Speculation: August 8th. Whats your thinking now thread...

[Wafflewhipper]

1. This team is stacked up front. It has the best 1-2-3 center combination in the entire league. Marner, Marleau, and Brown need to have big years scoring goals, otherwise the wing could look thin at times. You cannot count on Nylander.

2. Defense wins championships. However, in the NHL, your actual group of defence-men, alone do not win championships, it is a team effort. Is the Leafs defensemen good enough to support the forwards. I would say yes at the moment. They do not suck. Does that mean the Leafs can win the cup? Not exactly. The Edmonton Oilers had a really stacked forwards group in the 1980's. First time they got to the finals, it was 4 straight because they were not good at playing team defense.

3. The onus will be on the coach this season. His coaching will reveal who belongs and who does not. The coach will find out who is committed to winning, and who just wants to win. The way they lost game 7 last season, that was bad. They better learn from that.

4. The management team surprises. Just one comment on Dubas. Seems like he uses the analytics to get noticed, and once he wins the power struggle, he's himself, he's entirely old school. Signing Tarves is exactly what Pat Quinn would have done, and Dubas lead the charge. Draft shmraft as Cliff Fletcher use to say.

Dubas still very much pays attention to metrics.

Well actually there is a advance stat up in a thread where it shows Tavares to be very elite at zone exits to the 96 percentile league wide. Ennis is very elite at it also at 89%.

So he is still looking very much at adv stays with his signings

I wish i could link it for you but i forget what thread its in. I will try finding it for you.

I found it. He explains yhe stat a couple post below his chart to another poster also. Its the Biotk post on page 17..https://hfboards.mandatory.com/posts/148777729/

 

[The Best Leafs Ever]

The only thought that come into my mind is when will we sign Nylander?

 

[The Iceman]

Can’t wait to get Gardiner signed long term and finally get him a reliable partner!

I would like to see him traded at the deadline and get something for our UFA to be with the thought that Liljegren had improved enough to deserve the promotion. Get 3/4s of a season from Gardiner and promote from within.

 

[JadedLeaf]

My thinking is summer has been too long. This is probably the time of year with the least amount of activity in the league and I've been patently waiting for news of some sort of extension being signed with one or more of the big three. When does training camp start this year?

 

[Suntouchable13]

How Babcock will talk during his first presser of the year on the first day of training. I bet he will talk about how much of a big loss it was to lose Komarov and Polak. *barf
But I am also thinking how exciting this season can be and how far this team can go with the centres they have.

 

[Deebo]

My thinking is summer has been too long. This is probably the time of year with the least amount of activity in the league and I've been patently waiting for news of some sort of extension being signed with one or more of the big three. When does training camp start this year?

Medicals and media day on September 13.

 

[LeafShark]

This team is so stacked down the middle that they should be called the Toronto "3 1Cs". Yes.

The home opener will be the Toronto "3 1Cs" vs the Montreal "Have-no-talents". Just make that the title of the GDT now already.

 

[DanM]

My thinking is that Tiger Woods is ranked in the top 60 again, looks great, almost won two majors again, and he is BACK!

Love seeing him healthy.

 

[Skin Tape Session]

Thoughts right now......

- We are not in "win now" mode, i don't think you will ever see Dubas act like we are in "win now" mode- he's going to develop and adjust where necessary. Success doesn't have a timeline or a set formula, it could be another 5 years of small offseason adjustments before we see a true contender. But the core is there now, for the most part.

- Zaitsev is gonna bounce back, no hes not gonna be the second coming of Orr, but i do think he will be worth his contract, maybe more.

- We're not a contender until we hit the half way point and are a "dominant" team, not based on points, based on playing style.

- If we know there is a market for Gardiner and that his contract demands are higher than we can reasonably afford (basically the JVR situation), we should trade. None of this "a 100pt team doesnt trade at the deadline" bull****- building the team and keeping an eye on the future doesn't stop because you sign JT or see success in the regular season, it took the Caps over a decade to find the right formula, we must prepare for the same.

- Id like to see us steer clear of deadline day trash pickups- i wasn't a fan of the Plekanec trade

Wrong. Teams def have a win now mode esp in a salary cap world and this is a win year, when you have a franchise centerman, and a game breaking winger making collectivly 3 million, its a win now or do your best, you also dont subtract from that, esp 50 point d men because you may lose them. Its stupid and zero teams operate like that.

You cant rebuild and content at the same time, i get that you play a lot of nhl and think others teams are firing around top prospects and first rnd picks but you aint gettin much for 2 months of jake certainly not enough to subtract from a win now situation i just outlined, really stupid thought process and not in ljne with how professional sports teams are run,like really niave and really really not even close to reality...yikes Silly thinking these rebuild while competing types.

