Blow this team up already!

[rumman]

We're not saying the regular season doesn't matter; you're saying the playoffs don't.

Exactly……

And find a proper dam goalie

And some defenders who actually know how to defend……..

 

[rumman]

good to know the MB is actually more awake about what needs to be done than our own fanbase.

because that's closer to the truth than not.

Sad, but true…….

 

[rumman]

Team very lucky to have fans that forget the past.

You seem to be confused why fans "want to blow it up 10 minutes in".

Then say things like "it's a new year, it is game 1".

Maybe, just maybe, it is you that doesn't get it. Maybe, just maybe, others feel it ISN'T a new year, a game 1. It is a continuation of the same old.

Just cause you don't get it, doesn't mean others don't.

Some haven’t suffered enough to be as disillusioned as the fans that have watch this team for decades, I’ve seen this all before and the current core haven’t learned anything about playoff hockey. If you want to be positive knock yourself out, but ragging on poster’s for not hoping on the sunshine and lollipop wagon isn’t the right way to go imo. Opposing views are what allows for engagement between posters, unless your into echo chambers……..

The easier solution is replacing the coach with another coach that can run a good system and knows how to run a good PK.

I’m not convinced that fixing the coaching issues will fix the player issues, as much as Imloathe Keefe, he isn’t playing the game, the players are……..

 

[rumman]

did you really take me serious on that?

Your on their list now………

 

[rumman]

You're lying to yourself. If I would have said seven years ago that the Leafs would have zero Cups and had won 1 playoff round in the next 7 years you would have called me a "doomer".

Yet here we are, with reality smacking us square in the face...

Funny what a little perspective can do to make your point irrefutable……..

 

[Boxscore]

We keep on trying to fill holes ....add grit....etc....how has that worked out for us?

You answered your own question -- "trying to fill holes and add grit." The problem is that the core of this team is not only physically soft, they are emotionally soft and lack any type of killer instinct DNA. Sure, during the regular season they can feast on teams with their talent alone... but when matched up against playoff caliber teams on a nightly basis (who know how to crank up the intensity and defense) this core is annually exposed.

The solution is not rummaging through the bargain bin in an attempt to find "grit" anymore. There must be a shake-up at the core where soft players are replaced with key contributors who are built different -- think the Tkachuks, Konecny, Marchand, Stone, JT Miller, etc. And, even if they're not as grimy as those guys... they have to have some alpha in their DNA... like MacKinnon, Q. Hughes, Pasta, etc.

The playoffs are a war... and we always go into them with the Backstreet Boys when we need a little G&R or Metallica.

 

[Torontonian]

I’m not convinced that fixing the coaching issues will fix the player issues, as much as Imloathe Keefe, he isn’t playing the game, the players are……..

He's not, there is no doubt the players play a HUGE part in this. But the coach needs to put them in winning situations that gives them a advantage.

Boston has already made adjustments clogging up the neutral zone and forcing our team to dump it in instead of skate it in. I haven't seen Keefe make an adjustment for the team to slow them down and get them off their game.

Keefe deploys his system and sticks to it regardless of the score/what's happening in the game.

 

[Boxscore]

He's not, there is no doubt the players play a HUGE part in this. But the coach needs to put them in winning situations that gives them a advantage.

Boston has already made adjustments clogging up the neutral zone and forcing our team to dump it in instead of skate it in. I haven't seen Keefe make an adjustment for the team to slow them down and get them off their game.

Keefe deploys his system and sticks to it regardless of the score/what's happening in the game.

While I agree with you 100% that Keefe is not a great coach... until 34 and 16 realize there's two seasons in the NHL: Regular and playoffs... the Leafs will fail.

 

[Lightsol]

While I agree with you 100% that Keefe is not a great coach... until 34 and 16 realize there's two seasons in the NHL: Regular and playoffs... the Leafs will fail.

Every playoff, the opponent assigns a guy to shadow Matthews, and it was even easier to do when they had Marner with him. If you check out other teams, when an opponent starts to do that, the coach starts scheming to get the star player away from the shadow as much as possible. I had a lot of issues with Babcock, but he used to do it. Keefe has NEVER done it, and it's one of my major issues with him. His idea of adjustments is to take a blender to the lines every game, and he never schemes anything other than "1-2-3-4 in that order". And I'm sorry, but you have this lineup with some great players on it, and the guy you repeatedly double-shift is... Calle Jarncock?

 

[Boxscore]

Every playoff, the opponent assigns a guy to shadow Matthews, and it was even easier to do when they had Marner with him. If you check out other teams, when an opponent starts to do that, the coach starts scheming to get the star player away from the shadow as much as possible. I had a lot of issues with Babcock, but he used to do it. Keefe has NEVER done it, and it's one of my major issues with him. His idea of adjustments is to take a blender to the lines every game, and he never schemes anything other than "1-2-3-4 in that order". And I'm sorry, but you have this lineup with some great players on it, and the guy you repeatedly double-shift is... Calle Jarncock?

