Series Talk: Leafs vs Jackets- Series Preview and Discussion - II

[Gary Nylund]

Hope none of our players decide to opt out, if they do that would easily be the biggest storyline.

 

[Subway Schenn]

Hope none of our players decide to opt out, if they do that would easily be the biggest storyline.

Funny I was just typing this out, I don't think any of the big names will....

 

[Gary Nylund]

Funny I was just typing this out, I don't think any of the big names will....

Yeah if people start opting out like in Baseball, the whole thing becomes a joke. With each player opting out, add another asterix ...

 

[Subway Schenn]

Yeah if people start opting out like in Baseball, the whole thing becomes a joke. With each player opting out, add another asterix ...

Even 1 low/mid-tier player per team on average missing along with a couple first liners league wide wouldn't be the worst thing. But if it's missing more than a handful of top tier players, it becomes a joke.

Also, what happens if two teams get to the final only for one of them to be wiped out by Coronavirus?

 

[Kurtz]

Clifford won’t seek a huge contract, but any money saved helps. After he came to the team with backup goalie Jack Campbell, general manager Kyle Dubas noted that Clifford had been on his radar for a while.

But wait.....haven't we been told repeatedly that Dubas had no interest at all in a player like Clifford, but finally changed his ways and admitted defeat by adding toughness?

It's hard to say, given the ambiguity of "a while". Are you able to discern from that quote when exactly Kyle realized that we were lacking toughness and realized that we needed to address it?

Imo, there were 4 obviously glaring flaws with our team since the start of the year. 1 - Babcock, 2. backup goalie 3. Toughness, 4. RHD. Kyle eventually addressed the first 3, but took way too long to do so, resulting in us being a bubble playoff team rather than a top seed we were hoping to be. And he never really was able to address #4.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Even 1 low/mid-tier player per team on average missing along with a couple first liners league wide wouldn't be the worst thing. But if it's missing more than a handful of top tier players, it becomes a joke.

Also, what happens if two teams get to the final only for one of them to be wiped out by Coronavirus?

Not sure but I think i heard on TV today that NHL players have until July 7th to opt out so if that's true, we'll know soon enough.

It's hard to say, given the ambiguity of "a while". Are you able to discern from that quote when exactly Kyle realized that we were lacking toughness and realized that we needed to address it?

Imo, there were 4 obviously glaring flaws with our team since the start of the year. 1 - Babcock, 2. backup goalie 3. Toughness, 4. RHD. Kyle eventually addressed the first 3, but took way too long to do so, resulting in us being a bubble playoff team rather than a top seed we were hoping to be. And he never really was able to address #4.

These things take time, it's not like going to the store to pick up groceries. And with Babcock, his hands may have been tied anyway. Blaming him for us not being the top seed takes some ... I'll say imagination.

 

[stickty111]

Clifford won’t seek a huge contract, but any money saved helps. After he came to the team with backup goalie Jack Campbell, general manager Kyle Dubas noted that Clifford had been on his radar for a while.

But wait.....haven't we been told repeatedly that Dubas had no interest at all in a player like Clifford, but finally changed his ways and admitted defeat by adding toughness?

Yup. Dubas never avoided this factor, he just put it as secondary which is correct. Dubas wants grit as evidence from his Marlies teams, but that player needs to be able to play. Clifford can play and provides this element so it works out. Dubas didn't deviate from his plan.
There was a rumor Dubas tried to get Clifford in the Muzzin deal.

 

[Kurtz]

Not sure but I think i heard on TV today that NHL players have until July 7th to opt out so if that's true, we'll know soon enough.



These things take time, it's not like going to the store to pick up groceries. And with Babcock, his hands may have been tied anyway. Blaming him for us not being the top seed takes some ... I'll say imagination.

What would you blame for us underachieving this season, and who would you fault for said deficiency?

 

[Gary Nylund]

What would you blame for us underachieving this season, and who would you fault for said deficiency?

I'm not sure we underachieved considering all the injuries we had.

What deficiency?

 

[FlareKnight]

Hope none of our players decide to opt out, if they do that would easily be the biggest storyline.

