Playoffs of Laine/Matthews

[glucker]

I'm not so sure, when Matthews is doing well the button pushers from other teams don't show up. The button pushers are keeping this going more than anything.

This is a fair point.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Had booked a family trip a while back.

I think taking time out of a family trip to meet with Matthews could just as easily be seen as a sign of a good relationship, rather than a rift.

Stop it with this rift crap, Babcock and Matthews met while he was in Arizona with his family. Babcock will meet Andersen when he's watching the world cup, you want it to be a story but there isn't anything there. Matthews and Babcock have both denied there's a rift as well.

Nothing surprising or controversial about Babcock-Matthews dynamic - Sportsnet.ca

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

Nothing surprising or controversial about Babcock-Matthews dynamic - Sportsnet.ca

You know that's opinion piece by someone looking to sell papers right? I'll trust Matthews over a reporter on how Matthews feels.

 

[glucker]

Nothing surprising or controversial about Babcock-Matthews dynamic - Sportsnet.ca

Your rebuttal is Kypreos defending his statement by saying it’s just his opinion?

 

[The Winter Soldier]

You know that's opinion piece by someone looking to sell papers right? I'll trust Matthews over a reporter on how Matthews feels.

Your rebuttal is Kypreos defending his statement by saying it’s just his opinion?

You don't have to listen to Kyper's opinion. But he does not post rumours or gossip. Note he was the first to break Kadri getting 3 games for his dirty hit to Wingels. Where there is smoke, there is fire. But keep denying, since I guess this is all you both can do. I and many believe he is on to something here.

Don't bother replying if you are just going to the standard opinon retort. I believe his opinion based on how often he is right in his reports.

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

You don't have to listen to Kyper's opinion. But he does not post rumours or gossip. Note he was the first to break Kadri getting 3 games for his hit to Wingels. Where there is smoke, there is fire. But keep denying, since I guess this is all you both can do. I and many believe he is on to something here.

How about you stop pretending a reporters opinion is actually a fact.

 

[Blue Shakehead]

Stop it with this rift crap, Babcock and Matthews met while he was in Arizona with his family. Babcock will meet Andersen when he's watching the world cup, you want it to be a story but there isn't anything there. Matthews and Babcock have both denied there's a rift as well.

I'm not trying to troll, I am just genuinely curious if Leafs fans 100% believe that there is no rift or issues that need to be resolved between Matthews and Babcock? Paul Maurice and the players lie to us in WPG all the time so I would expect both Matthews and Babs to deny any rift. If Tyler Bozak or Jake Gardiner areupset with Babs and he happens to be in AZ at the same time, there is next to zero chance Babs is going to see them, imo. Mike Commodore still hates Babcock for how he was treated and I don't think Babs ever took the time to meet with him during or after the season to clear the air. Obviously, Matthews is the franchise player so if there is any rift, he is an exception.

One of the things I liked most about Matthews was that after the Caps series last year quite a few Caps players said they admired that Matthews went out there, took his punishment on the ice and trash talk - and never said a word back. His play did the talking. To me, there was a stark contrast in 2017 playoffs Matthews and 2018 playoffs Matthews - and I am not talking about on-ice production.

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

I'm not trying to troll, I am just genuinely curious if Leafs fans 100% believe that there is no rift or issues that need to be resolved between Matthews and Babcock? Paul Maurice and the players lie to us in WPG all the time so I would expect both Matthews and Babs to deny any rift. If Tyler Bozak or Jake Gardiner is upset with Babs and he happens to be in AZ at the same time, there is next to zero chance Babs is going to see him, imo. Mike Commodore still hates Babcock for how he was treated and I don't think Babs ever took the time to meet with him during or after the season to clear the air.

One of the things I liked most about Matthews was that after the Caps series last year quite a few Caps players said they admired that Matthews went out there, took his punishment on the ice and trash talk - and never said a word back. His play did the talking. To me, there was a stark contrast in 2017 playoffs Matthews and 2018 playoffs Matthews - and I am not talking about on-ice production.

