NHL Head Coach: Toronto is the third most talented team in the East

[Divine]

An article was written where LeBrun asked head coaches what the Leafs were doing to find success against the Caps, and a random NHL coach said this:

It's actually not that shocking, said a third Eastern Conference head coach.

"I think Toronto right now is the third-most talented team in the East," the coach said Sunday over the phone. "Now, they're young, but who cares? That was a tough draw for Washington. Outside of Pittsburgh and Washington, to me the Leafs are the third-most talented group in the East. Their D aren't great, but they're all good skaters and they can gap well the way [coach Mike Babcock] likes to gap. As a forward group, boy, I would put them up with anybody. They can go depth for depth up front with Washington. They're one of the few teams that can go line for line with Washington.

"I know when we played them, I thought Toronto was a matchup nightmare because you couldn't match them line for line," he added. "So to me, what's happened so far in that series [is] representative of how close they are. I expect the Leafs to be an Eastern Conference final team a year from now."

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[Leafs24Seven*]

and they are so fun to watch.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

They're a good team and outside of the Caps and Pens, I think they're right in the mix with teams like Montreal,Colombus,NYR etc. If we were talking about the West, it'd be a different story.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Talented=/=best, talented=skilled. They are insanely skilled, that's blatantly obvious. Only the Penguins and Capitals are more skilled than the Leafs from the East. However, they're not the 3rd best team in the East, not by a long shot. I could see the Leafs making the ECF next year, but that's mostly due to the Atlantic division not really having any great teams in the near future IMO.

 

[Divine]

Talented=/=best, talented=skilled. They are insanely skilled, that's blatantly obvious. Only the Penguins and Capitals are more skilled than the Leafs from the East. However, they're not the 3rd best team in the East, not by a long shot.

No one said best. But I'm guessing you missed the last sentence in the quote? Many could argue he intended it to be best with a quote like that.

 

[Empoleon8771]

No one said best. But I'm guessing you missed the last sentence in the quote? Many could argue he intended it to be best with a quote like that.

Yeah that's how I read that last quote, that's what my comment was about. They are obviously insanely skilled, but that defense prevents me from saying they're at all close to the 3rd best team in hockey. However, there are examples of teams who go deep based on a stacked offense and a hot goalie while having a weak defense, I'm partially expecting the Penguins to do that this year.

 

[ESH]

I can't really disagree with this. Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Kadri, van Riemsdyk. That's some good skill spread across 3 lines.

 

[MoreMogilny]

Talented=/=best, talented=skilled. They are insanely skilled, that's blatantly obvious. Only the Penguins and Capitals are more skilled than the Leafs from the East. However, they're not the 3rd best team in the East, not by a long shot. I could see the Leafs making the ECF next year, but that's mostly due to the Atlantic division not really having any great teams in the near future IMO.

Agreed. But that's not what's being said at least.

Leafs are extremely talented with bottom tier defense. However they can roll 3 really difficult to contain lines offensively, and their fourth can cause problems as well (as evidenced in last nights game). Each of the top 3 lines contains a player that has scored 40, 32, and 29 goals. It's difficult to match up against how balanced the forward group is. Babcock has guys really starting to buy into all around games as well.

If they can fix that defense, the Leafs should be able to continue trending upwards. If not, I think they will be a wild card competing team next year.

 

[Divine]

Yeah that's how I read that last quote, that's what my comment was about. They are obviously insanely skilled, but that defense prevents me from saying they're at all close to the 3rd best team in hockey. However, there are examples of teams who go deep based on a stacked offense and a hot goalie while having a weak defense, I'm partially expecting the Penguins to do that this year.

It was referring exclusively to the East, and not the NHL. I'd also be surprised if the Leafs didn't improve their defence at all by next year. They got some decent NHL-ready defencemen in the AHL as well.

 

[The Shovel Penguin]

That sounds about right. They're young but the riches in talent are definitely there.

 

[lomiller1]

Washington
Tampa
Pittsburgh

So no higher than 4th, but he could mean in the playoffs.


After those 3 no one in the east stands out to me as having a really strong roster. IMO travel in the compressed season and CBJ goal-tending drove the east's record this year. Tor could well be 4th in the east but there are still 6+ Western Conference teams I'd put ahead of them as well.

 

[EXPECT THE LEAFS]

I can't really disagree with this. Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Kadri, van Riemsdyk. That's some good skill spread across 3 lines.

ahhh I see you have overlooked our secret weapon... hence the secret.

