Does Toronto make it out of the 1st round next year?

[Michel Beauchamp]

Andersen 2018 playoffs
.896 Save%
3.76 GAA

Yeah I don't think Freddie is why we made it to game 7...

His play in games 5 and 6 counts for nothing...

Tough crowd.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Careful beauchamp, sounds like this online debate might be a bit too much for your brain to handle. Don't want you getting hurt now

Have you really tried to follow the logic of that poster.

It's trumpian...

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

He's also the reason the Bruins got to game 7.

Open door...

Finally someone who realizes what happened.

Yes he is...

 

[Cleatus]

When you look at the roster it looks like they should easily make it past the 1st round, but games aren’t played on paper, so who knows.

Voted yes in the poll though. Go Leafs!

 

[Volica]

His play in games 5 and 6 counts for nothing...

Tough crowd.

A total of 2 games, the Leafs outplayed the Bruins in that series.
At 5v5 the Bruins ate the Leafs alive, and had their way with Toronto. Without Andersen putting up an average of a 0.951 save % and two 100% HDSV% games included in that; the Leafs would have got swept in that series.

Andersen is the cog that had them win a lot of games. I think next year he won't have to be spectacular though.

 

[Bezer]

Improve their D and maybe but at this moment no way.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Yes. As long as one of these things happen:

1. They get the 1 seed in the Atlantic

2. If they get the 2 or 3 seed, they don't play Tampa.

 

[biturbo19]

If they get the right seeding/matchup, sure. Or if they can find a way to actually shore up their Top-4 Defence in a significant way.

 

[Green Snow Storm]

Unless they unluckily get matched with Tampa in the 1st round, then yes.

 

[WJCJ]

It's too tough to say right now. I still think Tampa has the better team and Boston's young players should be even better just from natural progression plus they have prospects that look pretty good that will be competing for any vacant spots.

Toronto got Tavares but lost JVR and Bozak so while Tavares is a massive improvement over Bozak in just about every way, I am not sure that there will be a huge jump in team scoring. It makes TO better but I am not sure if it is enough to make them better than Tampa or Boston. WIth that said, anything can happen when a team or goaltender gets hot in the playoffs. They could go to the finals or they could be out in the first round or anywhere in between.

The only team in their division that I would vote right now that they will win a round is Tampa. Everyone else is too close to call.

 

[Karl Eriksson]

Not vs TB, but yes vs Bruins. Tight but yes vs Florida.

 

[Aintboutdatlyfe]

It's too tough to say right now. I still think Tampa has the better team and Boston's young players should be even better just from natural progression plus they have prospects that look pretty good that will be competing for any vacant spots.

Toronto got Tavares but lost JVR and Bozak so while Tavares is a massive improvement over Bozak in just about every way, I am not sure that there will be a huge jump in team scoring. It makes TO better but I am not sure if it is enough to make them better than Tampa or Boston. WIth that said, anything can happen when a team or goaltender gets hot in the playoffs. They could go to the finals or they could be out in the first round or anywhere in between.

The only team in their division that I would vote right now that they will win a round is Tampa. Everyone else is too close to call.

You are using Boston's "Young players should be even better just from natural progression" reasoning but Toronto has better and younger players than Boston who should also be better just from natural progression?

 

[Aintboutdatlyfe]

Two years in a row the Leafs have had the most difficult first round opponent of all the teams in the first round.

Because the Atlantic division is so stacked at the top, that probably won't change again, and they'll be playing either the Bolts or Bruins(if they don't win the division).

This is why winning the division is huge for them, and at the very least, grabbing home ice advantage.

Kinda funny, the last few years the Leafs and Jackets both had 105 or more points and started a series on the road...

"bUt tHE lEAfS aRe oVEraTeD CAuSe tHEy LOsT iN tHe FiRSt rOuNd"

 

[Dr Pepper]

They'd better, after all this talk.

Given the ridiculous nature of the NHL's current playoff format, though, they're most likely squaring off against either Boston or Tampa in the first round again.

You know, because Bettman logic.

Rivalries.

And so on.

 

[Dr Pepper]

His play in games 5 and 6 counts for nothing...

Tough crowd.

Imagine if he'd actually shown up sooner in that series, instead of when the Leafs were already on life support.

Could've actually won it earlier, instead of putting them in such a deep hole.

To their credit they still almost got out of it, but that third period of Game 7, the "old" Freddie came back.

 

[Stephen]

It's too tough to say right now. I still think Tampa has the better team and Boston's young players should be even better just from natural progression plus they have prospects that look pretty good that will be competing for any vacant spots.

Toronto got Tavares but lost JVR and Bozak so while Tavares is a massive improvement over Bozak in just about every way, I am not sure that there will be a huge jump in team scoring. It makes TO better but I am not sure if it is enough to make them better than Tampa or Boston. WIth that said, anything can happen when a team or goaltender gets hot in the playoffs. They could go to the finals or they could be out in the first round or anywhere in between.

The only team in their division that I would vote right now that they will win a round is Tampa. Everyone else is too close to call.

I'm going to stop you at the bolded text. Toronto's young players should be even better too...

 

[Doyoulikeapples*]

His play in games 5 and 6 counts for nothing...

Tough crowd.

His play in games 1 and 2 was atrocious. You can’t cherry pick his only 2 decent games out of 7

 

[Doyoulikeapples*]

Improve their D and maybe but at this moment no way.

Yea no way they make it out of round 1 with 2 franchise centers and a third elite 2nd line center. Pittsburgh doesn’t have any success using that model

 

[Doyoulikeapples*]

Not vs TB, but yes vs Bruins. Tight but yes vs Florida.

Tight against Florida ? The name that has to make the playoffs first ?

 

[Kamiccolo]

Nope, they'll miss the playoffs sadly. Their defense is ECHL level, and I don't see how they can recover from losing the powerhouse line of JVR\Bozak.

In reality they should have last year but the Atlantic is the hardest division to get out of in the playoffs.

 

[Hockeyholic]

If they don't get out of round one, does Babcock's leash get tight?

 

[Karl Eriksson]

Tight against Florida ? The name that has to make the playoffs first ?

Florida is pretty stacked. Won't be an easy out.

 

[Notsince67]

T

That's interesting, though:

This has Leafs near the bottom for the off season.

This is gibberish. Stupid chart. You can't just switch a player from one team to another and expect the GAR to stay in tact

 

[Notsince67]

Leaf's have the worse defensive group of all the top teams.... so yeah... fix that first...(pretending otherwise is blind homer-ism)

The leafs went to game 7 with Boston. We have Tavares now. You are scared

 

[Notsince67]

As the poster you quoted stated, he's the reason why the Leafs got to Game 7...

Marner was