Speculation: where do you stand?

[Nylander88]

This team is far different under Keefe. We're built to play fast and maintain puck possession. Drive teams nuts with how much we control the play. Babs had these guys dumping and chasing like we were some heavy team that will scare you in the corners. It's been beautiful watching these guys hang on to the puck. Enter the zone with it on their sticks. Take it for a lap if necessary. When a play isn't there at all, circle back instead of red line and dump. Big fan of Keefe.

 

[nsleaf]

Been a fan since 1968. I have never been more happy and optimistic about their chances to succeed than right now.

 

[Advanced stats]

13-4-1 with a coach and gm that are finally aligned, and some people still aren't happy.
I'm impressed.

Obviously we're on the right track. I dare say 90% of teams look up to us. If you're the 10%, you must be doing a lot right.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

I stand on the good side. I think this may be our year. I said that at the beginning of the season.

I think its in part due to where we are in the rebuild process (year 4/5/x whatever).

Our young stars have experience under their belts now and know what it takes. I think they've learned lessons based on those experiences.

I also think that the firing of Babcock sent a message to the players as well. It was a wake up call.

I'm thinking we could see a deep playoff run, even a Cup appearance this year.

 

[LeafSteel]

Pittsburgh and Chicago won multiple cups based on elite offense/meh defense/softness....why can't we?

........ because we are Toronto and we can't have nice things, ever.....

Chicago and Pittsburgh are fine to look at, but if you look at the most recent cup winners and finalists, there was several different ingredients there.

I don't look at models from 5-7 years ago. The league is different now. I look at the last 2 years and there is a very consistent theme of skill and toughness there between Boston, St. Louis, and Washington.

 

[Kingstondude84]

........ because we are Toronto and we can't have nice things, ever.....

Chicago and Pittsburgh are fine to look at, but if you look at the most recent cup winners and finalists, there was several different ingredients there.

I don't look at models from 5-7 years ago. The league is different now. I look at the last 2 years and there is a very consistent theme of skill and toughness there between Boston, St. Louis, and Washington.

The only common theme I see between those 3 teams is elite goaltending with their cup runs/wins to be honest. I don't think Boston is that tough to be honest, its a misconception about that team! They aren't an overly hard hitting team, but, what they do excel at is using their bodies as sheilds to slow the opposition down, espically in the NZ, they really haven't been a "tough" team since 2010 tbh. St louis? Washington eh? They are a fluke, 1 cup win, the rest since 03' have been 1st/2nd round bounces.

The leafs I think have what it takes to win a cup- They have an elite netminder in Freddie, and given the shots against are down, he should be fresher come playoff time. We have ridicioulous talent up front, and the defense is meh, but given how strong the other two categories are, it more than makes up for an pedestrian blueline.

 

[Kingstondude84]

The only common theme I see between those 3 teams is elite goaltending with their cup runs/wins to be honest. I don't think Boston is that tough to be honest, its a misconception about that team! They aren't an overly hard hitting team, but, what they do excel at is using their bodies as sheilds to slow the opposition down, espically in the NZ, they really haven't been a "tough" team since 2010 tbh. St louis? Washington eh? They are a fluke, 1 cup win, the rest since 03' have been 1st/2nd round bounces.

The leafs I think have what it takes to win a cup- They have an elite netminder in Freddie, and given the shots against are down, he should be fresher come playoff time. We have ridicioulous talent up front, and the defense is meh, but given how strong the other two categories are, it more than makes up for an pedestrian blueline.

 

[6ix]

Leafs win game 6 last year if Keefe was coaching.

 

[ACC1224]

Leafs win game 6 last year if Keefe was coaching.

Would have won in 3 straight. Bruins wouldn't have bothered to show up for game 4.

 

[6ix]

Would have won in 3 straight. Bruins wouldn't have bothered to show up for game 4.

Boston’s PP wins them a game or two, but Egocock did everything in his power to lose that series. Sickens me.

 

[Kingstondude84]

Leafs win game 6 last year if Keefe was coaching.

I think so too.... even if we were down by 3-2 in the third, you just know he would double stack the top two lines, third line would barely get a whiff, 4th line would be told to pack it in for the remainder.

 

[Kingstondude84]

Boston’s PP wins them a game or two, but Egocock did everything in his power to lose that series. Sickens me.

