Sportsnet: Kessel confident of Leafs avoiding tailspin

[dimi78]

I see the point you are trying to make and I don't agree that we even have those kind of horses to pull that off.

I'll have to see us do it to even remotely believe they can pull it off.

If they're not structured to play this way then how are the players going to play it? Faltrovo your a smart dude on this forum don't let your anger of the results cloud your judgment into hating what are some very good players on this team that have collectively been poorly coached from getting the best out of them

For starters just lifting the shackles on PMD Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly will do wonders for this teams piss poor puck possession game. Can you imagine the impact if LA parked the bus with Doughty and Voynov what it would do to there team? They'd become the Leafs.

I'm not saying that suddenly the team will become a Stanley Cup contender but I guaranty you will have a hell of a better team than we're seeing playing like Carlyle had them play which is a step in the right direction giving a template to grow the team. We have a much better team than the way we play suggests and before we go on a rant of hating everything in blue & white the smart way of managing this team is to set the players up in a position to succeed. You know why? Cause then your in a position to make trades of value. Carlyle and his hockey has devalued so many players these past 2 years it's sickening.

 

[Mess]

Who knows, but if he is, he'd know better than anyone here.

The irony is the new bottom 6 is expected to play more and the top 2 lines including Kessel less.

Kessel by being confident of Leafs avoiding another tailspin is because they plan on playing him less and other players more to solve the problem.

 

[garce]

The irony is the new bottom 6 is expected to play more and the top 2 lines including Kessel less.

Kessel by being confident of Leafs avoiding another tailspin is because they plan on playing him less and other players more to solve the problem.

Seems to me if the bottom 6 can play more minutes and if the bottom 3 can play ANY useful minutes the top 6 are going to be more effective.

 

[Faltorvo]

If they're not structured to play this way then how are the players going to play it? Faltrovo your a smart dude on this forum don't let your anger of the results cloud your judgment into hating what are some very good players on this team that have collectively been poorly coached from getting the best out of them

For starters just lifting the shackles on PMD Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly will do wonders for this teams piss poor puck possession game. Can you imagine the impact if LA parked the bus with Doughty and Voynov what it would do to there team? They'd become the Leafs.

I'm not saying that suddenly the team will become a Stanley Cup contender but I guaranty you will have a hell of a better team than we're seeing playing like Carlyle had them play which is a step in the right direction giving a template to grow the team. We have a much better team than the way we play suggests and before we go on a rant of hating everything in blue & white the smart way of managing this team is to set the players up in a position to succeed. You know why? Cause then your in a position to make trades of value. Carlyle and his hockey has devalued so many players these past 2 years it's sickening.

don't know where you are getting the notion that I hate all or don't hold any value to some of the players on this team dimi78.

this will be my 42 nd straight year of playing the great game, I have also coached and been a GM ( true nothing of high value or impact) but I have won championships at the respective level.

everything I see/ I know tells me that we have a whole host of players on this team that will not excel at the type of game/system/style you are referring to.

I see lots of forwards that I call stick first corner guys , we have a couple of D that are flat footed/slow reaction time and poor pivots to handle these 1 v 1 corner battles (dion,franson) , Reilly needs more time and seasoning and strength, gards has to be first in first out because he won't be out muscling to many out there.

lups/kadri/bozo,kessel corner battles/cycle hahahaha ya i'll believe that when I see it. JVR is middling at best in the corners , clarktard not sure he does anything well anymore.

like I have said many times on this board dimi not all great spices/meats/ vegies and the like can be mixed together to make a great stew , it does not mean the ones not used are not of quality , it just means to make that stew they don't work.

what I see here is the fixens for chicken soup , thin, runny, some flavor and the odd time you get a nice chunk of something.

I'm looking for beefy stew, something that sticks it to the ribs , hearty, heavy , thick, , has substance and depth, gamey

i see this roster failing miserably at that style of play you are talking about.

 

[bunjay]

don't know where you are getting the notion that I hate all or don't hold any value to some of the players on this team dimi78.

this will be my 42 nd straight year of playing the great game, I have also coached and been a GM ( true nothing of high value or impact) but I have won championships at the respective level.

everything I see/ I know tells me that we have a whole host of players on this team that will not excel at the type of game/system/style you are referring to.

