I'll say it again, in hopes the Leafs Brass listen once in awhile, we need sandpaper on the backend

[WTFMAN99]

Rick Nash. I think he will be a Leaf by mid season.,

Friedman did say that we contacted Nash, along with Vegas. He is great at cycling and driving puck possession. If we can hide him in the bottom 6 then obviously he'll be counted on far less then he ever has been for offense...usually he's been in a team's 6 top in the playoffs and more often then not, teams come away a bit disappointed.

Outlandish scenario could be trading Nylander and grabbing a defenseman back, but Nash goes top 6 then. Babcock loves Nash.

Hyman-Tavares-Marner
Marleau-Tavares-Nash
Johnsson-Kadri-Kapanen
Leivo-Lindholm-Brown

Rielly-New D
Gardiner-Z
Dermott-Hainsey

A bit better.

 

[Menzinger]

None of the top 4 RHD can clear the puck via a controlled exit. Teams (like Boston savagely did in the playoffs) just need to keep the puck in the right side of the zone to block a breakout

 

[Pookie]

How do you suggest we get playoff tough? We had Martin and he didnt crack a game.

Or are you thinking someone along the lines of wayne Simmonds? If so, who goes for him?

Yes playoff toughness is a must to compete. Benn, Wilson, Simmonds, but how do you get a power forward like that? Easier said than done

Playoff tough doesn’t necessarily mean a Martin. It doesn’t necessarily mean a power forward.

It means shot blockers at all costs and clear the net kind of guys.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Diceman is right don't read too much into Rielly's shaky play in camp, preseason and 1st game he is playing with a total boat anchor right now. He is covering for Hainsey all over the ice. Also he is getting crappy passes from Hainsey in wrong spots making him turn to his backhand frequently. This whole move to right side thing is not good either for both Hainsey and Rielly. Put OZ with him or even Holl and we are better today. No one wants Hainey doing anything but PK where his skating is not a huge detriment.

But Gards will never ever be fixed. His 3 bone head plays in all 3 periods in home opener (fortunately no goals against on any of the 3 give-aways) just brought back a lot of bad memories. Although he is our best skater passer size based defensive his mental errors are a tire fire that can't be fixed. He will not be offered a contract and we cant afford him either so best to get something for him now off his point totals last year. If we can secure a solid mistake free defenseman who can play 18 minutes a night then team is so much better.

Our defense needs fixing. It must be addressed. People on here blaming forwards do not understand the babs breakout which he has had the same for over 20 years now. We do not have the personnel to execute the babs system. It does not do well under a solid speed tough forecheck unless it has a guy like Lindstrom to skate it out every time when pressure mounts. We do not have that guy today. Maybe in minors but not at Leaf level. I don't think babs will change so then it is up to Dubas to get personnel who can work inside of it. Big big big disconnect here. If not addressed then expect same result again this year as past 2 playoff seasons. Fool me twice fine but fool me three times and then i guess i'm the fool.

 

[pheasant]

We need help on the backend. "Sandpaper" might help. But just about any help would do, whether it's a physical force or not.

A young Ron Hainsey would help a lot. Unfortunately, we have something that only closely resembles him.

 

[bionic]

I really think Dubas is going to start taking phone calls on Nylander real soon for some help on D.
Nylander can take his selfish ass out of town and the leaf will upgrade the team all at the same time.

 

[Grapes1]

Definitely need more compete level, especially along the boards in our own end. We lose a lot of puck battles

 

[Havoc]

Did I wake up in the 90's?

Leafs need a precision outlet pass from the back end and someone who can disrupt zone entries without taking a penalty.

 

[therealkoho]

I wonder when we'll be able to ice a team perfect enough for people on here. Dubas is dooooooomed.

when the Leafs win a SC in 6 games, there will be lot's of LeaFlanders complaining it should've been done in 4

 

[therealkoho]

Rick Nash. I think he will be a Leaf by mid season.,

yeah for sure and maybe he can show the other Leafs that little trick of his with the nail file, where he nicks his stick on the shaft so it breaks at the first contact...fools the zebras everytime

 

[diceman934]

yeah for sure and maybe he can show the other Leafs that little trick of his with the nail file, where he nicks his stick on the shaft so it breaks at the first contact...fools the zebras everytime

Only when down a goal in the D zone faceoff.

 

[Stephen]

We need an Alex Pietrangelo, big wingspan, big minute all situations blueliner, not to fill a specific niche.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Stephen i was hoping same thing. Alex played here in GTA. My dad played with his dad as backup goalie as kids. Maybe he would love to come home. But i mentioned it to him and he said there was no chance as Blues would never let him go as he is team captain and he is involved in most Blues hockey decisions. Essentially everything the team does runs through Alex. much like tavares on the island. still hoping though.

 

[KyleSeaBass]

I like Dubas, but I feel like he's a little naive when it comes to the strength of out D-core and overrates a lot of our AHL guys since he had a close connection to them being the GM of the Marlies and all.

