Injury Report: Tavares out minimum two weeks.

[Notsince67]

Correct (and Nylander knows where he stands) but what does it say to Nylander if now that JT is out, Marner replaces him on the Matthews line and he is moved to the second line to play with Kerfoot at C ? I know I would not be happy.

Oh. I get it now. Personally not a big fan if this move either. Nylander either fills the gap at center or stays IMO. I dont like Kerfoot on the second line at all. I think there are more creative solitions to the problem.

 

[Tak7]

They literally acquired centers over the summer to ensure they didnt have to use Nylander as a C.

Cant see them using him as a C now.

 

[Trapper]

Correct (and Nylander knows where he stands) but what does it say to Nylander if now that JT is out, Marner replaces him on the Matthews line and he is moved to the second line to play with Kerfoot at C ? I know I would not be happy.

8 preseason games was a good time to try out some new and fun things over the past 2 years.
JT isn’t the fastest guy in a league getting faster but he is a goal scorer.
Just like Pavelski who moved more to wing as he got older, I often wondered letting the young playmaker legs of Nylander play center with JT on his wing.
Matthews-Marner + digger
Tavares-Nylander + digger
It might amount to nothing but these are the kind of new age coach thinking I thought Dubas would be looking for.
Or even try Nylander at LW like Giroux did in Philly.
You will never find more gold if you don’t look for it.

 

[thewave]

8 preseason games was a good time to try out some new and fun things over the past 2 years.
JT isn’t the fastest guy in a league getting faster but he is a goal scorer.
Just like Pavelski who moved more to wing as he got older, I often wondered letting the young playmaker legs of Nylander play center with JT on his wing.
Matthews-Marner + digger
Tavares-Nylander + digger
It might amount to nothing but these are the kind of new age coach thinking I thought Dubas would be looking for.
Or even try Nylander at LW like Giroux did in Philly.
You will never find more gold if you don’t look for it.

I think when JT enters his 30s, he would be a better winger to a guy like Nylander but none of this will even get tried with Babs. I like coaches that experiment more, find Babs too rigid.

 

[ToneDog]

Pens have been rolling since they lost Malkin and Bjugstad two games into the season. Let's see if our phenoms can put the team on their shoulders and do the same fore the Leafs.

 

[ToneDog]

8 preseason games was a good time to try out some new and fun things over the past 2 years.
JT isn’t the fastest guy in a league getting faster but he is a goal scorer.
Just like Pavelski who moved more to wing as he got older, I often wondered letting the young playmaker legs of Nylander play center with JT on his wing.
Matthews-Marner + digger
Tavares-Nylander + digger
It might amount to nothing but these are the kind of new age coach thinking I thought Dubas would be looking for.
Or even try Nylander at LW like Giroux did in Philly.
You will never find more gold if you don’t look for it.

Those are some pretty radical suggestions. I cannot see Matthews playing anywhere but in the middle and Marner on the wing due to size. Nylander on the LW is probably worth trying, given that is where he had success at the worlds. Willie talks a good game but he needs to grab the bull by the horns if he wants to take the next step up and dominate like he said he would this year.

 

[Trapper]

Those are some pretty radical suggestions. I cannot see Matthews playing anywhere but in the middle and Marner on the wing due to size. Nylander on the LW is probably worth trying, given that is where he had success at the worlds. Willie talks a good game but he needs to grab the bull by the horns if he wants to take the next step up and dominate like he said he would this year.

It doesn’t take much to go:
Nylander - Matthews - (A Gallagher type)
Hyman - Tavares - Marner
And see how Nylander does at LW vs. the center position.
This gives us a little more bite in the top 6 and players like Moore/Kerfoot types round out the bottom 6.

Then find the same formula for D.

 

[kb]

It doesn’t take much to go:
Nylander - Matthews - (A Gallagher type)
Hyman - Tavares - Marner
And see how Nylander does at LW vs. the center position.
This gives us a little more bite in the top 6 and players like Moore/Kerfoot types round out the bottom 6.

Then find the same formula for D.

Nylander played LW at the World's. Why not give it a shot? Korshkov, although being a left shot, has mostly played RW. A big stretch for a rookie, but he looked like he could easily handle being a corner/forecheck/netfront complementary guy on a skill line.

Hyman - Tavares - Marner
Nylander - Matthews - Korshkov
Mikheyev - Kerfoot - Kapanen
Johnsson - Goat - Moore

I think that lineup would give the opposition fits.

 

[deletethis]

Could the Leafs be in cap trouble if Tavares needs to go on IR? - Video - TSN

TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie joins Andi Petrillo, Darren Dreger and Dave Feschuk to explain if John Tavares’ injury, and the potential he could end up on injured reserve, could present a cap challenge for the Leafs.

I'll save other peoples watching the video:

The answer is no.

 

[crump]

I'll save other peoples watching the video:

The answer is no.

Saved a click!

 

[Al14]

Pens have been rolling since they lost Malkin and Bjugstad two games into the season. Let's see if our phenoms can put the team on their shoulders and do the same fore the Leafs.

They are paid like they should be able to, however, I somehow feel they won't.