I see lots of forwards that I call stick first corner guys , we have a couple of D that are flat footed/slow reaction time and poor pivots to handle these 1 v 1 corner battles (dion,franson) , Reilly needs more time and seasoning and strength, gards has to be first in first out because he won't be out muscling to many out there.

lups/kadri/bozo,kessel corner battles/cycle hahahaha ya i'll believe that when I see it. JVR is middling at best in the corners , clarktard not sure he does anything well anymore.

like I have said many times on this board dimi not all great spices/meats/ vegies and the like can be mixed together to make a great stew , it does not mean the ones not used are not of quality , it just means to make that stew they don't work.

what I see here is the fixens for chicken soup , thin, runny, some flavor and the odd time you get a nice chunk of something.

I'm looking for beefy stew, something that sticks it to the ribs , hearty, heavy , thick, , has substance and depth, gamey

i see this roster failing miserably at that style of play you are talking about.

I agree with everything here except Lupul not being good in the corners. I think he's great when he wants to be, but who knows whether he can make himself do it post head-sandwich.

 

[4evaBlue]

don't know where you are getting the notion that I hate all or don't hold any value to some of the players on this team dimi78.

this will be my 42 nd straight year of playing the great game, I have also coached and been a GM ( true nothing of high value or impact) but I have won championships at the respective level.

everything I see/ I know tells me that we have a whole host of players on this team that will not excel at the type of game/system/style you are referring to.

I see lots of forwards that I call stick first corner guys , we have a couple of D that are flat footed/slow reaction time and poor pivots to handle these 1 v 1 corner battles (dion,franson) , Reilly needs more time and seasoning and strength, gards has to be first in first out because he won't be out muscling to many out there.

lups/kadri/bozo,kessel corner battles/cycle hahahaha ya i'll believe that when I see it. JVR is middling at best in the corners , clarktard not sure he does anything well anymore.

like I have said many times on this board dimi not all great spices/meats/ vegies and the like can be mixed together to make a great stew , it does not mean the ones not used are not of quality , it just means to make that stew they don't work.

what I see here is the fixens for chicken soup , thin, runny, some flavor and the odd time you get a nice chunk of something.

I'm looking for beefy stew, something that sticks it to the ribs , hearty, heavy , thick, , has substance and depth, gamey

i see this roster failing miserably at that style of play you are talking about.

We seem to have a lot more ingredients to chose from into that soup this year, especially on the bottom 6. Lots of shapes and sizes, and best of all, they all look to be NHL quality forwards. A lot more options than we had last season, where players like Aston and Frattin would have been pencilled into the roster. It will come down to line chemistry now, more than anything else, I think.

The real question for me remains is how much Carlyle's been reigned in. You can have all the ingredients in the world, if your chef was an idiot and refused to use them properly. His dinosaur coaching mentality needs to get out of the city ASAP.

 

[Tyler Biggs*]

Kessel was on fire in January and February... and then.. suddenly, it was like he was out of gas. In some ways though, you have to blame the rest of the team because they didn't do their share.

 

[leafstilldeath*]

Kessel is confident about eating broccoli and giving up cookies as he is with this statement. Putting a leaf representative on the spot in a public domain; what do you expect him to say? jeez

 

[therealkoho]

lups/kadri/bozo,kessel corner battles/cycle hahahaha ya i'll believe that when I see it. JVR is middling at best in the corners , clarktard not sure he does anything well anymore.

.

there are a couple of references in this statement that trivializes the rest of your observations and statements on the team

making derogatory childish defaming references takes any gravitas out of any argument you make

42 yrs in the game? show it by speaking like an adult and not like the many self absorbed teenager's that reside in LeafLand and I may again take you seriously

btw 45 yrs ago I was playing OHA Southern Ont Jr B

the men that have the ability and courage to play and make a lving in the NHL deserve at the very least a modicum of respect from those of us who couldn't get there.

So you don't like a contract, big deal you're more then within your rights to say so,

so you don't think a guy is a #1 NHL centre(wrongful observation imco btw) go ahead and tell everyone you know, everyone is entitled to an opinion(even if they're wrong as my dear old Dad used to say)

There's nothing however that give's you the right to defame or insult them in a public forum. Ask yourself if you'd use those terms if you happened to come face to face with either of those men, and if the answer is no, then act accordingly

 

[crump]

Interesting Phil Kessel video

 

[hockeyfanz*]

there are a couple of references in this statement that trivializes the rest of your observations and statements on the team

making derogatory childish defaming references takes any gravitas out of any argument you make

42 yrs in the game? show it by speaking like an adult and not like the many self absorbed teenager's that reside in LeafLand and I may again take you seriously

btw 45 yrs ago I was playing OHA Southern Ont Jr B

the men that have the ability and courage to play and make a lving in the NHL deserve at the very least a modicum of respect from those of us who couldn't get there.

