⭐2018-19 Toronto Maple Leafs Season Discussion Thread⭐

[Muston Atthews]

Not sure if its been posted anywhere here yet, but check this out:

Usually these are pretty funny/catchy/ some semblance of a good song. This was none of the above. It was cringy and awful

 

[LeafsNation75]

 

[MyBudJT]

Usually these are pretty funny/catchy/ some semblance of a good song. This was none of the above. It was cringy and awful

You're no fun!
I enjoyed it!

 

[Leafs1993]

@MyBudJT
Found it entertaining.

 

[LeafsNation75]

 

[LeafsNation75]

 

[Judas Tavares]

The 3rd line hasn't been good. I'm not a Leivo fan and Brown... I'm not sure what it is but it seems like he's lost his offensive touch.

My hope is still for Johnsson-Kadri-Kapanen

I realize Johnsson deserves nothing, he's been horrible. But I think the speed of Johnsson and Kapanen will compliment Kadri's skill well.

 

[Aintboutdatlyfe]

The 3rd line hasn't been good. I'm not a Leivo fan and Brown... I'm not sure what it is but it seems like he's lost his offensive touch.

My hope is still for Johnsson-Kadri-Kapanen

I realize Johnsson deserves nothing, he's been horrible. But I think the speed of Johnsson and Kapanen will compliment Kadri's skill well.

It'll be better once Nylander's back and our depth is restored. Might move Marleau with Kadri and keep Kappy with Auston and Willy.

Kadri's at least been quite good, and he'll always be the one that makes that line come or go, so I'm content with that line, just needs some more finishing talent.

 

[Not My Tempo]

If Kap and Matthews actually do have chemistry and it wasn’t a 1 game thing, I think you can put Willy on the third line with Kadri and that would actually give us some insane depth and top end talent.

Hyman - Tavares - Marner
Marleau - Matthews - Kapanen
Leivo - Kadri - Nylander
Johnsson - Lindholm - Brown

There’s obviously no “shutdown” line but all three of them would be a threat to score. Then again, if Kapanen and Kadri works as well I’d rather just keep Willy with Matthews, but I think Kadri needs a line driver for him to really be effective

 

[FlareKnight]

I am curious how the bottom 6 will develop this season. Tend to agree that Leivo and Brown just aren't doing anything with Kadri. But can't just swap around pairs that easily since Johnsson has been pretty disappointing. Weird for a guy who was confident enough to take his qualifying offer instead of signing a more involved deal.

But at least the top 6 is pretty fun. Hopefully they keep Kapanen there for the time being with Matthews. He isn't Nylander, but he can hold the spot for him. The top 6 is just straight up deadly with this team and I hope they keep doing their thing.

A lot of room to improve, but at least the strengths are there. The PP is only going to get better as they get used to working together and honestly the PK is dangerous in our favor. Kapanen, Marner, Tavares, etc, all getting time out there creates a lot of potential for a counter-punch.

 

[hockeywiz542]

Are the Toronto Maple Leafs planning to rotate Ozhiganov, Marincin and Holl?

Leafs Lunch host Andi Petrillo with Mike Johnson and Dave Poulin are joined by TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie to get his take on how Mike Babcock is approaching his defensive pairings and the choice to sit Igor Ozhiganov in favour of Martin Marincin.

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/are-the-leafs-planning-to-rotate-ozhiganov-marincin-and-holl~1508912

 

[LeafsNation75]

The Leafs dropped one spot to 4th in TSN's power rankings.

https://www.tsn.ca/the-7-eleven-power-rankings-tampa-bay-still-the-team-to-beat-1.1184044

 

[1specter]

 

[LeafsNation75]

 

[Seath The Scaleless]

And some fans blame the players. Boston absolutely destroyed us because they took away the stretch pass.

The coaching staff needs to try something else.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Matty is the #1 Star of the Week

 

[LeafsNation75]

Matty is the #1 Star of the Week

That's great to hear.

