Pre-Game Talk: Leafs vs Bruins- teams needs to play better.

[Vaive50]

Let the kids rack up the points and then trade one of them for a defenseman.[/QUOTE]

Why do so many people think that simply adding a top Dman, even if it's a stud Dman will improve the Leafs game to the SC level. Look what's happening with Erik Karlson in San Jose. We've got Reilly and even Gardiner has stopped goofing up so much (which makes him a pretty good Dman) and Dermott is top 4. Keep our kids and simply work on improving the teams overall defensive game. Be sure all of our forwards play a 200 foot game.

 

[Coachcorner]

We bout to slam the door these fools faces, real hard! They ain't even got the players right now to do it! Bergeron and others is out, like mother! We rock the earth, have the money, the power and the talent. This is game over already. They ain't got no chance, this be ours, the points I means. We that treal one, they is losers with the B capital. Big one losers. We have the puck all the time and we score.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Nylander will help Kadri. Kadri is more of a finisher and he needs someone who can help him gain entry. Brown is a good compliment if he plays like he did in 3rd last night. Finally I saw some fight in him in 3rd. When he plays like he did his rookie year he is in my top 9 all day every day and twice on sundays. But this season he has taken too many games off. Flashes here and there. I think Babs told him if he didn't pick it up he would sit him in press box.

 

[Puckstuff]

I can't wait until Grundstrom replaces 6.5 million a year Marleau

 

[ShaneFalco]

We've had no answer whatsoever for their top line

 

[Leaf4Life]

We've had no answer whatsoever for their top line

True, but neither does most of the rest of the league ...

 

[ponder]

We’re healthy, they’re missing Bergeron and Chara, this SHOULD be a win. However, the Bruins are always a tough matchup for us, injuries or not.

Hope we find a way to limit Pasta, he always torches us. I’ll be happy if we can keep him to 1 goal. There’s a good chance we play the Bruins in the playoffs, finding a way to stop Pasta will be key.

 

[crump]

So...a hat-trick for Pastrnak or just two goals. Seriously just sit on the guy.

 

[Nalens Oga]

If the boys play like they played in the third, we can beat any team in the league. As Babs said earlier in the year, we have to keep putting the work in along with the talent.

Babcock is all talk. This team never plays the full 60. I know every team will have some score effects going against them and will get hemmed in sometime but the Leafs pretty much always have a 10-20 minute stretch they take off every game, sometime more.

 

[Bluelines]

It was probably Sparks that caused it

Not possible, we all know nothing hits Sparks, anything headed in his direction always gest past him.

 

[LeafingTheWay]

Why do so many people think that simply adding a top Dman, even if it's a stud Dman will improve the Leafs game to the SC level. Look what's happening with Erik Karlson in San Jose. We've got Reilly and even Gardiner has stopped goofing up so much (which makes him a pretty good Dman) and Dermott is top 4. Keep our kids and simply work on improving the teams overall defensive game. Be sure all of our forwards play a 200 foot game.

I agree with you half your points. Keep improving the team's overall defensive game internally. Forwards especially need to improve defensively and finish checks (But stay to our strengths of being a fast paced team). But the issue right now with our D is Hainsey and Zaitsev. They both play completely opposite game styles to the rest of the team. We need strong transition D (I.e Rielly, Gardiner, Dermott, and to a lesser extent Ozhiganov), and not bad transition D (I.e Zaitsev, Hainsey, etc). I'm proud of Dubas because he hasn't signed, resigned or traded for any below-average transition D yet (Let go Polak, Bozak, Komarov, Martin, etc.). But he needs to get rid of Zaitsev and Hainsey, and then replace them with more efficient players.

Also, there's nothing bad about acquiring Erik Karlsson? He's still killing it, even without the points. His pair leads the team in CF% (possession play), xGF% (expected goals play), GF%, etc. His PDO is 95 and on-ice sh% is very behind the league/team-average. His production will come along soon, as he's been unlucky (as you see with that PDO).

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I assume we are going to have a real goalie in net tomorrow so this should be a win

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I can't wait until Grundstrom replaces 6.5 million a year Marleau

The hate for Marleau is ridiculous

 

[Kiwi]

I assume we are going to have a real goalie in net tomorrow so this should be a win

Sparks has his flaws but let's not pretend the whole team has been good recently, Andersen has been covering up a lot of flaws with his Vezena like season

The hate for Marleau is ridiculous

Fine person, great career

That doesn't mean however he's worth his cap hit or particularly good anymore, he just can't help drive play, he's just leeching off and dragging down his linemates now

 

[Suntouchable13]

Sparks has his flaws but let's not pretend the whole team has been good recently, Andersen has been covering up a lot of flaws with his Vezena like season



Fine person, great career

That doesn't mean however he's worth his cap hit or particularly good anymore, he just can't help drive play, he's just leeching off and dragging down his linemates now

I think Marleau is an example of how you shouldn't sign 35+ players to more than 1 year. He sucked this season. I don't think there was a huge need to overpay him. The good thing about the big contracts the kids will get is that it will prevent the Leafs from signing mediocre UFAs to big deals in the future.

