The Leafs and blown leads

[Mess]

Toronto leads the NHL in blown 3rd period leads with 7 now this year.

Most rookies and most blown leads.

When you play the kids that is the price you pay but you have to live with and through it.

Leafs are also top heavy in offensive forwards with a weak Dcore and that is building a team backasswards at present.

 

[The Beyonder]

2 words; defence and goaltending. The leafs haven't had a great d-man since pre-jansen Kaberle. And goalies have been absolute garbage since Belfour; minus Andersen and Reimer.

 

[catgoldfish]

2 words; defence and goaltending. The leafs haven't had a great d-man since pre-jansen Kaberle. And goalies have been absolute garbage since Belfour; minus Andersen and Reimer.

that's more than two words........The team is much more exciting to watch now than in previous years. So Go Leafs Go!

 

[catgoldfish]

Toronto leads the NHL in blown 3rd period leads with 7 now this year.

Most rookies and most blown leads.

When you play the kids that is the price you pay but you have to live with and through it.

Leafs are also top heavy in offensive forwards with a weak Dcore and that is building a team backasswards at present.

Typical Leaf Fashion..........Backwards.

 

[The Beyonder]

that's more than two words........The team is much more exciting to watch now than in previous years. So Go Leafs Go!

well.. i meant "defence" and "goaltending". But I agree, I haven't been this hopeful about a leafs team in a long time. Lots of things to be positive about, but also a long way to go as well.

 

[Mess]

Typical Leaf Fashion..........Backwards.

If you want to protect leads you build from the goalie out through strong defense.

I think Lou would love to deal a forward or 2 to help shore up the defense.

 

[CDP]

The rookies aren't the ones responsible for blowing the leads. Everyone keeps using this "it's a young team" excuse for all the team's shortcomings and it doesn't fly. The reason they blow games is because the defence is garbage, and early on it was also due to weak goaltending but Andersen has tightened up his game considerably so he's no longer a primary fault.

The rookies are also mainly the reason they have a lead to blow in the first place.

This is what I mean though. If your best players are rookies, you're most likely not a very good team overall. Outside of the big 4 and JVR/Kadri, our roster is mostly developing young guys like Brown/Carrick/Hyman/etc. and a bunch of replacement-level players.

This is basically Year 1 of the current core group, so I'm not that surprised that we've had trouble finishing games when our supporting cast hasn't really been filled out yet.

 

[saltming]

well, from the Lockout till 2013. it was because we weren't good enough.

in 2013 - the leafs actually never blew a third period lead, until game seven. (because, Leafs).

2015 - the Leafs barely had a third period lead to blow

and now, it's because we're not experienced enough (and our veterans are no help) to really hold it.


I rather take hope that the Leafs have the talent to get to the third tied or ahead. (we lead the League in that). we'll learn how not to blow it soon.

Reposting because ya! Totally agree and should be restated.
7 rookie regulars on a team. This year is all about learning how to play in the nhl. Every loss is a feather in the cap and will help the future. It's not like this is 3 or 4 years into it.

 

[zeke]

Reimer's fault.

 

[saltming]

Reimer's fault.

Agreed!

 

[hfman]

I'd love to update this thread but I've barely seen any games this year:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=2140807

 

[Menzinger]

Toronto leads the NHL in blown 3rd period leads with 7 now this year.

Most rookies and most blown leads.

When you play the kids that is the price you pay but you have to live with and through it.

Leafs are also top heavy in offensive forwards with a weak Dcore and that is building a team backasswards at present.

What's the difference between getting a bluechip forward before a bluechip defensemen?

Both are necessary pieces to build a contender....

There's no golden rule that says a contender needs to have its defense in place before addressing forwards.

 

[cupcrazyman]

We need to find better players to fill out #4 to #8 on the depth chart for the blueline.

 

[cookie]

What's the difference between getting a bluechip forward before a bluechip defensemen?

Both are necessary pieces to build a contender....

There's no golden rule that says a contender needs to have its defense in place before addressing forwards.

The key with defensemen is that they need experience. Of our core defensemen, only Gardiner has more than 300 games' experience (unless you count Zaitsev's KHL games). That means a lot. It means that most of our guys are still rounding out their games...including our top pairing that faces off against the opposing team's best. It means that we can "finish" core assembly by getting a top-name defender via UFA, trade, etc. It also means that there's still that possibility of having a guy step up. For such a young group, we sure are much better at transitioning the puck than we have been in the last freaking decade. And unlike before, there's still that possibility of being that much better. Lastly, teams are built in all sorts of ways: with so much salary coming off the books in the next few years, and having key pieces tied up with smart contracts, the Leafs will be able to spend money in not just making the playoffs, but rather going deep into them.

 

[Kingstonian84*]

i really think its a mental issue- this team plays aggressively in the 1st 40 mins, but we get a lead in the 3rd we stop skating, making quick exits out of our zone instead it feels like the team wants the clock to tick down expecting a win. basically, the leafs get cocky, thinking when they have a lead that they are the better team. i wont play the "youngest team card" because its a bunch of bs, every player from vet to rookie is guilty of this. quite frankly this is troubling! itd be one thing if this happened 1-2 times and they learned from it, but we have done this close to 10 times and the players havent learnt a thing.

