News Article: Leafs' Offseason Report Card = B+

ottomaddox

Registered User
Oct 31, 2017
10,592
4,600
Toronto
Shameless ownership of incoherent assertions/notions doesn't change them into mic drop claims of fact.

So, no, you can't, and no, ya didn't.

No. You understood my post. There is nothing incoherent about it. I am not talking about facts either. It's just an opinion.
 

Voodoo Child

Registered User
Jun 16, 2009
6,317
2,408
The Leafs added Tavares for 11 mil, when they had JvR (7), Bozak (5) and Komarov (3) go out the door. Don't let other fan bases fool you; Komarov and Bozak are easily replaced internally, JvR stings a little but Tavares!

They traded Matt Martin (2.5) for zero retention.

In the draft they picked nine players including one with a first rounder, and in each of the first three rounds.

If that's a B+...just what the hell is an A?! Should they have gotten Karlsson for Liljegren and a first too?
 
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Morbo

The Annihilator
Jan 14, 2003
27,100
5,734
Toronto
The problem is that many of our key players are soft.

Do you really think that we lost a playoff series to BOS because of Roman Polak? Now that he and Martin are gone we will be a contender? Did you see how physical WSH, TBL, WPG and VGK were last playoffs?

We might have all the skill in the world, but that will dry up when the whistles go away in the post season.

you really think Polak and Martin are what this team needs? really?

Do you seriously think we lost a 7 game series to the bruins because we're "soft" and they're "tough"?

Polak was one of the biggest defensive problems on this team, and his so called toughness didn't help. neither he nor Martin made us tough or intimidating. It's a total myth.

the problems this team has have zero to do with "toughness".

I notice that despite being asked you can't seem to provide any ideas to fix this so called problem. Why is that?
 

namttebih

Registered User
Dec 11, 2010
4,778
912
East York
If Tavares is the best player to hit unrestricted free agency in a decade (?) and the Leafs manage to sign him, that is probably worth the B+ alone.

But I would have to agree that the glaring hole in the team was not addressed as of yet. If every fan on here could tell you that the defense is the weakest part with certainty, then maybe there is room for huge improvement and they don't deserve any higher of a grade.

The season hasn't started yet, but I'm not sure how many top 4 dmen are going to become available between now and the start of the season.
Which top 4 D men were moved though? The Calgary-Carolina trade involved two that we obviously didn't have the ammunition to get. CDH would be the obvious next one but how many other teams were attempting to get him? At that price tag you would think that we would have put our hat in it.

As the previous post stated, we signed OZ, we're hoping for a bounce back season from Zaits and Carrick and we now have 3 very good RHD prospects in the system.
 

ottomaddox

Registered User
Oct 31, 2017
10,592
4,600
Toronto
you really think Polak and Martin are what this team needs? really?

Do you seriously think we lost a 7 game series to the bruins because we're "soft" and they're "tough"?

Polak was one of the biggest defensive problems on this team, and his so called toughness didn't help. neither he nor Martin made us tough or intimidating. It's a total myth.

the problems this team has have zero to do with "toughness".

I notice that despite being asked you can't seem to provide any ideas to fix this so called problem. Why is that?

Because the judge, jury, and executioner have already done their bit.

I've already answered these questions in previous posts and I don't want to keep repeating myself.

Polak and Martin are not key players on any team and never were.
 

Morbo

The Annihilator
Jan 14, 2003
27,100
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Toronto
Because the judge, jury, and executioner have already done their bit.

no clue what this is supposed to mean.

I've already answered these questions in previous posts and I don't want to keep repeating myself.

sure, if "that's Dubas' cross to bear" can be considered an answer...which it can't.

Polak and Martin are not key players on any team and never were.

but they're super tough and we need them!!!
 

ottomaddox

Registered User
Oct 31, 2017
10,592
4,600
Toronto
no clue what this is supposed to mean.



sure, if "that's Dubas' cross to bear" can be considered an answer...which it can't.



but they're super tough and we need them!!!







No. That was not my point.

I think people are implying that Martin and Polak omissions are going to make us better.

My point is:

1. We are not tough period.
2. Polak is not important and never was.
3. Martin is not important and never was.

^Number 2 and 3 have nothing to do with point #1.

OUR KEY PLAYERS LACK TOUGHNESS!

POLAK AND MARTIN WERE NEVER KEY PLAYERS!

I am sorry for the capital letters, but I hate it when HFBoarders try to narrow you into some camp that they are opposed to. I am not in that camp so stop trying to put me there.