So you don't like a contract, big deal you're more then within your rights to say so,

so you don't think a guy is a #1 NHL centre(wrongful observation imco btw) go ahead and tell everyone you know, everyone is entitled to an opinion(even if they're wrong as my dear old Dad used to say)

There's nothing however that give's you the right to defame or insult them in a public forum. Ask yourself if you'd use those terms if you happened to come face to face with either of those men, and if the answer is no, then act accordingly

I read the post youre referencing. I just gotta say other than the use of the word "Clarktard"...I don't see anything at all wrong with the post...and even the use of the word "Clarktard" is debatable.

I don't understand why so many people are so touchy when criticism of the players of this team are cast. Especially when what the guy says is pretty true. I can pretty much agree with everything in that post. These players he mentions are not gritty, physical cycling types of players. Not in the least.

Where's the problem here?

 

[Bullseye]

The irony is the new bottom 6 is expected to play more and the top 2 lines including Kessel less.

Kessel by being confident of Leafs avoiding another tailspin is because they plan on playing him less and other players more to solve the problem.

So now that the bottom six is not being played more is Kessel less confident of avoiding the tailspin again?

 

[silentbob37*]

Kessel said he was confident their team is now set up to avoid collapses now. Was he supposed to say something else?

And he's right. With the changes we made, and the changes we are making to how we play, and the fact that we are balancing ice time taking away some of the load from guys like Kessel and Phaneuf, I think we will be a lot less prone

One of the biggest factors in the Leafs collapses and slumps is Kessel slumping. The new additions won't/don't address that.

 

[silentbob37*]

Kessel was on fire in January and February... and then.. suddenly, it was like he was out of gas. In some ways though, you have to blame the rest of the team because they didn't do their share.

Hew as also "out of gas" in Nov and Dec.

and in some ways you also have to blame Kessel (the best player ont he team) for not playing well when it was needed the most. Twice.

 

[Faltorvo]

If they're not structured to play this way then how are the players going to play it? Faltrovo your a smart dude on this forum don't let your anger of the results cloud your judgment into hating what are some very good players on this team that have collectively been poorly coached from getting the best out of them

For starters just lifting the shackles on PMD Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly will do wonders for this teams piss poor puck possession game. Can you imagine the impact if LA parked the bus with Doughty and Voynov what it would do to there team? They'd become the Leafs.

I'm not saying that suddenly the team will become a Stanley Cup contender but I guaranty you will have a hell of a better team than we're seeing playing like Carlyle had them play which is a step in the right direction giving a template to grow the team. We have a much better team than the way we play suggests and before we go on a rant of hating everything in blue & white the smart way of managing this team is to set the players up in a position to succeed. You know why? Cause then your in a position to make trades of value. Carlyle and his hockey has devalued so many players these past 2 years it's sickening.

Well dim a full preseason and 6 games in and all those warts I screamed about are still there.

Dion/franson getting crushed to the outside and being flatfooted, not winning many D zone corner battles with this D core , including riels/gards.

3rd line is the only line that looks like it can or wants to cycle.Looks like they found some use for Clarkson.

33+ shots against a game

sub .500 record, on pace for a bottom 5 pick , this has now turned into a 26/28 game slide.

The only thing different of note between this 26 and the first part of last season was the near vezina level tending that hid all this.

 

[Stephen]

One of the biggest factors in the Leafs collapses and slumps is Kessel slumping. The new additions won't/don't address that.

Hew as also "out of gas" in Nov and Dec.

and in some ways you also have to blame Kessel (the best player ont he team) for not playing well when it was needed the most. Twice.

It's always feast or famine with Kessel. The Leafs current core as presently constructed and relying on Kessel, Lupul, Phaneuf has basically been at a similar pattern since the beginning of 2011-12. When they can play their rush game, often early in a season, they find success. When Kessel goes cold, they go in a tailspin.

It's partially Burke and Nonis' fault they haven't found an equal or superior to Kessel, so it's not all on him, but he's also got to work a lot harder at being an above average player even when he isn't scoring.

 

[Bullseye]

It's always feast or famine with Kessel. The Leafs current core as presently constructed and relying on Kessel, Lupul, Phaneuf has basically been at a similar pattern since the beginning of 2011-12. When they can play their rush game, often early in a season, they find success. When Kessel goes cold, they go in a tailspin.

It's partially Burke and Nonis' fault they haven't found an equal or superior to Kessel, so it's not all on him, but he's also got to work a lot harder at being an above average player even when he isn't scoring.

I'd say they did an excellent job fleecing Philly for JVR. If you are suggesting that we trade 2 1st rndrs and a 2nd for another winger - I don't agree with you.

 

[Morbo]

It's no more "feast or famine" with Kessel than any other scoring star.