I don't think Matthews is happy with how his series went, I think he was frustrated he wants to win like any hockey player. The Toronto media and trolls are trying to make this into something that it isn't. In this thread alone we've had to listen to these geniuses say things like Matthews wants to be traded, Matthews is weak and so on.

Was Matthews frustrated at his coach? Yeah probably when you lose you're frustrated at everyone, that doesn't mean Babcock has lost the team it just sucks when you lose. You second guess decisions and replay things in your head but if Matthews and Babcock didn't play for Toronto this wouldn't even be a story. This whole thing is based off a reporter trying to sell papers commenting on how he thinks someone feels based on their non verbal body language. It's sensationalist trash.

 

[glucker]

You don't have to listen to Kyper's opinion. But he does not post rumours or gossip. Note he was the first to break Kadri getting 3 games for his dirty hit to Wingels. Where there is smoke, there is fire. But keep denying, since I guess this is all you both can do. I and many believe he is on to something here.

Don't bother replying if you are just going to the standard opinon retort. I believe his opinion based on how often he is right in his reports.

Definition of gossip:

Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling​

That's exactly what this is.

 

[Blue Shakehead]

I don't think Matthews is happy with how his series went, I think he was frustrated he wants to win like any hockey player. The Toronto media and trolls are trying to make this into something that it isn't. In this thread alone we've had to listen to these geniuses say things like Matthews wants to be traded, Matthews is weak and so on.

Was Matthews frustrated at his coach? Yeah probably when you lose you're frustrated at everyone, that doesn't mean Babcock has lost the team it just sucks when you lose. You second guess decisions and replay things in your head but if Matthews and Babcock didn't play for Toronto this wouldn't even be a story. This whole thing is based off a reporter trying to sell papers commenting on how he thinks someone feels based on their non verbal body language. It's sensationalist trash.

Honestly, I would have chalked it up to sensationalist trash too until I heard Babs was visiting Matthews in AZ. Then it became a bit of a story. Maybe a minor one and I am sure if there were issues, they have already been resolved. But a story nonetheless. Kypreos is generally terrible, but I think his hunch is probably right here about the ice time being the issue. Most players and especially stars, even when they know they are playing bad, hate having their role reduced. They want to battle through it and they want their coaches to show confidence and repay some of the trust they have earned. Cutting his ice time and not starting on the PP in the biggest games of the year is a slap in the face to the kid who put the team on his back for 2 years. I don't care if he's 20 or 35 - he is right to be pissed, imo.

 

[glucker]

I'm not trying to troll, I am just genuinely curious if Leafs fans 100% believe that there is no rift or issues that need to be resolved between Matthews and Babcock? Paul Maurice and the players lie to us in WPG all the time so I would expect both Matthews and Babs to deny any rift. If Tyler Bozak or Jake Gardiner areupset with Babs and he happens to be in AZ at the same time, there is next to zero chance Babs is going to see them, imo. Mike Commodore still hates Babcock for how he was treated and I don't think Babs ever took the time to meet with him during or after the season to clear the air. Obviously, Matthews is the franchise player so if there is any rift, he is an exception.

One of the things I liked most about Matthews was that after the Caps series last year quite a few Caps players said they admired that Matthews went out there, took his punishment on the ice and trash talk - and never said a word back. His play did the talking. To me, there was a stark contrast in 2017 playoffs Matthews and 2018 playoffs Matthews - and I am not talking about on-ice production.

Well no, why would Babcock leave Arizona to go to Minnetonka or Regina to talk to those guys?

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

Honestly, I would have chalked it up to sensationalist trash too until I heard Babs was visiting Matthews in AZ. Then it became a bit of a story. Maybe a minor one and I am sure if there were issues, they have already been resolved. But a story nonetheless. Kypreos is generally terrible, but I think his hunch is probably right here about the ice time being the issue. Most players, even when they know they are playing bad, hate having their role reduced. They want to battle through it. Cutting his ice time and not starting on the PP in the biggest games of the year is a slap in the face to the kid who put the team on his back for 2 years. I don't care if he's 20 or 35 - he is right to be pissed, imo.

