Maple Leafs Window Closed...

[EXPECT THE LEAFS]

I hate the losing as anyone else, but the overreaction by our fan base is worse.

Only team other than Florida to not win a playoff round since the cap era. To add to that Dubas has handcuffed this team with 40+ million tied up in 4 players. An asset like Marner is devalued simply because of his contract. Good luck getting fair return if you're looking to move him for help with the d-corps. If anything we've been under-reacting.

 

[Faltorvo]

The cores age is like 23 and yet our window has closed? Lollll

what the heck are you talking about mate

it has to open first,,,this team is not even at the open stage

 

[MLSE]

We got stuffed by their goalies. It happens a lot in the playoffs.

Dropping Barrie and Ceci should be an upgrade lol.

Players are one year older, thats a good thing...

Full year of Keefe, full year Campbell instead of that mess..

I dont see how our window is closed.

 

[Smif]

This thread says so much about our fanbase. 28% who voted "closed" are giving up on a bunch of 23 year olds when their potential is sky high and haven't scratched the surface yet. The main rhing wrong with this team is that our fanbase doesn't know how to manage expectations.

 

[AllDay28]

5 years from now the core will still be in their primes. The real window that’s closed is respecting the below avg fans in this fan base

 

[AllDay28]

I always love the dubas chirps. Dude wins at every level and most of you have been on hfboards for a decade plus while meh ppl on twitter have gone to higher levels of Hockey than y’all. If it’s so easy why don’t u folks put the work in and make something of yourselves. You all live in revisionist history but if we took every posters past comments and trade suggestions I’m sure most look like complete horseshit in retrospect.

 

[Brobust]

Call me a naive idiot but I think the leafs will come out strong next season and shut a lot of people up.

 

[theTTC]

5 years from now the core will still be in their primes. The real window that’s closed is respecting the below avg fans in this fan base

Matthews walks for free in 4.

 

[indigobuffalo]

The window hasn’t even opened yet...

They have the core players locked up.

They are at the salary cap. Most of you seem to look at this situation and assume they can’t improve at all, because there’s no room, so it isn’t good enough.

Right?

Wrong...

The core players performed. They scored goals. They back-checked. They put out 100% efforts. And that wasn’t good enough, true. By a slim margin.

But what will happen when the cap goes up, is the Leafs will supplement the core players with better supporting players. And when they upgrade the bottom end of the roster, they’ll have that edge to truly be dominant.

People lost sight of where the team was when Tavares signed on, but this was the plan from day one and they have been trucking along since.

But negativity rules these boards so resume the ravings.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Call me a naive idiot but I think the leafs will come out strong next season and shut a lot of people up.

Coming out strong would be nice I guess but TBH, it won't mean much to me. I said it last off season and I'll say it again now - I will judge this team based on how they do in the playoffs.

 

[Faltorvo]

The window hasn’t even opened yet...

They have the core players locked up.

They are at the salary cap. Most of you seem to look at this situation and assume they can’t improve at all, because there’s no room, so it isn’t good enough.

Right?

Wrong...

The core players performed. They scored goals. They back-checked. They put out 100% efforts. And that wasn’t good enough, true. By a slim margin.

But what will happen when the cap goes up, is the Leafs will supplement the core players with better supporting players. And when they upgrade the bottom end of the roster, they’ll have that edge to truly be dominant.

People lost sight of where the team was when Tavares signed on, but this was the plan from day one and they have been trucking along since.

But negativity rules these boards so resume the ravings.

"was not good enough by a slim margin"? where do you come up with this stuff?? honestly

this "slim margin" was just to get into the playoffs ,

we missed by a MASSIVE margin when talking about winning a cup or even just going deep

i had no idea that we shelled out those huge deals towards a goal of just making the bloody playoffs

 

[Faltorvo]

This thread says so much about our fanbase. 28% who voted "closed" are giving up on a bunch of 23 year olds when their potential is sky high and haven't scratched the surface yet. The main rhing wrong with this team is that our fanbase doesn't know how to manage expectations.

wow,,,just wow,,,, they are getting this pay for "haven't scratched the surface yet"? i shudder to think what will happen when AM/WN deals end in just 4 more seasons and Marner in 5

 

[Brobust]

"was not good enough by a slim margin"? where do you come up with this stuff?? honestly

this "slim margin" was just to get into the playoffs ,

we missed by a MASSIVE margin when talking about winning a cup or even just going deep

i had no idea that we shelled out those huge deals towards a goal of just making the bloody playoffs

Playoffs are just pure luck. Looking back at the 5 game series and what Columbus is doing against Tampa. It's just pure luck.

 

[Faltorvo]

Playoffs are just pure luck. Looking back at the 5 game series and what Columbus is doing against Tampa. It's just pure luck.

so you are saying we just missed going on a deep run by a slim margin?

because that was the goal for this season, a deep run

 

[sparxx87]

I always love the dubas chirps. Dude wins at every level and most of you have been on hfboards for a decade plus while meh ppl on twitter have gone to higher levels of Hockey than y’all. If it’s so easy why don’t u folks put the work in and make something of yourselves. You all live in revisionist history but if we took every posters past comments and trade suggestions I’m sure most look like complete horseshit in retrospect.

