Is any one else feeling different about this year?

[ShaneFalco]

Leafs are better this year and deeper than I have ever seen. They will play lots of hockey this season, well into the playoffs.

Much better depth this year too. And Babcock will be using the depth guys to keep them game ready it seems rather than sitting them for really long stretches

 

[meefer]

this will be their downfall again. All small and timid guys on this team.

That and a weak goalie who will let in a goal at the worst time

According to a Mirtle article in the Athletic, the Leafs are:
*the 5th youngest team in the league.
*18th in height, but all of 73.1 inches vs 73.9 (Vancouver)
*8th in weight @ 203 lbs

By no means a rough and tumble group, but perhaps as a group we might see a bit more jam as they mature?

 

[ULF_55]

It is only 4 games, but 1 even strength goal between Kapanen, Tavares and marner? Every other line, including the 4th. line has done better.

Once the Tavares line starts producing we'll see if this team is any different. And Kapanen isn't to blame for two players who supposedly can carry a line by themselves accomplishing almost nothing.

 

[deletethis]

I'm still betting on the Leafs getting on a mighty roll through the end of October and through November in the wider open hockey of every season's first few months.

The pain comes later, in my opinion, when this group is asked to fight through increased interference and the demands to forecheck/cycle to generate any offense.

 

[hotpaws]

According to a Mirtle article in the Athletic, the Leafs are:
*the 5th youngest team in the league.
*18th in height, but all of 73.1 inches vs 73.9 (Vancouver)
*8th in weight @ 203 lbs

By no means a rough and tumble group, but perhaps as a group we might see a bit more jam as they mature?

Leafs should just officially hire Mirtle and drop the charade .

and setting up excuses in case this soft team gets knocked out early again is pathetic but unfortunately people will buy it

 

[deletethis]

Mirtle does seem a bit like the ministry of propaganda for the Leafs but there are plenty of alternatives out there, most of them hypercritical of the Leafs. Can't there also be a few homer/apologist media hacks as well?

 

[SprDaVE]

Mirtle does seem a bit like the ministry of propaganda for the Leafs but there are plenty of alternatives out there, most of them hypercritical of the Leafs. Can't there also be a few homer/apologist media hacks as well?

He was the most critical voice of the team at a time where a lot people seemed over the moon with the Leafs in the Burke / Nonis / Carlyle era, especially when they were seemingly doing well with a bad roster.

I'm not sure what there is to completely criticize anyway. I do not like reading Simmons and other various reporters of his ilk, so I just ignore it... seems rather simple.

 

[BlueForever75]

The team looks more balanced this season both up front and on the back end.

There tenacity looks amped up this season from last season as well. They do look a little out of sync to start the season but to this is expected when you have 8 new players in the starting lineup any given night. As they adjust to one another, and both Hyman and Dermott come back. I see this team as a better one then last season.

I like the way the 3rd and 4th lines are playing. I like the additions of Micheyev, Kerfoot, Spezza, Petan and Timashov to the forward group. Better suited to Babcock system then previous players holding their spots.

Defense as a whole is much improved. Still a little out of sync, but we have a top pairing that's never played together, a second pairing that played a bit together for team Canada but never for the duration of a season in this system and this many skilled forwards, and we are breaking in a third pairing with one rookie and a couple of spare parts in Holl and Marincin. Once Dermott comes back that D will look great.

I anticipate a quarter of the season to pass by before we truly see this team perform as it can. By this time Andersen will be at the top of his game, and Leafs I believe will be unstoppable.


Much better team then last season. Great job by Dubas

 

[Drytoast]

I dunno. Ifeel they are a few games away from chaos in the locker room and abandoning the coach's direction.

 

[7even]

The roster looks improved on paper, but on the ice, they still haven't dipped their heel in the right river.

 

[meefer]

Leafs should just officially hire Mirtle and drop the charade .

and setting up excuses in case this soft team gets knocked out early again is pathetic but unfortunately people will buy it

So nice of you to consider the info provided. The article which you dismiss had nothing to do with abilities, it was a breakdown of height, weight, etc., by team in the league. He offered no ‘excuses’, it was my take on the info provided. That you found it pathetic...meh.

