Square peg in a round hole

[Faltorvo]

with Babcock as their coach the Leafs have played the least "heavy" hockey I have ever seen from an NHL hockey team so criticizing him for trying to play too heavy seems very strange to me. When they dump and chase it is not because Babcock is not playing to their strengths it is because the other team forced them to.

well dubas got rid of all of "babs toys"

kadri/brown/hains/polak/koma/martin/zait/marl/McElhinney

when we are talking about players that play different

 

[Faltorvo]

If you honestly think the Leafs were forced to play dump and chase, then once again Babcock is badly getting out coached. Plain and simple. It’s like his obsessive line matching. We have the horses for them to worry about who we have on the ice not the other way around. No wonder our home record is so brutal.

ummmmm WTFFFFFFFFFF?????

go to nhl.com

pull up league standings and click on home record

we sit 3rd best right now, soooo ummmmm i ask wtf???

 

[ToMaLe]

ummmmm WTFFFFFFFFFF?????

go to nhl.com

pull up league standings and click on home record

we sit 3rd best right now, soooo ummmmm i ask wtf???

9 wins, 7 loses at home with this talent and you don’t think this is brutal? A pretty weak swing of your purse there buddy!

 

[Faltorvo]

9 wins, 7 loses at home with this talent and you don’t think this is brutal? A pretty weak swing of your purse there buddy!

you mean 6-2-4,,,12 games =s 24 points to be earned

we earned 16 of 24 points , thats a .666 winning % so ya, just fact
so take your nonsense and be gone

 

[ToMaLe]

you mean 6-2-4,,,12 games =s 24 points to be earned

we earned 16 of 24 points , thats a .666 winning % so ya, just fact
so take your nonsense and be gone

9 and 7 at HOME with this TALENT and you think this is acceptable. Pathetic that you Babcock supporters sets the bar this low for this team.

 

[Mess]

I thought this team with its cap management issues and lack of size and strength would be a wild card team this year and be in a battle for a playoff spot.

So for me the results on the ice are trending pretty close to my preseason expectations. Since the start of 2019 this team last 65 games has hovered around .500 hockey and very average, including specialty teams.

This team is built to score goals are weak defensively, play soft and stylistically built to outscore their mistakes and breakdowns.

It is what it is but this is the strategy the Leafs have decided is what wins in the new NHL. I don't support that belief personally, but we're going to have to watch it play out and see what happens.

 

[hobarth]

So Babs brand of defense is to keep the puck out of your end? Just curious what are all the other NHL coaches brand of defense, keep the puck in your end?

As the hockey shows keep telling us, the Islanders allow teams into their zone but not into scoring areas which is fine because it suits their players. They wait for other teams to break down, again, fine because it suits a team comprised of marginal talents like Leo, older players who can't push the pace.

Against the Islanders TO owned the 2nd period, scored 2 goals and pushed the pace thru most of the period but the Islanders also scored 1. If the opposition had pushed the pace like TO did but against TO, they would've scored far more than 2 goals. TO isn't built to withstand that kind of offensive pressure, TO is built to push the pace.

Outside of Muzzin I'd say not a single Leaf d-man has a reputation as an above average defensive d-man, all 6 of TO's d-men are mobile and supposedly able to move the puck. I don't think there's another team in the NHL that has TO's level of mobility on the d.

 

[stuart5035]

Just read an excellent article on “editor in Leaf” called “Is the Brendan Shanahan Plan Flawed” by Patrick Morrison.

More validation that Babcock is the wrong one; that he is strangling the team. Nicklaus Lidstom is quoted as saying he is a micro-manager, other references made by others about his extreme ego, how full he is of himself.

That’s it for me, no more posts, comments, I have no words for this team anymore, it’s up to the players and/or management. I cannot stop watching and cheering but I no longer have any expectations, not for a long time, unless they find a higher gear or drastic changes come. For now, this is a mediocre team.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

I have no idea what will happen with defense next year. I get the feeling it’ll be worse than this year unless sandin and Tim really come up and play amazing.

Yes, we could have three slots on the blueline to fill next year, or five if you count Holl & Marincin. A lot could happen i.e., it could go either way. And yes, having another ELC (or multiple ELCs) would allow us to use cap $s in other areas which would be nice.

 

[rumman]

I thought this team with its cap management issues and lack of size and strength would be a wild card team this year and be in a battle for a playoff spot.

So for me the results on the ice are trending pretty close to my preseason expectations. Since the start of 2019 this team last 65 games has hovered around .500 hockey and very average, including specialty teams.

This team is built to score goals are weak defensively, play soft and stylistically built to outscore their mistakes and breakdowns.

It is what it is but this is the strategy the Leafs have decided is what wins in the new NHL. I don't support that belief personally, but we're going to have to watch it play out and see what happens.

I expected them to excel in the regular season and struggle again to win a playoff series for all the reasons you mentioned.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

Yes, we could have three slots on the blueline to fill next year. A lot could happen i.e., it could go either way. And yes, having another ELC (or multiple ELCs) would allow us to use cap $s in other areas which would be nice.

If we can get extend Dermott and Holl, and sign Mikheyev cheap, we could have between $8M-11M to go for that #1RHD.

If you need more money we have a number of cheap LW's next year so you can look at moving Mikheyev, Johnsson, and (I would only do this if neccessary) Hyman.

Start with a base of:
???-Tavares-Marner
???-Matthews-Nylander
???-Kerfoot-Kapanen
???-Gauthier-Bracco

-Moore and Petan are signed for next year, Timashov, Engvall,Korshkov will be around, Agostino is also signed for next year.

-Top 3 LD and top 3 C/RW combos should be locked in, if we cheap out at LW we can upgrade the right side defense.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

If we can get extend Dermott and Holl, and sign Mikheyev cheap, we could have between $8M-11M to go for that #1RHD.

No doubt they will make the cap work in the end because they have to.

But as we have learned, getting good defenders isn't that easy. And, IF (operative word) there are some cap constraints, it gets even harder. You can add new players, but that doesn't necessarily mean the team will be better which seems to be case this year at least up to this point.

As for the cap situation next year, CapFriendly says we will have $15.9 m of projected cap space with just 11 players signed. Of course, the cap will go up next year, so more than $15.9 m will be available ultimately. But we will need to sign 12 more players to get to a 23 man roster. Another pertinent observation would be that Dermott and Muzzin (if he remains) will need more money. So will Mikheyev.