Blow this team up already!

[authentic]

Of course. I was wrong. I can't say that I expected this. Unfortunately, it's the worst kind of loss because it may not result in any changes, especially behind the bench.

Just wanted to say I admired your positivity throughout and we deserved a better fate.

 

[Patmac40]

Here’s my team construction rant for the night:

We need to prioritize puck moving dmen on this team going forward. What we’ve seen in the last number of years from our deadline deals we can always go out and get the tough defensive types but I think one of this team’s biggest issues is that we don’t have enough defensemen that move the puck well.

Bruins entire d-core aside from maybe Carlo moves the puck very well. Watching Colorado’s defense out there is like watching a different sport compared to Toronto.

Toronto has Rielly, Liljegren, and McCabe to an extent that can move the puck well. And you need Benoit/Edmundson types in there because they do a good job of stopping plays but especially with Liljegren out it was obvious that they couldn’t transition the play into anything offensive after they kill bruins’ rushes or cycles. Lyabushkin looked like he was handling a grenade most nights.

They need to prioritize guys who can support their offensive talent up front. And they can fill in the other needs easier. Maybe put Liljegren on that top pp unit too. We have a lot of passers but it would be nice to have a guy with a big shot up top. He has that.

 

[dubey]

Yes...I'm a Habs fan but I'm not here to rub it in, just offer an observation.

You need warriors to win and you don't have enough of them.

Do you remember the 2021 series against us? We deliberately targeted Matthew's and he shrunk into a shell. The entire team was taking shots at him, Nylander and Marner. And you lost the series.

Do you remember the post game interviews of the Habs? The guys looked like they had been in an alley fight. After EVERY GAME. Against every team right to the finals. Because that's what it took to win. You had a vastly more talented team going against players who totally bought into winning at any cost.

You don't have a coaching or defense or salary problem. You have a warrior, win at any cost mentality problem.

Fix it...

lol

 

[Jacquestrapless]

Here’s my team construction rant for the night:

We need to prioritize puck moving dmen on this team going forward. What we’ve seen in the last number of years from our deadline deals we can always go out and get the tough defensive types but I think one of this team’s biggest issues is that we don’t have enough defensemen that move the puck well.

Bruins entire d-core aside from maybe Carlo moves the puck very well. Watching Colorado’s defense out there is like watching a different sport compared to Toronto.

Toronto has Rielly, Liljegren, and McCabe to an extent that can move the puck well. And you need Benoit/Edmundson types in there because they do a good job of stopping plays but especially with Liljegren out it was obvious that they couldn’t transition the play into anything offensive after they kill bruins’ rushes or cycles. Lyabushkin looked like he was handling a grenade most nights.

They need to prioritize guys who can support their offensive talent up front. And they can fill in the other needs easier. Maybe put Liljegren on that top pp unit too. We have a lot of passers but it would be nice to have a guy with a big shot up top. He has that.

I agree with you. I feel as though the Leafs did not have as many clean breakouts as the Bruins did. The first pass or simply skating it out of the zone is a big issue.

Not to mention offence from the back-end was non-existent. Knowing what to do with the puck in the Offensive zone is just as important, else, you give it away and you're back to defending.

 

[TonsofPuppies]

Yes...I'm a Habs fan but I'm not here to rub it in, just offer an observation.

You need warriors to win and you don't have enough of them.

Do you remember the 2021 series against us? We deliberately targeted Matthew's and he shrunk into a shell. The entire team was taking shots at him, Nylander and Marner. And you lost the series.

Do you remember the post game interviews of the Habs? The guys looked like they had been in an alley fight. After EVERY GAME. Against every team right to the finals. Because that's what it took to win. You had a vastly more talented team going against players who totally bought into winning at any cost.

You don't have a coaching or defense or salary problem. You have a warrior, win at any cost mentality problem.

Fix it...

