Jackets - Leafs best of 5 play-in

[majormajor]

Would you rather....

Beat Toronto Tampa style and play Boston again
Or
Get Alex

Get Alex AINEC

Considering we probably pick around 14 if we lose the play-in round, then the Alex we will draft will be the next Alex Wennberg. Maybe Alex Pashin. I'm sure that is what EspenK wants!

It seems the league is going to do a lotto draft before the playoffs though, so teams 8-15 (the ones that lose the play-in round) might win two or even all three lotto picks and then those 8 clubs will re-draw after elimination to see who wins what. It's a great draft. That's three potential franchise forwards at stake.

I don't like it honestly, too much incentive to lose. My take is always just win the damn games. I know the players will never tank. But I hate when they set up the rules such that some fans (cough, EspenK, cough) will want to lose.

 

[majormajor]

F1: Nick Foligno-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Oliver Bjorkstrand
F2: Gustav Nyquist-Boone Jenner-Cam Atkinson
F3: Alexandre Texier-Alexander Wennberg-Emil Bemstrom
F4: Liam Foudy -Riley Nash-Eric Robinson

Porty just threw these lines out there. I think I may have already sketched these lines, or maybe someone else did. Either way, they're what I want to see.

But since we're now talking about the play-in round starting in August at the earliest, it seems like Josh Anderson is more likely to be ready than not.

Bjorkstrand - Dubois - Anderson
Nyquist - Jenner - Atkinson
Texier - Foligno - Bemstrom
Foudy - Nash/Wenny- Robinson

Now that is what I really want to see.

 

[Monk]

Bjorkstrand - Dubois - Anderson
Nyquist - Jenner - Atkinson
Texier - Foligno - Bemstrom
Foudy - Nash/Wenny- Robinson

Now that is what I really want to see.

I like these. I could see swapping the RWs around a bit, get Anderson going on the third line and see how it goes, adjust as needed. But I like these.

 

[Long Live Lyle]

F1: Nick Foligno-Pierre-Luc Dubois-Oliver Bjorkstrand
F2: Gustav Nyquist-Boone Jenner-Cam Atkinson
F3: Alexandre Texier-Alexander Wennberg-Emil Bemstrom
F4: Liam Foudy -Riley Nash-Eric Robinson

Porty just threw these lines out there. I think I may have already sketched these lines, or maybe someone else did. Either way, they're what I want to see.

But since we're now talking about the play-in round starting in August at the earliest, it seems like Josh Anderson is more likely to be ready than not.

Bjorkstrand - Dubois - Anderson
Nyquist - Jenner - Atkinson
Texier - Foligno - Bemstrom
Foudy - Nash/Wenny- Robinson

Now that is what I really want to see.

Has Bjorkstrand ever played LW before? I don't recall him ever doing so. Not that it couldn't work (having his shot released from a better angle which it would be on the left side is a plus, and some guys including our old friend #9 thrive off-side) but while going from RW to LW is not an extreme switch, it does change things (things like board play, ability to get the shot off, puck possession, etc.) I do agree though, from a "best lineup" strategy as far as talent, balance of the lines, chemistry, etc., your lineup is probably about right, though I'd put Texier at C and Foligno at LW if we think Texier is capable of handling the center load.

I think, assuming Anderson is injured, Porty's looks pretty good, too. I'd maybe flip Nyquist and Texier; no real rhyme or reason, I just feel like I'd rather have a more grizzled veteran on line 3 for balance of things, but not a big deal. Again (similar to what I said above with Foligno/Tex), if we feel comfortable with this/he's capable, you could have Texier at C and Boone at LW on line 2, also.

 

[Xoggz22]

I simply don't see Anderson available any more this year. The expectation was he would be ready for Camp so certainly if CBJ happens to go on a run and play into September that might be an option but I don't see him rushing back from a Major surgery in a contract year regardless of how much he loves the team or the game. Just my opinion though. I'm not counting on him.