No doubt. Not as concerned about it since I'd expect the players actually want to win. What is more unpredictable is the part of holding out players that would be particularly susceptible to serious health issues from getting infected. I don't know of anyone on the Leafs that has to worry about that, but if someone has an issue we just never knew about until now...then they'd be done.

But all we can do is sit back and wait. Still a ways to go since we got to get to training camps and then to the bubbles. The voluntary opt-out for individual players is definitely the biggest thing to watch for in the coming days.

 

[Kurtz]

I'm not sure we underachieved considering all the injuries we had.

What deficiency?

Ah we just had different expectations, then. I expected us to be neck and neck with Boston and Tampa this season.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

What would you blame for us underachieving this season, and who would you fault for said deficiency?

Babcock, Bad goaltending, and half our defense being injured most of the year.

We had the 4th best record in the league under Keefe with the latter 2 things still going on.

If the D are healthy we have a real shot at this.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Ah we just had different expectations, then. I expected us to be neck and neck with Boston and Tampa this season.

I was hoping for the same but the way things played out, I think we did OK. I've also said from the start that I'll judge this team on how they do in the playoffs (change that to playins/playoffs now) so from that perspective, we haven't even started yet.

 

[Gary Nylund]

No doubt. Not as concerned about it since I'd expect the players actually want to win. What is more unpredictable is the part of holding out players that would be particularly susceptible to serious health issues from getting infected. I don't know of anyone on the Leafs that has to worry about that, but if someone has an issue we just never knew about until now...then they'd be done.

But all we can do is sit back and wait. Still a ways to go since we got to get to training camps and then to the bubbles. The voluntary opt-out for individual players is definitely the biggest thing to watch for in the coming days.

Yeah hockey players are a different breed so ... here's an article predicting not a single player opts out, I tend to agree with this prediction:

How many NHLers will opt out of the playoffs? Try zero - TheHockeyNews

 

[Peasy]

The NHL also has the best and safest plan to play out of the four major North American sports.

 

[deletethis]

At the moment there's peer pressure among NHLers to not opt out. I can only guess how many NHLers without a long term deal are getting advice to not risk it. It'll just take a couple players to get it started.

 

[deletethis]

The NHL also has the best and safest plan to play out of the four major North American sports.

This may be true. I also think the nature of NHL hockey life (body contact, cold air, sweaty spray, 100% indoors) make it inherently the most risky other than the travel and locations.

 

[mmalady]

if a player opts out and his team goes on to win the cup, does he still get the $240,000 bonus? Sorry if its already been discussed here, I didn't see anything about playoff bonus entitlement (for those who opt out) in the TSN article..

 

[ACC1224]

if a player opts out and his team goes on to win the cup, does he still get the $240,000 bonus? Sorry if its already been discussed here, I didn't see anything about playoff bonus entitlement (for those who opt out) in the TSN article..

For sure they would receive bonus money.

 

[Gary Nylund]

This may be true. I also think the nature of NHL hockey life (body contact, cold air, sweaty spray, 100% indoors) make it inherently the most risky other than the travel and locations.

Basketball seems more risky. Contact is much, much closer.

 

[ACC1224]

Basketball seems more risky. Contact is much, much closer.

Yep, sweaty skin on skin.

One thing hockey does have that basketball doesn't is the constant spitting.

 

[Mess]

The NHL also has the best and safest plan to play out of the four major North American sports.

That is mainly due to location, location, location.

Canada is pretty calm as we're getting the virus under control, while the USA is raging out of control and those other sports are trying to play in Covid hot-spots like Florida and Arizona etc.

It much easier to avoid players testing positive if the community around them is also relative low case of new rates, even if a player steps outside his bubble for any reason.

Hopefully this will allow this Toronto vs CBJ and other play-in series to go off without a hitch.

 

[notDatsyuk]

Basketball seems more risky. Contact is much, much closer.

Except for Marchand's tongue.

 

[nsleaf]

How many NHLers will opt out of the playoffs? Try zero - TheHockeyNews


So is the writer suggesting because hockey players are known to lie about their injuries in order to keep playing that they will lie about the virus because they are so hell bent on winning?
Geez, he makes the players sound like a bunch of dummies.

 

[LeafsNation75]