are the Leafs too skilled

[ryno23]

I wonder if the Leafs are actually too skilled for their own good. Too many times the skill players will try and make fancy plays and turn the puck over is dangerous spots on the ice. How many times you see the forwards in their zone throw passes into dangerous spots like the middle of the ice with no chance of it working. How many times they try to beat the man at their blue line and cough it up.

How many times does a leaf do a turn around into their own corner or high at the blue line and lose the puck. So many examples

Same for the offensive zone where they turn over pucks at the blue line causing odd man rushes going the other way.

So many examples of bad puck management cause they have so much skill they try to get too cute holing onto the puck or making soft saucer passes thru guys and so on.

Skill is great but if you can't recognize danger on the ice and play it safe your bound to have a poor defensive game.

Guy like Patrice Bergeron, Anze Kopitar, Crosby all have great skill but understand it is better to make the safe play than try a high danger play.

Do we have to much skill where guys are trying to get too cute or does Keefe need to real in the players to make better puck decisions in high danger zones. Is this team still immature where they don't understand high danger will it chance as they get older and more experienced.

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[Nithoniniel]

Decision-making and skill aren't mutually exclusive. There's a maturity process our guys need to go through. Besides, a lot of these mistakes are the ugly spots on a process that gives better results in the long run.

 

[Craig Button]

The Leafs are too injured

 

[Stephen]

The flaw in the Leafs isn’t the skill, it’s the top down from management belief that you can win only with skill. A skill team that plays defense, can compete physically and knows how to battle and claw is more interesting and successful than a run and gun one dimensional team.

 

[LeafingTheWay]

Sheldon Keefe plays a skilled possession game. When guys like Ceci can't keep up, we get in trouble.

That's wby Dubas has mentioned time and time again that he wants his defensive group to be composed of quick, efficient defensemen (i.e get the puck out of the zone to our skilled forwards as fast and cleanly as possible).

 

[ULF_55]

No they need more skill in net.

And patience behind the glass.

 

[ryno23]

Sheldon Keefe plays a skilled possession game. When guys like Ceci can't keep up, we get in trouble.

That's wby Dubas has mentioned time and time again that he wants his defensive group to be composed of quick, efficient defensemen (i.e get the puck out of the zone to our skilled forwards as fast and cleanly as possible).

That is flawed thinking by Dubas cause once you lose possession your own zone those type of D have a hard time defending and separating opponents from the puck, lose board battles and front net battles

 

[Mess]

Skill and speed are not enough to win consistently.

Its why players like Hyman are crucial, as well and you need players that also excel without the puck.

Muckers and grinders play important roles in balancing out a team and adding different dimension found in winning teams.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

I wouldn't say they are too skilled, moreso top heavy skilled with four elite forwards and one elite defenceman. Beyond that, I think the depth of skill lacks. Compile it with the fact some of the guys are lacking both skill and intensity, and you get a team like the Leafs which can outscore you on any given night, yet won't strike the fear of God in an opponent.

 

[Bomber0104]

That is flawed thinking by Dubas cause once you lose possession your own zone those type of D have a hard time defending and separating opponents from the puck, lose board battles and front net battles

That would probably fall under the "subjective scouting" category that Dubas is not a fan of.

Unfortunately if it can't be measured consistently, he doesn't want to hear about it.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Can you be too skilled in your top 6 or goaltending? No.

So you must be asking if we are too skilled in defence and in the bottom 6. Again, no.

 

[killer1980]

No! Dubas is not skilled enough.

 

[Mess]

Connor Brown ... AAV $2.1 mil ................. 52 games 10 goals 23 assists 33 points.

vs

Alex Kerfoot .. $3.5 mil AAV ................ 48 games 8 goals 13 assists 21 points
or
Kasperi Kapanen .. $3.2 mil AAV ..... 52 games 10 goals 19 assists 29 points
or
A Johnsson .. $3.4 mil AAV ................. 38 games 7 goals 12 assists 19 points

Sometimes more speed and skill doesn't always mean better or more impact, and having more 2-way players might help.

 

[ryno23]

Connor Brown ... AAV $2.1 mil ................. 52 games 10 goals 23 assists 33 points.

vs

Alex Kerfoot .. AAV $3.5 mil AAV ................ 48 games 8 goals 13 assists 21 points
or
Kasperi Kapanen .. AAV $3.2 mil AAV ..... 52 games 10 goals 19 assists 29 points
or
A Johnsson .. AAV $3.4 mil AAV ................. 38 games 7 goals 12 assists 19 points

Sometimes more speed and skill doesn't always mean better or more impact, and having more 2-way players might help.

