Critique of All Things Leaf- On the Record

[56 Years No Cup]

I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. Below I will list my likes/dislikes of all things Leaf. Anyone else have the stones to put it all on the record?

Shanny- Jury is out. IMO is leading in the right direction. Grade uncertain on the Dubas hire.
Dubas- Mixed. Think he makes good trades, seems to draft well so far. I think he needs to learn to be a tougher negotiator. I think he falls in love with players he drafted or developed a bit too much.
Babcock- I think he is a good teacher for young players learning to be pros. Sucks at changing and adapting to in game conditions. Married too much to his gud pros. Not the guy to lead a team over the hump to greatness. I think he's the type of coach that players tune out after a while.

Matthews- great player. Needs to bring it every night though. I am disappointed that he didn't give a "hometown discount". Future anchor o the team.
Tavares- What can you say? Ultimate pro, for the most part brings it night in and night out. Should be the Captain right now.
Marner- Our Kane. Hope he gives a hometown discount. Hope he remains a Leaf for years to come.
Nylander- Willie the same as Matthews. Needs to bring it every night. Now that he's signed the big contract he needs to produce. No moral victories.
Kappy- Love Kappy. Speed to burn, wish he had a little more finish and playmaking ability. Probably a cap casualty. Don't want that. Keeper.
Johnsson- Natural scorer. A little fragile. Love his compete. Likely cap casualty.
Marleau- Over the hill and far away.
Hyman- Man what a motor. A support guy anyone would want on their team.
Kadri- Needs to get back to his pesty self. Needs a purpose. Not a guy you get rid of right now.
Brown- Know he's loved by local fans but really brings nothing an ELC/cheap vet player would bring.
Goat- Replaceable. Would like more physicality out of the big guy.
Lindholm- Why are we wasting a roster spot?
Ennis- Good cheap vet add. Shows goal scoring ability and pops one once in a while. I would resign him next year.

Reilly- Great offensive D. Wish he was more physical. I'll keep him.
Hainsey- Great soldier past his prime. Can't keep playing him big minutes. Would like to keep him in a third pair role, but unfortunately Dubas will have to take away one of Babcock's toys.
Muzzin- Seems like a good pickup, but seems a little slow. Inconclusive.
Gardiner- What can I say? Can't deal with the soft play and the brain farts anymore. Will be overpaid on the open market. He gone.
Zaitsev- Not as down on him as others. Maybe him and Muzzin will be a better pairing. Needs to use his skating ability more.
Dermott- D man of the future. Seems a bit frenetic at times. Keeper for sure.

EDIT: Forgot the goalies!

Freddy- If he can be consistent we will win. A lot.
Sparks- Not very confident.

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[FraumBallard]

I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. Below I will list my likes/dislikes of all things Leaf. Anyone else have the stones to put it all on the record?

Shanny- Jury is out. IMO is leading in the right direction. Grade uncertain on the Dubas hire.
Dubas- Mixed. Think he makes good trades, seems to draft well so far. I think he needs to learn to be a tougher negotiator. I think he falls in love with players he drafted or developed a bit too much.
Babcock- I think he is a good teacher for young players learning to be pros. Sucks at changing and adapting to in game conditions. Married too much to his gud pros. Not the guy to lead a team over the hump to greatness. I think he's the type of coach that players tune out after a while.

Matthews- great player. Needs to bring it every night though. I am disappointed that he didn't give a "hometown discount". Future anchor o the team.
Tavares- What can you say? Ultimate pro, for the most part brings it night in and night out. Should be the Captain right now.
Marner- Our Kane. Hope he gives a hometown discount. Hope he remains a Leaf for years to come.
Nylander- Willie the same as Matthews. Needs to bring it every night. Now that he's signed the big contract he needs to produce. No moral victories.
Kappy- Love Kappy. Speed to burn, wish he had a little more finish and playmaking ability. Probably a cap casualty. Don't want that. Keeper.
Johnsson- Natural scorer. A little fragile. Love his compete. Likely cap casualty.
Marleau- Over the hill and far away.
Hyman- Man what a motor. A support guy anyone would want on their team.
Kadri- Needs to get back to his pesty self. Needs a purpose. Not a guy you get rid of right now.
Brown- Know he's loved by local fans but really brings nothing an ELC/cheap vet player would bring.
Goat- Replaceable. Would like more physicality out of the big guy.
Lindholm- Why are we wasting a roster spot?
Ennis- Good cheap vet add. Shows goal scoring ability and pops one once in a while. I would resign him next year.

Reilly- Great offensive D. Wish he was more physical. I'll keep him.
Hainsey- Great soldier past his prime. Can't keep playing him big minutes. Would like to keep him in a third pair role, but unfortunately Dubas will have to take away one of Babcock's toys.
Muzzin- Seems like a good pickup, but seems a little slow. Inconclusive.
Gardiner- What can I say? Can't deal with the soft play and the brain farts anymore. Will be overpaid on the open market. He gone.
Zaitsev- Not as down on him as others. Maybe him and Muzzin will be a better pairing. Needs to use his skating ability more.
Dermott- D man of the future. Seems a bit frenetic at times. Keeper for sure.

EDIT: Forgot the goalies!

Freddy- If he can be consistent we will win. A lot.
Sparks- Not very confident.

Nice critique.
I would just say.
Tavares/Matthews/Nylander/Marner/Rielly/Anderson is our core.
We have enough offence.
Great goaltending.
Defence needs more for sure.
I think this team will never win anything unless they quit with the patty cake/no hit hockey.
That's on Dubas.
Can't stand his love of soft hockey.

