How do you make the Leafs a great defensive team?

[Atomos2]

How do you make the Leafs a great defensive team?

Is it possible? This question has been in my head ever since we got bounced from the playoffs. I'll concede that our defense isn't that bad. We can call it average if you'd like. Babcock and Dubas have both said that they are fine with our defense. And that's fair. But how do we make it our strength? How can we turn ourselves into a great defensive team? Is it possible?

I doubt anybody on here believes Leafs are a great defensive team... so how do we get from here to there?

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[613Leafer]

How do you make the Leafs a great defensive team?

Is it possible? This question has been in my head ever since we got bounced from the playoffs. I'll concede that our defense isn't that bad. We can call it average if you'd like. Babcock and Dubas have both said that they are fine with our defense. And that's fair. But how do we make it our strength? How can we turn ourselves into a great defensive team? Is it possible?

I doubt anybody on here believes Leafs are a great defensive team... so how do we get from here to there?

It's been on my head for 15 years. Leafs are virtually never a great defensive team.

Essentially we need an elite Selke calibre centre (which Matthews may become) and/or a borderline Norris calibre defenseman and/or a Vezina calibre goalie.

The top defensive teams tend to have one, if not 2-3 of the above.

 

[Trapper]

How do you make the Leafs a great defensive team?

Is it possible? This question has been in my head ever since we got bounced from the playoffs. I'll concede that our defense isn't that bad. We can call it average if you'd like. Babcock and Dubas have both said that they are fine with our defense. And that's fair. But how do we make it our strength? How can we turn ourselves into a great defensive team? Is it possible?

I doubt anybody on here believes Leafs are a great defensive team... so how do we get from here to there?

It's a team game. You make yourself a great defensive team by having everyone able to play it.
Look at the past.
You had a line like Bozak/Kessel/JVR. That was your scoring but no defense.
Then you had players that were used to matchup defensively (the best they could) but could not provide offense. You can't have your scorers unable to defend and your defenders unable to score. I'm not talking about needing to be a 30 goal scorer. The days of specialists on the team needs to end. This guy used only for faceoffs and this guy sheltered and used for the PP, this guy used only for the PK. Things like that.

It takes a total team. Able to push the pace, score a little, play D, play in multiple situations. Obviously the talents of a few will always be counted on more for offense but that doesn't mean every other individual isn't able to contribute in all 3 zones. The ability to play a back and forth rush, the ability to get in on the forecheck, the ability to win puck battles, the ability to lock things down, the ability to play it like a chess match (move for move) depending on how the game is going. 4 lines roll, the 5 players are all on the same page.

 

[thewave]

It's up to them, if they played with the fire of WSH this year vs Tampa, they win. Our boys for one looked instructed to hold back and let Boston have the perimeter, sadly we don't play well enough as a team when other teams have possession to afford that and speed and intensity is what we win with.

Boston was a winnable series, TB would be a challenge. WSH as they are playing now? No way but if we matched them in intensity and tending we could give them a run.

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

It's not going to happen with this group, (Gardiner/Carrick) and there not a way to trade your way into greatness.
Leafs are still rebuilding. Looking ahead to 2019/20, I think their team can be much better defensively.
I'm optimistic about Dermot and B0rgman...so with Reilly that can be a solid LHD.
If Zaitsev can return to form, there is one RHD, and Liljegren as a junior aged AHLer has shown improvement. That's five. Find the next two or three, that's the question for the Leafs and actually for most teams. Still may never be great, but as we have seen you don't need to be great to Cup winners.

 

[MyBudJT]

I think the Leafs are going to have to change their breakout system a little bit.

Its nice to have the long-pass breakouts in our aresnal, but its very risky and puts a lot of pressure on our defensemen.

Our forwards (wingers in particular) need to support our defenders a bit better, IMO.

 

[rent free]

You can't. They are cursed. The organization doesn't know what defense is.

 

[SprDaVE]

Stop thinking that you need a Polak in your lineup or Hainsey playing 20 minutes a night... Start there.

 

[thewave]

Stop thinking that you need a Polak in your lineup or Hainsey playing 20 minutes a night... Start there.

Polak yes, Hainsey was fine he just looked like he burnt out.