PS - Yes Kadri plays with some edge, but we need 2 or 3 more guys like him.
 

Morbo

The Annihilator
Jan 14, 2003
27,100
5,734
Toronto
No. That was not my point.

I think people are implying that Martin and Polak omissions are going to make us better.

What do you mean people are implying?? are you trying to say otherwise?

My point is:

1. We are not tough period.
2. Polak is not important and never was.
3. Martin is not important and never was.

^Number 2 and 3 have nothing to do with point #1.

OUR KEY PLAYERS LACK TOUGHNESS!

POLAK AND MARTIN WERE NEVER KEY PLAYERS!

I am sorry for the capital letters, but I hate it when HFBoarders try to narrow you into some camp that they are opposed to. I am not in that camp so stop trying to put me there.

PS - Yes Kadri plays with some edge, but we need 2 or 3 more guys like him.

I'm trying to bring you into the logic and consistency camp. Too bad, that's where I am.

First off, you still haven't provided any names for who will fix this. I'm not expecting any, either, but that's besides the point.

and again...toughness was not the issue against Boston. putting it in capital letters won't change anything.

Tampa beat Boston easily. they are a skill team, not a "tough" team. They won with speed and skill.
 

tmlfan98

No More Excuses #MarnerOut
Aug 13, 2012
2,046
977
Hockey's Mecca
Might be OT, but I really don't understand people arguing the loss of JVR, Bozak and Komarov might hurt. Even if you look at it from a simple goals perspective:

Tavares 37 goals > JVR 36 goals
Tyler Ennis 8 goals > Komarov 7 goals

The question then becomes, can Andreas Johnsson match Bozak's 11 goals from last year or even score 9 to match that group?

The Leafs might regress. :sarcasm:
 

ottomaddox

Registered User
Oct 31, 2017
10,592
4,600
Toronto
What do you mean people are implying?? are you trying to say otherwise?



I'm trying to bring you into the logic and consistency camp. Too bad, that's where I am.

First off, you still haven't provided any names for who will fix this. I'm not expecting any, either, but that's besides the point.

and again...toughness was not the issue against Boston. putting it in capital letters won't change anything.

Tampa beat Boston easily. they are a skill team, not a "tough" team. They won with speed and skill.

My logic is air tight.

I am consistent. In my opinion we are not tough.


I am not a GM, so I don't know who's available, who is in our system (Marlies, etc.), what other GMs are offering and for whom. I can't provide you with names. I can only comment on the current team.

Boston beat us with toughness. TOR got hemmed in their end quite a bit, Kadri got frustrated and suspended, Nylander got pretty shy whenever he was in BOS' zone, Matthews played a little tentative, Gardiner played ok up until game 7 where he wore down/made huge errors (-5).

The whistles were put away and TOR wasn't gritty enough to play through BOS' toughness.
 

Kubus

Registered User
Jun 22, 2014
803
31
The score of B+ is idiotic. Not because it's a B+, and not an A+, it's because there is not factual context. The article is all about a fantasy world, not based in reality. We can always talk about something a team is missing; however, if you are going to score moves you have to explain and show examples(real examples), of teams that got A+, A, B+, B.... Maybe nobody ever got a A+, so the B+ is a great score, we just don't know how this random grade works.

For example if team are scored based on the offseason, then the writer would have to provide us with which teams so far have an A+ or an A as an example. If for example you can score it based on history, then again we need to see what teams got an A+ to a C as examples to have a comparison.

The writer all he does is write about what is missing and throws a random grade. Without real world examples, it's idiotic at best.
 

Slyfox

Registered User
Dec 12, 2016
2,166
1,392
Toronto
Its our system that was exposed. Tampa easily beat Boston with skill and not toughness. We rely on stretch passes to exit the zone and they are largely ineffective. We need to move towards a system of short passes and controlled zone entries with speed not having our forwards stand at their blueline while our dmen throw passes from our blueline hoping to connect.
 
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Morbo

The Annihilator
Jan 14, 2003
27,100
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Toronto
My logic is air tight.

I am consistent. In my opinion we are not tough.


I am not a GM, so I don't know who's available, who is in our system (Marlies, etc.), what other GMs are offering and for whom. I can't provide you with names. I can only comment on the current team.

Boston beat us with toughness. TOR got hemmed in their end quite a bit, Kadri got frustrated and suspended, Nylander got pretty shy whenever he was in BOS' zone, Matthews played a little tentative, Gardiner played ok up until game 7 where he wore down/made huge errors (-5).