 

[Warden of the North]

Hope our boys realize that this is a contact game and they make sure Ratchand and Pasternck spend the game on their asses.

Dermott seems to be going out of his way to play more physical, I got my money on him railroading Ratchand into the ice.

Kadri take out Pasternack ... pullllllleeeeesssseeee.

Funny joke I heard Marchand tell an interviewer he said one of the Habs told Marchand ..... He said Marchand is the only guy in the league that can smoke in the shower and not get the cigarette wet...

LOL look at him embrace his inner rat...

Id rather them score goals, to be honest

 

[Puckstuff]

The hate for Marleau is ridiculous

Hate is a strong word, but not worth the contract? Yes. People are generally measured up to their salary, whether you are a CEO, Salesmen or hockey player. Marleau is definitely not a top 6 player, and paid 6.5 million. Not his fault, but definitely over paid.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

The hate for Marleau is ridiculous

Says the guy who wants to punch Sparks in the face for losing a game

 

[Kiwi]

I think Marleau is an example of how you shouldn't sign 35+ players to more than 1 year. He sucked this season. I don't think there was a huge need to overpay him. The good thing about the big contracts the kids will get is that it will prevent the Leafs from signing mediocre UFAs to big deals in the future.

Yeah if this is the 2nd year of this contract I cringe when I think of next season, it's a young man's game and I'd be reticent to give most UFA'S longish big money deals

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Hate is a strong word, but not worth the contract? Yes. People are generally measured up to their salary, whether you are a CEO, Salesmen or hockey player. Marleau is definitely not a top 6 player, and paid 6.5 million. Not his fault, but definitely over paid.

Marleau is absolutely a top 6 player, maybe not in Toronto because our depth is ridiculous but in general? yes he is

 

[Nalens Oga]

No he's not. If he doesn't look like a top six player with Auston Matthews or Nazim Kadri then he's not a top six player. Look at Matthews stats with and without Marleau, look at Marleau's metrics with how many chances are created vs against the Leafs when he's on the ice.....he's not a good player.

Jarome Iginla put up 29 goals in his 2nd last season on the Avs by getting premium ice-time and then fell off a cliff when it was taken away. It doesn't change the fact that Iginla was a useless 5 on 5 player at that point in his career as Marleau has become now at this point in his career. Though Marleau is still significantly faster than Iginla was when he got old.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Sparks has his flaws but let's not pretend the whole team has been good recently, Andersen has been covering up a lot of flaws with his Vezena like season



Fine person, great career

That doesn't mean however he's worth his cap hit or particularly good anymore, he just can't help drive play, he's just leeching off and dragging down his linemates now

All yesterday proved is that Andersen should have played because he doesn't let in the 1st, 3rd or 4th goals, no decent goalie does.

The way Freddie has been playing he might have even stopped the 2nd goal but I doubt it.

What I do know is had Freddie played like I said yesterday he should, we'd be talking about a 6 game win streak.

Instead we have Sparks letting in 5 goals or more in 3 of his 6 starts that's 50% that's not good enough and that's NOT on the D

 

[Kiwi]

All yesterday proved is that Andersen should have played because he doesn't let in the 1st, 3rd or 4th goals, no decent goalie does.

The way Freddie has been playing he might have even stopped the 2nd goal but I doubt it.

What I do know is had Freddie played like I said yesterday he should, we'd be talking about a 6 game win streak.

Instead we have Sparks letting in 5 goals or more in 3 of his 6 starts that's 50% that's not good enough and that's NOT on the D

Andersen can't play as many games this year as he did last year, we burned him out before we even made the playoffs last season so that means the backup needs to play

Sparks has had 3 good starts and 3 bad, he's a young backup trying to find his way in the league, he's going to have some inconsistencies and we need to accept and live with it

If we have to sacrifice some points to get Andersen his rest I'm more than willing to accept it, we have bigger fish to fry in the post season and everything should be geared towards that

 

[garce]

Lol 10 minutes since the last post easily the least contentious gap on my time here!

 

[PuckMagi]

Hate is a strong word, but not worth the contract? Yes. People are generally measured up to their salary, whether you are a CEO, Salesmen or hockey player. Marleau is definitely not a top 6 player, and paid 6.5 million. Not his fault, but definitely over paid.

Marleau will be a problem if he doesn't wave his NTC because we need his cap space next year. Last year and this year, we have plenty of cap space so we might as well spend it.

There weren't really any other good ways to spend our cap space for the last two years. Generally, the only people willing to take short term deals are older guys like Marleau.

So in my opinion, Marleau is better than wasted cap space. Since there wasn't really any other viable options to use our cap space, I think it's a good signing.

However, if there wasn't a handshake deal that he will be traded before his 3rd year (after he gets his bonus), then this was a really stupid signing. I assumed all along that there was a plan to trade him before the 3rd year of his deal... but I may be giving our management too much credit.