Leafs need more truculence!!!

[coupe93]

the best team in the league is Tampa, who are smaller and more skilled than the Leafs. why not emulate them instead of a bunch of teams that are worse than the Leafs?

Truculence doesn't necessarily mean size, it's not a direct correlation. Tucker, Corson Roberts, Kadri both Domi's to name a few were very truculent, but not necessarily large players.

TBays size is in their back end. Their forward group are not large, but obviously skilled. Their smallest Dman is Stralman. McDonagh and Girardi at 6'1" 215lbs, the rest are 6'3", 6'4". 6'5" and 6'6" all weighing over 215lbs.

 

[HellasLEAF]

If our boys played with that same intensity against the Bruins as they did tonight I can almost guarantee we would best them in a 7 gamer... problem is we are so inconsistent with that type of effort.

You don't have to big big and slow to play with intensity, you just gotta give a damn about every stinkin play/battle. They did tonight, and look at the result.

See that's the thing. We can't just turn it on and turn it off. We played Tampa well both times because we match up well with them. We don't match up well against heavier teams and it shows.

Truth is we would be better off getting Tampa in the playoffs I don't care what the standings say (over Beentown anyway)

 

[Loosie]

What i have increasingly noticed about this team is the lack of ability to create a cycle in the offensive zone, and lack of ability to stop one in the defensive zone. The only line we have that isn't a one and done rush line is the tavares line. We need a player like Tampa's Yanni Gourde who is skilled, skates well, plays smart, but also plays heavy in both ends.

On defense i think we should target Jake Muzzin. Tough to play against in the defensive zone, throws the body, good skater, good positioning but he can also make an outlet pass.

Say what you want about it being a new era, i agree you dont need to be 6'2 to make it in the league anymore but grit will always have a place in the game and that's why the leafs fold against teams like Boston.

There is a reason you are no longer employed as a GM Brian Burke....

 

[Zizzzzy]

I agree completely. We need to call up Tyler Biggs immediately!

 

[robertmac43]

lol.

how quickly you forget what the playoffs are all about

happens every year

I get the sentiment I just don't know if truculence would have gotten us past the B's last year. I would be okay with bringing in someone who is on the bigger end of things but it has to be someone who can also put in valuable minutes.

 

[dangomon]

I would gladly take Ritchie over Nylander. Wilson is also a rare talent, who teams who give a boatload for. These aren’t the best examples to use.

It’s open season on Leafs stars. They need to get a physical forward and 2 physical dmen, one of which can be a #7 guy.

The guy who has a few more points in his career than Nylander did in '17-18? ok ok ok ok ok ok sure sure sure I'm on board.

 

[Al14]

Don't forget belligerence and testosterone!

Hey, Kadri's testosterone levels are through the SBA roof since getting married. So, maybe high testosterone levels might actually hamper hockey performance!

 

[ACC1224]

The guy who has a few more points in his career than Nylander did in '17-18? ok ok ok ok ok ok sure sure sure I'm on board.

View attachment 177153

some go to extremes for attention, best not to give it to them.

I'd like them to pick up a heavy forward/defenseman or two but not sure who would come out of the lineup for their insertion.
Lindholm and Oz?

 

[dangomon]

some go to extremes for attention, best not to give it to them.

I'd like them to pick up a heavy forward/defenseman or two but not sure who would come out of the lineup for their insertion.
Lindholm and Oz?

Doubtful Lindholm would come out of the lineup. He really seems to have Babs trust, given he can kill penalties (more importantly he's out there to win face-offs on the PK). I don't see a spot in our forward group unless the player is established with enough skill to crack our top-9 and push someone else out (maybe in that same trade). Truculence on our 4th line will give us 8 minutes of inconsequential hitting each game.

 

[ACC1224]

Doubtful Lindholm would come out of the lineup. He really seems to have Babs trust, given he can kill penalties (more importantly he's out there to win face-offs on the PK). I don't see a spot in our forward group unless the player is established with enough skill to crack our top-9 and push someone else out (maybe in that same trade). Truculence on our 4th line will give us 8 minutes of inconsequential hitting each game.

Agreed, bit of a quandary.
I would love a Ferland for example but finding a spot for him would hurt.

Glad I don't have to make such decisions

 

[Muston Atthews]

Wilson over Rielly (2012)
Ritchie over Nylander (2014)
Crouse over Marner (2015)

YaY tRuCuLeNcE !!

Kadri, Lindholm, GOAT, Brown and Marleau either need to play more physical or be replaced by players who play a heavier, skilled game. If you’re not going to do much offensively on this team you need to bring something else.

