GDT: Game 54: Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs 5/8/21 7:00pm EST CBC, SNE, TVA, TSN 690

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

You'd have to use emergency recall which you can only do if someone is injured. So instead of Danault playing through injuries, you emergency recall Poehling, before he got hurt in AHL, to allow Danault to heal.

Tiredness and already hurting just makes you more susceptible to further injury. Now, apparently, Danault has a concussion and has been sent back to Montreal.

Bergevin's roster management has been absolutely shit this year.

Ive never seen a GM managing his roster so poorly in 26 years of watching hockey. How many f*** ups he did this season like holy shit

 

[MarkovsKnee]

KK is getting the bust label from some, in his year 3. Too early to tell?

I definitely think so. I never thought he should be in the NHL at 18. But, a lot of members on this board argued, well, if he can play, he can play and laughed at the suggestion he be sent to AHL or back to Finland.

But, he was NOT at all physically ready for it. He's much stronger now, but still has a way to go.

 

[JianYang]

You'd have to use emergency recall which you can only do if someone is injured. So instead of Danault playing through injuries, you emergency recall Poehling, before he got hurt in AHL, to allow Danault to heal.

Tiredness and already hurting just makes you more susceptible to further injury. Now, apparently, Danault has a concussion and has been sent back to Montreal.

Bergevin's roster management has been absolutely shit this year.

Aren't those emergency recalls only limited to 3 for the whole year?

When I'm talking about a mass rotation, ideally, it would be like almost turning the entire team over for back to backs within this post covid stretch.

I know it not realistic, but neither is the scheduling they have gone through.

 

[abo9]

Barkov was already stud by year 3, last hope is a Couterier breakout who broke out year 5.

There's also the Wheeler or Burns breakout much later

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Personally due to Vancouver who have to play like 8 more games , habs will get a week of rest before playoff starts. That will help for some injuries.

Yes, I'm guessing we could get anywhere from 5-7 days off, which would be truly helpful.

 

[Treb]

Ez loss, unless Toronto is desperate to face us in the first round of the playoffs.

A loss from them decrease the chance of facing us in the 1st round as we can still finish 3rd.

A win from them helps facing us in the 1st round as CGY or Vancouver winning all their games is very unlikely.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Aren't those emergency recalls only limited to 3 for the whole year?

When I'm talking about a mass rotation, ideally, it would be like almost turning the entire team over for back to backs within this post covid stretch.

I know it not realistic, but neither is the scheduling they have gone through.

No. You can't do that.

You can have as many emergency recalls that you need to ensure you can put out 18 skaters and 2 goalies.

After the deadline you only get 4 regular recalls.

 

[Le Tricolore]

Would be cool for the game not to be over in the first 16 seconds today.

 

[Tuggy]

We'll see what we get tonight.

Hopefully no crippling first period goals.

Try and keep it close at least.

Super bold prediction...Kotkaniemi finally scores (at least one goal) tonight!

The injuries are insane but I guess it shouldn't be too surprising given the schedule they've been playing.

 

[abo9]

MacKinnon didn't break out til year 5 too. Was considered a bust for a 1st overall from years 2-4.

I went back to check and lol, we really have low expectations don't we? At this point I'm kinda just hoping Kotkaniemi can break out as that MacKinnon from years 2-4.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Mackinnon was a 55+ points per season player when he was a bust. Hopefully KK can even get to that level.

Who cares? He was still under performing relative to his draft position and hype; thus earned the "bust" tag rather quickly.

The point is development isn't linear and KK's lack of strength is a hindrance to his overall game.

 

[Le Tricolore]

Who cares? He was still under performing relative to his draft position and hype; thus earned the "bust" tag rather quickly.

The point is development isn't linear and KK's lack of strength is a hindrance to his overall game.

I wish we'd just go all in on trying to develop him properly though. You have such a shitty season and pick 3rd overall. You should do everything possible to ensure that that player succeeds. Play him with wingers who put him in a position to succeed. We all saw the stats about how he never has consistent linemates, we saw how his numbers dropped significantly once Staal came in... it's just unbelievable that this organization, who claims to be all about building through the draft, has literally never, not once, drafted and developed a single good player.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

I went back to check and lol, we really have low expectations don't we? At this point I'm kinda just hoping Kotkaniemi can break out as that MacKinnon from years 2-4.

I actually have quite high expectations of KK. Mine aren't low at all.

But, I recognize his lack of physical development and how that impacts his game.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

I wish we'd just go all in on trying to develop him properly though. You have such a shitty season and pick 3rd overall. You should do everything possible to ensure that that player succeeds. Play him with wingers who put him in a position to succeed. We all saw the stats about how he never has consistent linemates, we saw how his numbers dropped significantly once Staal came in... it's just unbelievable that this organization, who claims to be all about building through the draft, has literally never, not once, drafted and developed a single good player.