He saw him while he was in Arizona, it's not like he flew out just to see Matthews he was on vacation with his family.

 

[Blue Shakehead]

He saw him while he was in Arizona, it's not like he flew out just to see Matthews he was on vacation with his family.

I get it but.....there is no way this family vacation was booked back in January given that the playoffs are still on and the Leafs were one period away from still playing. So its a little convenient, no? Again, Im sure its nothing and its over with. I expect these things happen a lot more than we know on other teams but we only hear about it because there are hundreds of reporters covering the Leafs TMZ-style.

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

I get it but.....there is no way this family vacation was booked back in January given that the playoffs are still on and the Leafs were one period away from still playing. So its a little convenient, no? Again, Im sure its nothing and its over with. I expect these things happen a lot more than we know on other teams but we only hear about it because there are hundreds of reporters covering the Leafs TMZ-style.

If they wanted to hide the meeting, flying down with his family might be the dumbest possible way to do it. I also don't think his family would be keen on being used as pawns. He's going to the world cup and while there he plans to meet with Andersen, is that also nefarious? People are making this into something because they want it to be something.

It's also not hard to book a vacation last minute, I'm sure lots of hockey players/coaches/admin staff do it every year once they are eliminated from the playoffs.

 

[glucker]

I get it but.....there is no way this family vacation was booked back in January given that the playoffs are still on and the Leafs were one period away from still playing. So its a little convenient, no? Again, Im sure its nothing and its over with. I expect these things happen a lot more than we know on other teams but we only hear about it because there are hundreds of reporters covering the Leafs TMZ-style.

That’s a good point. Maybe his family had something in Arizona, and he attended because he was free.

At the end of the day, this is all based on idle speculation from Kypreos, with 0 evidence.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Definition of gossip:

Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others; the act is also known as dishing or tattling​

That's exactly what this is.

Doesn't sound like idle gossip to me. You said Babcock was on vacation in Arizona, so he suddenly just decided to visit Matthews while on vacation. I don't know which of your positions is more gullible in light of what we know now.

When asked on the morning show about Matthews’ play, my first thought was: “There has to be a strong bond between a coach and his best players. There has to be a trust.”

I also said: “Babcock lost Matthews.”

To my knowledge, there is no major rift between Babcock and Matthews. There is no conspiracy, but trust me, it isn’t fake news either. Head coaches and their teams are at the mercy of their star players. They will only go as far as those stars will lead them. Plain and simple: coaches must build bridges.

Nothing surprising or controversial about Babcock-Matthews dynamic - Sportsnet.ca

 

[Hunter368]

If I recall Babcock also stated he would be going to visit Andersen for a chat this summer.

 

[grieves]

This is slightly hilarious in some sense, and I don't think we get to guess what the purpose of that meet is in any worthwhile way. We would need actual facts for that.

If I was Babcock, I would probably see him in a personal setting just to see how he is doing. How he is managing the pit of damnation that is the Toronto media. Matthews certainly looks like he barely sleeps at all. That could be just how he is, but usually when a person looks exhausted, it is because they are exhausted.

 

[member 147413]

If I recall Babcock also stated he would be going to visit Andersen for a chat this summer.

Rift

 

[member 147413]

Matthews had a poor playoffs.

Laine has been underwhelming. Points are there, but I don’t think anyone would have come to me before the playoffs and said, “if Laine gets 3 goals in 11 games, I’ll be happy with the production”

This thread is reminiscent of when Matthews was injured and Laine was on his hot streak, that thread had many bashing Matthews when he was not playing. When Matthews returned he produced very well and Laine did not produce at all. As a result, there were no threads praising Matthews and bashing Laine.

I find it odd to compare performances between two players when one is no longer in the environment of which the two players are being compared. i.e Matthews being eliminated.

