What does Vegas do differently than us?

[Liminality]

Lmao Full stop.

What in the world

Nothing like some early morning steamy hot takes to wake you up.

 

[Fogelhund]

Vegas has been interesting. They've got every player, playing hard, not coasting, all the time. It's like a team full of Hyman, Komarov, Brown type efforts..... and yet, some of us wonder, why such players get rewarded by Babcock, as he tries to get the full team, to buy into such an effort. This is literally what Babcock is attempting to do. By example of rewards, he's trying to get our full team, play with the non-stop effort, and skating of Vegas. You hear it everytime he talks.... we skated hard...we stopped skating.... we didn't skate in the first.... they outskated us....

 

[ShaneFalco]

Vegas has been interesting. They've got every player, playing hard, not coasting, all the time. It's like a team full of Hyman, Komarov, Brown type efforts..... and yet, some of us wonder, why such players get rewarded by Babcock, as he tries to get the full team, to buy into such an effort. This is literally what Babcock is attempting to do. By example of rewards, he's trying to get our full team, play with the non-stop effort, and skating of Vegas. You hear it everytime he talks.... we skated hard...we stopped skating.... we didn't skate in the first.... they outskated us....

Thing is some of the vets seem to get a free pass despite how they play

 

[IBeL34f]

Difference between Vegas and all but one team you listed is that Vegas is in the Stanley Cup finals, in their first season no less. When was the last time the Leafs were in the Stanley Cup finals?

To be fair, the poster who started this thread also started a "What did Winnipeg do differently than us?" thread before the Jets/Knights series was even over.

 

[thewave]

Marner is trying to win a Cup, the other 2 are trying win contracts.

That was the impression I got. Hope it changes sooner than later.

 

[Holymakinaw]

Toronto needs to gut half of the team to be as good as Vegas. Skill obviously isn't everything.

LMAO. What a ridiculous statement.

 

[Mess]

The thing that Vegas does differently than us is ...... WIN !!!

 

[Mess]

Leafs have the wrong types of WMD (Weapons of mass destruction).

Leafs are built on SSWMD .. Soft, small weapons of mass destruction and teams that are bigger and stronger & physical are not afraid to play a Tom Wilson or Ryan Reaves are getting better results.

Washington and Vegas tough guys are not only making an impact physically they're also contributing on the scoresheet as well and their main impact is drawing their teammates into the fight and inspiring them physically.

 

[Critical13]

Apart from Vegas' superior compete level, their entire team is in its prime and not leaning heavily on 20/21/22 year olds.

Great point.

I see 3 things the Leafs didn't have this year:

1. No passengers
2. Veteran team top to bottom
3. Red hot goal-tending in the playoffs

 

[Critical13]

Leafs have the wrong types of WMD (Weapons of mass destruction).

Leafs are built on SSWMD .. Soft, small weapons of mass destruction and teams that are bigger and stronger & physical are not afraid to play a Tom Wilson or Ryan Reaves are getting better results.

Washington and Vegas tough guys are not only making an impact physically they're also contributing on the scoresheet as well and their main impact is drawing their teammates into the fight and inspiring them physically.

William Karlsson, Nate Schmidt and Jonathan Massercahult are definitely behemoths, just absolute units. I wish we had some more guys with their size.

 

[Ziggdiezan]

I feel like this thread is a rhetorical question...

Vegas have Marc Andre Fleury who has saved their bacon the entire playoffs. Don't know if they would have beat the jets without him. He has been outstanding

 

[Legion34]

Most of these players were cast offs or 5 goal scorers who turned into 40 goal scorers. They are proud and all 2o came in with something to prove after being left unprotected and chosen


He marchy. We decided to give you up so that we don’t have to pay smith.
Hey smith. We had to give up marchy because you are overpaid.

Hey tuch. We wanted to keep these players over you......

People act like David Perron, England and sbisa are some sort of dream team. They caught lightning in a bottle and I hope they win the cup. I think it will be hilarious after reading tankers cry for a decade about having to bottom out to win. We do it and now an expansion team wins the cup.

I would love it. But acting like this is a super team is nuts. Like where was the effort before this sbisa? What about England. He was a top pairing d in disguise and just decided to play now?? Come on

 

[Mess]

People act like David Perron, England and sbisa are some sort of dream team. They caught lightning in a bottle and I hope they win the cup. I think it will be hilarious after reading tankers cry for a decade about having to bottom out to win. We do it and now an expansion team wins the cup.

MA Fleury #1OA vs OV #1OA..

Regardless who wins the Cup this year the Conn Smythe winner is likely a #1OA pick .. #1OA picks are results of bottoming out.

Pens won 2 Cups #1OA picks and now Vegas is the benefactor of Pens giving them their #1OA pick.

If Vegas wins then MA Fleury as a former #1OA has resulted in 3 X straight Cup wins.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Heh. Ryan Reaves came over, immediately made Vegas' fourth line worse and proceeded to be a non-factor for most of the playoffs until the last two games. Suddenly some point to him as a key factor just so they can push the idea of size and toughness.

Meanwhile, the players that actually play meaningful minutes and have the big impact for the team are all smart players with great skating and the skill to execute the right plays, while being average sized at best.

 

[Legion34]

MA Fleury #1OA vs OV #1OA..

Regardless who wins the Cup this year the Conn Smythe winner is likely a #1OA pick .. #1OA picks are results of bottoming out.

Pens won 2 Cups #1OA picks and now Vegas is the benefactor of Pens giving them their #1OA pick.

If Vegas wins then MA Fleauy as a former #1OA has resulted in 3 X straight Cup wins.