The whistles were put away and TOR wasn't gritty enough to play through BOS' toughness.

Oh lord.

Whistles were put away? We were dead last in time spent on the powerplay last season. The whistles were never taken out to begin with.

Boston beat us because the right side of our defence couldn't move the puck at all. Including your boy Polak who is among the worst I've ever seen at it. It had nothing to do with toughness and everything to do with hockey IQ and making a play out of our zone with control. And it still took them 7 games to beat us. Why? If toughness is so important, why did the series go 7?

you're welcome to your opinion on the series, but it is not supported by anything in reality and I don't apologize for challenging it.

As I suspected you can't come up with a single name to target or move to solve this huge toughness and grit problem we have. gee, that's weird.
 

ottomaddox

Registered User
Oct 31, 2017
10,592
4,600
Toronto
Oh lord.

Whistles were put away? We were dead last in time spent on the powerplay last season. The whistles were never taken out to begin with.

Boston beat us because the right side of our defence couldn't move the puck at all. Including your boy Polak who is among the worst I've ever seen at it. It had nothing to do with toughness and everything to do with hockey IQ and making a play out of our zone with control. And it still took them 7 games to beat us. Why? If toughness is so important, why did the series go 7?

you're welcome to your opinion on the series, but it is not supported by anything in reality and I don't apologize for challenging it.

As I suspected you can't come up with a single name to target or move to solve this huge toughness and grit problem we have. gee, that's weird.

We can't have a conversation because you keep stating that I like Polak.

I don't like him. He was never important and he never will be.
 

Morbo

The Annihilator
Jan 14, 2003
27,100
5,734
Toronto
we can't have a conversation because you won't actually address anything or back up your claims.
 

Cor

I am a bot
Jun 24, 2012
69,648
35,246
AEF
We didn't lose to Boston because of toughness, we lost because we either shut down Bergeron's line completely and won, or they dominated us and we lost. Unfortunatley, the latter happened 4 times, and the former just 3 times.

Kadri's toughness caused him to get suspended.
Matthews was injured
Gardiner had 1 poor period.

We simply weren't prepared defensively for the majority of the series. It had nothing to do with toughness.
 

Apollo Leaf

Registered User
Apr 8, 2010
962
53
Might be OT, but I really don't understand people arguing the loss of JVR, Bozak and Komarov might hurt. Even if you look at it from a simple goals perspective:

Tavares 37 goals > JVR 36 goals
Tyler Ennis 8 goals > Komarov 7 goals

The question then becomes, can Andreas Johnsson match Bozak's 11 goals from last year or even score 9 to match that group?

The Leafs might regress. :sarcasm:

Not to mention Kapanen will be playing full time, possibly adding another 10-20 goals.
 

Notsince67

Papi and the Lamplighters
Apr 27, 2018
15,854
11,052
No. That was not my point.

I think people are implying that Martin and Polak omissions are going to make us better.

My point is:

1. We are not tough period.
2. Polak is not important and never was.
3. Martin is not important and never was.

^Number 2 and 3 have nothing to do with point #1.

OUR KEY PLAYERS LACK TOUGHNESS!

POLAK AND MARTIN WERE NEVER KEY PLAYERS!

I am sorry for the capital letters, but I hate it when HFBoarders try to narrow you into some camp that they are opposed to. I am not in that camp so stop trying to put me there.

PS - Yes Kadri plays with some edge, but we need 2 or 3 more guys like him.
Marner is a thug :)
 

Morbo

The Annihilator
Jan 14, 2003
27,100
5,734
Toronto
I'm just not a General Manager like you.

Oh really, well you’re enough of an expert to apparently see that the big tough Bruins beat us around with grit...just not enough of one to back that up with anything more tangible than a Cherry intermission rant.

Cmon, no “power proposal” for this crippling roster issue? Not one??
 

ottomaddox

Registered User
Oct 31, 2017
10,592
4,600
Toronto
Oh really, well you’re enough of an expert to apparently see that the big tough Bruins beat us around with grit...just not enough of one to back that up with anything more tangible than a Cherry intermission rant.

Cmon, no “power proposal” for this crippling roster issue? Not one??

Again! Now I'm being associated with Cherry?!

This is what I'm talking about!

I criticize TOR's lack of toughness, therefore I love Don Cherry / Roman Polak / Matt Martin!

Did you watch the cup finals or do you just watch TOR ?
 

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