 

[ESH]

Actually, to add on to that, they have some skilled defensemen too. Rielly, Zaitsev, and Gardiner are all wonderful skaters. Obviously that top pairing needs to be better, and they lack a lot of depth, but they do have skill.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

I'd place them second, but it's close.

1. Cleveland
2. Toronto
3. Boston

Boston has a lotto pick this year and next though.

 

[Love]

The Bolts tho

 

[BHD]

If they boost their defense, then they'll be (as one blogger put it) "a destroyer of worlds" in a few years.

 

[tooncesmeow]

If they boost their defense, then they'll be (as one blogger put it) "a destroyer of worlds" in a few years.

That's not impossible to believe. Assuming Rielly, Gardiner, Zaitsev and Carrick are pencilled in, the Leafs still have a hefty amount of assets with their prospects, and picks that they could get a guy like Mike Green, who has 1 year left, is a right handed shot, and can line up next to Rielly in time for next year. Its just about getting the guy who's gonna line up next to Rielly, but Mike Green is the most available player to fill that role.

I get where that coach is coming from, whats crazy is how competitive the Leafs have looked with the Caps. Caps are fast, its scary how quick their pace is, and they've been staying close largely becuase of depth/secondary scoring. If Matthews or Nylander begins to exert more dominance in this series it could swing hard for Toronto. The bigger issue is gonna be 2018 when JVR and Bozak go UFA and you have to replace them. Its funny, despite all the depth theres no reasonable replacements for Bozak or Boyle outside of Gauthier.

 

[93LEAFS]

That's not impossible to believe. Assuming Rielly, Gardiner, Zaitsev and Carrick are pencilled in, the Leafs still have a hefty amount of assets with their prospects, and picks that they could get a guy like Mike Green, who has 1 year left, is a right handed shot, and can line up next to Rielly in time for next year. Its just about getting the guy who's gonna line up next to Rielly, but Mike Green is the most available player to fill that role.

I get where that coach is coming from, whats crazy is how competitive the Leafs have looked with the Caps. Caps are fast, its scary how quick their pace is, and they've been staying close largely becuase of depth/secondary scoring. If Matthews or Nylander begins to exert more dominance in this series it could swing hard for Toronto. The bigger issue is gonna be 2018 when JVR and Bozak go UFA and you have to replace them. Its funny, despite all the depth theres no reasonable replacements for Bozak or Boyle outside of Gauthier.

Move Nylander back to center, which he did fairly well at, at the end of the 2015/16 season in the NHL and in the AHL, while bumping up Kapanen into the top 9.

 

[tooncesmeow]

Move Nylander back to center, which he did fairly well at, at the end of the 2015/16 season in the NHL and in the AHL, while bumping up Kapanen into the top 9.

True I guess, then you slide up Rychel or Leipsic. Bozak has just been important to the Leafs this season, underrated really. I'd assume if 4M is fine for him we can re-sign him to be a 3C.

 

[DopeyFish]

The bigger issue is gonna be 2018 when JVR and Bozak go UFA and you have to replace them. Its funny, despite all the depth theres no reasonable replacements for Bozak or Boyle outside of Gauthier.

Nylander is going to be a C.

So Kapanen moves up to a RW spot and someone takes the 4th RW spot (Soshnikov)

Leivo, Rychel are guys for the LW spot from JVR.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

5th/6th best IMO

TB/PIT/WSH
CBJ
TOR/NYR

 

[LeafFever]

Their talent is underrated. They have sick offensive depth, and multiple elite forwards. I think they're deeper offensively than the caps.

And I've said it over and over on this board: The Leafs will do better because Rielly/Zaitsev/Gardiner are better than most think. Rielly and Gardiner were studs last night. Both played like legit #1 D's (And have been as good if not better than any of Washington's D in this series).

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Also Andreas Johnson is a future top-line calibre player.


Bump this in a few years to see if I was right or wrong. I'll either make you look like fools or myself.

 

[Sigh]

Their talent is underrated. They have sick offensive depth, and multiple elite forwards. I think they're deeper offensively than the caps.

And I've said it over and over on this board: The Leafs will do better because Rielly/Zaitsev/Gardiner are better than most think. Rielly and Gardiner were studs last night. Both played like legit #1 D's (And have been as good if not better than any of Washington's D in this series).

Was just gonna say I haven't heard much about the Leafs talent all year.

 

[MastuhNinks]

That coach was obviously just a typical Leafs fan homer.