How do you make the Leafs a great defensive team?

[The CyNick]

We need Matthews to be able to keep the puck against top lines. Simple as that.

Don Cherry says it best when he talks about his Bruins teams and not killing himself over matchups. He made the other team worry about how you match up against the Bruins.

Matthews wasn't good enough against Boston. It was rare his line dominated play. Now he's very young, and will get better, but that's primarily how we get better defensively. If Matthews can counter the other teams best line, now Kadri is against a second line and likely has an advantage.

On the backend we need to improve the hockey IQ of our top D and continue to draft and develop.

 

[Atomos2]

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.

I'm just wondering, when was the last time the Leafs were top 5 in goals against? I mean throughout these years has it really been that difficult to find players that can be strong defensively. I mean, it'd makes sense if we had a difficult time finding elite offense, but its not like players are being picked at the top of the draft for their defensive abilities.

 

[Atomos2]

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.

That's awfully hard. Typically the best teams in the league are the best defensive teams. Leafs being a great team in that manner just means they're gonna have to rely a lot on incredible goaltending.

 

[Mess]

I'm just wondering, when was the last time the Leafs were top 5 in goals against? I mean throughout these years has it really been that difficult to find players that can be strong defensively. I mean, it'd makes sense if we had a difficult time finding elite offense, but its not like players are being picked at the top of the draft for their defensive abilities.

You might have to go back to the original 6 league to find Leafs in top 5 in goals against.

When Patty Burns was the coach, Cliff Fletcher the GM and Dougie Gilmour lead the team with Felix the Cat in net, did the Leafs know how to play defense in 1992-93 and 1993-94 and Leafs went to the final 4 twice on a top 5 goals against team. "Defense wins Championships" was the strategy.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

That's awfully hard. Typically the best teams in the league are the best defensive teams. Leafs being a great team in that manner just means they're gonna have to rely a lot on incredible goaltending.

it's hard, but it seems to be the direction that our management wants to go in. I guess they're trying to follow Pittsburgh's model. Even if it doesn't work out, I'd rather that our management has conviction and confidence in the direction that the team is headed, rather than wanting to completely flip around their approach to building the team

 

[Boutette]

Defense isn't 100% about defensemen. The team is already moving in the right direction by stepping away from its worse forwards over the last year who dragged the team down defensively for one reason or another: JvR (never interested), Bozak (never interested), Komarov (lost too many steps), Martin (can't keep up). That alone will provide a reduction in shots and goals against.

 

[BlueForever75]

I agree. Too much is being made of our defensemen not being good enough. What defense does Pittsburgh have, or even Vegas for the matter!!!!

Team defense has a lot to do with how the team succeeds. Winning the board battles in defensive zone, getting pucks around the boards and out with you forwards, blocking shots from the point, etc etc. Less shots with a decent goalie and owning puck possession are the keys to a great defensive team. You do not need an allstar dman or goalie. You need a team all around to play properly defensively.

 

[Atomos2]

I agree. Too much is being made of our defensemen not being good enough. What defense does Pittsburgh have, or even Vegas for the matter!!!!

Team defense has a lot to do with how the team succeeds. Winning the board battles in defensive zone, getting pucks around the boards and out with you forwards, blocking shots from the point, etc etc. Less shots with a decent goalie and owning puck possession are the keys to a great defensive team. You do not need an allstar dman or goalie. You need a team all around to play properly defensively.

I agree with this, but why has it been so hard for the leafs to do that? I mean there have been a number of coaches and a number of players that have passed through the years.

Since the 2009 season, the leafs have not once finished a season in the top 15 in shots against....

 

[IPS]

Everyone's apparantly available from Carolina right?

Get Gardiner out and somehow bring Slavin in and we are in WAY better shape defensively.

 

[Beleafer4]

1) Bozak and JVR walk
2) our core matures and get better defensively
3) Promote a couple of marlies ( who are by far the best defensive team in the A)
4) Make 2-3 low-key FA moves that bring good depth defensive players

And if the price is right, bring in a 3C/ RD through trade.

I think people are too down on our defensive play. We improved a lot defensively from last year just by player development + Hainsey.

 

[ToneDog]

1) Bozak and JVR walk
2) our core matures and get better defensively
3) Promote a couple of marlies ( who are by far the best defensive team in the A)
4) Make 2-3 low-key FA moves that bring good depth defensive players

And if the price is right, bring in a 3C/ RD through trade.

I think people are too down on our defensive play. We improved a lot defensively from last year just by player development + Hainsey.

This team is in win-now mode. That recipe/plan is more for for stay-the-course mode.

