Analyzing Dubas's performance - (Full Analysis)

[Menzinger]

Calling Polak a bottom pair guy misses the fact that he was often out there in key situations at the end of games. I could be wrong (let's face it, likely not), but I believe he was out there at the end of the game against Pitt when we clinched the playoffs that year. He was a force in that game.

That's what good coaches and GMs understand. Some guys may only give you 15 mins a night, but they are responsible and can be counted on in clutch situations. The stat junkies will never be able to figure that out.

I dont need stats to tell you Muzzin is and was considerably better at both ends of the ice vs Polak....

 

[LeafsNation75]

No because he's generally awful at negotiating. Have you seen the deals he signed? You see the Barrie trade? Yikes!

Don't go moving the goal posts because you made a stupid comment that Dubas caved to Zaitsev when he asked to be traded.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Could be any number of reasons. Down years for players in front of him. Maybe personal issues. Lots of possibilities.

Why do you think goaltenders are immune from these things?

Lou knew that and got McBackup.

Lou had McBackup fall into his lap from the waiver wire after his backup failed horribly.

Dubas tossed McBackup to the curb and went all in with Sparks and potentially cost us a trip to the Cup Finals.

This had zero impact on where we placed or our playoff success.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Could be any number of reasons. Down years for players in front of him. Maybe personal issues. Lots of possibilities.

And even if it is all Andy, then you would expect a good GM would have a solid backup ready to pick up the slack. Lou knew that and got McBackup. Dubas tossed McBackup to the curb and went all in with Sparks and potentially cost us a trip to the Cup Finals. Ouch.

The Leafs actually managed to make the finals zero times during McBackup's two years with the Leafs, so why would he have brought the Leafs to the finals in 2019?

 

[LeafsNation75]

Could be any number of reasons. Down years for players in front of him. Maybe personal issues. Lots of possibilities.

And even if it is all Andy, then you would expect a good GM would have a solid backup ready to pick up the slack. Lou knew that and got McBackup. Dubas tossed McBackup to the curb and went all in with Sparks and potentially cost us a trip to the Cup Finals. Ouch.

Sparks didn't play any minutes in the 2019 playoffs. Plus you seem to forgot he was replaced as the backup by Hutchinson for the playoffs and that's a decision Dubas would have to make.

If anyone cost Toronto a trip to the Stanley Cup Final last season it was Mike Babcock and his coaching decisions.

Plus Jake Gardiner didn't help with his second straight Game 7 screw up and Frederik Andersen looked horrible on the 2nd goal he allowed.

 

[IPS]

Your praise of Muzzin is like bragging about being the tallest midget. Nobody in the league ever says I'm afraid of going into the corner with Muzzin. Muzzin will throw a decent hit every 4-5 games, but in terms of being a physical presence, he's average at best. Just stands out among the smurfs we employ back there. Defensively he's often a trainwreck. And he's a poor decision maker. Multiple times this past season he singlehandedly cost us games.

Gardiner was better than Muzzin overall. Polak was better. Hainsey actually managed to make Reilly look like a stud, so he's better. I could go on.

You keep outdoing yourself.

Healthy scratch Polak better than Muzzin? The same Muzzin who played top pairing duties on a cup winning Kings team?

I mean this is the same guy who called Rielly a 3rd pairing D. You just don't know anything about defensemen yet parade it around happily.


Really though, at what point is this all just dumb trolling?

 

[kb]

So all of the sudden Dubas now caves to the players because he honored Zaitsev's request of a trade. I'm not even sure how to respond to a comment like that.

It just keeps getting dimmer and dimmer in here.....and the rest of us are just sitting back trying to figure out whether or not a medical condition is involved.

 

[kb]

Don't go moving the goal posts because you made a stupid comment that Dubas caved to Zaitsev when he asked to be traded.

.....get ready for the spin cycle now.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

You keep outdoing yourself.

Healthy scratch Polak better than Muzzin? The same Muzzin who played top pairing duties on a cup winning Kings team?

I mean this is the same guy who called Rielly a 3rd pairing D. You just don't know anything about defensemen yet parade it around happily.


Really though, at what point is this all just dumb trolling?

At the point someone actually tries to say Roman Polak is better than Muzzin

 

[LeafsNation75]

At the point someone actually tries to say Roman Polak is better than Muzzin

I'm honestly surprised he didn't say Martin Marincin was better than Muzzin.

 

[The CyNick]

The Leafs actually managed to make the finals zero times during McBackup's two years with the Leafs, so why would he have brought the Leafs to the finals in 2019?

He would have helped secure us home ice against the Bruins and likely tip the series in our favor. Obviously no guarantee that would have happened, but I believe it was very likely.

 

[The CyNick]

Sparks didn't play any minutes in the 2019 playoffs. Plus you seem to forgot he was replaced as the backup by Hutchinson for the playoffs and that's a decision Dubas would have to make.

If anyone cost Toronto a trip to the Stanley Cup Final last season it was Mike Babcock and his coaching decisions.

Plus Jake Gardiner didn't help with his second straight Game 7 screw up and Frederik Andersen looked horrible on the 2nd goal he allowed.