 

[LeafsNation75]

 

[LeafsNation75]

 

[Drew311]

It's October 8th. The Leafs beat the Jets 7 - 2 this time last year. Crazy stuff happens in the first couple of weeks of the season. Most teams need at least a month to work out their kinks. I have full confidence they'll hit their stride by mid November.

 

[hockeywiz542]

Free Kadri, lose Ennis and more Leafs observations | The Star

• The most perplexing lineup move was the installation of Tyler Ennis as Auston Matthews’ right winger for the first 21/2 games. Ennis is trying to piece his career back together, which is great. But it was odd to see him as William Nylander’s replacement alongside Matthews while Connor Brown and Kasperi Kapanen, both of whom have been waiting for higher profile offensive roles, didn’t get that chance. Well, at least until midway through Sunday’s game, when Kapanen jumped in beside Matthews and almost immediately scored, and then set up Matthews for a goal. If Ennis can’t play in an offensive role, this team may not be a fit.

• Babcock is going to have to find more work for Nazem Kadri. Fifteen minutes a night is just not enough for a back-to-back 32-goal scorer. It’s early, but right now Kadri is averaging more than a minute less in ice time compared to last year, and three to four shifts fewer a game. He’s got more to give, but needs the time to give it.

• The Leafs are just not a hard team to play against right now, part of the reason they’re giving up a lot of goals. This is the new NHL, fighting is essentially gone and physical play isn’t what it once was. Still, there’s room for grit, for hitting, for defensively getting in the other guy’s face. Right now, we’re not seeing much of that from Babcock’s team. Not sure, other than Kadri, if many players on this team are going to play that way.

• Just like last year, Jake Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev are getting more ice time than all other Leaf players. Babcock clearly believes they are his best. Yet they seem to draw an awful lot of criticism from Leaf nation, Gardiner in particular. The coach not only sees something the fans don’t, he seems to have a totally opposite impression of these two players to many in the audience. Odd, that.

 

[Raym11]

Combine Zetterberg and Datsyuk together and add an elite shot. The product is Auston Matthews this year, putting it all together so far for the first time.

Best defensive player on the team (including defenseman) best possession player, his weakest aspect is the power play. He could kill penalties at a top level if we needed that as well no doubt in my mind

 

[hockeywiz542]

https://www.saultthisweek.com/sports/hockey/kyle-dubas-part-of-stanley-cup-dream-in-leafs-land

The Leafs must be better in the neutral zone in order to take the step from playoff team to real contender. Making the playoffs is nice. Winning is better. Winning a few rounds even better than that.

The Leafs begin this season with gigantic expectations. That’s as a team. But the defencemen aren’t deaf. They know what’s being said about them. They know the overriding belief around the NHL is this six-man unit isn’t good enough or, in the past, hasn’t been good enough.

But the past few years tell a different story. The Leafs begin this season of giant expectations with Rielly and Hainsey on the first pair, followed by Gardiner and Zaitsev.

Rielly is an upgrade over Dumoulin. Hainsey is Hainsey. The Leafs’ first unit is stronger than the Pittsburgh first unit from 2017.

They’re not necessarily the quality of Carlson and Niskanen but Rielly has the ability to take another step. Carlson led all NHL defencemen in points last season with 68, 32 of them coming on the power play.

Mike Babcock has to adjust slightly from past years with his approach to the team.

They can’t be as loose in their own end as they have been. They have to win more loose-puck battles on the boards. The forwards have to be more engaged defensively. And they have to cut down on shots on goal against, and primarily scoring chances.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Ken Hitchcock on the Toronto Maple Leafs: "They get credit for how fast they play offensively, but their strength is how fast they play defensively... They are way more accomplished on the 200-foot game than they get credit for" | Maple Leafs Hotstove

this is a pretty interesting read. Basically goes into how the Leafs are actually underrated defensively

 

[Warden of the North]

This exact same conversation happened last year and we finished 10th in the league in goals against.

The media in this city has no other discussion points then

-Nylanders contract
-potential offer sheets for Marner and Matthews
-Oh noes the Leafs defense