Do You Like The Current Team As Much As Recent Years?

[A1LeafNation]

I love the team last year and this year...minus Babcock.

Coach is extinct. I don't believe he has changed.

 

[tmlms13]

How so?

He's too good. If he had less points he'd have a lower cap hit.

 

[Buds17]

I bet Naz would have been a Leaf for life it is wasn't for the cap. He's from Southern ON, He seems to really like it here.

Maybe if Marner only had 70 points he'd sign for 7.5m and we could keep Gardiner or Brown or Marleau. or if KK and AJ had 15 goals instead of 20.

I guess I should have cheered against Marner all year. Oh well.

I like always had this little devil in my mind. Maybe Babs was going second level on us all to keep their production down and get a few 100k lower hit.

No doubt that Kadri wanted to remain a Leaf. I don't know if the trade was just about the cap though. He had dropped to 3C with the Leafs, and yet also had the trade value to return a defenceman that should be near the top of that positional depth chart.

 

[notDatsyuk]

They are Team guys.
They are just making sure they get paid their fare share.

When players take less money it lowers the market for other players.

So by being firm on their demands they are in fact increasing the wage of their peers.

Since there is only so much money to go around (cap), all they are really doing is changing the distribution. The top players get a larger piece of the pie, and the lesser talented ones are either taking pay cuts or being replaced by cheaper options.

 

[sittler rules!!!]

I find this team not as fun to watch as in the earlier years. I get pretty tired watching the other team run Anderson and no one steps in. Or watching a Bruin Knee on knee Kadri with no response from his team. It's quite sad and I can't see how they can win a cup when they don't have eachothers backs. I feel the 2002 leaf team would wipe the floor with this current crop. Maybe im just too oldschool.

Maybe move that Marner fella eh. Balance out the team a bit more eh. Probably get a top 6 winger and an adequate bottom 6 grinder eh........In all seriousness, I agree with you. This team, despite all of the talent is going to get run out of the rink some nights. It is still a hitting game; i.e. separate puck carrier from puck.

 

[sittler rules!!!]

No doubt that Kadri wanted to remain a Leaf. I don't know if the trade was just about the cap though. He had dropped to 3C with the Leafs, and yet also had the trade value to return a defenceman that should be near the top of that positional depth chart.

How about Marner and Kerfoot for Kadri and Landeskog (spelling)

 

[sittler rules!!!]

Definitely like more now, winning does that.

We have not won anything. Not the Cup, not the Presidents Trophy, not the conference, not the division.......not even a playoff round. Coming second or third is not winning!!!

 

[horner]

This team frustrates the f*** out of me.
Last season they wouldn't show up until the second or third period flooring no energy not one hit.
Then in they would score 4 goals and win.
Thank god Anderson held them in untill we finally showed up.
That has to change this season
More top end talent than most teams in the league but not to sure they have the drive and heart to go all the way.
We will see?

 

[Nineteen67]

Okay but a lot of their peers are taking less for their teams and it's working out very well from a competitive point of view. For example, take a look at Boston's salaries. It's embarrassing what we're paying by comparison.

What did McAvoy sign for?

 

[Crease Master]

I would rather see who actually is on the team and see them play before comparing them to other past versions of the team. For all we know that Russian free agent could show up and take the city by storm by going Panarin on the league. We could snag a backup goalie off waivers that becomes this year's Binnington. Mid July isn't the time, get back to me in October.

 

[67Leafs67]

I love this group of players. I feel like we keep getting more skilled, fast, and complete every season. I loved some of the guys we've lost recently, like Bozie, JvR, Komarov, etc, but I personally prefer watching players like Kapanen, Johnsson, and Kerfoot anyways, who bring that speed and energy.

I think the media narratives and drama have made me enjoy following the team a bit less though. Everybody was pretty positive back in 16-17 when it was no pressure, but now that there are expectations for us to be Cup contenders, everybody is freaking out. The relentless stupidity of fans constantly bashing some of our best players is annoying at best. I have however really enjoyed following some great Twitter accounts who have some good, statistically backed takes on the Leafs.

Overall, I like this current team the best, because they are the team that has the best chance at winning a Cup. At the end of the day, it's the city, name, and crest that I cheer for, not the individual players behind it.

 

[BrainyBomber]

What you're describing is the impact on team depth due to the top 10 overall salaries of the core.

When you pay your own players more that doesn't make the team better, and when you start throwing the Kadri, Marleau, Brown, Gardiner players overboard, or the JVR, Bozak, Komarov players out year after year then you're quite right in thinking when Marner, Matthews and Nylander were all on ELC (<$1 mil AAV per) that the Leafs teams were stronger.