In interviews over the summer he has said on numerous occasions that our D is good enough and a lot better than people think.

I just don't see it.

Hainsey has no business playing on the top pairing and he should really be playing sheltered minutes on the bottom pairing if not scratched as a 7th D-man if we're being honest. His play has fallen of a cliff like most players his age do.

Gardiner is a smooth skating, puck moving defenseman that racks up a lot of points, but he switches off far too often and in the playoffs against elite teams he will singlehandedly cost us a crucial game or even the series.

I like Dermott, but he's still young and isn't seasoned enough to play in the top 4.

Zaitsev is a mixed bag and we'll see how Ozhiganov does after he fully adapts to the NHL.

Our forwards are among the best in the league if not the best, Freddy is elite, but he wears out at the end of the season after consistently facing 35+ shots game in and game out.

Leaf haters on the main boards go too far when they call our defense one of the worst in the league, but a lot of Leaf fans are also wrong when they say this D is good enough to take us to a cup. Scoring dries up in the playoffs as refs let more obstruction slide and the checking intensifies. We can't expect to outscore our defensive problems.

 

[Tak7]

I kind-of disagree, a HUGE point people don't realize:

For some reason, the past 2 years we have relied heavily on the long stretch passes. Babcock needs to fix this strategy/system. Why does our breakout consist of the forwards high in the neutral zone, and the D hitting them with long-passes? Yes, we do have D who are great at stretch-passes but it makes no sense to rely on that strategy. Why not have the forwards support the D in the breakout!?

So when the D is put under pressure, I don't blame them for treating the puck like a live grenade. Until the breakout system changes, I don't blame them.

The stretch pass worked wonders against Boston and Washington in the playoffs - it was a great way for the team to utilize their speed while making a (relatively) safe play along the wall or chipped to center.

What I saw on Wednesday against Montreal was quite different though - lots of players were in place for those quick, short breakout passes, instead of the long stretch ones, but the Leafs just couldn't hit them; hence the live grenade comment.

 

[LeafingTheWay]

The stretch pass worked wonders against Boston and Washington in the playoffs - it was a great way for the team to utilize their speed while making a (relatively) safe play along the wall or chipped to center.

What I saw on Wednesday against Montreal was quite different though - lots of players were in place for those quick, short breakout passes, instead of the long stretch ones, but the Leafs just couldn't hit them; hence the live grenade comment.

I disageee. It worked against the Caps, but not against Boston. Heck, against most teams it didn't work and was a big reason why we were outshot on most nights. Stretch passes doesn't utlilize our strengths. Our D are great puck-movers (other than Hainsey and somewhat Zaitsev), why not give them options instead of forcing them to have only 2 options: stretch pass or off the boards. Our Forwards are MORE than capable of carrying the puck during breakouts. Just give it off to our forwards and let them worry about the breakout.

 

[smitty10]

Friedman did say that we contacted Nash, along with Vegas. He is great at cycling and driving puck possession. If we can hide him in the bottom 6 then obviously he'll be counted on far less then he ever has been for offense...usually he's been in a team's 6 top in the playoffs and more often then not, teams come away a bit disappointed.

Outlandish scenario could be trading Nylander and grabbing a defenseman back, but Nash goes top 6 then. Babcock loves Nash.

Hyman-Tavares-Marner
Marleau-Tavares-Nash
Johnsson-Kadri-Kapanen
Leivo-Lindholm-Brown

Rielly-New D
Gardiner-Z
Dermott-Hainsey

A bit better.

This is a team that doesn't need sandpaper. We need a top 4 defender and could always use a skilled vet like Nash in the lineup.

I would love to see a lineup with both Nash and Nylander in it. Something like:

Marleau-Matthews-Nylander
Hyman-Tavares-Marner
Nash-Kadri-Kapanen
Johnsson-Lindholm-Leivo
Ennis/Brown

Would also free up a forward to be moved in a package to shore up our D. Would still love to see Faulk on the Leafs. He could help move the puck effectively to the forwards and shore up the right side. Maybe a package around Brown and a first round pick?

To Carolina:
2019 first round pick
Connor Brown
Justin Holl

To Toronto:
Justin Faulk

Would make our D group:

Rielly-Faulk
Gardiner-Zaitsev
Dermott-Ozhiganov
Hainsey

 

[Zybalto]

Some fun with 5v5 D minutes from the first game to see how they played with and away from their partners.:

Dermott with Oz:

TOI: 10:36
CF%: 62.5
Shots for%: 53.85
Scoring Chances for: 8
Scoring Chances against: 7

Dermott without Oz:

TOI: 4:22
CF%: 60
Shots for%: 80
Scoring Chances for: 3
Scoring Chances against: 2

Oz without Dermott:

TOI: 1:40
CF%: 0
Shots for%: 0
Scoring Chances for: 0
Scoring Chances against: 4




Gardiner with Zaitsev:

TOI: 14:46
CF%: 41.18
Shots for%: 40
Scoring Chances for: 11
Scoring Chances against: 7

Gardiner away from Zaitsev:

TOI: 3:27
CF%: 0
Shots for%: 0
Scoring Chances for: 0
Scoring Chances against: 5

Zaitsev away from Gardiner:

TOI: 2:32
CF%: 100
Shots for%: 100
Scoring Chances for: 2
Scoring Chances against: 0




Rielly with Hainsey:

TOI: 12:46
CF%: 28.57
Shots for%: 23.08
Scoring Chances for: 5
Scoring Chances against: 12

Rielly away from Hainsey:

TOI: 3:42
CF%: 28.57
Shots for%: 33.33
Scoring Chances for: 1
Scoring Chances against: 5

Hainsey away from Rielly:

TOI: 3:27
CF%: 80
Shots for%: 66.67
Scoring Chances for: 3
Scoring Chances against: 1



Yea, I was bored. Some interesting results though.

 

[Leafidelity]

None of the top 4 RHD can clear the puck via a controlled exit. Teams (like Boston savagely did in the playoffs) just need to keep the puck in the right side of the zone to block a breakout

 

[Zybalto]

I keep looking for evidence of this but it just doesnt seem to be true. Put aside the fact that defense wasnt the biggest reason we lost but you would think that this narrative would have effected all lines equally.

If you want to look at possession, transition, shot%, scoring chances, etc. in the playoffs, Rielly/Hainsey got completely dominated by the Bruins but Gards/Zaitsev completely dominated their competition (yea, yea, Gards game 7....wait isnt he a LHD?). Dermott/Polak was an adequate bottom pair and it was Dermott that performed below expectations on that pairing. It was Dermotts first time in the show though and he looks like a gem going forward.

I remember Zeke muttering on here in frustration after game 4 that the right side had outperformed the left and he just might have been onto something.

In the end, it was bad goaltending, our first line underperforming so poorly that they had to be split up, Our 2C taking a stupid suspension, our rental flopping, and our top pairing getting steamrolled that led to our demise.

 

[Blanche Blanche]

If all the D look bad it's a system issue. Players like Rielly and Gardiner who are some of the best puck movers in the league shouldn't be struggling to make a breakout pass.

This falls squarely on Babcock and DJ Smith. Embarrassing our coaches are so ****ing daft that they cannot implement a better breakout with all the skilled forwards.

Within games 10-15 I expect to see new system being executed or I'm calling for coaching to answer. We have only so much time to win , no more time to play Ice NFL with these passes.

I tend to agree but would like a few games under the belt first. If they are still struggling with simple zone clears I would agree it is on the coaching staff. Montreal is proof that even fringe NHL defensemen should be able to clear the puck without this much difficulty.

It was very strange...confusing actually... to see a tanking team with mid NHLers and rookies hem in the current leafs roster riddled with Stars.

Our defense needs fixing. It must be addressed. People on here blaming forwards do not understand the babs breakout which he has had the same for over 20 years now. We do not have the personnel to execute the babs system. It does not do well under a solid speed tough forecheck unless it has a guy like Lindstrom to skate it out every time when pressure mounts. We do not have that guy today. Maybe in minors but not at Leaf level. I don't think babs will change so then it is up to Dubas to get personnel who can work inside of it. Big big big disconnect here. If not addressed then expect same result again this year as past 2 playoff seasons. Fool me twice fine but fool me three times and then i guess i'm the fool.

I'm really hoping Babcock is smarter than this - his usage of Komorov in the lineup with Matthews in crunchtime PLAYOFF hockey makes me question it. *I cringe at the memory*
Lets hope Dubas is the catalyst of a modern Babcock system.
Or Fires the D coach for a shakeup if needed

 

[Pocket Hercules]

Friedman did say that we contacted Nash, along with Vegas. He is great at cycling and driving puck possession. If we can hide him in the bottom 6 then obviously he'll be counted on far less then he ever has been for offense...usually he's been in a team's 6 top in the playoffs and more often then not, teams come away a bit disappointed.

Outlandish scenario could be trading Nylander and grabbing a defenseman back, but Nash goes top 6 then. Babcock loves Nash.

Hyman-Tavares-Marner
Marleau-Tavares-Nash
Johnsson-Kadri-Kapanen
Leivo-Lindholm-Brown

Rielly-New D
Gardiner-Z
Dermott-Hainsey

A bit better.

As little as 4 years ago, that could of been a respectable Team Canada line.

 

[Zybalto]

As little as 4 years ago, that could of been a respectable Team Canada line.

Never mind could have been, that actually was a team Canada line in 2014, one of the greatest teams in the history of hockey.

 

[Peiskos]

There doesn't seem like much that can be done expect for waiting for internal development or a FA signing.

Liljegren-Sandin looked pretty good in preseason, they will be a pairing on this team in the near future. Other than that it doesn't look like theres any other choice but to roll with what we've got until this team naturally evolves back there.

 

[Pocket Hercules]

Never mind could have been, that actually was a team Canada line in 2014, one of the greatest teams in the history of hockey.

I thought so...wasn't too sure though.