I actually don't think Babcock was that bad tbh, made some good calls, and some poor ones too. What slayed us was the poor PKing, that's what did us in.

 

[Buds17]

Definitely on the right track. Haven't missed much of a beat even accounting for injuries either. The playoffs are what it's really about though.

 

[6ix]

I actually don't think Babcock was that bad tbh, made some good calls, and some poor ones too. What slayed us was the poor PKing, that's what did us in.

He was terrible. The line combos and minutes distribution was insanity. Marleau playing more than Matthews. Not stacking lines when down a goal late. Playing Hyman on the PK with a torn ACL.

 

[Kingstondude84]

He was terrible. The line combos and minutes distribution was insanity. Marleau playing more than Matthews. Not stacking lines when down a goal late. Playing Hyman on the PK with a torn ACL.

Yes those were his stupid decisions for sure. He also made some good ones, like using the Marner line to go up against the Bergeron one, also playing Muzzin with Zaitsev was a bold move that worked pretty well. Again, he didn't win us the series, he also didn't lose it either. I do think though, Keefe behind the bench, this is a different outcome.

 

[Menzinger]

Leafs win game 6 last year if Keefe was coaching.

Marleau at the very least wouldnt have actually gotten MORE pp minutes that game than matthews

 

[The Kessel Run]

The team is performing much more to their pre-season expectations, and I think they still have more room to grow.

It's encouraging, as the effort level is astronomically higher, we're generating a ton of offence and they have responded to deficits and blowing leads on a regular basis.

Still lots to tidy up, but on the right track!

 

[dubey]

Dubas has work to do

Roster isn't perfect but coach is getting probably the most he can out of it right now

 

[Kazparov]

There have been times since Keefe took over where we look like we are on a powerplay during 5on5. I never saw that kind of dominant possession type play under Babcock. Or at least very rarely.

 

[LeafGrief]

We lost the plot, but managed to find it with Keefe. Team is ultra talented and on a huge roll right now. I don't expect us to continue at a 13-4-1 pace for the rest of the season, but we're once again one of the best teams in the league. That shouldn't be a surprise with the roster we have, but we started this year off with a nightmare. The team ain't perfect, no team is, but we're pretty darn good.

It's getting to the point where we can start thinking about how we'll do in the playoffs, we're in great shape to make them.

 

[Randy Randerson]

this is a flawed team, but definitely the most talented Leaf team in my lifetime. I think we project that contending teams have no glaring issues, but I bet that fans of every team that's won in the modern era would have said their team had at least 1 thing they could vastly improve on at the end of the regular season of the years they won. In a cap system, there's always going to be imperfections, it's nice to have a coach & mgmt team that are just letting the team play to its strength...and there will be times we curse our defensive inability still, but it will help more than it hurts

on another positive note, we're going to feel another cap pinch next year, but then I think we will start to feel some relief as the cap rises and our big salaries don't, there's light on the horizon there at least for a little while.

 

[Polaris1010]

They are headed in the right direction.

This year to form the nucleus of their team, next year learn to play some defense.

It ain't there yet!

You hit the nail right its head.

That is the problem right there!

It is only January and the Maple Leafs organization is already playing for next year.

 

[Polaris1010]

In front the toilet, stove, and sink...that's where I stand.

toilet . . . stove . . . and sink . . .

you do the number 1 into the stove and sink?

I gotta to try that one day . . .

j/k

 

[BrainyBomber]

Couldn't ask for more since we jettisoned our anchor of an ex-coach.

Most talented team of my lifetime and one of the youngest cores in the league. Young smart and up and coming coach and GM finally on the same page.

Very few teams would not want to swap positions with us. We will be a perennial cup contender for atleast the next half decade. Enjoy the ride and trust the process.

 

[1specter]

They are headed in the right direction.

This year to form the nucleus of their team, next year learn to play some defense.

It ain't there yet!

In terms of shots and shot attempts against, expected goals against and scoring chances (both regular and high danger), Leafs are in the 10-15 range for all of those at 5v5 under Keefe. Sure it can improve but teams like Pittsburgh have won with worse defensive numbers.

Hell Kris Letang missed the entire 2017 playoffs and that team still managed to win.