Post-Game Talk: Leafs Lose 6-2 | Happy St. Patrick's Day I guess

[DylanSensFan]

Fire Babcock and waive Sparks

You're gonna fire the best coach in the league? Alright, we will hire him then. What is with Toronto Maple Leaf fans? You don't know how good you've got it.

 

[BertCorbeau]

The players are sure playing like they know they can be world beaters "when they want" and that they're locked into the playoffs, so there isn't much of a point in trying.

Unless they sharpen up, this won't end well.

 

[MSZ]

You're gonna fire the best coach in the league? Alright, we will hire him then. What is with Toronto Maple Leaf fans? You don't know how good you've got it.

Barry Trotz is the best coach in the league.

 

[Bomber0104]

You're gonna fire the best coach in the league? Alright, we will hire him then. What is with Toronto Maple Leaf fans? You don't know how good you've got it.

Really though..

What's really embarrassing is no one can even make an intelligent criticism about the guy either.

But I guess if he's the lightning rod for the complainers in our fanbase, I can think of no one better suited to handle it than Babs.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Really though..

What's really embarrassing is no one can even make an intelligent criticism about the guy either.

But I guess if he's the lightning rod for the complainers in our fanbase, I can think of no one better suited to handle it than Babs.

How about our defensive play has not really improved since he got here? Watch us again get lit up by Boston in the playoffs. Would be 3 straight years of 3+ goals against average in the playoffs. Our defensive play has gotten worse as the season went on too.

 

[56 Years No Cup]

Bravo! Dubas won't last unless he's willing to adjust " The Process" and brings in the right supporting players. This shinny hockey, poke check and flybys won't get it done. Where's the heart?

Wonderful players, wrong composition. Hrudey's comments were spot on.

Is there a video of this somewhere? I'd like to see it.

 

[DylanSensFan]

Barry Trotz is the best coach in the league.

Touche. I don't think you have a coaching problem however.

 

[Bomber0104]

How about our defensive play has not really improved since he got here? Watch us again get lit up by Boston in the playoffs. Would be 3 straight years of 3+ goals against average in the playoffs. Our defensive play has gotten worse as the season went on too.

Have we gotten better defensive players on the team over that time? Are the players on the team willing to play better defensively?

These are the actual questions you should be asking.

And the answer is a resounding no to both, by the way.

 

[theTTC]

Yup

That's the most troubling part for me.

Probably just a coincidence, but things seemed to start to turn when a certain type of personality returned to the team.

No coincidence, just look at the only stat that counts: we are 11th in the eastern conference since that "return".

 

[Suntouchable13]

Have we gotten better defensive players on the team over that time? Are the players on the team willing to play better defensively?

These are the actual questions you should be asking.

And the answer is a resounding no to both, by the way.

We have seen worse teams play better d than this team. The Isles have an inferior roster but their coach gets them to play with much better structure

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

How about our defensive play has not really improved since he got here? Watch us again get lit up by Boston in the playoffs. Would be 3 straight years of 3+ goals against average in the playoffs. Our defensive play has gotten worse as the season went on too.

improved? it keeps getting worse
2016: 25.73 scoring chances against/60
2017: 27.4 scoring chances against/60
2018: 28.6 scoring chances against/60
I'd love to know how our defense keeps performing worse as our roster gets stronger, if our coaches are doing such a bang up job

 

[Bomber0104]

We have seen worse teams play better d than this team. The Isles have an inferior roster but their coach gets them to play with much better structure

Again, are they better defensive players by default or are they willing to change their game to play defence?

Sorry, but you can't make chicken salad out of chicken feathers.

 

[PromisedLand]

After cooling off i’ve come to the conclusion that it is more important to rest some key players than go for 2nd in the division and home ice.

Rest
- Marleau
- Hainsey
- Zaitsev
- Rielly
- Few games for JT and may be Marner
- Hyman and Brown rotate them
And the f course
Rest Freddie

Time to be smart. No point in trying to reach for home ice and the be exhausted come playoff time

 

[MarnerElite]

He'll be gone after this season or next if this team doesn't produce in the playoffs. Keep dreaming.