One I think we're overlooking is Stenlund. His contributions on the Power Play and Torts affinity for him feels like he would be an option as well. Not saying he's in the top 12 but I do think we would be remiss if we didn't include him as a serious option.

And one final thought... I think Wennberg could stay on the wing although our Center Depth still looks awful in the short term.

F1: Tex-PLD-Bjork
F2: Gus-Boone-Cam
F3: Fligs-Wenny-Bem
F4: Stens-Nash-Robinson

I'm not a big Nash fan and would be fine if we wanted to play Foudy-Stenlund and Robinson on the 4th line. I recognize Nash gives us experience and some PK/grit support but having Foudy and Robinson on a line would certainly cause issues with their speed but may not be enough to warrant playing them as such.

 

[majormajor]

Has Bjorkstrand ever played LW before? I don't recall him ever doing so. Not that it couldn't work (having his shot released from a better angle which it would be on the left side is a plus, and some guys including our old friend #9 thrive off-side) but while going from RW to LW is not an extreme switch, it does change things (things like board play, ability to get the shot off, puck possession, etc.) I do agree though, from a "best lineup" strategy as far as talent, balance of the lines, chemistry, etc., your lineup is probably about right, though I'd put Texier at C and Foligno at LW if we think Texier is capable of handling the center load.

I haven't seen Bjorkstrand at LW, I just penciled him in there because he's agile and that's very helpful off-wing. It might not be the best spot for him. We've seen Anderson dominate with Dubois before and if he can motor around and wreck guys then he's already valuable in a way - Matthews and company are going to be busy trying not to get run over, which leaves a lot of room for Bjorkstrand. Bjorkstrand - Dubois - Anderson is the most "topline" we could get and I like the balance and chemistry, just not sure about who can play LW, as you mentioned.

I immediately felt better about Foligno centering Texier and Bemstrom, as opposed to Wennberg. Maybe just because we've seen Foligno and Texier connect well before. They were together in last year's playoffs too. I don't know about Texier at center though. He'll eventually be great at it, he just doesn't have enough games at the position yet.

 

[majormajor]

I simply don't see Anderson available any more this year. The expectation was he would be ready for Camp so certainly if CBJ happens to go on a run and play into September that might be an option but I don't see him rushing back from a Major surgery in a contract year regardless of how much he loves the team or the game. Just my opinion though. I'm not counting on him.

One I think we're overlooking is Stenlund. His contributions on the Power Play and Torts affinity for him feels like he would be an option as well. Not saying he's in the top 12 but I do think we would be remiss if we didn't include him as a serious option.

And one final thought... I think Wennberg could stay on the wing although our Center Depth still looks awful in the short term.

F1: Tex-PLD-Bjork
F2: Gus-Boone-Cam
F3: Fligs-Wenny-Bem
F4: Stens-Nash-Robinson

I'm not a big Nash fan and would be fine if we wanted to play Foudy-Stenlund and Robinson on the 4th line. I recognize Nash gives us experience and some PK/grit support but having Foudy and Robinson on a line would certainly cause issues with their speed but may not be enough to warrant playing them as such.

Anderson's timetable was 4-6 months from March 1st. So fully cleared sometime between July 1st and September 1st. With shoulder surgery I think guys feel pretty good and can safely do everything except for heavy contact, so he should be as ready as any other player if he is cleared before the first game, which I expect to be sometime in August. Maybe I'm misunderstanding but when I hear "4-6 months" I don't think 4-6 months is rushing it, and 7 months is safe, I hear that there is some safe point that is decided by the player and his doctors that will come between 4 and 6 months,

Stenlund is one guy I see taken seriously by a lot of fans but I just can't. He really only scored on the powerplay and even there it wasn't more than the guys that are coming back from injury. He doesn't add any defensive, physical, or veteran advantage. The players that I'm not including in the top 12 but taking very seriously are Shore, Matteau, and Gerbe. All of them can play very heavy nasty games, which is obviously a big plus in a playoff series.

