Line Combos: TOR needs to **** or get off the pot in regards to our defense

[The Magic Man]

I think a trade can be made for an RFA level D that fits our needs. Even if it's not a huge impact #1D. What we need is to manage Hainsey minutes.

He was more then we wanted as a #2D and will likely be ok to play #4D minutes allowing us to rotate Gardiner or Zaitsev or even Dermott to the the #3D spot. Getting a solid #2 would do wonders for every line.

I wonder of there's a chance Montour could be had. I'd push hard for Trouba but it could be very costly.

I think improving now is important. Our division just got harder to play in with Buffalo winning Dahlin. He'll be a #2D in Sept and be running there PP and breakout game right away. They already have a good team with solid C depth and the right support on D. They just need to make and upgrade on Lehner. Then we have another team nipping our heels along with TB and BOS to contend with. We need to keep a competitive edge while addressing our needs. It has to be now.

 

[shortfuze]

I did the numbers on how many playoff games both teams played. Boston forwards have played 681 total games including Giontas games which he doesn’t really count cause he didn’t play. Toronto’s total forward playoff games was 602 which includes both Moore and Martin which didn’t play. A difference of 79. The offence for both teams was pretty close so I’ll say it was about even.

The playoff games for defencemen for both teams. Boston has played 316 games while Toronto has played 146. That’s a huge difference. It’s obvious Toronto’s defence needed more experience against a team like Boston.

The difference in total games for both forward and defence was 249 games of playoff experience. That’s a lot of game and Toronto took it to 7 games. The defence broke down and chara and Bergeron did a good job in shutting down Matthews. The defence needs more time and some better defensive defencemen.

Not to mention Rask has played 61 to Andersen’ 34. Lots of games there.

 

[justafan22]

I think a trade can be made for an RFA level D that fits our needs. Even if it's not a huge impact #1D. What we need is to manage Hainsey minutes.

He was more then we wanted as a #2D and will likely be ok to play #4D minutes allowing us to rotate Gardiner or Zaitsev or even Dermott to the the #3D spot. Getting a solid #2 would do wonders for every line.

I wonder of there's a chance Montour could be had. I'd push hard for Trouba but it could be very costly.

I think improving now is important. Our division just got harder to play in with Buffalo winning Dahlin. He'll be a #2D in Sept and be running there PP and breakout game right away. They already have a good team with solid C depth and the right support on D. They just need to make and upgrade on Lehner. Then we have another team nipping our heels along with TB and BOS to contend with. We need to keep a competitive edge while addressing our needs. It has to be now.

montour/tanev/ type will be what the leafs get this summer

 

[Atomos2]

The D looks almost the same as this year. Why would you hope for that?

I'm hoping for a top #1 dman. I'm also hoping Dermott has a break out year. Ideally I would put Gardiner on the third pairing and adjust his minutes depending on how good he's going in the game.

I mean if we were living in fantasyland, I'd hope for Karlsson and Doughty but I'm being realistic. Changes have to come from within. Doesn't matter the personnel, we've been restructuring the defence for decades and we still are weak. These defensive woes run much deeper.

 

[pucky]

I'm hoping for a top #1 dman. I'm also hoping Dermott has a break out year. Ideally I would put Gardiner on the third pairing and adjust his minutes depending on how good he's going in the game.

I mean if we were living in fantasyland, I'd hope for Karlsson and Doughty but I'm being realistic. Changes have to come from within. Doesn't matter the personnel, we've been restructuring the defence for decades and we still are weak. These defensive woes run much deeper.

If you were being realistic, you'd concede that the Leafs are going nowhere with Gardiner as one of their dmen and the part about 'how good he's going in the game' is yet another fairytale. Seriously, they need major changes and it's time for them to say adios to Gardiner. Try to get something decent for him now. His contract is up in 2019 anyway.

 

[Lightsol]

How does Boston always remain a sturdy defensively strong team no matter the change in coaches, the change in gms, the change in defense corps?

Watch what happens to Boston's "sturdy defensively strong team" when Zdeno Chara retires, and you'll have your answer there.

 

[luvdahattymatty]

Leafs are way off the defence group needed in todays playoffs this season.
Jets - Big Buff and Trouba (monster beasts) and Myers and Chiarot (beasts) and then Morrisey and Enstrom to move pucks (but even those guys step up here and there and block shots.
Bruins - Big Chara, McQuaid, Miller and Carlo (monster beasts and 2 puck movers in McAvoy and Krug (again those guys make hits here and there)

Bottom line is 4 guys who can play a mean tough defence who are BIG and can skate AND 2 puck movers (maybe 3 max).