There’s too much stupid in this post to address all of it but you’ll find a number of people who said Dubas would be a disaster the day he was hired and have been proven right every step of the way.


Most of these people want the Leafs to be successful but don’t see it happening under the direction of a beta with obscure metrics who never made it out of minor hockey. It’s not personal, it’s business, no different than any other. If you hire a new marketing manager with great ideas for new initiatives that have never been used before... and after two years you look down and see you’ve actually been going in the wrong direction, it’s time to accept the mistake and move on. Remove your emotions and look at it logically.

The Kyle Dubas defense is so bizarre.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Da single biggest issue now is da CAP. It is very hard to FIX all da wrongs in this defender core. Until Dubie figures out you need da right mix of players this team will struggle with playoff hockey against certain teams (Canes, Bruins, caps and CBJs) that get it in spades. Too many matchups have to go right for us in any playoff format. It is hard to luck into all da right playoff matchups although I am convinced we would have got through Tampa in a normal round 1. Than lost in round 2 to bruins.

 

[Mess]

Leafs window isn't closed permanently, but it will be difficult because of the top heavy cap hits of Matthews, Tavares and Marner all being top 7 highest cap hits and its difficult to build a cup competitive around them, particularly with a flat cap for the next 3 years.

The key to a successful team is a balance attack and depth that can contribute. If the other team only needs to shutdown 3-4 players and it takes 1/2 your cap out of the picture then the only chance to win is if your secondary scoring carries the torch.

If you put all your eggs in 1 basket like leafs did in desperation in this series it makes it even more easy to defend and defeat. Leafs didn't get any 3-4th line goals in the series from all those support players other than Robertson who was the only non top line forwards Matthews (2), Tavares (2), Nylander (2) and Hyman (1) ..

Right now we are about to see the Leafs get even weaker because Barrie and Ceci are about to walk for cap reasons and Leafs defense will be..

Reilly ---------------- XXXX
Muzzin -------------- Holl
Dermott (RFA) ---- Lehtonen
Sandin -- Marincin

Anyone thinking that is cup competitive defense and Leafs window is open missing a top pairing Dman and Holl (who should be a 3rd pairing guy) the best Leafs have as RHD is kidding themselves. On paper that Dcore is a non playoff team and that is without injuries even factoring in .. If Leafs lost Reilly or Muzzin for any length of time Leafs would be in the draft lottery with strong odds of an early draft pick. IMO

Just think if Leaf could move Marner and his $11 mil and then add a $6 mil and a $5 mil (splitting his cap) level Dman to that defense.

Reilly ------------$6 mil Dman
Muzzin --------- $5 mil Dman
Dermott ------- Holl
Lehtonen ----- Sandin

 

[kevsh]

The Caps had a solid core, they just had to tinker with the supporting cast until they got it right. The Leafs' situation is difficult with so much allocated to a few players but it is possible. Putting together a 3rd line that can score and complementing Reilly/Muzzin will go a long way.

In any case, no, window is still very much open and may be for many years if Dubas can manage the team's cap issues while effectively surrounding his stars with the right players.

 

[HolyCrap]

We have till Mathews contract is up. By then Tavares will be on a hard decline and I personally (hope I’m wrong) believe Mathews will be gone. That’s the timeline.

 

[Chr1988]

We have till Mathews contract is up. By then Tavares will be on a hard decline and I personally (hope I’m wrong) believe Mathews will be gone. That’s the timeline.

I agree and once this all happens we will have no up and coming 1st rounders as they get traded away every year. Biggest mistake the rebuild did was sign tavares and trade kadri should of used the tavares money for a very good defender

 

[Rude Dog]

Has the “window” officially closed for the Maple Leafs? Now that it is very evident that there will be No success with this core and goaltending. I know there was talk of this “window” a few years back. Looks like it has been boarded shut now.

Can we officially say it is a failed rebuild. Does this core need to be torn torn and rebuilt.

Thoughts?

Wow. Just a tad over dramatic don’t you think.

 

[Auston Richard]

This thread says so much about our fanbase. 28% who voted "closed" are giving up on a bunch of 23 year olds when their potential is sky high and haven't scratched the surface yet. The main rhing wrong with this team is that our fanbase doesn't know how to manage expectations.

Look at the age of the Canucks core. They're getting things done.

I'm starting to find all these excuses frustrating.

 

[cesareborgia]

Window is open, but quickly closing with Dubas at the helm.

One more year with wonder boy at the helm and I fear it will be too late.

 

[justashadowof]

There was a major window back when the young guns were on ELCs and veteran players like Bozak, JVR, Kadri, Gardiner, Komarov weren't yet priced off the team. We're in the young-stars-think-it's-going-to-be-easy-to-win window right now. Those preaching patience should realize that the team only has Nylander and Matthews for 4 more years. I'd guess the chances that both Nylander and Matthews re-sign here isn't high.

What will be a progression for Year 1 of these next 4? Finally getting over the hump of winning a playoff round? Does the 'window of contention' open then?

 

[Nylander88]

Matthews walks for free in 4.

He's a career Leaf. They'll open the vault for him. As they should. He's going to be a perennial 50 goal scorer. Would have hit that this year. He's generational. You don't let those guys go. Unless something makes him sour, he'll be staying.