 

[Buds17]

They literally acquired centers over the summer to ensure they didnt have to use Nylander as a C.

Cant see them using him as a C now.

They did well to add centres. Most of the additions were of the fourth line variety though, in my opinion. An injury to one of the top two in Tavares is an especially tough development.

You might be right about them not wanting to use Nylander at centre, but I wonder if the thought process could also be not wanting to split the line of Johnsson-Matthews-Nylander?

 

[Menzinger]

They did well to add centres. Most of the additions were of the fourth line variety though, in my opinion. An injury to one of the top two in Tavares is an especially tough development.

You might be right about them not wanting to use Nylander at centre, but I wonder if the thought process could also be not wanting to split the line of Johnsson-Matthews-Nylander?

I think your last point is spot on.

It was clear (even from Babs post playoff interviews last year) that they wanted to get Matthews back with Nylander. And so far that tandem has been money in 5v5 situations.

Unless things turn dire I wouldn't expect Nylander dropping down to the 3rd line

 

[Buds17]

I think your last point is spot ok n.

It was clear (even from Babs post playoff interviews last year) that they wanted to get Matthews back with Nylander. And so far that tandem has been money in 5v5 situations.

Unless things turn dire I wouldn't expect Nylander dropping down to the 4rd line

My preference was to move Nylander to centre, mainly because I'm unsure about Spezza as 3C (winger could be a different story). I can understand wanting to keep a line - and an important one at that - intact though to start off with.

 

[SprDaVE]

He wasn't having a great start by any means but he was still solid. It's going to be a good test for some of the players who haven't stepped up as much as they should. We've seen teams sort of play even better when a big player is out of the lineup... The Leafs need a stretch of great hockey, not this weird on and off crap we've witnessed.

He might be back around the same time as Dermott and Hyman. Those are going to be huge boosts if the Leafs can weather the injury bug until then.

 

[Coatsy79]

Urgh this team has been so disappointing not just this season but stretching back into last year

Why can't we have a cinderella run to the cup final just once

 

[Stephen]

I think when JT enters his 30s, he would be a better winger to a guy like Nylander but none of this will even get tried with Babs. I like coaches that experiment more, find Babs too rigid.

Curious to see what happens with Tavares game over the next few years. Ideally he transitions into a Patrice Bergeron two way beast at center en route to solidifying the Leafs to a Stanley Cup championship, trading in a gentle offensive decline for much improved defense, though his two way play really hasn't been that remarkable over the course of his career. 30 is old when compared with the rest of the core but it's really still at an age where guys are just getting going as fully mature veterans. I don't really want to see Tavares converted into a winger (Marleau style).

 

[Stephen]

Urgh this team has been so disappointing not just this season but stretching back into last year

Why can't we have a cinderella run to the cup final just once

Don't really think we have the team chemistry and work ethic to go on one of those runs yet.

 

[Coatsy79]

Don't really think we have the team chemistry and work ethic to go on one of those runs yet.

It's frustrating man

 

[Nylander88]

Yeah Reilly's points get cut in half and the same for everybody else on pp 1 .You guys slay me you were just whining about Mitch not being on for the last minute and a half when we were down 1 last game , now you think the pigeons that were on could carry his jockstrap .Mitch played C most of his life and can easily slot in between Moore and Mickey without breaking up all our current lines .
PS maybe some of you should look at who is the top faceoff % stud in league before pumping Kerfoots tires .

Christin Dvorak is the top faceoff man in the league currently. On our team, it's Gauthier. Where are you going with this? Why did you switch Marner to C for the first time in his NHL career? Marner has played C, but not at this level. And most of his life? No. In junior I remember him on a line with Dvorak and Domi. Dvorak and Tkachuk. And on that line Dvorak was the center (he's pretty good at face-offs). Not sure what this had to do with point totals if Nylander saw PP1 time. Or what it has to do with Marner not being on the ice in the final minute. Your post puzzles me and I'm not sure where you're going with it

 

[hfman]

So apparently Tavares is indeed out a minium of two weeks with a finger injury. This will severely impact the team's performance, not only because he is their captain but also because

 

[Martin Skoula]

Curious to see what happens with Tavares game over the next few years. Ideally he transitions into a Patrice Bergeron two way beast at center en route to solidifying the Leafs to a Stanley Cup championship, trading in a gentle offensive decline for much improved defense, though his two way play really hasn't been that remarkable over the course of his career. 30 is old when compared with the rest of the core but it's really still at an age where guys are just getting going as fully mature veterans. I don't really want to see Tavares converted into a winger (Marleau style).

I think if Tavares developed more of a grinder's mentality and started playing more dirty, he would open up enough space to still be effective even if he gets slower. Something like a post-KHL Jagr puck possession game.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

If we go 0-6 what are the chances Babcock survives?

100%

 

[ToneDog]

One game down sans JT. We won but not as a result of one of the 3 amigos taking the bull by the horns, alla Sidney Crosby.

 

[Menzinger]

Cant help but remember more than a few people on here being critical of the Wickenheiser hire claiming she wouldnt actually do anything/it was just a PR stunt...