Laughs lose their SCF! Habs 9-0-0 Habs win 5-3

[Lebowski]

Still can't figure out why Babcock took that job.

In the two games they've played us they've outplayed the crap out of us but they've got no talent on that roster. Why the hell would he go there? Just seems like a suicide mission to me. By they time they start to accumulate talent he'll get fired.

I don't see Babcock being fired at any point within the next three years, whatever happens. Not with the kind of commitment the organization made to him, and especially not with Shanahan sitting on top of it all.

The Leafs play hard, or at least are hard to play against. With as little talent as they have on that roster, I don't think anyone expects anything more than that from Babcock for now.

Next year, Marner and Nylander will probably get promoted. That alone should change the dynamic of the team - and they may also end up with Matthews or Chychrun this year.

 

[ColinO]

Still can't figure out why Babcock took that job.

In the two games they've played us they've outplayed the crap out of us but they've got no talent on that roster. Why the hell would he go there? Just seems like a suicide mission to me. By they time they start to accumulate talent he'll get fired.

The Leafs have played much better than their record. Marner and Nylander will add some good pieces in the next couple of years. And if they could pick up an above average goaltender they may start looking respectable. Frankly if they had a decent goalie, they would likely have a much better record so far this year. They are outshooting their opponents and have good possession numbers. From what I have seen, they don't look nearly as bad as I thought they would. Their 5on5 GF is 14th in the league which is pretty shocking given that they lost their best goal scorer.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I don't see Babcock being fired at any point within the next three years, whatever happens. Not with the kind of commitment the organization made to him, and especially not with Shanahan sitting on top of it all.

The Leafs play hard, or at least are hard to play against. With as little talent as they have on that roster, I don't think anyone expects anything more than that from Babcock for now.

Next year, Marner and Nylander will probably get promoted. That alone should change the dynamic of the team - and they may also end up with Matthews or Chychrun this year.

I agree. Three years and he'll probably be gone.

So why go there to begin with?

The Leafs have played much better than their record. Marner and Nylander will add some good pieces in the next couple of years. And if they could pick up an above average goaltender they may start looking respectable. Frankly if they had a decent goalie, they would likely have a much better record so far this year. They are outshooting their opponents and have good possession numbers. From what I have seen, they don't look nearly as bad as I thought they would. Their 5on5 GF is 14th in the league which is pretty shocking given that they lost their best goal scorer.

I've only seen the Leafs two games against us and they looked great against us. There's very little talent over there. If he had a Carey Price it would be a different story but he's got two mediocre goalies with no real talent up front.

Again... why go there? Just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[LaP]

The Leafs have played much better than their record. Marner and Nylander will add some good pieces in the next couple of years. And if they could pick up an above average goaltender they may start looking respectable. Frankly if they had a decent goalie, they would likely have a much better record so far this year. They are outshooting their opponents and have good possession numbers. From what I have seen, they don't look nearly as bad as I thought they would. Their 5on5 GF is 14th in the league which is pretty shocking given that they lost their best goal scorer.

Honestly i don't think a better goalie would change their record much unless it would be Price.

Yesterday we had 3 or 4 breakaways and point blank shots by guys like Subban. Can't allow that.

I don't think Bernier was that bad. Did he even gave a goal on our breakaways?

A better goalie could have push this game in OT but giving 2 goals with all the chances we had yesterday would have been Price level out of this league (or a failure by our offensive guys).

They need to drastically improve their defense too. It's not all about shots despite what the advanced stats guys are saying. When i was younger and we had Damphousse, Turgeon, Recchi, Koivu we often had more shots than the other team but our defense was so average we would still lose 5-4 or 4-3. And Tbo was not the only one to blame for that.

They are playing a good aggressive game and look good but you can't have so many defensive brain cramps in a game. The Eller's goal was all on their defense. There was like 3 guys trying to stop Chucky and nobody cared to just take a look at Eller. Subban's goal might have been weak but you can't just let Subban shots freely from this position. That was the 2nd time in the game Subban could shot from a good position can't ask the goalie to stop them all. Bernier is not the first nor the last goalie to look bad on a shot by Subban or Patch.

If it takes you Price to win then you are not really close. He is a top 5 draft pick and the best goalie. It's like us saying we would have a great offense with prime time Crosby. Those guys are hard to get.

Guys like Fleury, Luongo, Miller or Rask would not change their record much while still giving 3-4 breakaways and point blank slap shots from top player like Subban.

 

[MonkeyBusiness]

I agree. Three years and he'll probably be gone.

So why go there to begin with?

I've only seen the Leafs two games against us and they looked great against us. There's very little talent over there. If he had a Carey Price it would be a different story but he's got two mediocre goalies with no real talent up front.

Again... why go there? Just doesn't make sense to me.

He won't be fired within the next three years, they obviously know that their team is downright terrible right now and they won't be competitive until maybe his fifth year into his contract. They knew what to expect of their team from the very beginning, and that's a poor one.