 

[bluumax]

Wrong. Teams def have a win now mode esp in a salary cap world and this is a win year, when you have a franchise centerman, and a game breaking winger making collectivly 3 million, its a win now or do your best, you also dont subtract from that, esp 50 point d men because you may lose them. Its stupid and zero teams operate like that.

You cant rebuild and content at the same time, i get that you play a lot of nhl and think others teams are firing around top prospects and first rnd picks but you aint gettin much for 2 months of jake certainly not enough to subtract from a win now situation i just outlined, really stupid thought process and not in ljne with how professional sports teams are run,like really niave and really really not even close to reality...yikes Silly thinking these rebuild while competing types.

What a dick response.

Maybe ill try and reply with a little less condescension and arrogance....

My point was that Dubas will not risk the future of the team on rentals etc just because of this perceived "window".

Im not going to get into the same Trade vs let walk debate i had with various posters last season about JVR, people like you only see in black and white- its either rebuild or trade everything to win, you cant comprehend that BUILDING isn't the same as REBUILDING and that its not only possible to compete whilst building- its required.

 

[Skin Tape Session]

What a dick response.

Maybe ill try and reply with a little less condescension and arrogance....

My point was that Dubas will not risk the future of the team on rentals etc just because of this perceived "window".

Im not going to get into the same Trade vs let walk debate i had with various posters last season about JVR, people like you only see in black and white- its either rebuild or trade everything to win, you cant comprehend that BUILDING isn't the same as REBUILDING and that its not only possible to compete whilst building- its required.

My bad i was coming from inlaws and the main boards were pissing me off.

I was fine with not selling jvr and bozak last year as i truly believe we have to take advantage of the big threes elc. If we can hse gardnier to get a josh manson type id be down but ss mad as i was after game seven i realize we need jake more than he needs us. Plus we really have to take a swing at going deep this year

 

[Gary Nylund]

My thinking is that Tiger Woods is ranked in the top 60 again, looks great, almost won two majors again, and he is BACK!

Love seeing him healthy.

This. I have to think that he'll be picked for the Ryder Cup team, he was pretty humble when asked about the possibility, we'll see. It's pretty cool to see Tiger humble, hopefully that'll last after another major or two (and I really hope that happens)!

 

[DanM]

This. I have to think that he'll be picked for the Ryder Cup team, he was pretty humble when asked about the possibility, we'll see. It's pretty cool to see Tiger humble, hopefully that'll last after another major or two (and I really hope that happens)!

Fully agree on both things. I believe he just wants health, and that old fire back, which we seen the last few days.

Sports is better with a healthy Tiger

 

[TML1967]

Fully agree on both things. I believe he just wants health, and that old fire back, which we seen the last few days.

Sports is better with a healthy Tiger

I was out playing golf this weekend when someone text me that Tiger was making his move.
We finished when he was getting to the 6th hole, and a group of us watched it on a shitty old big screen in a club house, and it was the most fun ive had watching sports in public in a long time. (Usually watch Leafs games and NCAA at home)

There is just something about watching Tiger locked in. Its insane.
If the Leafs ever get to the 3rd round again I feel it will be the same feeling.

People who are casual fans will be out and about doing whatever and friends will starting texting people to find a TV.

Cant wait!!

 

[DanM]

I was out playing golf this weekend when someone text me that Tiger was making his move.
We finished when he was getting to the 6th hole, and a group of us watched it on a ****ty old big screen in a club house, and it was the most fun ive had watching sports in public in a long time.

There is just something about watching Tiger locked in. Its insane.
If the Leafs ever get to the 3rd round again I feel it will be the same feeling.

People who are casual fans will be out and about doing whatever and friends will starting texting people to find a TV.

Cant wait!!

Agreed

When he is on the prowl, it's a game changer. You can feel it in the crowds, and you start to get pumped up watching him, he goes beast, and you cannot turn away.

He is not a perfect person, but what a SPECIAL generational transcendent athlete. I was golfing today, and thinking about his performance, we were all talking about Tiger.

Happy to see him finally healthy again, and I want to see a few more majors.

 

[Polaris1010]

Dubas still very much pays attention to metrics.

Well actually there is a advance stat up in a thread where it shows Tavares to be very elite at zone exits to the 96 percentile league wide. Ennis is very elite at it also at 89%.

So he is still looking very much at adv stays with his signings

I wish i could link it for you but i forget what thread its in. I will try finding it for you.

I found it. He explains yhe stat a couple post below his chart to another poster also. Its the Biotk post on page 17..https://hfboards.mandatory.com/posts/148777729/

Appreciate that.

I saw it, and thought of it as more as coincidence than anything.

Anyways, Tavares will have a big impact on this team.

However, I feel like Harold Ballard pull the carpet right from under me. We were going to watch the kids play, grow into big time players. Now they won't let Nylander play center. I was really looking forward to that, now he won't. More likely he get traded away from Toronto than ever playing center here.