 

[GoJackets1]

So, for some reason, I just realized, like right now, that beating the Leafs doesn't necessarily mean we play the Bruins, it could be any of the top 4. Am I correct? If so, that's nice. Wouldn't mind smoking the Caps if we get the chance.

 

[Jive Pawnbroker]

So, for some reason, I just realized, like right now, that beating the Leafs doesn't necessarily mean we play the Bruins, it could be any of the top 4. Am I correct? If so, that's nice. Wouldn't mind smoking the Caps if we get the chance.

Yep - you are correct. It could be any one of Boston, Tampa, Washington or Philly.

 

[Xoggz22]

Anderson's timetable was 4-6 months from March 1st. So fully cleared sometime between July 1st and September 1st. With shoulder surgery I think guys feel pretty good and can safely do everything except for heavy contact, so he should be as ready as any other player if he is cleared before the first game, which I expect to be sometime in August. Maybe I'm misunderstanding but when I hear "4-6 months" I don't think 4-6 months is rushing it, and 7 months is safe, I hear that there is some safe point that is decided by the player and his doctors that will come between 4 and 6 months,

Stenlund is one guy I see taken seriously by a lot of fans but I just can't. He really only scored on the powerplay and even there it wasn't more than the guys that are coming back from injury. He doesn't add any defensive, physical, or veteran advantage. The players that I'm not including in the top 12 but taking very seriously are Shore, Matteau, and Gerbe. All of them can play very heavy nasty games, which is obviously a big plus in a playoff series.

I'd like nothing more than to see Anderson healthy and available. My opinion is the 4 months is aggressive and the 6 months is more realistic. You and I will simply disagree on this, unfortunately neither one of us knows. I'd be tickled if he's available in July.

 

[member 300185]

I honestly don’t think that can be used as an argument for or against anyone since nobody’s played in 2 months. But speaking strictly in a vacuum I agree.

why would you speak into a vacuum cleaner?

 

[Monstershockey]

I'd like nothing more than to see Anderson healthy and available. My opinion is the 4 months is aggressive and the 6 months is more realistic. You and I will simply disagree on this, unfortunately neither one of us knows. I'd be tickled if he's available in July.

I had a similar surgery on my shoulder back when I was Josh's age. I would think 6 months would be good, as he gets much better physical therapy than I did. Plus he is much more physically fit than I was. The pounding he takes as a hockey player, it is probably best he takes at least 6 months. I am sure the procedure is different also now then it was 30 years ago when I had mine. I do remember the doctor saying if I would have rested it and let it heal, it may have healed on its own, but I kept playing sports and made it so bad that my shoulder would dislocate when I would go to shut my alarm off in the morning.

I ended up having the nub on the end of my clavicle cut off and screwed in in front of the ball of my shoulder, and then the tendons cut and made shorter to keep it in place. I don't know the extent of Anderson's surgery, but after 6 months I was pretty much good to go.

Kind of a funny story, In my mid forties i had (still have) a condition called achalasia, where the botton of my esophagus would spasm shut and I couldn't get food to my stomach. Ended up losing 90 pounds, down to 130. I lost so much weight that when I would go into stores, the screw in my shoulder would set off the alarms going in or out. Once I started gaining weight back after that surgery, setting the alarms off stopped. It was pretty funny seeing the looks on peoples faces when they would go off entering the store though.

 

[Socks]

why would you speak into a vacuum cleaner?

Well I mean y’know. Quarantine was a long time.

 

[thebus88]

We have 5 (maybe 6) "wingers" and/or 8 (maybe 9) forwards that should see more ice time than Anderson.

Healthy Anderson or not fully healthy Anderson.

 

[NotWendell]

Would you rather....

Beat Toronto Tampa style and play Boston again
Or
Get Alex

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

why would you speak into a vacuum cleaner?

 

[MoeBartoli]

Miscellaneous thoughts related to prior posts:

Foligno will be on the top line. Check TOI game after game and it’s clear Torts trusts the Captain and that feeling will be accentuated in playoffs.

I'm not willing to move RW Bjorkstrand, our most dangerous goal scorer (with all due respect to Cam), to a LW to accommodate Anderson, but.....

