Player Discussion Shea Weber

[Deebs]

Reilly all the way, they need each other imo, Mete can help with Petry's defensive breakdowns at times.

But Reilly is better defensively than Mete, just seems more balanced. I guess you could have Mete and Petry together and try to give them the majority of offensive zone starts to ease the pain a little

 

[montreal]

But Reilly is better defensively than Mete, just seems more balanced. I guess you could have Mete and Petry together and try to give them the majority of offensive zone starts to ease the pain a little

I don't agree, Mete is better defensively, Reilly can make some very poor decisions at times in his own end.

 

[DangerDave]

Mete and Weber is ideal. Mete won't clear the net and Weber isn't the best at pursuing the puck.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

I guess he’ll be back earlier than expected.

It was only 10 minutes, but it's a good sign. It'll be close to a year since he's last played, so he'll definitely need practice time. Hopefully, they give him that and don't expect him to jump in once he's medically cleared.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

It was only 10 minutes, but it's a good sign. It'll be close to a year since he's last played, so he'll definitely need practice time. Hopefully, they give him that and don't expect him to jump in once he's medically cleared.

He skated for 30 minutes today

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Reilly - Weber
Mete - Petry
Benn/Schlemko - Juulsen

This d-corps looks good

 

[TheBuriedHab]

Apperently he skated for almost an hour before the team the other day. Think hes coming back sooner than later

 

[Kojo]

He's going to have a lot of fun playing with this team if he can keep up.

 

[jordy]

He's going to have a lot of fun playing with this team if he can keep up.

Thats the issue I have with him. Can he keep up is the question.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

Thats the issue I have with him. Can he keep up is the question.

It'll be interesting. Though he can't carry the puck himself really (he does the odd time) he's still usually pretty good in making good passes in transition. I don't know I'm actually 50/50 and I'm a Weber fan. I've been wondering about whether he'd fit in ever since about the 2nd game.

 

[DangerDave]

Thats the issue I have with him. Can he keep up is the question.

He wasn't slow at all before. He was pretty much as fast as Josi. Now with his surgeries I don't know but he never really relied on speed. He's never really been the one to join the rush either and instead defaulted that to his partner. We have Reilly and Mete for that either way so that's not an issue.

 

[Mario le Magnifique]

Thats the issue I have with him. Can he keep up is the question.

I have no doubts that he'll be slower but he's still possessing that canon of a shot for the PP. Pairing him up with a speedy defenseman makes a lot of sense. Before getting injured (or playing injured) Weber was tearing it up on the PP last year, and hopefully he can make this team an even better one. I think all he adds to the team are things that the team dosen't have right now, he's bigger and stronger than anyone on defense right now, he has the best shot on the team, he's our toughest and meanest player, but he is honourable and he has the referee's benefit of the doubt as far as how he gets away with a lot of things that can be considered dirty (he crosschecks a lot) but since it's Shea Weber it's good old school hockey.

 

[Gustave]

Talking about Weber’s game like its pedestrian really confuses me.

He’s an above average number 1 defensemen. In 25 games or so, all played with a broken foot, he racked up 16 points. And that’s only from the offence point of view.

He also happens to be punishing, hard to beat one on one and fairly always in position.

Speed, much like Markov, doesn’t really matter in his case. Not that he cant’t skate by the way.

I just don’t get the way some talk as if he’s a dime a dozen player.

 

[Tim Wallach]

That's the thing with Weber. Some people seem to think he's slow because he's big, but he's not at all. Watch his pivot and recover speed. He's way more quick and agile than people realize and he's so smart with his angles and positioning, that he makes up for any speed gaps.

 

[loudi94]

That's the thing with Weber. Some people seem to think he's slow because he's big, but he's not at all. Watch his pivot and recover speed. He's way more quick and agile than people realize and he's so smart with his angles and positioning, that he makes up for any speed gaps.

The only time he may be vulnerable is on an open ice foot race. Everything else he can rely on positioning and strength.