Do YOU remember how shit of a coach Ducharme was? Keefe got outcoached by him in that series. So f*** off with the "you don't have a coaching problem" shit. Lmao

 

[NVious]

Yes...I'm a Habs fan but I'm not here to rub it in, just offer an observation.

You need warriors to win and you don't have enough of them.

Do you remember the 2021 series against us? We deliberately targeted Matthew's and he shrunk into a shell. The entire team was taking shots at him, Nylander and Marner. And you lost the series.

Do you remember the post game interviews of the Habs? The guys looked like they had been in an alley fight. After EVERY GAME. Against every team right to the finals. Because that's what it took to win. You had a vastly more talented team going against players who totally bought into winning at any cost.

You don't have a coaching or defense or salary problem. You have a warrior, win at any cost mentality problem.

Fix it...

Total nonsense, you need your stars to show up, this was the toughest team we've iced in a long time and it didn't do shit.

Here is 44 million:
1 goal 2 assists
3 goals
1 goal 3 assists
1 goal 1 assist

If you include Rielly at 52 million total our best 5 players had 9 assists and 5 goals for 15 points AMONG 5 PLAYERS in 30 games.

You can't spend 66% of the salary cap for .5ppg when adding your core's ppg.

ZACH HYMAN had MORE GOALS than ALL of them combined, McDavid and Draisitl had 24 points in 10 games.

 

[HabsAddict]

Total nonsense, you need your stars to show up, this was the toughest team we've iced in a long time and it didn't do shit.

Here is 44 million:
1 goal 2 assists
3 goals
1 goal 3 assists
1 goal 1 assist

If you include Rielly at 52 million total our best 5 players had 9 assists and 5 goals for 15 points AMONG 5 PLAYERS in 30 games.

You can't spend 66% of the salary cap for .5ppg when adding your core's ppg.

ZACH HYMAN had MORE GOALS than ALL of them combined, McDavid and Draisitl had 24 points in 10 games.

Do you realize that is what I'm saying?

You guys are too angry right now....

 

[ThrowDemTongs]

Do you realize that is what I'm saying?

You guys are too angry right now....

Our cap hogs didn't show up. We had warriors. We hit. It never felt like Boston was bullying us (the opposite in fact). The guys who needed to score didn't.

 

[TMLBlueandWhite]

Someone needs to start answering some god damn questions around here.

To Tavares: "Why shouldn't you be stripped of your "C" after failing to lead this team deep into the playoffs yet again?"

To Marner "why shouldn't you get traded when you have done nothing, NOTHING, in the postseason every year when the series is on the line?"

To Matthews "why shouldn't we trade a typical greedy American drunken woman bullier who can't score goals when it matters most?"

To Rielly "why should the team keep the friendship circle holding hands when you have failed so many times already?"

To Keefe "why should you get another chance when you already lost to everyone there is. From the best, to the worst, to the best again you LOST. Why should you get another chance?"

To Shanahan "you pissed away the rebuild. Why in God's good name should you be kept around? Give me one reason, one good reason, why you shouldn't be fired too?"

Someone answer some f***ing questions.

 

[ReHabs]

Someone needs to start answering some god damn questions around here.

To Tavares: "Why shouldn't you be stripped of your "C" after failing to lead this team deep into the playoffs yet again?"

To Marner "why shouldn't you get traded when you have done nothing, NOTHING, in the postseason every year when the series is on the line?"

To Matthews "why shouldn't we trade a typical greedy American drunken woman bullier who can't score goals when it matters most?"

To Rielly "why should the team keep the friendship circle holding hands when you have failed so many times already?"

To Keefe "why should you get another chance when you already lost to everyone there is. From the best, to the worst, to the best again you LOST. Why should you get another chance?"

To Shanahan "you pissed away the rebuild. Why in God's good name should you be kept around? Give me one reason, one good reason, why you shouldn't be fired too?"

Someone answer some f***ing questions.

It's hard to make such statements to players with full NMCs or NTCs. You establish a winning culture* before committing (and re-committing, the case of Keefe, Nylander, and Matthews) to these sorts of deals.