Edit: My former post was deleted without an explanation so I wrote this new one and removed what I thought was the reason for the posts removal. I would appreciate an explanation for my censorship.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Laine is still playing in the playoffs that's why the thread is open. Matthews had a terrible playoffs, and now there is discussion by people that make their living on expressing their opinions on well placed sources that Matthews and Babcock are not on the same page. If you find this topic not interesting, here is some advice. Leave or ignore the thread. Others want to discuss Laine, hint game 7 is days away, and how he may add to his 9 pts in 11 games. Or Matthews playoffs that had caused Babcock to address a rift between he and his star player by flying down to Arizona to meet him in person.
(Mod)

 

[member 147413]

Laine is still playing in the playoffs that's why the thread is open. Matthews had a terrible playoffs, and now there is discussion by people that make their living on expressing their opinions on well placed sources that Matthews and Babcock are not on the same page. If you find this topic not interesting, here is some advice. Leave or ignore the thread. Others want to discuss Laine, hint game 7 is days away, and how he may add to his 9 pts in 11 games. Or Matthews playoffs that had caused Babcock to address a rift between he and his star player by flying down to Arizona to meet him in person.
(Mod)

I don’t understand the relevance of the Babcock and Matthews rift speculation in this thread.

From my understanding this thread is comparing their playoff performances. Not off-season speculation. It seems to me you’re in the wrong thread.

Seeing as how Matthews playoffs is finished, I don’t see the issue in discussing Laine’s pedestrian playoffs.

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

Laine is still playing in the playoffs that's why the thread is open. Matthews had a terrible playoffs, and now there is discussion by people that make their living on expressing their opinions on well placed sources that Matthews and Babcock are not on the same page. If you find this topic not interesting, here is some advice. Leave or ignore the thread. Others want to discuss Laine, hint game 7 is days away, and how he may add to his 9 pts in 11 games. Or Matthews playoffs that had caused Babcock to address a rift between he and his star player by flying down to Arizona to meet him in person.
(Mod)

What does Babcock and Matthews have to do with topic in the title? They should close the thread, delete the posts not on topic or rename the thread.

 

[leaffaninvancouver]

Matthews had a poor playoffs.

Laine has been underwhelming. Points are there, but I don’t think anyone would have come to me before the playoffs and said, “if Laine gets 3 goals in 11 games, I’ll be happy with the production”

This thread is reminiscent of when Matthews was injured and Laine was on his hot streak, that thread had many bashing Matthews when he was not playing. When Matthews returned he produced very well and Laine did not produce at all. As a result, there were no threads praising Matthews and bashing Laine.

I find it odd to compare performances between two players when one is no longer in the environment of which the two players are being compared. i.e Matthews being eliminated.

Edit: My former post was deleted without an explanation so I wrote this new one and removed what I thought was the reason for the posts removal. I would appreciate an explanation for my censorship.

Unless you message a mod directly with you question you won't get an answer. They won't comment about moderation in a thread.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I don’t understand the relevance of the Babcock and Matthews rift speculation in this thread.

From my understanding this thread is comparing their playoff performances. Not off-season speculation. It seems to me you’re in the wrong thread.

Seeing as how Matthews playoffs is finished, I don’t see the issue in discussing Laine’s pedestrian playoffs.

What does Babcock and Matthews have to do with topic in the title? They should close the thread, delete the posts not on topic or rename the thread.

Maybe because the rift story came from Matthews sub par playoffs which caused these chain of events to unfold as Kyper in his well written piece explained. Note he said it was not a major rift. But he also said trust me, there is something to it so he reported it. Now some want to pass this off as gossip, some believe where there is smoke there is fire. As Friedman followed up on by Babcock making a point to mend fences by including a player visit on his vacation. So it is worth noting in this thread as the genesis of this came from Matthews playoffs.

As for Laine, he has a big game on Thursday. His story is still evolving. We are lucky there is a game 7, and at last count the 37 shots he has gotten on goal this series thus far, for a player of his scoring caliber. It will be interesting to see if the law of averages start to make more sense to him, than what his goal totals have shown in this series. Nashville is the best team in the NHL, so it's not like Laine and Winnipeg are playing inferior competition here.