 

[Coldplay]

I agree. Three years and he'll probably be gone.

So why go there to begin with?

Again... why go there? Just doesn't make sense to me.

He wants to pull a Theo Epstein and be "the" guy to fix the Leafs much like Epstein is the guy who's committed (and well on his way) to fixing the Cubs, another long-time suffering team.

It's a vanity project where everyone is watching. Perfect for his ego, and for a guy who's already won a bunch.

As for firing, I completely disagree - I don't see him going anywhere for at least the next 5 years. If at that point the Leafs are still a middling team with no clear upward trajectory into contender status as will be expected from this rebuilding process, I can see them making a change then.

But, until/if that happens and they fall short of where they *should* be, I don't see him getting the boot. He's in it for the long-haul.

 

[Apoplectic Habs Fan]

Still can't figure out why Babcock took that job.

In the two games they've played us they've outplayed the crap out of us but they've got no talent on that roster. Why the hell would he go there? Just seems like a suicide mission to me. By they time they start to accumulate talent he'll get fired.

Well money is one. He wanted coaches getting higher salaries

He may take it as a challenge.

Also, in some ways its a no lose situation. He has a long contract, team is committed itself to rebuilding so there isnt a lot of pressure to win really and if he will get a tonne of credit when the leafs inevitabley get better which coincidentally probably be hus next contract

 

[Redux91]

Still can't figure out why Babcock took that job.

In the two games they've played us they've outplayed the crap out of us but they've got no talent on that roster. Why the hell would he go there? Just seems like a suicide mission to me. By they time they start to accumulate talent he'll get fired.

50 million bones son.

i still think 30 million to stay with detroit would of been a better move but moneyyyyy talksssss

 

[Habsawce]

You guys are funny. Mike Babcock is there for 5-6 years minimum. He signed a massive deal with no outs. He's there for the long haul and they've committed to trying it this way.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

He won't be fired within the next three years, they obviously know that their team is downright terrible right now and they won't be competitive until maybe his fifth year into his contract. They knew what to expect of their team from the very beginning, and that's a poor one.

We'll see. The crowds and media will get ugly. That honeymoon won't last five years I can tell you that. If he doesn't see results in year three, I think it will get very very ugly there.

 

[The Nightman]

Still can't figure out why Babcock took that job.

In the two games they've played us they've outplayed the crap out of us but they've got no talent on that roster. Why the hell would he go there? Just seems like a suicide mission to me. By they time they start to accumulate talent he'll get fired.

After the high pick the Leafs will inevitably get this season(Probably top 3), they won't be in such a terrible position in terms of young talent. Nylander and Brown are NHL ready but their management has chosen to be patient with them as there is no reason to rush them into such a terrible team.

They definitely need to improve that defence though, Rielly was amazing last night, Gardiner has been impressive to start the season but other than that it's utter garbage, and that's beginning with their captain.

 

[Runner77]

This is true. 50+ shots against a poor team seems a bit excessive even on the tail end of back-to-back nights, but hey, it's one off game, and we still won on our worst game of the season.

The team had played the worst period of the season on the prior game against Buffalo, by many accounts. Now, they probably played at their worst game this season against Toronto.

Of course, we'll take all of that for the outcomes that were had. No team is going to have a sustained record of dominance on every facet, over so many games.

A nice positive from yesterday's game -- 10 different Habs filled the scoresheet. I can't remember the start of a season when that type of contribution was possible. All of which allows the team to have a less than stellar night and still have a shot at winning.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

After the high pick the Leafs will inevitably get this season(Probably top 3), they won't be in such a terrible position in terms of young talent. Nylander and Brown are NHL ready but their management has chosen to be patient with them as there is no reason to rush them into such a terrible team.

They definitely need to improve that defence though, Rielly was amazing last night, Gardiner has been impressive to start the season but other than that it's utter garbage, and that's beginning with their captain.

If they got a good goalie then they'd have a little more leeway.

I agree they have some young talent but man, I don't think he has as much runway as some people do. The crowds in TO can turn ugly pretty quick.

 

[X66]

Still can't figure out why Babcock took that job.

In the two games they've played us they've outplayed the crap out of us but they've got no talent on that roster. Why the hell would he go there? Just seems like a suicide mission to me. By they time they start to accumulate talent he'll get fired.

He wants to help turn it around.

Leafs have VERY high octane skill that is in the system that could do wonders with this type of system. They're likely going to add another few nice building blocks in this draft. The good thing about most of the Leafs high skilled prospects is that they work very hard as well, not floaters so the team should be excited when they finally start making the jump over.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

He wants to help turn it around.

Leafs have VERY high octane skill that is in the system that could do wonders with this type of system. They're likely going to add another few nice building blocks in this draft. The good thing about most of the Leafs high skilled prospects is that they work very hard as well, not floaters so the team should be excited when they finally start making the jump over.