Well yeah i mean by that time it'll be his what 5th season i guess? Dubas will say that he believes in the roster so he'll make the change more likely at that time..

I still don't think coaching makes a huge difference especially if your roster if flawed but anyways...If they keep this roster the same i don't think anything changes. Strange thing is that it's not like they need to make some major changes to their core either..What i'd like to see is guys like Brown, Johnsson, Kadri, Marleau gone for more muscle and grit..They don't need to be big guys if they actually play big and can win majority of their battles and play that in your face game...But with guys above i literally have no clue what they offer(aside from a lot of what we already have..some skill, speed, work ethic(largely useless because nothing happens)...Give me bunch of Hyman types(with a bit better playmaking) to replace those above and i'd quit as a coach if the team isn't much much better at creating and making things difficult for opponents..Also on D we need Dermott back very badly and to a lesser extent Jake Gardiner although i'd look to get either Rosen, Sandin, etc up here as soon as they are ready because Jake's time here is most likely coming to an end.

 

[GardinerTheForward]

 

[RLF]

No but you have to start chipping away at the issues 1 at a time.

Break things down as a unit before it becomes the sum of the parts.

D + G. You need about 25-27 million cap for this.

Rielly (5) ... *RHD (4-5) a forward trade
Muzzin (4) ... are you changing Zaitsev? (4)
Dermott (800K) ... Lily (800k) first look
Xtra

Andersen (5)
Backup (1)

You need the quality of 3/4 at the top to protect and allow the bottom to grow safely and move up slowly. It’s going to take a forward to bring in the partner for Rielly.
It might take something like the summer Calgary/Carolina trade.

One at a time yes. But moving Kappy or AJ removes some of the little heart we seem to have. One step forward and one step back.
Let's look at he composition of the team. Look at what elements we lack. And make sure we only move a piece that can bring in a piece where we lack is what I am saying. I don't care what stats some want to show me about how effective some guys are...We need to manage the cap and develop a "team", not a bunch of individuals with nice stats.

 

[hockeyes]

Again, are they better defensive players by default or are they willing to change their game to play defence?

Sorry, but you can't make chicken salad out of chicken feathers.

Basic Defense isn't hard, being good at it is. The Leafs don't need to be good at it, they just need to not be terrible. That basic level comes from coaching and the system the players are told to play and how they are taught, that is the issue. If the Leafs were getting scored on because they are continually out muscled and losing 1on1 battles, yea you can blame the players. That isn't what is happening though, nobody is in the right positions to even get beat and it happens to every single line and pairing.

 

[Clark4Ever]

Well this was the week from hell.

Nowhere to go but up I hope.

 

[WilliamNylander]

You're gonna fire the best coach in the league? Alright, we will hire him then. What is with Toronto Maple Leaf fans? You don't know how good you've got it.

He is a below average coach by almost all metrics

 

[Funk21]

You're gonna fire the best coach in the league? Alright, we will hire him then. What is with Toronto Maple Leaf fans? You don't know how good you've got it.

Babcock hasn’t been the best coach in the league for a while, he got schooled last spring by the Bruins coach, Cooper and Trotz IMO are better.

Look when you have had crap anything looks better but make no mistake about it Babcock has his shortcomings.

 

[Bomber0104]

Basic Defense isn't hard, being good at it is. The Leafs don't need to be good at it, they just need to not be terrible. That basic level comes from coaching and the system the players are told to play and how they are taught, that is the issue. If the Leafs were getting scored on because they are continually out muscled and losing 1on1 battles, yea you can blame the players. That isn't what is happening though, nobody is in the right positions to even get beat and it happens to every single line and pairing.

We've seen some bad positioning and coverage, no doubt.

You believe Babcock instructs our players to stand around, get caught flat-footed, and puck watch? Does he tell our defence to both chase a guy into a corner leaving a man out front?

