Which Bottom 7 teams surpassed the Leafs this offseason?

[Tak7]

We need a couple more pieces to be a really good team. We aren't that far off, but those pieces need to be pretty damn good. To go along with that, we need our young pieces to take a step forward as well.

I wouldn't be too drastic.

*The Leafs haven't made the playoffs in a full 82-game season in a decade*

*They haven't made any major moves this summer*

*The management / coaching regime all remains the same*

*The Leafs just had another top 10 pick in the draft*







"We are a couple more pieces away from being a really good team"


...jesus wept.

 

[Commander Clueless]

*The Leafs haven't made the playoffs in a full 82-game season in a decade*

*They haven't made any major moves this summer*

*The management / coaching regime all remains the same*

*The Leafs just had another top 10 pick in the draft*







"We are a couple more pieces away from being a really good team"


...jesus wept.

That's not an incorrect statement.


The problem being, those couple of pieces are very significant team building blocks.

 

[Diatomic]

Not lieng their probably all better than us lmao. Especially if we keep up the high SA, were getting McDavid!!!!

 

[frankthetank91]

Last offseason on paper it looked like we took a step further and I thought we'd make the playoffs and probably even win a round. Then we hit the ice and it was a disaster.

I don't want to make any judgements until we actually hit the ice.

I do like that we added some leadership and chemistry.

Jvr/Bozak-Kessel- great chemistry.
Lupul-Kadri- not as good as their previous year but if they can bring that back we'll have a great 2nd line again.
Komarov-Kontiola- Finnish comnection, familiar with eachother.
Frattin- who the team seems to love as well as a Komarov.
A young 4th line that are actualy capable hockey players and can take a regular shift.

Have to wait and see.

 

[The Magic Man]

Not lieng their probably all better than us lmao. Especially if we keep up the high SA, were getting McDavid!!!!

BUF and FLA are better? Are you ****ing serious? You really believe that?

 

[Diatomic]

BUF and FLA are better? Are you ****ing serious? You really believe that?

Ya I actually do. Especially if their young players can mature, their better than us. Funny thing is besides rielly we don't have any young players to rely on and say 'well, at least so and so is developing well even if the team sucks', but they do, and they have lots.

 

[Durrr]

Why so negative people? This is still a team that has one of the best No. 1 lines in the league, potentially great PMD in Gardiner and Reilly, and an above average goalie in net. We've improved the compete level and skill level of the 3/4 lines and have overhauled our assistant coaches (Oates will have a great effect on our power play if we can get him but anyone hired will be an improvement). The vast majority of teams in the East have as many question marks as we do. I think we'll finish 5-10 in the East if I had to wager on it.

While I agree, and this place is all doom and gloom right now, we only have one of the best first lines in terms of offense from our wingers. Bozak is one of the weakest first line centers in the entire league and it makes that line extremely easy to play against. We have serious holes in the line up, but if Gardiner and Rielly can both take steps forward this year we should improve a great deal on the back end.

 

[Mess]

While I agree, and this place is all doom and gloom right now, we only have one of the best first lines in terms of offense from our wingers. Bozak is one of the weakest first line centers in the entire league and it makes that line extremely easy to play against. We have serious holes in the line up, but if Gardiner and Rielly can both take steps forward this year we should improve a great deal on the back end.

Leafs top line is one of the best offensively the only problem is no line gets scored on more at ES than Leafs trio..

That net result is a negative goal differential and a determent to the team overall as a result.

That helps explain why the Leafs consistently finish in the bottom 10 of the overall standings.

 

[Holymakinaw]

Leafs top line is one of the best offensively the only problem is no line gets scored on more at ES than Leafs trio..

That net result is a negative goal differential and a determent to the team overall as a result.

That helps explain why the Leafs consistently finish in the bottom 10 of the overall standings.

Well, we have a tweener 3rd/2nd liner as our top line Centre, and he missed 24 games last season. That might have had something to do with those numbers, huh?

Bolland being gone for 59 games, along with Bozak out for 24, and Kadri gone for 4, sent us into a state of chaos and panic. I mean, it was ALL of our Centres for a bit there, and two of our better ones for a significant chunk of the season.

Wouldn't ANY top line's stats suffer with those kinds of losses at Centre?

Everyone was pretty healthy the year before. How were their ES numbers in 2012/13?

 

[sommervr]

Last offseason on paper it looked like we took a step further and I thought we'd make the playoffs and probably even win a round. Then we hit the ice and it was a disaster.

