lightning in a bottle with this roster and the results it has generated.

Saying that opposition GMs handed them prime assets on a silver platter is not a valid statement lol

 

[GoldenGOOSE]

How did Lou not get Schmidt? Ahead of Vegas?

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

How did Lou not get Schmidt? Ahead of Vegas?

The capitals would have had to expose someone else. They didn't even want to expose him.

 

[namttebih]

How much were analytics used in picking this team? Obviously every team in the league uses them to a certain extent now but is this a Money Ball type of roster?

 

[GoldenGOOSE]

How did Karlson make such a massive leap?

 

[Battle Lin]

so rare that almost every guy they got took a leap or had a career year

 

[GordieHoweHatTrick]

How did Karlson make such a massive leap?

He got away from John Tortorella

 

[LeafFever]

You know how guys often have career years in contract years? Vegas pretty much had an entire roster of guys like that. It really is a perfect storm for them.
One things for sure, I do not want to hear how far away the Leafs are with these 2 teams in the finals.

 

[Gary Nylund]

You know how guys often have career years in contract years? Vegas pretty much had an entire roster of guys like that. It really is a perfect storm for them.
One things for sure, I do not want to hear how far away the Leafs are with these 2 teams in the finals.

If everyone's having a career year, maybe the coach should get a ton of credit?

As far as being far away or not, let's not forget that MAF is playing out of his mind. And WSH is in the final too so ... as much as the game has changed, what hasn't changed is the importance of goaltending. So yeah, maybe if we had the kind of goaltending then we'd be in the finals too. In that sense it's so hard to predict who will win in any given year - which goalie will get hot, who the hell knows?

 

[LeafFever]

Well Gallant is getting a ton of credit. He won the coach of the year award before Christmas hit.
I agree about goaltending, but I think we do have a legit #1. Fleury himself had a lot of lean playoff years that cost the Pens from 2010-14.