Look at Leafs make up outside of Polak (who is really slow) NO one can play a big hard defence. Leafs have too many puck movers and not enough defence. My point of this post is we are SO FAR away from an idealdefence that it will take another 3 years to remake it for playoff hockey.

I think Rielly and Dermott should be kept as the puck movers/skater boys. We need a complete rebuild after those guys. Lilegren maybe knocks out Rielly in another 3 years.

 

[drewjenks]

He's a D on a team that has D issues.

He isnt going to be moved. Nor should he.

Exactly right....and he's one of the major causes of the issues....

So wouldn't it make sense to fix the issues? Yes.

 

[nsleaf]

Love the thread title, but what's better, p***ing or getting off the pot? If you choose to get off the pot(LOL) what now, likely still gotta p***.

 

[moon111]

How to fix the Leaf's defense? Trade? I don't see it happening. Youth? Perhaps Dermott could earn a regular spot,
not sure any others are really ready. UFAs? Would definitely take a flyer on Ozhiganov. But I wouldn't want to count
on it being an automatic success. Personally, I think Connor Carrick is a bust and wouldn't resign him. As a safety net,
would consider RD Luke Schenn and Polak as 6th/7th defenseman place-holders, damn that bloody Corsi.

 

[indigobuffalo]

Why do we call this the Leafs’ board when no one here seems to follow what this team is doing?

The Shanaplan is building a roster like Germany (soccer). It’s full throttle offence, mobile D, aggressive attacking hockey.

The media and seemingly this entire board missed the memo, and instead are basically putting out article after article and thread after thread saying “Well, this is the worst Italian-style team ever.”

Italy plays a turtle system with basically 11 goalies. Germany is the opposite.

Can we just accept the reality we’re in and maybe start more threads that make sense with what management is actually doing? And trade proposals that make us better based on our strategy?

Like, Babcock isn’t going anywhere, and Rielly, Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Hyman, Brown.... etc... this team is going to have the same core for a while.

It’s going to be a very long, long decade if none of you ever figure out what team it is you’re watching.


There’s a great quote that captures this:

Everybody is a Genius. But If You Judge a Fish by Its Ability to Climb a Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing that It is Stupid.


Let’s stop seeing the Leafs as monkeys when they’re fish.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Year 2 of rebuild, LOL.

 

[MR4]

How to fix the Leaf's defense? Trade? I don't see it happening. Youth? Perhaps Dermott could earn a regular spot,
not sure any others are really ready. UFAs? Would definitely take a flyer on Ozhiganov. But I wouldn't want to count
on it being an automatic success. Personally, I think Connor Carrick is a bust and wouldn't resign him. As a safety net,
would consider RD Luke Schenn and Polak as 6th/7th defenseman place-holders, damn that bloody Corsi.

Perhaps Dermott can earn a regular spot? What the f***???

Man o man these boards.. he's already our 3rd best dman and you're not sure he gets a regular spot next season. Bru. Tal.

Considering that you had that opinion I'm definitely not surprised by your wish to bring Polak back.

 

[rent free]

If the Leafs want to shore up theitr defense, they need to trade for Kyle Lowry.

He sucks defensively.

 

[Nineteen67]

Why do we call this the Leafs’ board when no one here seems to follow what this team is doing?

The Shanaplan is building a roster like Germany (soccer). It’s full throttle offence, mobile D, aggressive attacking hockey.

The media and seemingly this entire board missed the memo, and instead are basically putting out article after article and thread after thread saying “Well, this is the worst Italian-style team ever.”

Italy plays a turtle system with basically 11 goalies. Germany is the opposite.

Can we just accept the reality we’re in and maybe start more threads that make sense with what management is actually doing? And trade proposals that make us better based on our strategy?

Like, Babcock isn’t going anywhere, and Rielly, Matthews, Nylander, Marner, Hyman, Brown.... etc... this team is going to have the same core for a while.

It’s going to be a very long, long decade if none of you ever figure out what team it is you’re watching.


There’s a great quote that captures this:

Everybody is a Genius. But If You Judge a Fish by Its Ability to Climb a Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing that It is Stupid.


Let’s stop seeing the Leafs as monkeys when they’re fish.

When has Shannahan said he’s building a full throttle offence only team?
I suspect he and the management team are trying to build well rounded team that can compete for the Cup.

 

[ShaneFalco]

When has Shannahan said he’s building a full throttle offence only team?
I suspect he and the management team are trying to build well rounded team that can compete for the Cup.

