HFBoards ranked San Jose 9th best... how about now?

[Sidney the Kidney]

You're nitpicking, if we're arguing that Toronto is a legit cup contender like what my original post was addressing in regards to them being seen as cup contenders by coaches, players and front office members, then those players are all validating that notion. Being one of the favourites for the cup (Kane) means the Leafs are cup contenders, Malkin and Crosby ditto, Seguin calling them a major challenger for the cup constitutes calling them cup contenders. You joined this conversation halfway through and didn't look at what the original post of mine was addressing.

No team in the NHL will ever be the far-away favourite for the cup, there's too much parity for that but the Leafs are definitely cup contenders and favourites heading into the season.

I just quoted your post where you said those guys called Toronto their favorite for the Cup, because that's the post that stuck out to me as erroneous.

I'm pretty sure most people accept that Toronto can be considered one of the favorites. But your post that I quoted called them "the favorite", which they didn't do. You even said this "Crosby, Kane, Slavin and Seguin all specifically chose the Leafs as their favourite (Crosby said Caps and Leafs). That's incorrect.

If your argument is they're considered one of the favorites, have at it. But the post I quoted, and particularly the bolded, made a false claim about what NHL players said.

 

[Territory]

I'd put them 8th. Drop St. Louis a spot.

 

[Scrantonicity 2]

They're not in the top 10.

 

[I am not exposed]

6th. I have them ahead of Boston, Toronto, and St Louis. Just behind Nashville.

 

[3074326]

NHL polls for top centers, Kane, Crosby, Seguin and Slavin all specifically saying that Toronto was one of the favourites for the cup, Barkov saying Matthews is the best player he's played against, Trotz calling Matthews generational...I could go on and you can search all of these if you'd like.

Yeah, hockey players and coaches are known for talking trash about other players and thinking other teams are better than their own.

Of all the fanbases, why does the biggest one have to have little man syndrome? It's unreal. What point are you trying to prove, anyways?

 

[lawrence]

personally their my choice to come out of the West in 2019 if Karlsson is still with them.

 

[MikeyMike01]

LOL when a player is asked who their favourite to win the cup is they don't have to say the Leafs, they can pick any team. Crosby, Kane, Slavin and Seguin all specifically chose the Leafs as their favourite (Crosby said Caps and Leafs). Ditto with Barkov, when he's asked who the toughest player he's ever played against, he doesn't have to say Matthews, it's an open question, he specifically chose Matthews.

I think the Leafs are a cup contender but I won't call them the number 1 favourite but I think they have as good a shot as any team for the cup.

You’re really stretching here lmao

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

Having EK and Burns on different pairs and basically on the ice for majority of the game is hilarious, and their forward group surprised me last year, they showed they have a lot more skill and creativity than i maybe thought.

That said the offense still to me isn't quite good enough to win the cup unless Jumbo can make a big impact, and how good he'll be this year remains to be seen. I also worry about the forward depth, couple injuries to the top 9 and i don't really see any guys in the organization who can realistically play there and do well.

So while i like the team a lot, im not ready to say they're better than some of the big dogs, but i think top 5 is fair.

 

[Lshap]

LOL when a player is asked who their favourite to win the cup is they don't have to say the Leafs, they can pick any team. Crosby, Kane, Slavin and Seguin all specifically chose the Leafs as their favourite (Crosby said Caps and Leafs). Ditto with Barkov, when he's asked who the toughest player he's ever played against, he doesn't have to say Matthews, it's an open question, he specifically chose Matthews.

I think the Leafs are a cup contender but I won't call them the number 1 favourite but I think they have as good a shot as any team for the cup.

FYI, the article is specifically about the Leafs and only quotes the "several players" who mention the Leafs. It doesn't cite an unnamed number of players who presumably did not consider Toronto among their favourites.

I'm not criticizing the article, however let's be clear what it is: It's Toronto-centric news, so naturally it only mentions Toronto-centric responses. It's not a poll of NHL players.

 

[BAM]

You’re really stretching here lmao

Thanks for Tavares and nah I'm not.

 

[BAM]

FYI, the article is specifically about the Leafs and only quotes the "several players" who mention the Leafs. It doesn't cite an unnamed number of players who presumably did not consider Toronto among their favourites.

I'm not criticizing the article, however let's be clear what it is: It's Toronto-centric news, so naturally it only mentions Toronto-centric responses. It's not a poll of NHL players.

LOL it was an article posted on NHL.com and players were asked who their favourites were in the case of Kane, Crosby and Malkin. Literally everyone but the non-Leaf fans on HF think the Leafs are cup contenders/favourites for the cup.

 

[Lshap]

LOL it was an article posted on NHL.com and players were asked who their favourites were in the case of Kane, Crosby and Malkin. Literally everyone but the non-Leaf fans on HF think the Leafs are cup contenders/favourites for the cup.

I didn't intend to put you on the defensive. I'll repeat the point: The article is written specifically for the Toronto market and therefore includes only those quotes tailored to excite that market. Look at the page -- the related video is "Maple Leafs outlook"; a linked article is "Maple Leafs okay with having no captain"; look at the next article down the page: "Tavares excited...". Get the idea? It's NOT a player poll. It's NOT an evaluation of which teams are contenders. It's simply a Toronto-targeted piece of marketing.

As you said, NHL.com is a totally legit source, which makes it a legit story and worth discussing. The quotes are real and are complimentary towards the Leafs. Nice. However, this article is intended as market-specific hype; pretending it's more than that will get you nowhere.

 

[DEVILS130]

Slight bump up to 6 imo