So it's been a rough life as a Leafs fan and this is one of the all time lows but figured I'd make a thread where it's not all negative. What are some aspects you're happy with? Also list negatives to vent
Positives:
Auston Matthews: If there was ever 1 thing keeping me from completely losing interest/hope/passion it's him. If he stays here he will go down as one of the best Leafs ever. He was terrific in the series and I feel worse for him, especially after his post game 4 interview. We're lucky to have him.
Zach Hyman: We need more players that play with the intensity he does. Babcock was 100% right about him. He is a warrior and a heart and soul kind of player that you want in a battle.
Morgan Rielly: He makes mistakes, he's not perfect but he is terrific tbh. I haven't always been the biggest fan of his but he is our 2nd best player imo. He's still only 26 and getting better. I feel like his pinch game has got better. He will never be the shutdown anchor but that's ok. I feel like he is Duncan Keith lite defensively but offensively he is better in a lot of areas. I can live with the mistakes.
Uniforms: I spent 30 minutes thinking of a 4th positive and yeah.... I love that our uniforms are dope lol.
Jason Spezza: I feel for him too. He played with a lot of heart and this was before the fight. He provided a spark that the leaders of the team couldn't do.
Negatives:
Mitch Marner: This isn't prisoner of the moment it's something that has been building for 5 years. I wanted us to draft him in 2015. In the season he is mostly fine but there's always those moments in the back of my head where I watch him get embarrassed in physical confrontations and flail to the ground like a 7 year old boy getting tossed by his dad in play wrestling. I truly think come playoff time, this guy is counter productive. He might get a few points in open space on the power play, but at 10.9 million dollars, I would move off Marner while he is still valuable. I know he will put up 80-90 points next year but I don't care. I would much rather go into a playoff series with a guy on the Dave Perron, prime Patrick Hornqvist tier or even Jake Debrusk. I have lost 100% faith in Marner to be effective against a gritty team like Boston/Columbus in a playoff series. I would ship him out for a top pairing defensement to play with Rielly or a top 6 forward that can play a 2 way game. I realize this is scathing in some ways but it's the truth in my eyes. He is too weak physically. At 10.9 million I just don't see how he is an asset.
Depth Scoring:
Where was Ilya Mikheyev, Kaspari Kap and the others? Complete no shows. It sucks that so little of the cap can be dedicated to this area due to Matthews-Tavares-Marner.
Cap:
There's no way this team can move on with those 3 guys getting so much. One of Matthews-Tavares-Marner may need to move on. Don't want to make this a hit piece on Marner but Matthews isn't going anywhere (unless he demands a trade), JT either.
Hopeful:
William Nylander: He is probably public enemy 1 or 2 on here but I was encouraged by him this year. I would much rather keep him over Marner due to contract and size. I think Nylander has untapped potential and with Marner out of the way he could breakout in a way a lot of us didn't expect. As a 1st line winger on Matthews line, I could see 90 + points.
Unsure:
Frederick Andersen: I wish we would have lost 6-5 so I could be sure he was the problem. The thing is.... We didn't score a damn goal in 2 of the 5 games... Including the winner take all. He gave up a bad, bad goal that you simply cannot give up in that situation. We didn't score though, so how can we pin this on Freddy? It's hard to pick a side here.
John Tavares: I didn't want us to sign him. I always thought he was good but slightly overrated just like Stamkos. I didn't want either. I am not a huge fan of his game. He isn't the best skater, isn't the best playmaker, is signed for a huge amount and is 30. But he also does a lot of things well, and in a playoff series he was more effective than a lot of the no-shows. I mean, as the captain getting paid what he does, he damn well better but I am in no mans land with JT. I am not attached to him 1 bit but I don't hate him either. I think next season he has a lot to prove. He needs to lead this team and not miss open nets in deciding games. How about carry us for a few playoff games?
Positives:
Auston Matthews: If there was ever 1 thing keeping me from completely losing interest/hope/passion it's him. If he stays here he will go down as one of the best Leafs ever. He was terrific in the series and I feel worse for him, especially after his post game 4 interview. We're lucky to have him.
Zach Hyman: We need more players that play with the intensity he does. Babcock was 100% right about him. He is a warrior and a heart and soul kind of player that you want in a battle.
Morgan Rielly: He makes mistakes, he's not perfect but he is terrific tbh. I haven't always been the biggest fan of his but he is our 2nd best player imo. He's still only 26 and getting better. I feel like his pinch game has got better. He will never be the shutdown anchor but that's ok. I feel like he is Duncan Keith lite defensively but offensively he is better in a lot of areas. I can live with the mistakes.
Uniforms: I spent 30 minutes thinking of a 4th positive and yeah.... I love that our uniforms are dope lol.
Jason Spezza: I feel for him too. He played with a lot of heart and this was before the fight. He provided a spark that the leaders of the team couldn't do.
Negatives:
Mitch Marner: This isn't prisoner of the moment it's something that has been building for 5 years. I wanted us to draft him in 2015. In the season he is mostly fine but there's always those moments in the back of my head where I watch him get embarrassed in physical confrontations and flail to the ground like a 7 year old boy getting tossed by his dad in play wrestling. I truly think come playoff time, this guy is counter productive. He might get a few points in open space on the power play, but at 10.9 million dollars, I would move off Marner while he is still valuable. I know he will put up 80-90 points next year but I don't care. I would much rather go into a playoff series with a guy on the Dave Perron, prime Patrick Hornqvist tier or even Jake Debrusk. I have lost 100% faith in Marner to be effective against a gritty team like Boston/Columbus in a playoff series. I would ship him out for a top pairing defensement to play with Rielly or a top 6 forward that can play a 2 way game. I realize this is scathing in some ways but it's the truth in my eyes. He is too weak physically. At 10.9 million I just don't see how he is an asset.
Depth Scoring:
Where was Ilya Mikheyev, Kaspari Kap and the others? Complete no shows. It sucks that so little of the cap can be dedicated to this area due to Matthews-Tavares-Marner.
Cap:
There's no way this team can move on with those 3 guys getting so much. One of Matthews-Tavares-Marner may need to move on. Don't want to make this a hit piece on Marner but Matthews isn't going anywhere (unless he demands a trade), JT either.
Hopeful:
William Nylander: He is probably public enemy 1 or 2 on here but I was encouraged by him this year. I would much rather keep him over Marner due to contract and size. I think Nylander has untapped potential and with Marner out of the way he could breakout in a way a lot of us didn't expect. As a 1st line winger on Matthews line, I could see 90 + points.
Unsure:
Frederick Andersen: I wish we would have lost 6-5 so I could be sure he was the problem. The thing is.... We didn't score a damn goal in 2 of the 5 games... Including the winner take all. He gave up a bad, bad goal that you simply cannot give up in that situation. We didn't score though, so how can we pin this on Freddy? It's hard to pick a side here.
John Tavares: I didn't want us to sign him. I always thought he was good but slightly overrated just like Stamkos. I didn't want either. I am not a huge fan of his game. He isn't the best skater, isn't the best playmaker, is signed for a huge amount and is 30. But he also does a lot of things well, and in a playoff series he was more effective than a lot of the no-shows. I mean, as the captain getting paid what he does, he damn well better but I am in no mans land with JT. I am not attached to him 1 bit but I don't hate him either. I think next season he has a lot to prove. He needs to lead this team and not miss open nets in deciding games. How about carry us for a few playoff games?
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