And when did an offensive team become not at all concerned with defence?

 

[mmalady]

listening to nhl radio the other day and mike johnson pondered if he was dougie hamilton he would want to get out of calgary and come "home" to toronto...he thought calgary would make it happen but would want nylander...what say you? Is dougie the rhd we need...3 more years at 5.75m too much? no to trading nylander? I personally dont mind this deal ...flame away

 

[Leaffan1991]

listening to nhl radio the other day and mike johnson pondered if he was dougie hamilton he would want to get out of calgary and come "home" to toronto...he thought calgary would make it happen but would want nylander...what say you? Is dougie the rhd we need...3 more years at 5.75m too much? no to trading nylander? I personally dont mind this deal ...flame away

If we could somehow get Tavares I would trade kadri and Gardiner instead of Nylander. I just think Nylander has a lot more to give still and will become a better player.

 

[bonjovi0308]

If we decide to keep MNM and Anderson long term, we may have trouble signing a 1st pair caliber defenseman, unless we develop one (or a few) internally and taking advantage of the rookie contracts. Having said that, if Matthews played like regular season Matthews, and Anderson played like prime Anderson usually from Dec-Feb, we might still beat Boston in best of 7 with this current defense. We need MNM and Anderson all at top forms in playoffs if we want a cup.

 

[Marmoset]

There's so much overreacting in here. Apparently the Leafs are too soft and our defence can never hope to compete with the Bruins.

And yet, they went to game 7 with some of our best offensive players being either no-shows or suspended, and with our goalie being extremely sub-par in at least a couple of games. Granted, he was also great in a couple of games. The point is, they almost won the series.

This does not sound like a team that is grossly outclassed and needs to rethink the way it does business. It sounds more like a team that needs to make some strategic moves to get better.

Our defence wasn't good enough, I agree, but that's not a surprise. It needs to get better, but we don't have to build a big, 'tough' team like them to beat them. There is more than one way to win in the NHL. We do need some size and toughness for sure, but we don't need to remake the whole team.

 

[orbiter11]

Sign Carlson to a 7x7 contract. Trade a first and Kapanen for Tanev and pray he doesn't get injured.
Reilly Tanev
Dermott Carlson
Hainsey Zaitsev
Maybe trade Gardiner to get our late first back from the Tanev trade. Or Keep him paired with Carlson. Thats the best we could hope for without getting rid of our young assests or moving Kadri. Much improved defense if Tanev can stay healthy.

 

[shortfuze]

Gardiner, Zaitsev, Polak and Carrick are not the answer and they need to try someone else.

Id definitely keep Zaitsev. He may have had a sophomore slump plus he was injured this year.

Although I don’t like Gardiner, if Toronto found a good stay at home defenceman for him to play with I’d keep him to. The other 2 can go.

 

[Joey Hoser]

I'm hoping for a top #1 dman. I'm also hoping Dermott has a break out year. Ideally I would put Gardiner on the third pairing and adjust his minutes depending on how good he's going in the game.

I mean if we were living in fantasyland, I'd hope for Karlsson and Doughty but I'm being realistic. Changes have to come from within. Doesn't matter the personnel, we've been restructuring the defence for decades and we still are weak. These defensive woes run much deeper.

Ugh. No they don't. We're an average defensive team that only has 1/2 of a top pairing. Really the only thing that's missing is a partner for Rielly that can give us a 25 minutes/night pairing we can rely on. #2-#6 we're actually good.

The fact that our defense is as good as it is, 2 years into a rebuild, while a forwards group is among the best in the league, is actually REALLY good and encouraging. You couldn't ask for more.

This amounts to complaining that our team didn't go from last place to elite at everything in 2 years.

 

[LeafFever]

Sign Carlson to a 7x7 contract. Trade a first and Kapanen for Tanev and pray he doesn't get injured.
Reilly Tanev
Dermott Carlson
Hainsey Zaitsev
Maybe trade Gardiner to get our late first back from the Tanev trade. Or Keep him paired with Carlson. Thats the best we could hope for without getting rid of our young assests or moving Kadri. Much improved defense if Tanev can stay healthy.

He's not good defesively. Why do we want him?

 

[orbiter11]

He's not good defesively. Why do we want him?

Thats why we get Tanev. Carlson replaces Gardiner and is competent defensively . That defense is remarkably better then this years. Also, this way we don't give up any key assests. Sure we might get Trouba or Hamilton but it would cost one of our big 3....