*I don't think 'a winning culture' is as clear cut and tangible as many others might think, but I do believe -- strongly -- different institutions and organizations have different prevailing attitudes and the one around Toronto in the Pat Quinn era was on the up but got a bit too arrogant... while the one in the Shanahan era seems, to my distant eyes, rather tense and uncomfortable.

The Leafs got badly hurt by the lack of cap-growth and this should be accounted but the team as it is on paper should've had more playoff success than ONE measly series in however-many years this has been, 8 or 9.

 

[Leaf Fans]

Someone needs to start answering some god damn questions around here.

To Tavares: "Why shouldn't you be stripped of your "C" after failing to lead this team deep into the playoffs yet again?"

To Marner "why shouldn't you get traded when you have done nothing, NOTHING, in the postseason every year when the series is on the line?"

To Matthews "why shouldn't we trade a typical greedy American drunken woman bullier who can't score goals when it matters most?"

To Rielly "why should the team keep the friendship circle holding hands when you have failed so many times already?"

To Keefe "why should you get another chance when you already lost to everyone there is. From the best, to the worst, to the best again you LOST. Why should you get another chance?"

To Shanahan "you pissed away the rebuild. Why in God's good name should you be kept around? Give me one reason, one good reason, why you shouldn't be fired too?"

Someone answer some f***ing questions.

I asked them:
Tavares "who is going to replace me?"

Marner " I have a full NTC bitch."

Matthews "Are you talking about that thing where I underwear mooned the security guard when I was 19? Or is it libal?"

Rielly "What friendship circle?"

Keefe" it has been 9 years and we have played the same team on more than one occasion."

Shanahan" Rangers are still in it bro"

 

[TMLife17]

I better wake up to someone’s ass being fired no later than tomorrow. It should’ve happened already.

 

[weems]

We invested all our capspace and designed our team around these 4 forwards + 1 defencemen.

We decided Sheldon Keefe was the right coach to take them to championship level.

We haven't won a single presidents trophy, haven't won the Atlantic division once and don't even have one deep playoff run.

Keefe has a record of 1-5 in the playoffs and his PP over that stretch has been running at something like a 15% clip while teams like EDM, COL, BOS are in the PP conversion range of 28 to 34% over that same time frame.

What's the point in building a team around a bunch of offensive stars but come crunch time they can't even consistently produce offense? Not even on the Powerplay?

Everyone from the players, the coaches and the management deserve blame for coming up so short in competing for a Stanley cup.

 

[Raging Bull]

It's best to just start from scratch. You can't leave any remnants of this shit show around to infect whatever new group you put together. It's like pulling a weed, you have to get all the roots or else it will just grow back.

 

[Leafy Undergrowth]

I was hoping to open TSN in the morning to everyone being fired.

 

[Ianturnedbull]

I was hoping to open TSN in the morning to everyone being fired.

You'll eventually hear:

"Hello darkness my old friend..."

 

[Not My Tempo]

Trade Marner. Ride out JTs last year. Give extensions to Bert, Domi and Knies. Get a non injury prone goalie. Rebuild the defense.

 

[Racer88]

This thread’s survival is riding on the Leafs failure… the previous 2 games are destroying everything this thread trumpets for.

when we win game 7 tomorrow… this thread will then have to take Florida over Toronto.

The previous games shows how they can play when the feel like it and play hard. The fact that they have rarely done that in the last 8 playoffs dictates that major changes will need to be made

I asked them:
Tavares "who is going to replace me?"

Marner " I have a full NTC bitch."

Matthews "Are you talking about that thing where I underwear mooned the security guard when I was 19? Or is it libal?"

Rielly "What friendship circle?"

Keefe" it has been 9 years and we have played the same team on more than one occasion."

Shanahan" Rangers are still in it bro"

hahahahahah

 

[Hoglund4MvP]

Post deadline we were top 3 in goals for and top 3 in hits.