That is a bit misleading as Brown is getting top line minutes. Top PP. Top PK wouldn't get any of that here

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

Connor Brown ... AAV $2.1 mil ................. 52 games 10 goals 23 assists 33 points.

vs

Alex Kerfoot .. $3.5 mil AAV ................ 48 games 8 goals 13 assists 21 points
or
Kasperi Kapanen .. $3.2 mil AAV ..... 52 games 10 goals 19 assists 29 points
or
A Johnsson .. $3.4 mil AAV ................. 38 games 7 goals 12 assists 19 points

Sometimes more speed and skill doesn't always mean better or more impact, and having more 2-way players might help.

Connor Brown is getting opportunity on a bad Sens team that he would never get here.

 

[Einzakin]

Connor Brown ... AAV $2.1 mil ................. 52 games 10 goals 23 assists 33 points.

vs

Alex Kerfoot .. $3.5 mil AAV ................ 48 games 8 goals 13 assists 21 points
or
Kasperi Kapanen .. $3.2 mil AAV ..... 52 games 10 goals 19 assists 29 points
or
A Johnsson .. $3.4 mil AAV ................. 38 games 7 goals 12 assists 19 points

Sometimes more speed and skill doesn't always mean better or more impact, and having more 2-way players might help.

Conor Brown is playing 21-22 minutes a night. Also getting all the minutes to help him succeed. We know what he is, and I'm glad we got rid of him.

With that being said, Alex Kerfoot is just not a great player. I was pumped for him at the starting but he really makes bad decisions out there despite his academic history. He isn't big, super fast, etc. He just doesn't do enough and I think it's time to trade him, and one of Kappy/Johnsson. Preferrably Johnsson.

 

[nuck]

The Leafs regularly get drubbed by clubs with less skill so probably yes, at least in terms of the current model. The Leafs skill is not tempered with all the right other types of players to get optimum results. Lack of skill in net is an issue of course.

There are diminishing returns as a club loads up with offense as limited OZ and pp chances mean you can't get maximum value out of all your gunslingers but are still paying the premium price. Less offensively skilledf players can be more effective because of their overall game, but still cost less as contracts are mostly points driven or by past playoff success. The club is unbalanced with a severe salary bias towards the forward group, and with a forward group that mostly wants to attack all the time.

Its an issue if Dubas thinks this is a championship lineup as it sits but he can only work with the pieces he has. Keefe can only coach the club in a way that suits its current players Some people are on KD for the Barrie deal but he needed a right shot D and a center so there wasn't many options. I think it is still a team in transition with most of the main boxes checked and it will evolve a bit for this playoff and again over the summer. He may have placed too much faith in pure dangler hockey but every lineup was tweaked befor it became a championship team. IMO too soft and too much pure offense but still not far off the mark.

 

[Auston Escobar]

This place turns into an absolute shithole after every single loss.

 

[Rogue Leader]

We need more brain!

 

[TakeTheBody]

Too skilled? Are you kidding me? The first two lines are excellent. So maybe six players are too skilled. The other 70% of the team not so much.

 

[34]

No, it is the opposite. The team is constructed of a bunch of overrated, overpaid, self entitled spoiled brats who think they are way better than they actually are.

This season is cooked, put a fork in it. 11th place finish in the east is the enivitable. They have missed the playoffs.

 

[Morgs]

Lmao what the f***.

 

[LeafingTheWay]

That is flawed thinking by Dubas cause once you lose possession your own zone those type of D have a hard time defending and separating opponents from the puck, lose board battles and front net battles

They're not two mutually exclusive things though, we can have both.

For example, Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl are great examples of big physical D that can move the puck very efficiently. Dermott, Sandin, Lilijegren are more skilled, less physical guys but they still play a physical game. Morgan Rielly and Tyson Barrie are pretty one-dimensional and that's a big worry, but they're elite in that offensive and passing category. Roman Polak, Nikita Zaitsev, Codi Ceci and to a lesser extent Ron Hainsey are physical D that can't move the puck efficiently or as efficiently as we'd like in this system. That's what Dubas IMO doesn't want on his team.

 

[trellaine201]

Too skilled? No. Too flawed ? Yes

 

[yubbers]

Don't think there's such a thing as too much skill. It's the things they lack that's the problem. Balance.