News Article: The 2020 Defense.

[Wafflewhipper]

Lehtonen will be training here now but I doubt there will be much info on him getting out to us. Real stufff like how he looks in drills scrimmages etc. The guy Might be the Solid RHD beside Muzzin is my best guess right now. That leaves Dermott/ Bogosian/Holl rounding it out. Liljigren is taking another backseat. I don’t know how goodvwe are developing Liljigren. I think we are hurting him actually.
Sandin being the 8 guy seems reasonable to think is the next one in the mix. Liljigren is suddenly not the only option for Rhd here with the adds.
I’m starting to doubt they see much much future for him in the organization.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Our left side looks solid. Lehtonnen is a wild card that, if he pans out, will make us even stronger.
Our right side has improved with Brodie and Bogo, but i still believe that our depth is not quite there yet. As long as the injury bug stays at bay, we should manage just fine.

I could see Lehtonen getting some authoritative presence with that left shot on the right side that he brings on the PP. Muzzin big shot and Lehtonen big shots from the point might draw lots of high coverage. Teams will likely very quickly learn these two can burn you with their shot. Brodie will back Rielly up every time he rushes the puck very consistently. Anyways all that said it looks like a very interchangeable defense now. It looks expierenced in short.

 

[The Iceman]

Hoping Bogo can win the job opposite Muzzin in the top 4.
That would move Holl to be slotted on the 3rd pair exactly where he will thrive.
Then Keefe can sort his way through the healthy scratches which will include Bogo getting the odd night off.
If Lehtonen proves to be a legit top 4 talent, and the group stays healthy, this will be the deepest and best Leafs blue line since the 92-93 season IMO.
Gill
Lefebvre
Macoun
Rouse
Ellett
Mironov

 

[mapleleaf979]

Alot of questions on the back end obviously, they have 2 new guys possibly 3 if Lehtonen makes it.

Reilly-Brodie will start the year , hopefully he can compliment Reilly. Reilly lacks confidence at times and the will to make aggressive moves, he is hesitant on the PP. Hainsey acted like Reilly's brain, he told him what to do, Reilly has some Kaberlie passive blood in him. He needs someone barking at him, basically a leader as a D partner. Hainsey gave him confidence. Reilly does not win battles or is wired to get pissed off about winning them. I dont know Brodie well enough to know how he is internally nor do i know how committed he is in his own zone. It gets complicated if Reilly-Brodie have crossed wires if they pair up. Brodie-Muzzin would be the only other combo for Brodie. Then all of a sudden either Bogosian or Holl has to slot in with Reilly. The last thing about the D core is Holl. He is a bargain in the Top 4 @ 2 million per, but overpaid in the bottom pairing. On this team, the way the contracts are, they need a pair of million dollar D men on the backend moving forward.

If Lehtonen outplays Dermott, Dermott wont be here much longer it appears. If Sandin shows some improved strength especially, he will surpass Dermott especially given he is Dubas's draft pick and from my stance appears to have a higher hockey IQ than Dermott for sure but needs to improve strength and skating speed to surpass Dermott without question. Otherwise its close. Dermott , could end up burning the Leafs. I dont think he feels trusted but at the same time thats warranted. Dermott at times has questionable hockey sense, confused about what to do an makes a poor decision. He has good wheels, doesnt seem to know how and when to use it. Overplays guys in the neutral zone.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

I'm curious with having Lehtonen with a big shot, if we have a PP with 2D on it as opposed to running with 4 forwards. Might spread the talent out a little bit more across both units. Muzzin can hammer it too.

Marner Matthews Robertson
Rielly Lehtonen

Nylander Tavares Simmonds
Thornton Muzzin

 

[Buds17]

I'm curious with having Lehtonen with a big shot, if we have a PP with 2D on it as opposed to running with 4 forwards. Might spread the talent out a little bit more across both units. Muzzin can hammer it too.

Marner Matthews Robertson
Rielly Lehtonen

Nylander Tavares Simmonds
Thornton Muzzin

It's possible. I think the unit featuring the two d-men is more likely to be PP2 though.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Alot of questions on the back end obviously, they have 2 new guys possibly 3 if Lehtonen makes it.

Reilly-Brodie will start the year , hopefully he can compliment Reilly. Reilly lacks confidence at times and the will to make aggressive moves, he is hesitant on the PP. Hainsey acted like Reilly's brain, he told him what to do, Reilly has some Kaberlie passive blood in him. He needs someone barking at him, basically a leader as a D partner. Hainsey gave him confidence. Reilly does not win battles or is wired to get pissed off about winning them. I dont know Brodie well enough to know how he is internally nor do i know how committed he is in his own zone. It gets complicated if Reilly-Brodie have crossed wires if they pair up. Brodie-Muzzin would be the only other combo for Brodie. Then all of a sudden either Bogosian or Holl has to slot in with Reilly. The last thing about the D core is Holl. He is a bargain in the Top 4 @ 2 million per, but overpaid in the bottom pairing. On this team, the way the contracts are, they need a pair of million dollar D men on the backend moving forward.

