Speculation: What I think is wrong with this team...

[Ricky Bobby]

"Let's build a team with a pathetic defense, barely any NHL quality centers and wonder why the wingers don't look better!"

Yup. Must be a leadership problem.

Bingo

 

[ShaneFalco]

What's wrong with this team - strictly on the ice , and not considering that management failed to get proper/better players?


Lazy and entitled.

the end.

That's it

 

[Menzinger]

"Let's build a team with a pathetic defense, barely any NHL quality centers and wonder why the wingers don't look better!"

Yup. Must be a leadership problem.

Yep.

Bad players can't simply start playing well - 'leaders' can only do so much. It's a terribly constructed team, plain and simple. The leaf's have/had a 'leadership' issue, it's at the management level.

 

[The Legend]

This isn't a psychiatry lesson.

The team is not talented. Nice and easy to understand.

That is partly Nonis' fault, partly Carlyle's, partly the fact that we traded away some decent pieces at the deadline (as we should have), partly because the players haven't taken the next step in their development.

You should hope for better players. Leadership will sort itself out.

 

[darrylsittler27]

Don't forget we wanted softer and gentler.

Many fans cried about all the toughness, how bad it was. Wasn't this team just so much better ...not!

The worst group of leafs I have ever seen. At least Olcyk,Damphousse,Leeman,Iafrate were entertaining. The most boring leaf team ever!

 

[Mess]

What I think is wrong with this team is that there is very little that is right with it.

If the Leafs brought back only 1 player from this year's team in Morgan Rielly for next year I'd be okay with that, in fact I would be better than okay.

 

[Preisst*]

$95Mill Phil is the root problem on the team. Get rid of him and we are automatically better. Get rid of him and we have something to look forward to.

 

[DD03]

Better question

What's right on this team?

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

I think the comments dismissing leadership aren't giving it enough respect in just how much of a factor it is. I mean of course this team needs more talent and better players, but there is more to it than that. This team last year was coming off a big win in LA and looked like a lock for the playoffs, only to rattle off 8 regulation losses in a row. Yes Bernier was injured for more than half those games but for ****s sake, why could no one on the team rally each other to put more effort into the game? Why did it fall solely on Carlyle to try and get the team to buckle down and play better? This team faces any little adversity and they crumble like a house of cards. This team is so fragile mentally, and it's no wonder looking at who our best players and leaders are.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

I think the comments dismissing leadership aren't giving it enough respect in just how much of a factor it is. I mean of course this team needs more talent and better players, but there is more to it than that. This team last year was coming off a big win in LA and looked like a lock for the playoffs, only to rattle off 8 regulation losses in a row. Yes Bernier was injured for more than half those games but for ****s sake, why could no one on the team rally each other to put more effort into the game? Why did it fall solely on Carlyle to try and get the team to buckle down and play better? This team faces any little adversity and they crumble like a house of cards. This team is so fragile mentally, and it's no wonder looking at who our best players and leaders are.

We've had:

-1 top pairing Dman in Phaneuf although Rielly has emerged recently it was to late in the season. Our next best are # 4/5s in St. Louis or Nashville yet we count on them as 2/3 in Gunnarson, Franson, Polak
-No top line center and among the weakest 1-3 center group in the league
-Received just average goaltending when our only chance at overachieving was getting Vezina level

Have all the leadership you want but if you don't have good to great pieces at C, D and Goal its too much to overcome over any lengthy period of time.

Looking at the playoff teams combo of top 4 D, top 2-3 Cs and goaltending we just simply are bad. The only exception might be Ottawa but they got everything going their way. Ottawa could easily be challenging for a lottery pick again next year.

Our combo of goaltending, blueline and centers simply isn't very good.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

Better question

What's right on this team?

Rielly emerging + Nylander having an outstanding post draft year + top 5 pick in an exceptional draft being added this year.

Brown is leading AHL rookie scoring well doing it on a offensive starved Marlies team so they aren't inflated numbers.

Percy looks like a legitimate 2nd pair upside quality Dman.

Holland took a bit of a step forward and with more opportunity in this rebuild wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he become a 45-55 point center next year.

Next year we'll be bad and getting top trade value for pieces that aren't long term building blocks is critical but the next year we could surprise a lot of people and be on our way up with the above guys helping drive the bus.

 

[Snow Dog]

No high end talent.Other than #81 and maybe #21 and #3.No one else on this team is is a legit top 6 forward or top 2 D on a winning team.

 

[Pyromaniac3]

Opening lineup:
JVR-Bozak-Kessel
Kozun-Kadri-Lupul
Komarov-Santorelli-Clarkson
Winnik-Holland-Frattin

Only 3 of those forwards can produce offense on their own for 82 games season (JVR, Kessel and Kadri). Lupul is way too injured, Bozak is a passenger.

Phaneuf-Robidas
Gardiner-Rielly
Franson-Polak

This unit consists of #2 defender, 3 top 4 defenders and the depth defensemen. None of them are good for shot suppression.


Blaming leadership and character is just an easy but wrong way to explain this team. Does Buffalo have no leadership because they are last? No, the team just doesn't have talent. Same thing here. Why can't we just use the simplest explanation?

 

[pspot]

You describe what is wrong with this team and you describe Phil Kessel

That's your answer

 

[stamkos]

Boring season overall. Boring players too. Not much personality on this team. Don't mind Dion, feel kinda bad for him, the rest are lazy mostly. Kessel & bozak just want to go home & play games. They will be gone for sure.

 

[stamkos]

What I think is wrong with this team is that there is very little that is right with it.

If the Leafs brought back only 1 player from this year's team in Morgan Rielly for next year I'd be okay with that, in fact I would be better than okay.

He's the only one who for sure should be back.

 

[diceman934]

Kessel, and Dion.....one was vastly over rated, the other a player who kills teams.

Then throw in a lack of talent and you have the answer.

Our Prospect other then two look bleak. Percy is a 3rd pair D man at best. Nylander and Brown look good and the rest currently look like below average prospects.

 

[BodaciousBeefBazooka]

-Kessel
-phaneuf
-heart
-leadership
-positioning
-passing(tick tak toes) arent fast or smooth enough
-lack of finish
-poor defense
-not enough skill frankly
-too many 'me me' players
....there's way too many cons and not enough pros with this group(I'm not going to say team cause this isn't a team its a group)