 

[mariolemieux66]

Weber is what the Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need, so let's hope Dubas makes Bergevin an offer that cant be refused.

 

[admiralcadillac]

Weber is what the Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need, so let's hope Dubas makes Bergevin an offer that cant be refused.

No thanks I don't want weber on the biggest group of whiners in the nhl

 

[CoupeStanley]

Weber is what the Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need, so let's hope Dubas makes Bergevin an offer that cant be refused.

The way I see it with Weber, today he's worth a first, a prospect and another 1st or 2nd.

Three years down the road, a contending team will still pay that price.

So really, we might as well keep him for the time being.

 

[Kriss E]

That's the thing with Weber. Some people seem to think he's slow because he's big, but he's not at all. Watch his pivot and recover speed. He's way more quick and agile than people realize and he's so smart with his angles and positioning, that he makes up for any speed gaps.

He's definitely not Hal Gill. But at his age, big injuries can have a significant impact. The difference between him and Markov is the puck moving ability and vision. Markov was great at that, better than Weber, so despite losing an obvious step, he could still move the puck quickly and efficiently.
Now, what Weber has that Markov didnt is a massive canon and size, so we will see how he manages to use that to his advantage.
I think Weber Will have to Adapt, but he's smart enough as a player to do so.

 

[JianYang]

Thats the issue I have with him. Can he keep up is the question.

Unless he's lost a step from this injury, I wouldn't worry too much about that. He's been positionally sound for Montreal. He just has to continue playing within himself.

 

[26Mats]

Unless he's lost a step from this injury, I wouldn't worry too much about that. He's been positionally sound for Montreal. He just has to continue playing within himself.

The game is faster than it's ever been and father time gets everyone eventually, though some later than others. Bowmeester for example at 35 is far less effective than he was a few years ago. It remains to be seen what Weber has left. The moment he shows signs of being an elite dman, if he ever does again, I would trade him to a contender for futures, i.e. a trade like the Pacioretty trade. We'd benefit more from getting a dman version of Suzuki who has his whole career ahead of him than 2-4 years of Weber and then he's done.

 

[JianYang]

The game is faster than it's ever been and father time gets everyone eventually, though some later than others. Bowmeester for example at 35 is far less effective than he was a few years ago. It remains to be seen what Weber has left. The moment he shows signs of being an elite dman, if he ever does again, I would trade him to a contender for futures, i.e. a trade like the Pacioretty trade. We'd benefit more from getting a dman version of Suzuki who has his whole career ahead of him than 2-4 years of Weber and then he's done.

It's not like he's missed 5 years of hockey though. Weber has experienced the fast brand of hockey before he got hurt and he was performing fine.

The concern would be whether this particular injury takes a bite out of his pace. If not then I don't think there is much to worry about.

 

[Goodbahd]

Weber is what the Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need, so let's hope Dubas makes Bergevin an offer that cant be refused.

He’s the missing piece to a cotender. He’s still easily a top 10 defenseman in the league.

 

[HBDay]

Thats the issue I have with him. Can he keep up is the question.

He won't have to keep up, he just hashto do his job, do what shea Weber does and fun stuff will happen. I miss that boom clapper.

 

[26Mats]

It's not like he's missed 5 years of hockey though. Weber has experienced the fast brand of hockey before he got hurt and he was performing fine.

The concern would be whether this particular injury takes a bite out of his pace. If not then I don't think there is much to worry about.

I think the hockey became even faster with the enforcement of slashes to the hands. It allowed faster and skilled players that much more freedom to skate without being held back. We'll see what happens this year, it's early, but analysts like LeBrun and Maguire are saying it's even faster, and scoring is way up. They were also saying how Bowmeester at 35 is not as effective, and he was a great skater.

For me, Weber's ability to recover from injury is a huge concern. But his ability to play in the ever changing, faster NHL is also just as huge of a concern, especially 2 years from now, when he turns 35, and going forward from then as he's under contract at a huge cap hit until he's 40.