 

[Menzinger]

Mirtle does seem a bit like the ministry of propaganda for the Leafs but there are plenty of alternatives out there, most of them hypercritical of the Leafs. Can't there also be a few homer/apologist media hacks as well?

Funny, because Mirtle was one of the most critical voices in the Leafs media during the Burke-Nonis years.

Hes fairly consistent in his views on the team

 

[Bomber0104]

Funny, because Mirtle was one of the most critical voices in the Leafs media during the Burke-Nonis years.

Hes fairly consistent in his views on the team

He also has no credibility in commentating on hockey at all.

Zero experience playing.
Zero experience coaching.
Zero experience scouting.
Zero experience managing.

He's a reporter.

His views are as relevant as an HFBoards poster's.

 

[Menzinger]

He also has no credibility in commentating on hockey at all.

Zero experience playing.
Zero experience coaching.
Zero experience scouting.
Zero experience managing.

He's a reporter.

As is the case with most hockey journalists.

 

[Bomber0104]

As is the case with most hockey journalists.

He should work on getting better interviews from players then.

That's what his job actually entails rather than lending his two cents on matters that he has no practical knowledge of.

 

[Menzinger]

He should work on getting better interviews from players then.

That's what his job actually entails rather than lending his two cents on matters that he has no practical knowledge of.

I'm willing to bet it's been years since youve even read anything by him

Which is likely true of the folks on here who whine about him so much

 

[Bomber0104]

I'm willing to bet it's been years since youve even read anything by him

Which is likely true of the folks on here who whine about him so much

Did he suddenly gain any experience in hockey, other than what he reads on internet blogs?

 

[Stephen]

It is only 4 games, but 1 even strength goal between Kapanen, Tavares and marner? Every other line, including the 4th. line has done better.

Once the Tavares line starts producing we'll see if this team is any different. And Kapanen isn't to blame for two players who supposedly can carry a line by themselves accomplishing almost nothing.

That line is worth about $25 million. The guys taking home $22 million should figure it out.

 

[Stephen]

Funny, because Mirtle was one of the most critical voices in the Leafs media during the Burke-Nonis years.

Hes fairly consistent in his views on the team

He's certainly pushing a "progressive" idea about what hockey should be and it aligns well with the Leafs current branding, but this progressive take is generally thin in terms of understanding a lot of the "intangibles" in the game. So many things can't be quantified, so they're dismissed.

 

[Polaris1010]

He's certainly pushing a "progressive" idea about what hockey should be and it aligns well with the Leafs current branding, but this progressive take is generally thin in terms of understanding a lot of the "intangibles" in the game. So many things can't be quantified, so they're dismissed.

That is what they were saying in New York a couple of years ago when the Yankees got bounced from the post season.

There are numbers, and there are more numbers, but you cannot measure the heart.

Look at Oakland. Made it to the playoffs again. Loss weakly again. And they are the organization that started the analytics in baseball.

 

[6ix]

Love the team, can’t stand the coach. It will always be a similar feeling around the team until they fire the ego maniac clown.

Egocock hasn’t been out of the 1st round in almost a decade.

Quoting my post from Monday. Tonight just confirms that it will be more of the same until we fire this egomaniac coach.

 

[Superstar]

Babcock is...maybe this is the year he gets fired.

 

[saffronleaf]

It is only 4 games, but 1 even strength goal between Kapanen, Tavares and marner? Every other line, including the 4th. line has done better.

Once the Tavares line starts producing we'll see if this team is any different. And Kapanen isn't to blame for two players who supposedly can carry a line by themselves accomplishing almost nothing.

I think JT is trying, but Marner might need to be scratched a few games.

 

[BodaciousBeefBazooka]

Marner will perform like Nylanders bad season this season then rebound next season

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

Marner will perform like Nylanders bad season this season then rebound next season

He'll be nowhere near that bad. He still has 6 points in 5 games this year.

The real issue is that Marner has never been worth almost $4M more than Nylander in terms of talent, and assuming we get a new coach at some point and they start getting similar chances/ ice time (pretty clear that Babcock doesn't trust/like him), then their production will probably be pretty similar.

If they finish the season with similar numbers, even if they're outstanding, Marner will get ripped for the contract.