Post-Game Talk: Leafs stomp Mcjesus

deletethis

Registered User
Mar 17, 2015
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That Marleau breakaway splitting two flat footed Oilers' defenders (Larsson and someone else) may have scared me straight from the thought of poaching a defenseman from Edmonton.
 
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Zizzzzy

Registered User
Dec 6, 2017
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Are you at all aware of the cap constraints? above 2.5MM and we likely have to trade him

As much as it would suck to lose either player because we cant fit the cap, its not like they just walk for nothing. If they increase their value to the point we cannot fit them, then we still retain that value if appropriate moves are made.

AJ signed a 1 year "Show me" contract. Not shocking at all that he wouldn't want to sign mid season while his numbers are spiking.
 

kb

Registered User
Aug 28, 2009
15,200
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While Kadri is out I'd still honestly rather go with Matthew-Naylander and have Marleau fill in the 3rd line center role.

I want either Johnsson-Matthews-Nylander or Kapanen-Matthews-Nylander.
Looking pretty good as is though. Nylander is making that third line a scoring option even playing with Brown and Marleau. Plays just die on Marleau's stick, which is to be expected, the hands usually go first.
 

Jack Bauer

Registered User
May 30, 2007
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Misery loves company

Yup.

It's funny how NHL fans obsess over how to become good. Talk about it endlessly. Almost always see the path to success as through the draft. On the way to losing for the high draft picks whine about the pain, the losing, the mistakes from the youth....but when they finally turn that corner and become a top 5 team...only a small % of those people actually seem to enjoy the success.

I sat down last night and enjoyed the hell out of beating that Oilers team. I'm glad amazing players are stuck in a bad situation that for once is not my teams situation.

As we rolled out 4 lines and a dominant PP with production from vets and youth alike and Freddy did his usual "Vezina caliber" performance it was business as usual and actually is starting to feel comfortable after so many years of losing.

And those who I talked about earlier will read this and mock me and go on about Boston/Tampa and how we're still so bad without even realizing you can be a top 5 team and enjoy the ride and let things like the playoffs unfold as they will because enjoying these wins doesn't mean you need to worry any more or less about the future. This is the now. Breathe it in. Enjoy it. It won't always be like this. And arguably never has been before in almost any of our life times.
 

kb

Registered User
Aug 28, 2009
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As much as it would suck to lose either player because we cant fit the cap, its not like they just walk for nothing. If they increase their value to the point we cannot fit them, then we still retain that value if appropriate moves are made.

AJ signed a 1 year "Show me" contract. Not shocking at all that he wouldn't want to sign mid season while his numbers are spiking.
I made up a mock lineup in another thread that game Marner $9.5 million, KK and AJ bridge deals at $3.25, and kept Marleau and Zaitsev (But traded Kadri/Brown for Pesce or Manson), and it managed to come in under an $85 million dollar cap. If they could move Marleau without taking back salary, they are in pretty darn good shape actually - depending on what the cap is finally set at.
 
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Jack Bauer

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May 30, 2007
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As much as it would suck to lose either player because we cant fit the cap, its not like they just walk for nothing. If they increase their value to the point we cannot fit them, then we still retain that value if appropriate moves are made.

AJ signed a 1 year "Show me" contract. Not shocking at all that he wouldn't want to sign mid season while his numbers are spiking.

Exactly.

Taking those mid-tiered guys and moving them for younger/cheaper assets is how you manage the cap. If a Johnsson is worth say $4.5 million after a breakout season then that value translates very well into picks and prospects as a player with years of control left.

It's never been about keeping every single player we draft and develop. It's about a pipeline of talent that eventually strikes it big. Tampa's currently being led by 2nd/3rd rounders they've developed just as much as the 1st and 2nd overalls
 

Zizzzzy

Registered User
Dec 6, 2017
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That should be embarrassing to Leaf fans. There should be more posts after a win than a loss.

I think a lot of people like me jumped into the Dermott injury thread and didn't spend as much time in the post game thread.
 

Notsince67

Papi and the Lamplighters
Apr 27, 2018
15,854
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As much as it would suck to lose either player because we cant fit the cap, its not like they just walk for nothing. If they increase their value to the point we cannot fit them, then we still retain that value if appropriate moves are made.

AJ signed a 1 year "Show me" contract. Not shocking at all that he wouldn't want to sign mid season while his numbers are spiking.
Right...and we have a very hard cap where .5mm can make a difference
 
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Zizzzzy

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Dec 6, 2017
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Looking pretty good as is though. Nylander is making that third line a scoring option even playing with Brown and Marleau. Plays just die on Marleau's stick, which is to be expected, the hands usually go first.

I don't disagree lines look good right now, but Nylander starting late this year forced us to "settle" and we've dumped two years of Chemistry with Matthews-Nylander because he wasn't up to speed yet when the "chance" was given game 1 which was bound to fail.

Kapanen is doing great and I have absolutely no concerns with his play, but I don't think Nylander is the better winger for Matthews if having to choose between the two.... and I think we are handicapping ourselves by not giving that line time to get going again before the playoffs.
 
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kb

Registered User
Aug 28, 2009
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I don't disagree lines look good right now, but Nylander starting late this year forced us to "settle" and we've dumped two years of Chemistry with Matthews-Nylander because he wasn't up to speed yet when the "chance" was given game 1 which was bound to fail.