No, I totally get it, and I agree wholeheartedly with you. But when teams play the Oilers, their main focus is to contain 97 and 29 and yet they still seem to put up playoff digits on par with Gretzky and Lemieux. So, at some point, the focus comes back to the players being able and willing to elevate their games to prevail through the shadowing, schemes, tight defense, etc. If McDavid, Draisaitl, Kucherov, Tkachuk, etc. can all find ways to produce in the playoffs, Matthews and Marner should be able to as well. They just don't hate to lose. They are content with "playing their game" and if they lose, so be it.

 

[Lightsol]

No, I totally get it, and I agree wholeheartedly with you. But when teams play the Oilers, their main focus is to contain 97 and 29 and yet they still seem to put up playoff digits on par with Gretzky and Lemieux. So, at some point, the focus comes back to the players being able and willing to elevate their games to prevail through the shadowing, schemes, tight defense, etc. If McDavid, Draisaitl, Kucherov, Tkachuk, etc. can all find ways to produce in the playoffs, Matthews and Marner should be able to as well. They just don't hate to lose. They are content with "playing their game" and if they lose, so be it.

You uh, do know that both Marner and Matthews have very good playoff totals, right? In fact, Marner's worst playoffs have been 4 points in 7 games... Matthews' worst playoff was the Washington series (2 points in 7 games), but since then he's never had less than 5 points (issue with Matthews is that most of his playoff points are assists, not goals, so he's not scoring like he usually does). Primary issue isn't putting up points, it's putting up points in later series games... And I suspect having a constant shadow the coach doesn't seem interested in gameplanning around has a lot to do with that. You can only take so many games of a guy following you around cross-checking you in the back whenever the puck comes anywhere near you before you're feeling it...

 

[Not My Tempo]

I’m on board with the idea of major organizational changes, but can we at least wait until the season is over for these threads?

 

[Da Mash]

You answered your own question -- "trying to fill holes and add grit." The problem is that the core of this team is not only physically soft, they are emotionally soft and lack any type of killer instinct DNA. Sure, during the regular season they can feast on teams with their talent alone... but when matched up against playoff caliber teams on a nightly basis (who know how to crank up the intensity and defense) this core is annually exposed.

The solution is not rummaging through the bargain bin in an attempt to find "grit" anymore. There must be a shake-up at the core where soft players are replaced with key contributors who are built different -- think the Tkachuks, Konecny, Marchand, Stone, JT Miller, etc. And, even if they're not as grimy as those guys... they have to have some alpha in their DNA... like MacKinnon, Q. Hughes, Pasta, etc.

The playoffs are a war... and we always go into them with the Backstreet Boys when we need a little G&R or Metallica.

I understand ...but because they dont check someone thru the boards ...or crosscheck and facewash someone doesnt mean they are soft.

You need a mixture. Not every superstar is hard nosed. One of Mathews great traits was his compete level. Does Marner shy away? Probably.....so did Kane for the hawks. Unlike Marner...he played no D. He won cups.....guess what.....they had solid D and goaltending.

What has Tkachuks or Koncny won? I dont see any rings on their fingers. Thats the goal correct?

The Playoffs is a war....but some of it is because the rules change. Interference isnt called ....crosschecks and late hits are usually not called especially in our favor. I dont think players just turn it on in the playoffs and coast during the season where they are get paid. You will see the goons ....goon it up more in the playoffs because they can get away with it. Thats what is happening. Also playing alot of games in a short period of time is hard .....thats the war.....Bodies are already bruised up from the season.

We added grit and it wasn't enough......we could always go back a decade ago and constantly miss the playoffs. Add a bunch of goons that can fight.....and just have MMA on the ice. I think that would appease alot of fans .... especially the Don Cherry fans.

Personally I think we are frustrated .....we see a 100 point team constantly lose ....for me it isnt grit we are missing.....I think we need a all star goalie. We need better defenceman. Reilly isnt very good defensively ....never has been. Last playoffs he was great, so we all forgive him. But the problem is still there.

We picked up two slow big defenceman ....one we had last year and he crapped the bed in the playoffs. Edmundson hayday was playing for the Habs in the playoffs where the refs just basically let him mug everyone. Thats not happening here.....the refs wont let it. They are also both poor defensively and to make it worse....we had half our D core last game struggle to make a first pass to create offense.

I understand we need something changed......I mean I still hear people wanting OReilly here and last nite he was crap and was a -3 for Nashville. He wasnt good for us last year either in the playoffs because we couldnt have two top six forwards that are as slow as molasses.

