Are the Leafs Tough Enough for Playoffs

[WetcoastOrca]

Not an excuse at all. Without Matthews for 10 games and Nylander all season the leafs still built up a record that puts them as a top 3-5 team in the league. Not bad for a team with "no toughness"

Nylander wasn’t injured.
And the regular season is different than the playoffs. As you should know.

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

If anything Tampa got under Boston's skin last year. The "Big Bad Bruins" are not a thing anymore, they're at best average at physicality.

Yes. If you visit the Bruins board there is a vocal minority that feels they're the softest team in the league.

 

[GoJetsGo55]

It's a tough question. The Leafs have all the skill in the world but maaaan, the playoffs are a whole other beast.

Our series against Nashville was a grind fest and you need tough guys that can push through it.

It's when you really see value in guys like Adam Lowry.

 

[bionic]

Nylander wasn’t injured.
And the regular season is different than the playoffs. As you should know.

Does it really matter if he was injured. He wasn't with the team all year.
And this is a very young leafs team that 2.5 years ago finished dead last and drafted Matthews. It takes time to learn how win in the Playoffs and the last couple of years has been a good experience for this core.

 

[John Eichel da GOAT]

Nope. Defense is a joke too. They wont get past the Lightning anytime soon.

 

[koyvoo]

Boston won 1 playoff series against these leafs. Literally. Ppl are inventing some strange narratives.

And at that time, when the leafs had won their first series over Ottawa, you could just sense that they’d always have their number.

 

[Fables]

I have only seen Toronto a few times this season but saw most of the Bruins - Maple leafs playoff series last spring.

I would say they need more toughness but not 4th line goons with little skills.

There are different kind of toughness that is needed and punching faces is the least important variety.
Going into to board battles hard with coming away with pucks (like hyman does), going in front of the goal and taking some abuse to score dirty goals, mental toughness = for example not being intimated when the other teams plays rough, etc. All that is needed.

The biggest problem to me seemed that Leafs defence crumbled too often when Boston got their forecheck going. So I believe that Leafs getting 1-2 puck moving defencemen with some poise and skills would help much more than couple of goons or even power forwards with some skills. Of course some additional size and strenght to go along with that would help even more.

Plus I believe that Matthews was likely a bit banged up and not so experienced and that he will be much better in the next play offs series.

And lastly you don't have to be big to be tough. I thinks Marner was showing a lot of heart and toughness small as he may be in that series against the Bruins while their other young star winger Nylander seemed unwilling or scared going into the battles. So some others players showing similar attitude than Marner did last spring would also go a long way to help them the next time they play meet the Bruins in play-off series.

Not being a fan of either teams but one who appreciates good hockey and great rivalry I would be very happy to see Bruins - Maple leafs match-up in the first round again and would not be too surprised if Toronto would win this time. But I can undertand why Toronto fans would rather seem them play some other team.

 

[Werewolf]

Teams don't need a fighter to win but they do need to be tough, forecheck hard, finish checks, win board battles, and go to front of the net hard. Leafs certainly don't have the toughness to come out of the East.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

You can win with skill but players like Matthews and Nylander need to buy into playing through the hits and hooks that go with playoff hockey. Maybe they can watch videos of what Marner did last playoffs. They have the forward group to beat anyone imo if they commit to playing through all of the physical stuff.

I think a bigger issue is the defense. Not enough physicality and can be physically pounded in a 7 game series so that they cough up the puck. That’s where I think they need improvement.

 

[Rob Brown]

Boston seems to be all over them this season. They just dismantled them with a borderline AHL team. Also there is no documents of Matthew's being injured other than Leaf fans just saying so to make themselves feel better. Boston was also missing their #3C in Nash, their best player in Bergeron for a game, as well as their #4D for the entire series.

Uh huh.

 

[Rob Brown]

Does it really matter if he was injured. He wasn't with the team all year.
And this is a very young leafs team that 2.5 years ago finished dead last and drafted Matthews. It takes time to learn how win in the Playoffs and the last couple of years has been a good experience for this core.

This...

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

If they can play the Bruins in the first round, I'll be happy.

 

[DownGoesMcDavid]

Everyone thinks Nylander will be traded for a Defenceman but i wouldnt be surprised if they moved him for a big bodied gritty forward that can play, like a Wayne Simmonds type.


Leafs remind me of 2008-2010 Canucks when the Sedins were producing 200ish pts combined and they were doing well in the playoffs.

But every year the big bad Blackhawks would bully them around in the playoffs. Of course they had skill, but it was their toughness they couldn't match...the byfuglien eager bolland Ladd brouwer etc..

It wasn't until 2011 that the Canucks were able to put it together and it wasnt by coincidence that they added gritty players to their core.. players such as Lapierre ,Torres, Alberts to go along w. Sandpaper guys like kesler bieksa burrows.


Leafs imo wont get through the playoffs with this lineup. They can say that the PP is their best deterent but what use will that do if guys like mathews marner etc have been injured.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Uh huh.

Ah yes, the close game where the Bruins were without their #1,2,4 and 6D as well as their #1C? Great example!

When they had a full team, it was 5-1 Bruins, and then this beat down. Hasn't been great for Toronto.

 

[GOilers88]

Oh I don’t know, maybe because one is currently leading the league and the other recently won 2 cups with a butter soft lineup? Or is last year the only one we can reference now?