Leafs went from 105 points to 100 points to absorb JT contract (losing JVR, Bozak, Komarov) and now with the raises to Matthews and Marner kicking in the team has been weakened further in its depth and supporting cast. I think Dubas was smart lottery protecting Leafs 2020 1st round pick, based on how this current team might fare this year. Lots will need to go right for a successful season based on the current player personnel.

Broken record much.

If McDavid Karsson and Kucherov joined the Leafs tomorrow you'd still moan and believe they'd be lucky to make the playoffs.

Bookies have the Leafs 3rd fave to win the Cup right now but don't let that cloud your bias

 

[Gallagbi]

Haven't seen this team play, but last year's team was complacent and lazy far too often. Hoping to see a much more engaged group this year. Didn't mind the individual players, they just never hit full stride IMO.

 

[BM14]

I'd love a big, banger 4C that's good on faceoffs (Boyle-type) and a shut down RHD (I've resigned myself to someone like Tanev - injury warts and all, if possible) to confidently say this team is one of the legitimate Cup threats instead of a contender.

 

[justafan22]

Last year's team wasn't Dubas's to be honest.

This offseason is the first time he's been given the full offseason to shape his team.

Will be interesting to see how Babcock uses the players

 

[Menzinger]

Last year's team wasn't Dubas's to be honest.

This offseason is the first time he's been given the full offseason to shape his team.

Will be interesting to see how Babcock uses the players

A.good point. Got the job what, a month before the draft?

This is the better idea of what his vision for the team will be. Will b interesting to see how Babs responds

 

[wiindjammer]

Been watching Boston beat Toronto for nearly 50 years...Has gotten so old...No matter which team it is, they always seem to get beaten by Boston...

 

[FlyingLeafus]

Personally wish we had moved on from guys like Bozak, JVR, Gardiner, Komarov before losing them via free agency; all should have been traded in the offseason before their final year. I'm excited to see what happens with all the fresh blood and looking forward to the upcoming season more than I was at the same time last year. The best season since the Sundin years was easily when we took Washington to 6 games because of how all that rookie hype turned out to be real.

I'm going to miss Kadri the most despite his playoff shenanigans.

 

[notDatsyuk]

How about Marner and Kerfoot for Kadri and Landeskog (spelling)

WOW! Talk about a lose-lose deal!

 

[LMFAO]

Kinda worried that there's only 2 player able to throw a body check on the team... I mean is it THAT hard to throw a 6th round pick for a 4th liner able to throw a bodycheck like Tyler Motte for example ?

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Kinda worried that there's only 2 player able to throw a body check on the team... I mean is it THAT hard to throw a 6th round pick for a 4th liner able to throw a bodycheck like Tyler Motte for example ?

Toronto out hit Boston last year, even with Kadri only playing in two games. It's really not a big deal

 

[Nylander88]

A.good point. Got the job what, a month before the draft?

This is the better idea of what his vision for the team will be. Will b interesting to see how Babs responds

I think Keefe is just waiting in the wings for Babs to slip. Keefe re-signing to be an AHL coach for another 2 years tells me him and Dubas' had a talk in relation to a potential promotion

 

[yubbers]

Last year's team wasn't Dubas's to be honest.

This offseason is the first time he's been given the full offseason to shape his team.

Will be interesting to see how Babcock uses the players

The never ending excuses for this guy are hilarious. So Willy didn't hold out while it was his team? He didn't trade away a competent backup for a sieve that's a locker room cancer? Only to kick him out of the room a week before the playoffs? Was it not his team he didn't toughen up at the deadline to make a strong playoff run? Yielding the exact same result to the year prior after sittng Martin?

Maybe I was watching a different leafs then

 

[yubbers]

Shannahan decided to let 3 of the more important contracts this franchise has seen in over a decade, be handled by the greenest GM ever. Why they didn't keep Lou around to handle Willy and AM is beyond me.

And it's gone about as bad as it could possibly go. Hiring Dubas always has been and will be looked at in the future as a mistake IMHO.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Shannahan decided to let 3 of the more important contracts this franchise has seen in over a decade, be handled by the greenest GM ever. Why they didn't keep Lou around to handle Willy and AM is beyond me.

And it's gone about as bad as it could possibly go. Hiring Dubas always has been and will be looked at in the future as a mistake IMHO.

Probably because Shanahan saw Lou handle the Marleau and Zaitsev contracts and realized Dubas couldn't be any worse. Judging by Lou's time on NYI, he was right