I don't see much skill on that team. Not now anyway. Reily looks good but they're going to need more than that.

 

[X66]

I don't see much skill on that team. Not now anyway. Reily looks good but they're going to need more than that.

I meant in the system.

On the current team, realistically, I can only see Rielly, Gardiner, JVR and Kadri as pieces they would keep moving forward.

The prospect pool though has a ton of skill, more skill than they've ever had, and they likely should add to that with their 2 potential 1st round picks this year and likely trade deadline acquisitions.

When Babcock got hired, one of the things he kept stressing was that they need to get Mark Hunter draft picks so he can draft as many players as he can; and I can see why, because in the world of Hockey, how many people have the knowledge and resources like Mark Hunter?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I meant in the system.

On the current team, realistically, I can only see Rielly, Gardiner, JVR and Kadri as pieces they would keep moving forward.

The prospect pool though has a ton of skill, more skill than they've ever had, and they likely should add to that with their 2 potential 1st round picks this year and likely trade deadline acquisitions.

When Babcock got hired, one of the things he kept stressing was that they need to get Mark Hunter draft picks so he can draft as many players as he can; and I can see why, because in the world of Hockey, how many people have the knowledge and resources like Mark Hunter?

Those prospects take time to assemble though. It's not like he walked into a situation where they were packed with talented young players/prospects like say... Edmonton. THAT would've made sense.

He joins a team that doesn't have much talent or prospects. It's going to take a while to get that team back in shape. Anyways, his choice. Maybe it will work out for him. He'd have been a hell of a lot better off going to Edmonton though. THAT would've been a great move.

 

[Nynja*]

Like others have said
Maybe he sees it as a challenge. If he fails, he still gets paid. If he succeeds, thats more proof that coaching matters a lot.

 

[sheed36]

I agree. Three years and he'll probably be gone.

So why go there to begin with?

I've only seen the Leafs two games against us and they looked great against us. There's very little talent over there. If he had a Carey Price it would be a different story but he's got two mediocre goalies with no real talent up front.

Again... why go there? Just doesn't make sense to me.

The money was the main reason plus he wanted to be the coach of "Canada's" team.

 

[Hackett]

Honestly i don't think a better goalie would change their record much unless it would be Price.

Yesterday we had 3 or 4 breakaways and point blank shots by guys like Subban. Can't allow that.

I don't think Bernier was that bad. Did he even gave a goal on our breakaways?

A better goalie could have push this game in OT but giving 2 goals with all the chances we had yesterday would have been Price level out of this league (or a failure by our offensive guys).

They need to drastically improve their defense too. It's not all about shots despite what the advanced stats guys are saying. When i was younger and we had Damphousse, Turgeon, Recchi, Koivu we often had more shots than the other team but our defense was so average we would still lose 5-4 or 4-3. And Tbo was not the only one to blame for that.

They are playing a good aggressive game and look good but you can't have so many defensive brain cramps in a game. The Eller's goal was all on their defense. There was like 3 guys trying to stop Chucky and nobody cared to just take a look at Eller. Subban's goal might have been weak but you can't just let Subban shots freely from this position. That was the 2nd time in the game Subban could shot from a good position can't ask the goalie to stop them all. Bernier is not the first nor the last goalie to look bad on a shot by Subban or Patch.

If it takes you Price to win then you are not really close. He is a top 5 draft pick and the best goalie. It's like us saying we would have a great offense with prime time Crosby. Those guys are hard to get.

Guys like Fleury, Luongo, Miller or Rask would not change their record much while still giving 3-4 breakaways and point blank slap shots from top player like Subban.

Bernier made some really good saves, especially in the first period.

But pacioretty is in his head. That shorty was one he should have had.

Going back to the season opener from 2014, I can think of 3 pacioretty goals off the top of my head that Bernier would like to have back.

 

[Wats]

I always felt Reimer played better vs Habs than Bernier. Surprised they never really try him anymore with all the consecutive losses against the Habs.

 

[greyboy67]

I disagree if we talk about standings. Those 18 points in 9 games will come handy if they go on a losing streak...

That's kind of obvious, isn't it? I'm talking about the streak as a topic of interest, one that's overly hyped by the media and fans.

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

I always felt Reimer played better vs Habs than Bernier. Surprised they never really try him anymore with all the consecutive losses against the Habs.

The stats bare that out, too. Reimer's numbers vs. the Habs are actually better than his career average. Bernier, not so much.

 

[Harry22]

He picked the Leafs for one reason. Money. They have no talent, no winning history in 50 years, etc.

 

[Rapala]

Bernier made some really good saves, especially in the first period.

But pacioretty is in his head. That shorty was one he should have had.

Going back to the season opener from 2014, I can think of 3 pacioretty goals off the top of my head that Bernier would like to have back.

Bernier made some saves but .815 won't cut it in a beer league.