I still have Andy as 98% sure he’ll be DNP so it’s a moot point.

Though Nash isn’t in any way a favorite of mine, he is a stalwart on the 4th line and isn’t going to sit. (......Can’t believe I used Nash and stalwart in the same sentence.)

Torts is going to try and lock things down not dissimilarity to the style played when Elvis was rolling. Because there’s better options for that style, the Stenlund bandwagon may discover the wagon has a broken wheel.

Is Tex really going to be ready? (If not, maybe Stenlund’s best chance to see ice though I think Foudy draws in ahead of him).

Whoever starts in goal will stay in goal until/unless they FU....And my guess is that Korpi will start which is probably the safest bet (As an aside I think Elvis has the higher playoff ceiling but lower playoff floor).

Prediction: Jackets, of course.

 

[Monstershockey]

They ran out of things to talk about on sports radio here so they have Torts on. He says he thinks it is going to be at least 3rd week of July before training camp starts. He said when phase 2 of the comeback starts, players can come to the arena and skate, but no coaches, and only 5 players at a time can skate. The coaches have to stay away from the players, and can't even use the same entrance. He says they have all their things in place and are prepared for the Leafs. He talked about how excited he is about the lineup with people getting healthy, and guys like Foudy being eligible. He has been in contact with the players, but they really can't talk hockey. He told the guys that when phase 2 of the comeback happens, if the guys out of the country have a good workout plan to just stay where they are until they are allowed to get the whole team together. At the end of the interview, they thanked him for not dropping any swear words, so he told them he had to get back to shoveling the shit because he was working with his horses. I didn't get to hear the whole interview, so I missed if he said when these phases are supposed to start.

 

[stevo61]

Some Leaf fans think Clifford will police the on ice play and keep the Jackets in check so I just want to leave this here

 

[CoachWithNoTeam]

Portzline reporting that the groups have already been split into a starting group and an extras group, similar to what we’d see in the later stages of pre-season training camp. While I think there is some possibility for movement between the groups, it is interesting that exactly 12 forwards are in the top group. So we have a full group of forwards, and then the D group can most likely be viewed as five locks and three people competing for the last spot.

 

[majormajor]

Portzline reporting that the groups have already been split into a starting group and an extras group, similar to what we’d see in the later stages of pre-season training camp. While I think there is some possibility for movement between the groups, it is interesting that exactly 12 forwards are in the top group. So we have a full group of forwards, and then the D group can most likely be viewed as five locks and three people competing for the last spot.

I like the 12F. I was just hoping Robinson and Foudy would be in there.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I like the 12F. I was just hoping Robinson and Foudy would be in there.

Huh?

 

[Columbus Mike]

I love reading the Leafs board about this series. Since we have no Panarin, Bob, and Duchene, we have no chance. They were the key to beating Tampa, and since they are gone we aren't that good.

Strange, since our injury riddled team finished with the same number of points in the same number of games at Toronto.

 

[Long Live Lyle]

Leafs will be tough. They’ve played better under Keefe. I also don’t like that all the games will be in Scotiabank Arena. Yes, there won’t be fans. But knowing the ice/boards, the sightlines, being comfortable with the locker room/layout... It may be a marginal impact, but I don’t think it’s zero.

There’s a saying in basketball that, “defense travels.” It essentially means that, even in a road/hostile/unorthodox situation, having a great defense gives you a chance in any game. I think this is normally true in hockey. Unfortunately, I think it’s almost the opposite in this long-time-off case, where defensive structures will be harder to be in sync. In this case, especially in the qualifying/first round, I think it’s more likely that “talent travels.” And unfortunately the Leafs have more of it than we do.

With all that said, this team put together quite the year, despite all the injuries. I do think our peak in net is higher (if Elvis) than Toronto’s peak, and more capable of stealing a series. If we can quickly become settled in our structure (and I’m really glad there will be a couple exhibition games, that will help), we’ve got a great shot.

 

[EspenK]

I'm still hoping for the #1 overall.