Speculation: Who can protect Andersen?

[TakeTheBody]

Mike Babcock.

Play him less games.

 

[Nineteen67]

This year's playoffs? Like the one in which the Leafs outhit Boston most games?

FYI, the playoffs actually went on past the Leafs loss to Boston

 

[ottomaddox]

The referees will protect Andersen.

 

[NHL WAR]

FYI, the playoffs actually went on past the Leafs loss to Boston

IIRC, your point was that these playoffs demonstrated that you need physicality to win. My point was the Leafs played grittier in the playoffs and actually outhit Boston, so physicality probably wasn't the reason they didn't advance. Coaching, offensive inconsistency, injury, suspension, penalty killing (or lack thereof) and defense were all bigger issues.

 

[Mr Hockey]

IIRC, your point was that these playoffs demonstrated that you need physicality to win. My point was the Leafs played grittier in the playoffs and actually outhit Boston, so physicality probably wasn't the reason they didn't advance. Coaching, offensive inconsistency, injury, suspension, penalty killing (or lack thereof) and defense were all bigger issues.

The biggest issue was the guy in the thread title ...

 

[NHL WAR]

The biggest issue was the guy in the thread title ...

Maybe in Game 7. Before that he was solid.... much better than last year.

 

[saltming]

This guy

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Mcquaid is still available as far as I know. Could be the #7.

 

[Teeder Keon]

I can ....

 

[Suntouchable13]

I hope they bring Dion back

Nope, don't need. He is not much better than a Ben Harpur anyway.

 

[Guided by Veseys]

If needed we can dress Harpur and Marchment. Hyman fights. Kapanen is gritty. Muzzin can crush people.
Why be worried?

 

[hector morrison]

nobody, just like last year

Yup...it's a team philosophy. Not sure where it comes from,perhaps Leafs brass is accommodating the new gentleman's league . Or perhaps they think it is smarter to not retaliate and let the refs make or not make the call.However, yhe Leafs are not awarded very many PP opportunities in the last few year s(near the bottom?),so they cannot rely on the refs...Deterrent in the form of having a face puncher used to keep the honest players honest,but not the shyte-disturbers...they would and still do try to run goalies 'accidentally' and otherwise.

So,If I was the Goalie,and realizing I cannot rely on my team-mates,because of cowardliness,team mandate ,or otherwise...I would become my own solution...I would retaliate very nastily ,there are ways to stop 'goalie interference',I think Andy,being the size he is can come up with a few Hextall,Billy Smith ideas.

 

[Stephen]

Sure, that's fine if they had push back. But if it's not in their style that's fine as well.

Doesn't mean they don't have intensity though. Just a different kind.

This quietly, ultra skillful, turn the other cheek brand of all finesse hockey has never existed before in the NHL.

Even when you look at all time teams like the 80s Edmonton Oilers or 90s-2000s Red Wings or 90s Avalanche or 2000s or 2010s Penguins and Blackhawks, they employed a fair amount of "bad hockey men" doing a lot of non analytics approved non quantifiable grit-grinder-intangible-tough guy things.

 

[Guided by Veseys]

There’s probably only a handful of guys in the league that would be scary enough actually deter people from crashing the net. If you have Chara or Tom Wilson then the opposition might think twice because those big boys will come for you and hurt you.
Smaller tough players like Bertuzzi, Calvert, Roussel, won’t care about fighting and would probably be happy to keep crashing the net and getting in a fight as the result.

 

[Stephen]

Yup...it's a team philosophy. Not sure where it comes from,perhaps Leafs brass is accommodating the new gentleman's league . Or perhaps they think it is smarter to not retaliate and let the refs make or not make the call.However, yhe Leafs are not awarded very many PP opportunities in the last few year s(near the bottom?),so they cannot rely on the refs...Deterrent in the form of having a face puncher used to keep the honest players honest,but not the shyte-disturbers...they would and still do try to run goalies 'accidentally' and otherwise.

So,If I was the Goalie,and realizing I cannot rely on my team-mates,because of cowardliness,team mandate ,or otherwise...I would become my own solution...I would retaliate very nastily ,there are ways to stop 'goalie interference',I think Andy,being the size he is can come up with a few Hextall,Billy Smith ideas.

NHL referees simply don't reward teams that play soft with special teams advantages. The last thing NHL referees in this culture want to do is be seen dictating the game and there's no appetite for officiating to be seen as the teacher on the schoolyard currying favour to the softer team getting 'picked' on.

This isn't a common occurrence in the NHL, especially not in the playoffs and is largely a fiction advanced by this new age-y 'progressive' fan who seems to insist we are in some utopian era of hockey.

 

[Stephen]

There’s probably only a handful of guys in the league that would be scary enough actually deter people from crashing the net. If you have Chara or Tom Wilson then the opposition might think twice because those big boys will come for you and hurt you.
Smaller tough players like Bertuzzi, Calvert, Roussel, won’t care about fighting and would probably be happy to keep crashing the net and getting in a fight as the result.