If Lehtonen outplays Dermott, Dermott wont be here much longer it appears. If Sandin shows some improved strength especially, he will surpass Dermott especially given he is Dubas's draft pick and from my stance appears to have a higher hockey IQ than Dermott for sure but needs to improve strength and skating speed to surpass Dermott without question. Otherwise its close. Dermott , could end up burning the Leafs. I dont think he feels trusted but at the same time thats warranted. Dermott at times has questionable hockey sense, confused about what to do an makes a poor decision. He has good wheels, doesnt seem to know how and when to use it. Overplays guys in the neutral zone.

The last 5 Euro Leaf signees on defense were not NHLers. I hope Lehtonen is good but he looks like a poor mans Rielly to me in video. Decent skater on his edges but not particularly fast straight line like another Sandin but older. A nice add when playing less physical teams where Bogo can get a night off.

 

[hockeywiz542]

LEAFS NOTES: Kyle Dubas using his own grandfather clause in running the Maple Leafs | Toronto Sun

SEVEN ‘D’ LUCKY FOR LEAFS?

Dubas and Keefe might visit the 7-11 next season.

They’re keen on what coach Jon Cooper did with the Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning for a key stretch during the playoffs, using seven defencemen and 11 forwards, which the retooled Leafs roster might be better suited for some nights whenever the NHL resumes.

“Cooper had Ryan McDonagh and Victor Hedman on the right side, rotating five other guys … Sheldon and I have had that conversation a lot,” Dubas told MacLean. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see us do that, though in the end, it’s Sheldon’s call. In 2016, I know Sheldon called Jon when we were in the (AHL) conference final against Hershey. We felt our depth (that year with the Marlies ) was better on defence and Tampa had used (7-11) a lot (that year)."

“No. 1, it creates a difficult match up front. You’re either running your top three lines a lot or, when your fourth line comes up, you have a member of the first line to make it more potent. In our case, that’s Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander, with Jason Spezza and Kyle Clifford to use last year’s (roster) as a hypothetical.”

Bounced by Columbus during the play-in round, the Leafs bolstered the blueline in the off-season with TJ Brodie, Zach Bogosian and Mikko Lehtonen.

“The group of defence includes some with a specific function, which we’ll have more of this year,” Dubas added. “Lehtonen has been KHL defenceman of the year, a much more offensive guy who thrives on the power play. Bogosian has been an excellent penalty-killer. He’s used to that (seven-man) system in Tampa. Whether it’s Rasmus Sandin or Timothy Liljegren, they can be worked in."

“The flexes up front and on defence are certainly intriguing and, as shown (by Tampa), it certainly works. You’ll see a lot more of it because the championship teams get mimicked.”

 

[darrylsittler27]

Lehtonen will be training here now but I doubt there will be much info on him getting out to us. Real stufff like how he looks in drills scrimmages etc. The guy Might be the Solid RHD beside Muzzin is my best guess right now. That leaves Dermott/ Bogosian/Holl rounding it out. Liljigren is taking another backseat. I don’t know how goodvwe are developing Liljigren. I think we are hurting him actually.
Sandin being the 8 guy seems reasonable to think is the next one in the mix. Liljigren is suddenly not the only option for Rhd here with the adds.
I’m starting to doubt they see much much future for him in the organization.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Defensemen are tricky and Liljegren is young 22 years old. He deserves one more year as some our guys on one year contracts. He has the tools. Sandin is a lock for NHL play at some point. Liljegren could easily be a 6 or 7 d in a year. I will bet he becomes better than Marincin or Zaitsev.

 

[X66]

IF the forwards commit to helping the D more, AND Brodie is what we hope he is, we could have a top 10 defence in the league next year.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Rielly will be a Norris finalist imo this year.

Man i hope you are right. If he gets a bounce back to his career year we will know its not a one shot wonder year too. I hope he is healthy.

 

[KyleDubasBoyGeniua]

One tricky thing for Keefe is Lehtonen needs real minutes this year to determine the Leafs to keep him.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Hoping Bogo can win the job opposite Muzzin in the top 4.
That would move Holl to be slotted on the 3rd pair exactly where he will thrive.
Then Keefe can sort his way through the healthy scratches which will include Bogo getting the odd night off.
If Lehtonen proves to be a legit top 4 talent, and the group stays healthy, this will be the deepest and best Leafs blue line since the 92-93 season IMO.
Gill
Lefebvre
Macoun
Rouse
Ellett
Mironov

Might be the best since but no where near as good. They beat the !&#@?! Out of everyone, blocked shots and added great offense. Muzzin would be 3rd pairing.

 

[ACC1224]

Presuming camp starts soon, how does the
depth chart look? Obviously Rielly, Brodie and Muzzin are at the top but the rest of the spots are up for grabs.