We have absolutely no need for guys who play a “skilled game” and don’t produce. We have enough players who play finesse, we don’t need our bottom 6 playing soft as wel

 

[Muston Atthews]

the best team in the league is Tampa, who are smaller and more skilled than the Leafs. why not emulate them instead of a bunch of teams that are worse than the Leafs?

And even they pushed us around last night. 4-2 game with time dwindling and Hedman crushed Hyman behind the bolts net and jousts with him. That’s just one example.

 

[Muston Atthews]

I agree completely. We need to call up Tyler Biggs immediately!

Because there’s no players in the league that play a physical game in their respective bottom 6

 

[Morbo]

Let's not forget pugnacity.

 

[Lainehasaweirdface]

I get the sentiment I just don't know if truculence would have gotten us past the B's last year. I would be okay with bringing in someone who is on the bigger end of things but it has to be someone who can also put in valuable minutes.

This is exactly what I'm saying, and it doesn't even have to be a bigger guy, just someone who can skate, chip in offensively, and not get bullied on the boards.

 

[Lainehasaweirdface]

Agreed, bit of a quandary.
I would love a Ferland for example but finding a spot for him would hurt.

Glad I don't have to make such decisions

Ferland would be perfect and don't forget we'd probably have to give up one of Kappy or Johnson to get him so that opens a spot. I'd probably try to go Johnson, 2019 1st, plus for Ferland and one of Hamilton/De Haan/Pesce.

 

[robertmac43]

This is exactly what I'm saying, and it doesn't even have to be a bigger guy, just someone who can skate, chip in offensively, and not get bullied on the boards.

Preferably not a liability in the D-zone either

 

[JT AM da real deal]

If we end up playing Boston in 1st round answer yes. If it is Tampa no. It really depends on team we are playing what we need. We could get McQuaid and Bieksa and then they play 1st round against Boston and sit 2nd round against Tampa and play again 3rd round against Washington.

 

[Menzinger]

See that's the thing. We can't just turn it on and turn it off. We played Tampa well both times because we match up well with them. We don't match up well against heavier teams and it shows.

Truth is we would be better off getting Tampa in the playoffs I don't care what the standings say (over Beentown anyway)

I do think that this truth to this, the leafs are able to play more of their preferred strategies when the ice is more open like it would be against teams like Tampa. Boston is really the only team that really clogs leafs guys up. But even then, they needed Andersen playing like garbage last year (and the Leafs pp running dry/pk turning to garbage) to edge out the win.

 

[Menzinger]

I sometimes wonder if some folks really would prefer to go back to the Nonis/Carlyle era of running Fraiser/Orr/Mclaren every night

 

[dubey]

I would gladly take Ritchie over Nylander. Wilson is also a rare talent, who teams who give a boatload for.

lol

I hope you never wonder why you don't work in the NHL

 

[coupe93]

I sometimes wonder if some folks really would prefer to go back to the Nonis/Carlyle era of running Fraiser/Orr/Mclaren every night

Funny, I think some folk have a preconceived notion of what's actually being discussed.

 

[Trapper]

Funny, I think some folk have a preconceived notion of what's actually been suggested.

I fail to see how any player that plays the game like Gallagher is remotely comparable to Orr/McLaren.

 

[IBeL34f]

We need patience. That's it, that's all.

When our core players are all 25-30, we'll look as good or better than all the other teams whose cores are currently 25-30.
(For example, the average age of Tampa's main contributors - players putting up 0.5PPG or more - is 2.5 years older than that of the Leafs' top producers.)

All of the teams people want to try and emulate have been together longer than we have, have been in the League longer than we have, and have been working towards their goals longer than we have. In the meantime, we've been developing one of the top young cores in the League, and have quickly become one of the top teams in the NHL.

I don't think that means Dubas necessarily just sits on his hands and waits for his team to win him a Cup - But all of this urgency that fans are feeling for the team to immediately turn around all of their problems is completely counterintuitive to how our management team has discussed their building model and philosophy, and falls entirely back in line with the post-lockout era Leafs that we fans have spent the last 10 years trying to get out of.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - For how many Leafs fans insisted that we had the patience to endure a proper 'Draft & Develop' rebuild, we're constantly proving the opposite to be true now that we're actually seeing what that process looks like.

 

[ACC1224]

Funny, I think some folk have a preconceived notion of what's actually being discussed.

No one that I've seen has ever suggested adding a player like that.
I don't understand why people try and prove some non-existent point.