Kapanen is doing great and I have absolutely no concerns with his play, but I don't think Nylander is the better winger for Matthews if having to choose between the two.... and I think we are handicapping ourselves by not giving that line time to get going again before the playoffs.
It will all depend on the health of Kadri. But here is the thing. Babcock wasn't playing Nylander with Matthews prior to the injury save for a period here and there. Nylander was playing on the third line. So we were in a sense "settling" before Kadri got hurt. Nylander is making Marleau and Brown look good right now, and actually looking like a line that is a viable 3rd option. If Nylander goes up to the first line, Kadri is left with Marleau and Brown, neither of whom can do much with the puck anymore. I fear that the opposition will key on the top-2 lines and be able to shut them down that way. And this would arguably make the Leafs more of a top-6/bottom-6 team, which is exactly what they don't want.
 

ACC1224

Super Elite, Passing ALL Tests since 2002
Aug 19, 2002
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I don't think this is exclusive to Leafs fans, I think it's more of a human thing to have more to say in times of frustration than contentment.
There is definitely more to discuss after a loss, seems rather obvious
 

Throw More Waffles

Unprecedented Dramatic Overpayments
Oct 9, 2015
12,889
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Also, 8 pages after a win, eh? I'm pretty sure we reach 8 pages after a loss in less than 10 minutes.

A loss creates debate for what could be changed next game.
“Defensive pairings should be switched next game.”
“Nylander shuld move up to Matthews wing.”
“Moore should be in the lineup.”
“PP lines should be shuffled.”

A lop sided win like that creates more of a “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” mentality.
Other than a few “good game” comments, there isn’t much else to say.
 
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Sniper99

Registered User
Jan 12, 2011
12,408
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Edmonton
That Marleau breakaway splitting two flat footed Oilers' defenders (Larsson and someone else) may have scared me straight from the thought of poaching a defenseman from Edmonton.
As a guy who lives here in Edmonton, I dont think you'd want any of these dmen but Nurse and Bouchard down the road.

Klefbom=band aid but alright when he stays healthy.
Sekera=pfffft has barely played in what 2 years due to injury
Larsson= (still cant believe thats all the Oilers got back for Hall) meh I suppose he might be the next guy after Nurse.
Benning=pass
Petrovic pass.
 

Duffman955

Registered User
Mar 4, 2010
14,612
3,891
Let's get this straight, every single poster here loves the leafs.

We dont spend thousands of dollars on the leafs every year if we didnt. Every single person wants this team to succeed.

When we do succeed, there often isn't too much to discuss. Which leads to shorter pgt
 
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SprDaVE

Moderator
Sep 20, 2008
51,545
32,304
A loss creates debate for what could be changed next game.
“Defensive pairings should be switched next game.”
“Nylander shuld move up to Matthews wing.”
“Moore should be in the lineup.”
“PP lines should be shuffled.”

A lop sided win like that creates more of a “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” mentality.
Other than a few “good game” comments, there isn’t much else to say.

Or people complaining about the contracts.
 
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stuart5035

Registered User
Apr 9, 2017
328
338
Eh, you'd have my support. Bring back a 120 year old Bob Cole over this garbage.
Until now I never noticed problems with him.

But now I’ve seen the light-I couldn’t believe his comments when it was 6-1 that Anderson’s fine saves in the first period were the key to the result. What game did he watch?
 

stuart5035

Registered User
Apr 9, 2017
328
338
I still can’t believe our team will not stick up for each other what happens when Matthew gets it ☹️
Interesting issue

I heard that Dubas envisions the Leafs as being “ahead of the curve”, or the “team of the 2020’s” in that the whole league will focus on speed and skill, fighting will be gone, hits fewer etc. He is just ahead of the inevitable, he is claiming.

And that certainly has held true,,we have gotten smaller this year (zjohnsson, Moore, Ennis and that new guy at the deadline -forget his name), while others have gotten bigger and meaner (I.e. Winnipeg gets Hayes, Boston gets Coyle etc.)

I hope he’s right, but have to be wondering, in the recent past we’ve lost Dermott, Kadri, Johnsson to big hits (and astoundingly, no payback in any case).

As you say, is Matthews or worse, Anderson next. It’s fine to beat them with your power play and field a clean playing lineup, but are other teams taking runs with no fear of retribution (which is the rumour?) and it seems Dubas will not bend and even use one roster spot for someone the opposition would fear.

Playoffs coming, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out
 

Morbo

The Annihilator
Jan 14, 2003
27,100
5,734
Toronto
Good win for the Leafs, but I still think Tampa, Boston, and Washington are better suited to good deeper into the playoffs.

Leafs goaltending and overall team toughness are still major issues.

yeah we're aware of what HFBoards thinks

goaltending I haven't heard in a while though
 

Jack Bauer

Registered User
May 30, 2007
6,154
743
Cape Breton
Be real, you have never played sports have you?

This is where the "pro-fighting" crowd instantly takes this discussion for some reason.

Not having played the sport at a certain level doesn't mean you can't be against fighting as a payback for a clean hit or in this case an injury nobody even seems to know when or how it happened.

Maybe you're busy playing the sport and not seeing how radically different it is from just 5 years ago and not even close to what it was 10 years ago. And barely the same sport as 15 years ago when hits getting people into the Hall of Fame are now deemed head hunting and illegal.

What would having a tough guy or team of them done to help Jake Gardiner or Dermott?

Or does someone who has never played at a high level need to start naming off all the injuries caused by trying to stick up for people? Or the embarrassing incidents such as Bertuzzi's and McSorley's that came from trying to get retribution for essentially initial incidents that were really nothing when viewed in hindsight?

We're down to a handful of rats in a league that used to be polluted with them. Fighting, hitting but also head injuries and long term injuries overall have never been fewer then in this NHL right now that is faster and more entertaining then it has been in over 25 years.
 

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