 

[thewave]

Everyone's apparantly available from Carolina right?

Get Gardiner out and somehow bring Slavin in and we are in WAY better shape defensively.

If you look at that based on the series, sure. The thing is if you can get both on contract. Jake over the season was a good D.

 

[ShaneFalco]

1) Bozak and JVR walk
2) our core matures and get better defensively
3) Promote a couple of marlies ( who are by far the best defensive team in the A)
4) Make 2-3 low-key FA moves that bring good depth defensive players

And if the price is right, bring in a 3C/ RD through trade.

I think people are too down on our defensive play. We improved a lot defensively from last year just by player development + Hainsey.

This is what I think will happen. No huge trades, no big FA signings
Gardiner stays

 

[egd27]

When our best players are willing to do whatever it takes to win the puck battles to a greater degree than the opposition's best players, we will be a good defensive team.

 

[Zybalto]

Just make progress every year. It's not like we've moved backwards. The only major change I would do would be to find a better partner for Rielly and move Hainsey down to the third pairing to try and eliminate the obvious fatigue he was showing at the end of the season. He can still anchor our PK from there.

Wouldnt touch the Gards/Zaitsev combo as they are the only reason we even made it to game 7 despite Gards bad game.

Dermott would benefit a lot from playing with Hainsey too.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Everyone's apparantly available from Carolina right?

Get Gardiner out and somehow bring Slavin in and we are in WAY better shape defensively.

Gardiner makes our team better

 

[Beleafer4]

This team is in win-now mode. That recipe/plan is more for for stay-the-course mode.

2016-2017 Leafs were a bottom 10 defensive team (as measured by GA)

2017-2018 Leafs were a top 10 defensive team.

There's a frikken thread on the board asking what Winnipeg did differently from us. Answer is they were patient for longer.

 

[Rare Jewel]

Defense isn't 100% about defensemen.

This.

We have some inexperienced players up front (most of the young guys, still prone to the odd lapse) and some who probably aren't naturally that adept in their own end, you can guess who. I mean if you look at Vegas, no big standout names on the back end, but their forwards compensate by how well they skate and a pursue the puck. Pittsburgh is the other obvious example. I'd even say Washington isn't too far off that comparison as well. Better names, but made up of some underrated guys - Orlov at the top of that group.

As far as the defense group you always want to add a better players, but to add a "big name" and have it cost Nylander, I'm not sure you're a better team for it. In that I share the manger and coaches feeling that I'm more content with the group than most.

One spot of concern is Zaitsev though. He's become far too jumpy on the puck, firing it off the glass or boards to nowhere too often. For all who get on Gardiner, he's still much better at advancing the puck and finding outlets. His issues mostly at are below the face-off dots, which Zaitsev also shares as well. He can't really be on the 3rd pairing given how much he makes and he's been tried with both of our top left sided d-man as well to mixed results at best.

So for a few reasons (cap as well) he's likely the one I'd try move on to augment the D this summer.

 

[IPS]

Gardiner makes our team better

He does for sure. Slavin is just way more of the type of Dman we need instead of Gardiner.

 

[ToneDog]

2016-2017 Leafs were a bottom 10 defensive team (as measured by GA)

2017-2018 Leafs were a top 10 defensive team.

There's a frikken thread on the board asking what Winnipeg did differently from us. Answer is they were patient for longer.

Yes we will be patient but not to the level you outlined. Patient teams do not sign Marleau, Hainsey, Martin, Zaitsev, Borgman, Rosen and rumored to be interested in Thornton last year. There is patience and then there is comatose.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

This team is in win-now mode. That recipe/plan is more for for stay-the-course mode.

Leafs aren’t in win now mode. Definitely not.
This mini cup run didn’t cost a lot.

Acquiring Tavares would put us in Win Now mode.

Slow rebuild is what I am hoping for.

 

[Daisy Jane]

When our best players are willing to do whatever it takes to win the puck battles to a greater degree than the opposition's best players, we will be a good defensive team.

that's the answer right there.

 

[ToneDog]

Leafs aren’t in win now mode. Definitely not.

This management team thinks they can win now. We'll find out on July 1st just how close they think they are.

 

[ShaneFalco]

When our best players are willing to do whatever it takes to win the puck battles to a greater degree than the opposition's best players, we will be a good defensive team.

Yup you can sure see it with the Jets. Too many passengers on the Leafs

 

[ToneDog]

This is what I think will happen. No huge trades, no big FA signings
Gardiner stays

Then prepare to be disappointed next season unless Matthews and Marner can carry this team on their backs.