Just trying to get a read on where you stand between the whole coaching vs. player execution thing...

 

[Bomber0104]

He is a below average coach by almost all metrics

An opinion isn't a metric.

 

[IPS]

Missing 2 of 3 PMDs on the team is really, really starting to bite us. It would be bad enough if they were a pairing, but the fact theyre disrupting 2 pairings is awful.

Aside from Rielly, no one on our D can move or pass the puck out with consistency. 35 minutes a night we're at a disadvantage and our forwards cant cover it.

It really hurts that Rosen is also injured. At this point I would consider bringing one of Sandin or Liljegren up. Something needs to change. We cant move the puck and its killing us.

We are, but I'm inclined to believe this would have happened anyway.

Andersen has exited god-mode and our team is being exposed as the unstructured mess it is. We had trouble moving the puck even with Gardiner and Dermott in the lineup because our stretch pass system is stupid.

 

[WilliamNylander]

An opinion isn't a metric.

You need to do some research. Its not just opinions.

 

[crump]

Sens Goals: Feel free to explain these to me....

#1. Somehow a 4 on 3 in Leafs favour turned into a 4 on 2 in the Sens favour ( bad line change, Marner does a fly by blowing the zone or to the bench, Rielly's defense partner is nowhere to be seen...Tavares was the only forward back with him.) Codi Ceci, totally uncovered, walks in and snipes an Art Ross candidate style top corner bullet.

#2. Leafs hemmed in there own zone, point shot gets through Sparks lets out a 15 foot rebound, instead of clearing the puck or taking the man out with a body check, Kadri stick checks (get used to this term) Gibbons who falls on his own but hacks a falling backhand through the glorious open hole of Sparks. Hainsey glides in from the point for some reason to witness the carnage, while Rielly just stood in front of Sparks waving his stick, apparently celebrating the cheap front row seat he has to the action on the ice.

#3. Bad pinch at Sens blueline leaves Holl going nowhere quickly on the apparent hamster wheel that magically appeared under his legs, the ensuing 3 on 1 leaves Rielly on his own to do the stick check thing, while Kadri, Marleau and Brown get their aerobic workout for the night watching the rear ends of the Sens pounce on a defenceless Sparks...oh the shot? another Art Ross quality snipe by Paajarvi who somehow has disappeared for 8 years until tonight.

#4. see number #3 rinse repeat, this time Holl brings up the rear again while Marincin practices his stick checking skills on the air. Paajarvi goes bar and in to add to his votes for art ross for award for goals in different uniforms that lead to false hope for the next decade.

#5 Hey, Leafs have all the bodies back this time, good shape right? Well Sparks sees a point shot coming and decides to leave to crease to save it from hitting the boards apparently. Puck rebounds out to the opposite side of the net and 11 million dollar man Matthews attempts a stick check, leaves his man wide open for an easy tap-in to a yawning cage for Duclair ($650,000). (sorry about the salary reference..but it seems like a relevant point for these two teams on this night)

#6. 2 on 1 for the Sens against Matthews line, Holl is lone man back. That's probably all you need to know, except Sparks saves the shot, but leaves a juicy rebound out. Surely someone is hustling back to break up the play? Oh Nylander, god bless him and his speed...yes he is there just in time for a stick check, but wait, there's Hainsey third man back...stick check...goal.

I had to review these goals to see why we sucked so badly. Holl and Haisey had abysmal nights, somehow found themselves on the ice together a few times. Everyone was guilty of simple stick checks where if you take the man out with a simple body check, they don't become available as easily. Beaten to the puck, odd man rushes everywhere. Sparks horrid rebound control and losing his net also contributed on 3 goals.

OK feel a little better now.(OK not much better)

Pray that this is late season swoon, "made the playoffs" apathy, even if it's subconscious which I believe is a thing. Pray that Dermott comes back. Pray Rosen gets called up. Pray Gardiner visits Lordes (edit: Lourdes not the singer Lordes...actually maybe both). Pray Andersen gets enough rest for a reboot.