Were actually still one of the best contenders moving forward.

Off season is top 4 puck moving D. Mandatory. Series would have been over in 5 games if we had one and Liljegren not existing as a Leaf. It's the missing piece to the puzzle

 

[DraftSchmaft]

Tre biggest mistake was running with Keefe.

It's game 7. All we had to do was stack the top 6 and then rotate. That Bertuzzi matthews nylander line followed by marner tavares knies would have ate Boston alive if it was deployed like a 2 headed monster.

Then we have Domi for the 3rd line breather when needed.


Keefe sucks man.

 

[BodaciousBeefBazooka]

Matthews face is starting to piss me off as well someone said last night after they lost he can make 13 shots on net on a personal level to try and hit is 70th goal and demonstrate more urgency but can barely make 3 shots on net in a game 7 match

 

[daveleaf]

I for one don’t think this team needs to get gutted but tweaked. Edmundson is a good defender. In my eyes he and Benoit are your second or third pair next year.

It’s time to move Marriner and get some other pieces. A good young dman and a second line centre. Some pics thrown in. Than they need to find some goaltending. I like Woll but let’s be honest, he’s made of glass. He was out a good chunk of the year and he was hurt for game seven. I’m sorry, you need to get your body ready to play pro and he’s not ready. Keefe has got to go and the whole coaching staff.

I could get talked into trading Reily as well. For as great as he played last year he sucked in this series. Bert and Domi need to stay. Fourth line was great, Nylander is a gamer. They need more beef.

Honestly. Marriner just ***** with the pick. He should have been firing picks at the net but he’s always trying to make the pretty play. I’m tired of his act.

 

[mjd1001]

We invested all our capspace and designed our team around these 4 forwards + 1 defencemen.

We decided Sheldon Keefe was the right coach to take them to championship level.

We haven't won a single presidents trophy, haven't won the Atlantic division once and don't even have one deep playoff run.

Keefe has a record of 1-5 in the playoffs and his PP over that stretch has been running at something like a 15% clip while teams like EDM, COL, BOS are in the PP conversion range of 28 to 34% over that same time frame.

What's the point in building a team around a bunch of offensive stars but come crunch time they can't even consistently produce offense? Not even on the Powerplay?

Everyone from the players, the coaches and the management deserve blame for coming up so short in competing for a Stanley cup.

Agree with that.

We are all saying a lot of the same thing in different ways, but I thought about it and tried to think if there was just one or two things I would say that would sum up most of the issues here:

1.) You have no bargain contracts with your top players. You aren't DRASTICALLY overpaying them, but I don't think anyone thought "the leafs got a pretty good deal" with any of them. Basically, the players got pretty much what they wanted. That isn't the case with all other teams.

2.) This 'core' now has over 50 playoff games under their belt.....its time to say they are 'great' regular season players but they aren't in the playoffs. Sample size is no longer an issue. Matthews is a top 5 player in the league, in the regular season. Over the greater part of a decade, over 50 games, he's probably not even a top 10 or 20 player in the playoffs. Maybe its the ice 'tightening up' in the playoffs. Maybe its players on the other team occasionally 'giving 80%' in a regular season game but being closer to 100% in the playoffs....but there is something about his (and all of their) styles of play that let them look like heroes in the regular season but it just doesn't translate to playoff hockey.

 

[HespelerGreenFlash]

Trade Marner. Ride out JTs last year. Give extensions to Bert, Domi and Knies. Get a non injury prone goalie. Rebuild the defense.

Stop making so much sense

 

[authentic]

Post deadline we were top 3 in goals for and top 3 in hits.

Were actually still one of the best contenders moving forward.

Off season is top 4 puck moving D. Mandatory. Series would have been over in 5 games if we had one and Liljegren not existing as a Leaf. It's the missing piece to the puzzle

Series would have been over if Woll started and stayed healthy, even with the Matthews and Nylander injuries