 

[Chris18820]

Better hope Kappy and Johnsson dont become cap casualties.
We are too soft to win in the playoffs (I hope Im wrong)
Disappointed in AM and WN for taking as much as possible. MM is of course going to follow suit. Hard to compete when Tampa can pay their 4 stars as much as we pay our 3.
Marleau shouldnt be on the top 2 lines period.
Reilly should be captain imo.
We need a gritty 4th liner and ideally a top 4 RHD

 

[Hockey Crazy]

Everyone is freaking out a bit. You dont just flip a switch and win the cup... it's a bit of a lack of maturity.

That being said they could for sure go on a run when the playoffs come... we wont really know till they do, but I think these guys are a damn good team, they just need to learn that they cant go in and just let their skill take over and win. They need to work for it...

Also yes I think babcocks line choices can be a bit nuts sometimes but I think there's a lot more discussion about it behind the scenes than most of you guys think. And in a game like last night where they suck to start then all of a sudden you see a couple of guys turn it on... you think that's on the coach? It's the players mental maturity. We've seen this team look totally dominant for stretches and we will see it again. That shows that Babcocks systems can work if the players commit. Hes not perfect but hes better than some give credit for... there are just a couple of obvious things that drive us nuts... I'm praying the the top 2 lines see more ice in the playoffs. I think nylander will go with matthews at some point soon and johnsson will move up too... Babcock sees something and I think he wants some guys to drive a line and earn it a bit.

 

[zeke]

1. Minutes Distribution

 

[Saint Loser]

For me, what's most impressive about the Leaf's season is their ROW value.

36 out of 36 ROW. That's fantastic!

 

[drewjenks]

For me, what's most impressive about the Leaf's season is their ROW value.

36 out of 36 ROW. That's fantastic!

What is ROW?

I know it as Regulation & Overtime Wins .... but that doesn't make sense with 36/36.

 

[7even]

What is ROW?

I know it as Regulation & Overtime Wins .... but that doesn't make sense with 36/36.

36 out of our 36 wins were in regulation or OT. Aka, no shootout wins.

There's like 10 teams with 100% ROW.

 

[forecheck]

This team is Fools Gold - In my opinion.

Flashy - Glittery - When you scratch the surface - No substance!

 

[al secord]

Greatest season in Leaf History.

 

[56 Years No Cup]

Interesting. Not one taker so far.

 

[Saint Loser]

What is ROW?

I know it as Regulation & Overtime Wins .... but that doesn't make sense with 36/36.

You have won 36 games and all of them were won in regulation or OT

This is a very good thing

 

[ACC1224]

Interesting. Not one taker so far.

Taker for what?

 

[nsleaf]

Interesting. Not one taker so far.

I guess no one wants to put their money where their mouth is. So I'll bite.

I'll bet you 1 million dollars that the Leafs have really good players and players with some question marks.
How do I collect my winnings?

 

[56 Years No Cup]

Taker for what?

In the OP in the first sentence I was wondering about who would be brave enough to put how they feel about the various facets of this team on the record.

So far I'm the only one.

 

[ACC1224]

In the OP in the first sentence I was wondering about who would be brave enough to put how they feel about the various facets of this team on the record.

So far I'm the only one.

Looks like a lot of work for no pay.

 

[Loosie]

In the OP in the first sentence I was wondering about who would be brave enough to put how they feel about the various facets of this team on the record.

So far I'm the only one.

Just look at any PGT after a loss. no need to make a separate thread with it.

 

[56 Years No Cup]

Looks like a lot of work for no pay.

Looks like a lot of posters with no balls.

 

[nsleaf]

Looks like a lot of posters with no balls.

Your the one attempting to bet money on your opinion on an internet opinion forum, those are some massive balls dude, you should maybe see a doctor.

 

[Alerion]

Here's my biggest complaint:

It looks like we're going to get Boston again in the first round. Sure, there's a lot of games left, but that's probably where this season finishes. We know from last year that Reilly-Hainsey cannot handle the Bergeron line. They got murdered, and that one line won Boston the series. Kyle Dubas went out and spent some good assets to acquire a top 4 D to fix this issue, yet Babcock still refuses to change from Rielly-Hainsey on the top pair. I know he says he wants his best dman on his strong side and I can see his point, but is Rielly so much better on the left that it makes Rielly-Hainsey better than Muzzin-Rielly? Sacrificing some of Rielly's offense in order to get a better matchup pairing, especially against a top-heavy team like Boston, is a trade I'd make all day. Instead of strengthening our D at the top by reducing minutes to Hainsey and Zaitsev, all the Muzzin addition has accomplished is bettering our defensive depth by way of booting Ozhiganov from the rotation.

This seems like another stupid fight between Babcock and Dubas, old school vs new school, whatever you want to call it, and it's hurting our team. We have a ton of evidence to suggest Rielly-Hainsey doesn't work and yet instead of experimenting with different top pairings for more than 5 games, it looks like Babcock is going to stubbornly try the same thing all over again.

 

[Morbo]

In the OP in the first sentence I was wondering about who would be brave enough to put how they feel about the various facets of this team on the record.

So far I'm the only one.

what the hell are you talking about? this is a Leaf messageboard, people do this constantly on every issue including ones they make up themselves.

 

[56 Years No Cup]

Your the one attempting to bet money on your opinion on an internet opinion forum, those are some massive balls dude, you should maybe see a doctor.

You know "put your money where your mouth is" is just a saying, right?

 

[56 Years No Cup]

what the hell are you talking about? this is a Leaf messageboard, people do this constantly on every issue including ones they make up themselves.

Post your take on all things Leaf. In one spot. For the record.

 

[nsleaf]

You know "put your money where your mouth is" is just a saying, right?

I do, as are opinions. Not sure what you are chasing with this thread, sounds like you need something?

 

[Morbo]

Post your take on all things Leaf. In one spot. For the record.

I think you need to improve your reading and perhaps searching skills.