????? If the devils win the cup with hall. Did they tank? The leafs traded for Nolan in 2002. Did they tank?

 

[Boutette]

Leafs have the wrong types of WMD (Weapons of mass destruction).

Leafs are built on SSWMD .. Soft, small weapons of mass destruction and teams that are bigger and stronger & physical are not afraid to play a Tom Wilson or Ryan Reaves are getting better results.

Washington and Vegas tough guys are not only making an impact physically they're also contributing on the scoresheet as well and their main impact is drawing their teammates into the fight and inspiring them physically.

So we need dirty players who specialize in late hits. Gotcha.

 

[Boutette]

Most of these players were cast offs or 5 goal scorers who turned into 40 goal scorers. They are proud and all 2o came in with something to prove after being left unprotected and chosen


He marchy. We decided to give you up so that we don’t have to pay smith.
Hey smith. We had to give up marchy because you are overpaid.

Hey tuch. We wanted to keep these players over you......

People act like David Perron, England and sbisa are some sort of dream team. They caught lightning in a bottle and I hope they win the cup. I think it will be hilarious after reading tankers cry for a decade about having to bottom out to win. We do it and now an expansion team wins the cup.

I would love it. But acting like this is a super team is nuts. Like where was the effort before this sbisa? What about England. He was a top pairing d in disguise and just decided to play now?? Come on

Quite an exaggeration. McPhee made a bunch of smart deals with desperate managers and hired one of the best coaches in the NHL. Just look what he got from Florida alone for not picking their 8th best forward, 4th best defenseman or #2 goalie. 2 guys capable of being 1st line forwards on most of the teams in the league. Only a few of his players seriously overperformed. Most just took advantage of the opportunity of playing more minutes with similar high energy players. That's certainly something to be learned in T.O., where we put some of our best young prospects on 4th lines with GUD PRO plugs who are old, slow and/or offensive black holes, and then people complain that they aren't lighting up the score sheet and are worthless.

 

[Legion34]

Quite an exaggeration. McPhee made a bunch of smart deals with desperate managers and hired one of the best coaches in the NHL. Just look what he got from Florida alone for not picking their 8th best forward, 4th best defenseman or #2 goalie. 2 guys capable of being 1st line forwards on most of the teams in the league. Only a few of his players seriously overperformed. Most just took advantage of the opportunity of playing more minutes with similar high energy players. That's certainly something to be learned in T.O., where we put some of our best young prospects on 4th lines with GUD PRO plugs who are old, slow and/or offensive black holes, and then people complain that they aren't lighting up the score sheet and are worthless.

Look at ALL of their careers prior to this year. How many aren’t dramatically over performing? Where was this before. It is like a 20 man contract year.

 

[Gary Nylund]

It would have to be an unbelievable coincidence if all these players just happened to have career years in the same year. If it's not a coincidence, then the question is - how did they do it?

The most obvious answer seems to be motivation. That team simply bought in to playing hard, doing their jobs and trusting each other. Why they were able to do it when other teams seems to be unable to do it probably has something to do with the fact that there are no stars/egos and the fact that they were castoffs.

So if this is correct than the question becomes - how to motivate a "typical" team where there are some stars and there are hardly any castoffs? And another question is - what would the NHL look like if every player/team in the league played with the same motivation that Vegas played with this season?

You'd think it would enough to just pay people a ton of money and they will give their best all the time. Apparently that isn't the case though.

 

[Morbo]

The biggest difference I notice is how Vegas plays when they don't have the puck. they're all over you until they get it back.

 

[Mess]

Vegas has my boy Shea Theodore and he is a stud dman.

If I was drafting for my Leafs in 2013 then Theodore would be a Leaf today instead of Leafs drafting no offense Freddy Gauthier instead.

He would be a difference maker now, but now Vegas is benefiting.

 

[Boutette]

Look at ALL of their careers prior to this year. How many aren’t dramatically over performing? Where was this before. It is like a 20 man contract year.

Karlson, Perron, Huala, Miller. So maybe 4 guys. Other players were pulled up by their performances and a great coach, who also did similar things with Florida before he was entirely undermined by the management who were suddenly convinced he wasn't any good by some snake oil con.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

Vegas has my boy Shea Theodore and he is a stud dman.

If I was drafting for my Leafs in 2013 then Theodore would be a Leaf today instead of Leafs drafting no offense Freddy Gauthier instead.

He would be a difference maker now, but now Vegas is benefiting.

But Gauthier is bigger so that's nonsense

 

[nsleaf]

I just wish I had bet on them back in Oct. The odds would have meant a huge payout if they win SC.

 

[Legion34]

Karlson, Perron, Huala, Miller. So maybe 4 guys. Other players were pulled up by their performances and a great coach, who also did similar things with Florida before he was entirely undermined by the management who were suddenly convinced he wasn't any good by some snake oil con.

He has been a coach for over a decade. The panthers were 11-10 when he got fired. He had a losing record I believe in Columbus. He was an assistant some ok teams if I recall and had to go to junior. He is a fine coach sure. He may be a cup winning coach next week and that’s great. But it’s not like this is moneyball. Where some new wiz has come on scene and changed the game or some group of super rookies came out of no where. This is a set of known nhl commodities that are playing out of their minds. It’s either that or every single gm/scout has no idea how to evaluate talent on their own team.

If that’s the case, If all these players are individual stars, McPhee is a genius and gallant is Lombardi then... why are these players not able to beat out the other players on their teams? It’s not all cap. Why has McPhee been unable to win cups? Why did gallant have to go back to junior?

Neal fine. Fleury fine. Marchy fine. The rest i would bet are in for a slump. But I love the ride now. It’s awesome.