 

[BM14]

The bolded stuff all sounds like "experience" to me.

How long have you been coached/played?

 

[Beaninfritz]

Like others have said, our best players have been our rookies. Our defacto #1 d-man is 22 years old. If all of our forwards played Marner's 2-way game, and had a much stronger presence in the defensive end, it would be a much different story.

But we are where we are, the team's at where it's at. We're currently 4 OT losses away from having a truly neutral record, but I'm actually enjoying watching this team this year.

Babs was right, there's going to be pain. But there also are teams that are legitimately better than us when you look at their rosters, and they're doing worse than us.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

Leafs aren't losing because of rookies. Stop that. Take the rookies out and we are a last place team again.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

None of this comes as any surprise, considering how long we haven't been a competitive team in the NHL (cap era).

Ya, we've been pretty bad in the "winning" dept. period. Probably won't make much of a difference in what statistical slice or angle you take.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

And unlike before, there's still that possibility of being that much better. Lastly, teams are built in all sorts of ways: with so much salary coming off the books in the next few years, and having key pieces tied up with smart contracts, the Leafs will be able to spend money in not just making the playoffs, but rather going deep into them.

For awhile, yes. But this kind of thing runs in cycles and will change eventually. Our young ELC players contracts will end. Still good to be in this position though next year and for some time afterwards.

 

[therealkoho]

A lot of people would say this is paranoid BS but I 100% believe some refs do try to influence the outcomes with things like that.

A skate in the way here, a C thrown out of the draw there.
Doesn't look like anything in a vacuum but over a season probably amounts to a couple extra losses.

Would love to see some stats on this stuff.. like cycles cut off, maybe goals after a C is thrown out. See where it compares league wide.

I don't think the league or the referees union tracks this stuff, but it definitely goes on, Montreal always get's a little homecookin', this is something players have said for 60 years or better, so we know where there's smoke there's always fire. I have believed for a very long time that Clarence Campbell was intimidated after the Rocket Richard incident and thusly quietly supported the shading and from there it just became embedded into the fabric of Montreal home games. Has it helped them, probably to the tune of 6 extra home wins a season!

The league truthfully doesn't need the Leafs in the playoffs, but they do need one of the american teams in instead!

The money the Leafs would generate in the playoffs would be more or less the same as an american team. The difference is that teams like Columbus or Raleigh for example who have been on the receiving end of profit share for years, would not need to start paying out unless it reached the 3rd round. The profit share the Leafs pay out is probably at the max based on it's regular season income. Maple Leafs wins and playoffs are only important to the fanbase who over time has proven to stay loyal thick and thin, if Toronto suddenly started seeing attendance in the 14k range because the fans finally became fed up, they would get a little home cookin themselves, if only for financial reasons!

 

[Mess]

What's the difference between getting a bluechip forward before a bluechip defensemen?

Both are necessary pieces to build a contender....

There's no golden rule that says a contender needs to have its defense in place before addressing forwards.

Sure we're still in the early stages of the rebuild so there is still time to try and shore up holes and improve the Dcore..

The blown leads are a direct result however of top heavy forwards and weak defense as a result of the path taken of top down and not goalie out team building strategy. IMO

 

[Morbo]

Sure we're still in the early stages of the rebuild so there is still time to try and shore up holes and improve the Dcore..

The blown leads are a direct result however of top heavy forwards and weak defense as a result of the path taken of top down and not goalie out team building strategy. IMO

How about having all those leads after 2 to begin with? Or is that also a result of non goalie out strategy too??

When you look at all the data, this team is quite possibly a couple of defencemen and some experience away from being pretty good. And I'm not talking Drew Doughty and prime Chara. Even adding a solid mobile top 4 D that can shoot it from the point would be an enormous help.

 

[Menzinger]

Sure we're still in the early stages of the rebuild so there is still time to try and shore up holes and improve the Dcore..

The blown leads are a direct result however of top heavy forwards and weak defense as a result of the path taken of top down and not goalie out team building strategy. IMO

I'd agree the team's defence is try by far the biggest problem - especially the vet guys like Hunwick/Polak.

Though with the rebuild still ongoing plenty of time to address the D situation via the draft or via trade considering expansion will lead to a massive shakeup in the market

 

[Mess]

How about having all those leads after 2 to begin with? Or is that also a result of non goalie out strategy too??

When you look at all the data, this team is quite possibly a couple of defencemen and some experience away from being pretty good. And I'm not talking Drew Doughty and prime Chara. Even adding a solid mobile top 4 D that can shoot it from the point would be an enormous help.

Its not how you start but how you finish which determines the eventual outcome.

Our current Leafs are similar to the analogy of the Tortoise and the Hare story.

Our young Leafs are the Hare and come out racing and buzzing around everywhere, but as the game advances the slow and steady approach of the Tortoise wins in the end.

Fast starts and blown leads and eventual losses parallel this parable. Not unlike the moral of story of that child's story.