Well, we ALL knew the moment that Staal arrived that KK was going to be impacted the most. He was flying pretty well prior his arrival then fell off a cliff.

I agree he gets the shaft.

 

[Le Tricolore]

Well, we ALL knew the moment that Staal arrived that KK was going to be impacted the most. He was flying pretty well prior his arrival then fell off a cliff.

I agree he gets the shaft.

Staal should've come in and solidified the fourth line. That would've been cool. Instead he's been our worse centre this year, and has hurt other players on the team. It's the best.

 

[Doc McKenna]

Whos the jerk taking the picture next to the drowning kid? They are the problem.

 

[beowulf]

So who is left that is healthy? Price, Gallagher, Drouin, Weber, Danault, etc. etc.

 

[Doc McKenna]

Wow Kotkaniemi with 2 top 6 wingers? Only took half of the team injured for him to get a chance.

Caufield is on the wrong line he should be playing with Evans.

No just a certain center that was stealing his ice this year when it should have remained split like at the start when we were winning, and staal proving how entirely done he is over and over and over and over and over again.


"and its just that easy!!!"

 

[beowulf]

Staal should've come in and solidified the fourth line. That would've been cool. Instead he's been our worse centre this year, and has hurt other players on the team. It's the best.

Well to be fair, or at least give him a point is that a big part was for him to win faceoffs and he is at just under 55% since joining. Only Danault at 52.5% is above 50 for the rest of the centers. Evans has improved as the year moved forwards and is at 49.5. Probably the biggest area that needs to improve for Suzuki at under 43%,

 

[Le Tricolore]

Well to be fair, or at least give him a point is that a big part was for him to win faceoffs and he is at just under 55% since joining. Only Danault at 52.5% is above 50 for the rest of the centers. Evans has improved as the year moved forwards and is at 49.5. Probably the biggest area that needs to improve for Suzuki at under 43%,

Staal had a career faceoff percentage of 48% when we acquired him. Bergevin bringing him in to win faceoffs seems super silly. Had no idea he was at 55% so I guess it worked out in that regard but he's getting way too much TOI.

We should've just signed Yanic Perreault.

 

[Doc McKenna]

Should I show you all the "is MacKinnon a bust" threads that were on the mains for like 3-4 years? People who call him god-like now probably trash talked the shit out of him before his breakout year.

It doesn't matter the projections. He was a 50 pt center in his 4th year, which was considered a bust for a 1st overall and the hype he received his draft year.

KK is considered a bust for a 3rd overall already. How many, hey, our 3rd overall! comments are made in derision whenever he makes a mistake or falls.

The point is development isn't linear. Demanding it to be so is ridiculous.

KK still has a ton of physical development to do. I've said this before, but KK won't be physically developed til 22. He needs 2 more summers of training. Until he's fully developed, you can't really know what his ceiling is, because added strength changes everything.

Even then he should continue to get stronger from 22-25, but right now, he's still in a boy's body.

Here is chucks most recent years and my Leaf buddies are pretty happy about this guy who everyone said should have been out of the league. 0.5 PPG is decent, could be a lot higher for his draft slot, but who knows may still turn it around.

2019-20	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	45	5	12	17	10	-7	--	--	--	--	--
2019-20	Minnesota Wild	NHL	14	3	4	7	6	2	4	0	0	0	4
2020-21	Ottawa Senators*	NHL	8	1	0	1	6	-6
2020-21	Carolina Hurricanes*	NHL	Statistics Unavailable
2020-21	Chicago Wolves*	AHL	Statistics Unavailable
2020-21	Toronto Marlies*	AHL	6	2	6	8	2	4
2020-21	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL	23	4	7	11	14	-1

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[beowulf]

Staal had a career faceoff percentage of 48% when we acquired him. Bergevin bringing him in to win faceoffs seems super silly. Had no idea he was at 55% so I guess it worked out in that regard but he's getting way too much TOI.

We should've just signed Yanic Perreault.

True his career % is now 49.1% but his first 3-4 seasons were the reason. He worked a lot on improving his faceoff ability. I mean to start his career he was always below 44% and I think his 3rd year in the league he was at 41% and change. I don't think that is the only reason they brought him in obviously, I think they thought he would produce more on offence.

 

[Doc McKenna]

There's also the Wheeler or Burns breakout much later

Karlsson on Vegas at 23-24

 

[Andrei79]

There's also the Wheeler or Burns breakout much later

Oli Jokinen took a long time too.

Really hope KK makes the most out of his chance tonight. They set him up for success. Renaud Lamarde was speculating (i.e. he has inside sources) that he would be benched in the PO if he continued to struggle.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Who cares? He was still under performing relative to his draft position and hype; thus earned the "bust" tag rather quickly.

The point is development isn't linear and KK's lack of strength is a hindrance to his overall game.

I’m just pointing out how low expectations have fallen.

But all these names being listed are the outliers. Generally if a guy doesn’t get better over his first 3 seasons, he’s not just gonna bust out into something special.