I will take a team that has a 1% chance of fighting but a 25% chance of scoring on a powerplay any day.

Worked wonders for the Canucks.

"Punch my captain in the face, go ahead. We wont fight back, we'll score our way to a cup on the powerplay". "Wait, they didnt call any penalties for the face punching? Shit"

 

[Critical13]

Worked wonders for the Canucks.

"Punch my captain in the face, go ahead. We wont fight back, we'll score our way to a cup on the powerplay". "Wait, they didnt call any penalties for the face punching? ****"

Ya it's definitely the same league it was then...

 

[GOilers88]

Ya it's definitely the same league it was then...

31 GM's in the league would kill for a Tom Wilson. What does that tell you? It tells me toughness and grit is still in high demand contrary to this false narritive that teams dont need or want to be tough anymore. Even using your example of the butter soft penguuins winning two cups. Disregarding the fact they house two of the most dominant players of our time, they went out amd traded a first rounder for Ryan Reaves.

 

[Critical13]

31 GM's in the league would kill for a Tom Wilson. What does that tell you? It tells me toughness and grit is still in high demand contrary to this false narritive that teams dont need or want to be tough anymore.

Oh teams want toughness. Problem is, you go out looking for it and you end up with a Lucic fiasco. That's why it's silly to overreact and make a big move for toughness. Skill still wins games.

 

[Cor]

Toronto allowed Kronwall to sit for 2 minutes in the box and then went on to score 3 straight goals to get the game to Overtime. I'd much rather our players use things like this as motivation to win a game, than take stupid retaliatory penalties. Our powerplay can be lethal, or someone getting involved and taking that powerplay off the ice just hurts the team more.

Also, hilarious that a Canucks fan made this thread, given that the Canucks average just 3 more hits a game, and have the same amount of major penalties as Toronto.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Toronto allowed Kronwall to sit for 2 minutes in the box and then went on to score 3 straight goals to get the game to Overtime. I'd much rather our players use things like this as motivation to win a game, than take stupid retaliatory penalties. Our powerplay can be lethal, or someone getting involved and taking that powerplay off the ice just hurts the team more.

Also, hilarious that a Canucks fan made this thread, given that the Canucks average just 3 more hits a game, and have the same amount of major penalties as Toronto.

Well yeah, the thread is about the playoffs, why would the Canucks be worried about that? There's plenty of time for them to draft more toughness at #6.

 

[GOilers88]

Oh teams want toughness. Problem is, you go out looking for it and you end up with a Lucic fiasco. That's why it's silly to overreact and make a big move for toughness. Skill still wins games.

Prior ti his last 80 games, where he appears to have fallen so far off a cliff quicker than any athlete ive ever seen, Lucic posted a 10 year career of 45-55 poimts every year while being an absolute force on skates. Yes the term was long, but i believe every GM in the league would have signed him given the chance.

You cant use the most extreme example anyone has seen in years as some sort of standard.

 

[nightfighter]

Toronto allowed Kronwall to sit for 2 minutes in the box and then went on to score 3 straight goals to get the game to Overtime. I'd much rather our players use things like this as motivation to win a game, than take stupid retaliatory penalties. Our powerplay can be lethal, or someone getting involved and taking that powerplay off the ice just hurts the team more.

Also, hilarious that a Canucks fan made this thread, given that the Canucks average just 3 more hits a game, and have the same amount of major penalties as Toronto.

Leave Lucic alone! He's scored 2 goals in his last 76 games but he skates and tries really hard!

 

[paulhiggins]

Have been waiting since the mid-2000s to do a proper rebuild and now they are so soft they are not worth watching. By the time the playoffs are here they will be so banged up from their best players being targeted with no pushback they will be done in the first round. Allowing your mates to get pushed around is also terrible for the team concept. Need a team where the players watch each others' backs not sneak away to the bench when the rough stuff happens. Get with it Dubas and balance it out, starting with drafting.

 

[jgatie]

Worked wonders for the Canucks.

"Punch my captain in the face, go ahead. We wont fight back, we'll score our way to a cup on the powerplay". "Wait, they didnt call any penalties for the face punching? ****"

How in H-E-Double Kohos does this myth keep being repeated?

2011 Stanley Cup Finals - Wikipedia

BOS	Brad Marchand (served by David Krejci)	Roughing	18:29	2:00
BOS	Brad Marchand	Misconduct	18:29	10:00

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Not only did he get a penalty, the Canucks got a PP, and Marchand got a 10 minute misconduct. And why Sedin was trying to milk a PP with 1:31 left in a 5-2 blowout I'll never know.

 

[Cor]

31 GM's in the league would kill for a Tom Wilson. What does that tell you? It tells me toughness and grit is still in high demand contrary to this false narritive that teams dont need or want to be tough anymore. Even using your example of the butter soft penguuins winning two cups. Disregarding the fact they house two of the most dominant players of our time, they went out amd traded a first rounder for Ryan Reaves.

I'm almost certain there are GM's who would not 'kill' to pay a player 5.166M for the next 5 seasons who has a career 0.29 ppg, and is in the penalty box roughly once per game

Also, PIT gave up a 1st + Sundqvist for Reaves + 2nd and then months later traded Reaves and a 4th for Tobias Lindberg. I wouldn't use that as an argument.