I don't think you're deterring a crash the net play with toughness, but you are exacting a toll so that it's physically unpleasant for the other team to run your goalie. The other thing is the team solidarity aspect of protecting one another so your goalie doesn't feel like he's fending everything off by himself while Marner, Matthews and friends look on skyward like nothing has happened.

 

[Guided by Veseys]

I don't think you're deterring a crash the net play with toughness, but you are exacting a toll so that it's physically unpleasant for the other team to run your goalie. The other thing is the team solidarity aspect of protecting one another so your goalie doesn't feel like he's fending everything off by himself while Marner, Matthews and friends look on skyward like nothing has happened.

Well yeah but our top 6 is pretty soft and so are our top 4 D so nothing much can be done about that.
Not many tough and gritty goalie saving top 6 forwards and top D in the league.
There’s not much we can do about it with this core that is locked in for many years to come.
Also: I think small net crash players like Bertuzzi and Calvert actually relish the toll anybody tries to exact. They would love to fight and not be scared of repercussions (unless you have chara or something). These guys will happily crash the net against St. Louis as much as they would against us.

 

[Coachcorner]

Yup...it's a team philosophy. Not sure where it comes from,perhaps Leafs brass is accommodating the new gentleman's league . Or perhaps they think it is smarter to not retaliate and let the refs make or not make the call.However, yhe Leafs are not awarded very many PP opportunities in the last few year s(near the bottom?),so they cannot rely on the refs...Deterrent in the form of having a face puncher used to keep the honest players honest,but not the shyte-disturbers...they would and still do try to run goalies 'accidentally' and otherwise.

So,If I was the Goalie,and realizing I cannot rely on my team-mates,because of cowardliness,team mandate ,or otherwise...I would become my own solution...I would retaliate very nastily ,there are ways to stop 'goalie interference',I think Andy,being the size he is can come up with a few Hextall,Billy Smith ideas.

Andersen himself does a lil lil, a lil something. But yeah other than that; Agostino will defend some, Hyman very little rarely and Ceci will pound that thang some. Ceci's and Muzzins' role on this thang here is some cool stuff. They better step up and be that sucka. A real beat beater. Get that shirt ready and beat it off. Face down and rumble

 

[LeafSteel]

This dude wants in:

 

[Nineteen67]

Yup...it's a team philosophy. Not sure where it comes from,perhaps Leafs brass is accommodating the new gentleman's league . Or perhaps they think it is smarter to not retaliate and let the refs make or not make the call.However, yhe Leafs are not awarded very many PP opportunities in the last few year s(near the bottom?),so they cannot rely on the refs...Deterrent in the form of having a face puncher used to keep the honest players honest,but not the shyte-disturbers...they would and still do try to run goalies 'accidentally' and otherwise.

So,If I was the Goalie,and realizing I cannot rely on my team-mates,because of cowardliness,team mandate ,or otherwise...I would become my own solution...I would retaliate very nastily ,there are ways to stop 'goalie interference',I think Andy,being the size he is can come up with a few Hextall,Billy Smith ideas.

I’m curious to see how they respond this year. Surely thy won’t turn their backs again. That is not the Leafs way.

 

[hfman]

Too often I see our keepers get run. Is this team better equipped to protect Anderson?

no one.

A team full of floating butterflies cannot protect their goalie

not until Dubas toughens up this roster will we see the goalies being protected

...and it will not be happening this year either- the team has already made most of their moves.

season after season after season they keep ignoring this big problem: team toughness and physicality. and they have ignored it yet again this summer


same results are awaiting us for this season, i'm afraid

 

[Dough72]

IIRC, your point was that these playoffs demonstrated that you need physicality to win. My point was the Leafs played grittier in the playoffs and actually outhit Boston, so physicality probably wasn't the reason they didn't advance. Coaching, offensive inconsistency, injury, suspension, penalty killing (or lack thereof) and defense were all bigger issues.

I give our team credit Babcock had them fired up for playoff hockey but the league must have stepped in after game 2 because the reffing suddenly turned the rest of the series into a bunch of regular season games.

 

[Duke Silver]

I give our team credit Babcock had them fired up for playoff hockey but the league must have stepped in after game 2 because the reffing suddenly turned the rest of the series into a bunch of regular season games.

As it should be.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I don’t understand gauthier.. he must realize that even if he were to pretend to be tough every once and a while he would make millions and millions of dollars and could have a long nhl career, but alas he is a gentle giant I guess

Gauthier hits a lot of people. He just doesn't throw punches or does the stupid aggressive plays that usually come back to bite us.

It's a team mentality. Physicality is not an issue for the Marlies despite playing in a more physical league, but when the same players make it to the Leafs, suddenly they don't play as physical.

 

[Morbo]

season after season after season they keep ignoring this big problem: team toughness and physicality. and they have ignored it yet again this summer

They're probably ignoring it because it isn't a real problem.