That's your take.

I trust Babcock's decision given his name is on the Cup and he's won virtually every championship there is to win. But it's all open for debate.

 

[The CyNick]

You keep outdoing yourself.

Healthy scratch Polak better than Muzzin? The same Muzzin who played top pairing duties on a cup winning Kings team?

I mean this is the same guy who called Rielly a 3rd pairing D. You just don't know anything about defensemen yet parade it around happily.


Really though, at what point is this all just dumb trolling?

Lol I love guys like you who hang on my every word and then act like I don't know what I'm talking about. Appreciate the support Pal.

For clarity, we're talking about over their tenure with the team. To date Muzzin hasn't done anything worth bragging about. Polak at his best with the Leafs contributed more than anything Muzzin has to date.

Now, Muzzin has a hefty contract entering the declining years of his career. He has plenty of time to make a positive impact. I'm sure he will be relied heavily on in this qualifying series to get us in the playoffs. If we do get by Columbus, he'll also likely be called on heavily in a series with Boston, Tampa or Washington. If he's a monster in those series, then I'll likely change my tune.

Problem is he's not running with a prime Drew Doughty to make him look better than he is.

 

[Morbo]

...what do you mean, "act like"?

 

[Dekes For Days]

He would have helped secure us home ice against the Bruins and likely tip the series in our favor. Obviously no guarantee that would have happened, but I believe it was very likely.

You think it was very likely that a career 81 point pace backup would put up a 103+ point pace behind a worse defense, playing almost exclusively back-ends of back to backs?

 

[The CyNick]

It just keeps getting dimmer and dimmer in here.....and the rest of us are just sitting back trying to figure out whether or not a medical condition is involved.

Feel free to debate any point I've brought up.

 

[The CyNick]

You think it was very likely that a career 81 point pace backup would put up a 103+ point pace behind a worse defense, playing almost exclusively back-ends of back to backs?

He was the best backup in the league, so yes, I think he would have been effective in getting us points that year. Far better than the point production the guys Dubas put out there got us.

 

[Dekes For Days]

He was the best backup in the league

He was not the best backup in the league. At 35, he fluked into a Vezina-quality season over a small sample. That was not happening again.

Far better than the point production the guys Dubas put out there got us.

That's not the question. You said it would have had real impacts on our success. For it to have even had the most obscure, smallest possible impact, he would have had to put up a 103+ point pace behind a bad defense playing back-ends of back to backs.

 

[The CyNick]

He was not the best backup in the league. At 35, he fluked into a Vezina-quality season over a small sample. That was not happening again.

That's not the question. You said it would have had real impacts on our success. For it to have even had the most obscure, smallest possible impact, he would have had to put up a 103+ point pace behind a bad defense playing back-ends of back to backs.

McBackup would have had to secure more points than Sparks did to get us home ice, which I believe he would have. We went from having the most effective backup in the league to having the worst.

Imagine a GM at any position makes a call like that. I've got the best and I replace with the worst. That's really what it came down to. Sad but true.

 

[Gary Nylund]

It just keeps getting dimmer and dimmer in here.....and the rest of us are just sitting back trying to figure out whether or not a medical condition is involved.

Well said. Polak better than Muzzin? I actually laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes.

Polak>Muzzin.

 

[Dekes For Days]

McBackup would have had to secure more points than Sparks did to get us home ice

No, McBackup would have had to secure a 103+ point pace (playing mostly back-ends of back to backs) to get us home ice, which would have been incredibly incredibly unlikely and wouldn't have changed much about the series anyway.

We went from having the most effective backup in the league to having the worst.

McBackup was not the best backup in the league, and Sparks was not the worst.

 

[LeafsNation75]

That's your take.

I trust Babcock's decision given his name is on the Cup and he's won virtually every championship there is to win. But it's all open for debate.

Any coach would have won with those Red Wings teams and Canadian teams.

In fact more people have said that Babcock is the reason those Red Wings teams didn't mean more than 1 Stanley Cup when he was coaching them.

 

[The CyNick]

Well said. Polak better than Muzzin? I actually laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes.

Polak>Muzzin.

Search game highlights of Leafs vs Pens in April 2017 and tell me Muzzin has had a bigger impact in any season so far. Polak was a monster, out there in the dying seconds v Crosby, not only had a critical block, but led to AM getting 40. Huge.

 

[The CyNick]

Any coach would have won with those Red Wings teams and Canadian teams.

In fact more people have said that Babcock is the reason those Red Wings teams didn't mean more than 1 Stanley Cup when he was coaching them.

We get it, he can't win in your eyes.

Let's see if he gets in the hall of fame or not. I bet Keefe doesn't.

 

[LeafsNation75]

He would have helped secure us home ice against the Bruins and likely tip the series in our favor. Obviously no guarantee that would have happened, but I believe it was very likely.

When the Leafs were up 3-2 in last years playoff series against Boston with a chance to eliminate them, you don't remember that Game 6 was played in Toronto and they still lost. So would home ice really have mattered? Hell they won Games 1 and 5 which were on the road and their only home win was Game 3.