 

[Morgs]

Get rid of Polak and Zaitsev, acquire a top-4 RHD that can handle top pairing duties (Demers, Tanev) and run:

Rielly - Demers
Gardiner - Hainsey
Dermott - Carrick

People will be surprised how effective this lineup could be at suppressing shots/hd chances.

 

[SHANNYPLAN]

Stop thinking that you need a Polak in your lineup or Hainsey playing 20 minutes a night... Start there.

Hainsey was great before he fell off in the last 10-15 games

 

[SprDaVE]

Hainsey was great before he fell off in the last 10-15 games

Polak yes, Hainsey was fine he just looked like he burnt out.

I said don't play him 20 minutes a night. I didn't say he was bad.

And Hainsey from about December until the end of the season wasn't very good. His shot differential was really bad and the struggles got worst as the year moved along.

 

[SHANNYPLAN]

I said don't play him 20 minutes a night. I didn't say he was bad.

and i agree with you

 

[Rielly4]

when your core: Rielly, Marner, Matthews, Nylander become strong two way players, we will be a strong two way team.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Babcock and Dubas have both said that they are fine with our defense.

Of course they say that.
In case a deal doesnt come up.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

You can't. They are cursed. The organization doesn't know what defense is.

Certainly feels that way. In my entire time hard core following this team, the Leafs defensively have always ranged from dreadful to (at best) mediocre. Hell in my entire existence the Leafs finished top 10 in goals against exactly once. There were a few 11th-12th place finishes during the Sundin/Quinn era, but I don’t recall those Leafs teams ever being described as “stingy” or solid defensively, or whatever adjective you want to use.

This franchise has gone 24 years without placing in the top 10 for goals against. At some point they have to figure it out. Right?

 

[Spirit of 67]

Draft and develop great defensemen.

 

[Pookie]

You need to bring in a great (or at least really good) defenceman.

It will take a trade involving a significant asset and/or significant picks to get one.

 

[Liminality]

You can't just get one guy and say oh we're a great defensive team now.
You need to have the entire team buy in and play the way you want. With Bozak and JVR leaving maybe we're getting just that much closer to a complete 5 man buy in on the ice. Maybe Babcock can get them to that point but it takes time.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

To actually answer the question, the Leafs need a full commitment to a defensive structure/scheme from the entire team. It’s not all on our defencemen that the Leafs still struggle with keeping the puck out of our net.

It’ll help to have a few passengers at forward that needed to be sheltered leave the team. Potential replacements from the Marlies have been preached to about the need to commit to defence. The drop in goals against should help mitigate the loss in offence.

The defence needs another top four defenseman. Hainsey helped, but he got severely worn down due to overuse. Leafs have a good bevy of assets to use to make a trade for another RHD. Hopefully the Leafs can identify a diamond in the rough.

Zaitsev’s regression (due to many factors both on and off the ice) needs to be a one season thing. Hopefully he returns to his rookie form at least. Dermott’s continued progression and the acquisition of a new RHD would bump the Gardiner-Zaitsev pairing down the depth chart, which would be much needed.

Andersen needs to figure out how to not be crap the beginnings and endings of seasons. Whatever he does from November through February needs to become a full season thing.

 

[Menzinger]

Systems wise they need to get more dominant at possession - especially against better teams. Closing the gap in the offensive zone/more aggressive forecheck.

And need another top 4 pick mover on that right side who can clear the zone with ease.

 

[Duke16]

Answer:

Benn-Kopitar-Kucherov
Schwartz-Bergeron-Wheeler
Landeskog-Barkov-Stone
Saad-Couturier-Niederreiter

Keith-Karlsson
Slavin-Jones
Hedman-Doughty

Vasilevskiy
Hellebuyck

 

[Mess]

Keep Rielly and Dermott and swap out everyone else.

I said it last year and I'll say it again Leafs defense needs a major facelift and needs Dmen with higher hockey IQs and the ability to move the puck out of the Dzone but also that have some size and physicality to win puck battles on the boards and in front of the net.

 

[sxvnert]

Assemble a D core that isn't consistently fringe.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Leafs can be a great team without being a great defensive team. I think that's a more important end goal. I don't want to mess with the direction that the leafs are going in in order to try to significantly change the defensive core.