 

[BertCorbeau]

Presuming camp starts soon, how does the
depth chart look? Obviously Rielly, Brodie and Muzzin are at the top but the rest of the spots are up for grabs.

Well Holl is definitely locked in with Muzzin to start the year. After that I would think Dermott is likely pencilled in on the third pairing to be a regular in the line up.

That leaves Lehtonen, Bogosian, Liljegren and Sandin battling in out for that last spot.

 

[VanW27]

D should be better but I see the same issue as with the forwards, its hard to put the group together in a way that provides a good fit and also fills the roles you need.

Brodie in for Ceci is an even strength upgrade but Ceci was our #1 PKer and while Brodie can PK he's more along the lines of Rielly in that regard - can but shouldn't be relied on too much.

Bogosian was clearly brought in to add some toughness and PK ability but in order for him to get into the lineup you need to take out Dermott or Lehtonen. Dermott has shown he's an elite 3rd pair player and likely a capable 2nd pairing guy, and expectation for Lehtonen are pretty high. If Lehtonen bombs its an easy choice, if not you're forced to take a better player out of the lineup to fill a role.

Maybe you say "take out Holl then", except he's next best right side PKer, so you're opening up the very spot you're trying to fill by getting Bogo in the lineup.

Here's a small example of how I saw fit being a subtle reason why Barrie struggled last year, this is just handedness in a certain situation:

• In Colorado the PP runs thru Rantanen as playmaker from the RW halfwall, this means Barrie's biggest strength as a PP QB - the big right shot/one timer - was always available as a threat with one simple pass.
• In Toronto the PP runs thru Marner as playmaker from the LW halfwall, this means Barrie's one timer is never available off the set up and he needs to get the puck from Matthews, except the goal on the PP is to get the puck to Matthews for the shot so once it gets to Matthews you want the shot to come from him. It even makes the pass from Marner more difficult to make as it needs to come across his body or onto his backhand, so Barrie needs to move just a little bit closer to Marner to keep the passing lane open.

A left shot dman in that spot, even if they aren't as good of a PP player makes the PP work better.

 

[ACC1224]

Well Holl is definitely locked in with Muzzin to start the year. After that I would think Dermott is likely pencilled in on the third pairing to be a regular in the line up.

That leaves Lehtonen, Bogosian, Liljegren and Sandin battling in out for that last spot.

I agree that’s how the top 4 will start although I would probably place Dermott 4 on the depth chart, Bogosian 5 and Holl 6. Lehtonen, Sandin, Lily as the rest. Not sure who would be 10.

 

[X66]

I want people to look at Colorado's D, and understand that you don't need to have meatheads on the back-end to be good.

As long as you play the right system and your Dmen have skill, you can play a great defensive game based on how quick you can make decisions and attack.

As Individuals, the Leafs D has a huge amount of skill. Rielly, Brodie, Muzzin, Dermott, Holl, Lethonen, Sandin, Liljegren(not including Bogo here). Between those guys there's a lot of speed, skill and puck carrying ability.

I hope under Keefe they reach their potential, because there are some real nice parts on the team.

 

[TopCheese]

This is pretty out there but I’d like to see bogosian on the 4th forward line if the other 6 d are healthy to start the year. He’d add some toughness to the forward group- has fought Clifford, reaves in the past. He could play defence on the pk and could be moved to the blueline if there is an injury or lethonen/ holl struggle

 

[BertCorbeau]

I agree that’s how the top 4 will start although I would probably place Dermott 4 on the depth chart, Bogosian 5 and Holl 6. Lehtonen, Sandin, Lily as the rest. Not sure who would be 10.

He who shall not be named...

... ok it’s Marincin

Then Callie Rosen likely

 

[Notsince67]

IF the forwards commit to helping the D more, AND Brodie is what we hope he is, we could have a top 10 defence in the league next year.

The forwards significantly helped the D last year. The D was that bad.

 

[4thline]

Well Holl is definitely locked in with Muzzin to start the year. After that I would think Dermott is likely pencilled in on the third pairing to be a regular in the line up.

That leaves Lehtonen, Bogosian, Liljegren and Sandin battling in out for that last spot.

I wouldn't be surprised (and would really like) to see
Muzzin-Brodie matchup pair
Rielly -xxx

Injuries allowing run a 40 game blender with 5-10 game auditions beside Rielly for each of Holl/Dermott/Lehtonen/Bogo.

 

[The Podium]

I agree that’s how the top 4 will start although I would probably place Dermott 4 on the depth chart, Bogosian 5 and Holl 6. Lehtonen, Sandin, Lily as the rest. Not sure who would be 10.

I think its:
1. Rielly
2. Muzzin
3. Brodie
4. Dermott
5. Holl
6. Lehtonen
7. Bogosian
8. Sandin
9. Lilly

In order of getting the 6 roster spots IMO.

 

[IPS]

I wouldn't be shocked at all if Bogosian beats Holl out for a spot.