Then you have coaching .....IMHO the assistants havent been great and Keefer cant get this talented team over a hump.

Marner being traded for a stud defenseman would be great but who would that be? And we all thought at the beginning of the year that Woll would be our starter and maybe our franchise goal tender that we havent had since Belford....and that hasnt panned out either and that has nothing to do with grit.

We will win tonight and we will all be happy till the next game

 

[supermann_98]

You literally can’t . Fire Keefe and Wait for jt to expire

Wait for Marner to expire too. $22m gone in one fell swoop where the money used can shore up an actual defence and an actual NHL caliber goalie.

 

[Racer88]

You answered your own question -- "trying to fill holes and add grit." The problem is that the core of this team is not only physically soft, they are emotionally soft and lack any type of killer instinct DNA. Sure, during the regular season they can feast on teams with their talent alone... but when matched up against playoff caliber teams on a nightly basis (who know how to crank up the intensity and defense) this core is annually exposed.

The solution is not rummaging through the bargain bin in an attempt to find "grit" anymore. There must be a shake-up at the core where soft players are replaced with key contributors who are built different -- think the Tkachuks, Konecny, Marchand, Stone, JT Miller, etc. And, even if they're not as grimy as those guys... they have to have some alpha in their DNA... like MacKinnon, Q. Hughes, Pasta, etc.

The playoffs are a war... and we always go into them with the Backstreet Boys when we need a little G&R or Metallica.

G&R and Metallica are not enough. The need some serious Gwarr vibe going on

Probably don’t need to “blow it up” but a major retool. It will probably take 3-4 years to recover from the Dubas nightmare build

 

[Niagara Bill]

Ya know, there are times when after 56 yrs, when there is a badge of pride for still loving the same team, for sticking to it, for taking the abuse, the tantrums, for struggling to find the right hat, jersey, socks to wear that breaks the curse. A badge for knowing we are paying for the sins of Ballard, Yolanda and Pierre Puck. For standing upright and taking the kick in the groin, again.
Then I think of MLSE, the money, the waste, the press saying what a sports guy Tannebaum is, the $16 beer.
Tiger and stitches to Mitchy and his puppy.
Salming and his courage against the the bullys of Broad street,

WTF, blow up this group, top to bottom.
I can take a restart...I have done it before, just give me some players with pride on the big stage.

 

[rumman]

Ya know, there are times when after 56 yrs, when there is a badge of pride for still loving the same team, for sticking to it, for taking the abuse, the tantrums, for struggling to find the right hat, jersey, socks to wear that breaks the curse. A badge for knowing we are paying for the sins of Ballard, Yolanda and Pierre Puck. For standing upright and taking the kick in the groin, again.
Then I think of MLSE, the money, the waste, the press saying what a sports guy Tannebaum is, the $16 beer.
Tiger and stitches to Mitchy and his puppy.
Salming and his courage against the the bullys of Broad street,

WTF, blow up this group, top to bottom.
I can take a restart...I have done it before, just give me some players with pride on the big stage.

I’m feeling the same, misery loves company……

 

[themilosh]

G&R and Metallica are not enough. The need some serious Gwarr vibe

Thing is, shanny would sign Lars to drums and pay 3 x 1st rndrs for Axel Rose (now) to belt some tunes..

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

The last 7+ years are more than enough. This has been overdue for literally years.

It's weird that the last 7 years were superior to the prior decade before that.

And it's just not good enough.

Let's see what happens next, because tonights game is a seriously big game.......

I'm just gonna go get my popcorn and sit back.

 

[Evilhomer]

Solid thread.

 

[TonsofPuppies]

Solid thread.

I'm saving this post for when they lose the series. The fact that you're sure they will win makes me more confident that they won't. I don't think I've ever seen you make a correct prediction in your 3,000+ posts. lol

 

[Evilhomer]

I'm saving this post for when they lose the series. The fact that you're sure they will win makes me more confident that they won't. I don't think I've ever seen you make a correct prediction in your 3,000+ posts. lol

Sure, go ahead and save it. You won't remember it when the Leafs win because it will be lost in the sea of irrational posts about how great the Leafs are. I'll summarize for you: the Leafs will win the first two rounds of the playoffs. After that, who knows.

 

[WillyC]

The OP of this thread is hoping Auston doesn’t repeat on Wednesday… tonight’s game was brutal for this thread.

go figure… without Styles too.

 

[IPS]

I'm saving this post for when they lose the series. The fact that you're sure they will win makes me more confident that they won't. I don't think I've ever seen you make a correct prediction in your 3,000+ posts. lol

Congratulations on doing the dumbest thing you can do as a fan, position yourself so you have to cheer against the team.

You do realize there's plenty of time for this after the playoffs right?

 

[ThrowDemTongs]

Let's hold off on the detonation