I don't want to make any judgements until we actually hit the ice.

I do like that we added some leadership and chemistry.

Jvr/Bozak-Kessel- great chemistry.
Lupul-Kadri- not as good as their previous year but if they can bring that back we'll have a great 2nd line again.
Komarov-Kontiola- Finnish comnection, familiar with eachother.
Frattin- who the team seems to love as well as a Komarov.
A young 4th line that are actualy capable hockey players and can take a regular shift.

Have to wait and see.

On paper advanced stats every move since we dumped Grabo has been either varying degrees of bad or neutral.

Thankfully we haven't taken a really big leap into terrible by dumping Kadri or Gardiner

 

[rrc1967]

Lol you think the Isles, Canes, Flames, Senators, Oilers and Sabres are gonna do better than the Leafs. Hilarious...

ottawa finished 4 points ahead of us last season, and if they were even modestly lucky in overtime, would have been considerably ahead of us.

Toronto had a pretty crazy home overtime record - something i wouldn't expect to repeat itself next season. (11 wins, 1 loss)

 

[Gary Nylund]

Well, we have a tweener 3rd/2nd liner as our top line Centre, and he missed 24 games last season. That might have had something to do with those numbers, huh?

Bolland being gone for 59 games, along with Bozak out for 24, and Kadri gone for 4, sent us into a state of chaos and panic. I mean, it was ALL of our Centres for a bit there, and two of our better ones for a significant chunk of the season.

Wouldn't ANY top line's stats suffer with those kinds of losses at Centre?

Everyone was pretty healthy the year before. How were their ES numbers in 2012/13?

Yeah we're the only team to suffer injuries therefore it's a reasonable excuse despite our best players being healthy all year.

Oh yeah, the 2012/13 season you were asking about Lupul missed most of the year. Too bad we didn't miss the playoffs, you would have had the perfect excuse.

 

[Tak7]

I think there's a group of really poor teams in the Eastern Conference, and I think the Leafs are right in the middle of that group.

They'll finish ahead of some, and behind some others. They aren't the worst in the East, but they certainly aren't amongs the best 8 in the East.

No playoffs

 

[Patty Lee]

I think there's a group of really poor teams in the Eastern Conference, and I think the Leafs are right in the middle of that group.

They'll finish ahead of some, and behind some others. They aren't the worst in the East, but they certainly aren't amongs the best 8 in the East.

No playoffs

they could be in that top 8. certainly not in the top 4 or 5

lets see how it plays out

I think their chances of making post season is about par

 

[bobg1]

How can you say the Canucks are better? They lost their BOP in Kesler and didn't get enough for him. Sounds like they're going to have to depend on the PP again.

 

[Mess]

How can you say the Canucks are better? They lost their BOP in Kesler and didn't get enough for him. Sounds like they're going to have to depend on the PP again.

Ryan Miller in net

They signed Vrbata to replace Kesler's offense.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Ryan Miller in net

They signed Vrbata to replace Kesler's offense.

Their defense still looks pretty good on paper.

If that group and the Sedins can rebound a bit, I don't think we'll see Van City back in the bottom 10.

 

[Tak7]

they could be in that top 8. certainly not in the top 4 or 5

lets see how it plays out

I think their chances of making post season is about par

This sort of "blind-faith" reasoning just baffles me.

This is a team that missed the playoffs by NINE points last year, despite steller goaltending and a superb showing from it's top line.

They haven't improved over the summer, and it's ridiculous to ask the goaltender to post another .922 SV% this year - especially one so young and with little sample size as Bernier.

So what chance should they have to be in the top 8?

Their chances of making the post season would be "par" if they had improved enough to make up a differential on 6-8 points. But they haven't.

Below par

 

[bobg1]

I think Miller is going fail big time and Vrbata is no Kesler. Even their own media people don't think this team is very good. They have no scoring beyond the 1st line and that line will have to carry the team.

 

[bobg1]

Who have the Leafs really lost???? Kulemin and Bolland. Not exactly offensively explosive

 

[egd27]

Well, we have a tweener 3rd/2nd liner as our top line Centre, and he missed 24 games last season. That might have had something to do with those numbers, huh?

Bolland being gone for 59 games, along with Bozak out for 24, and Kadri gone for 4, sent us into a state of chaos and panic. I mean, it was ALL of our Centres for a bit there, and two of our better ones for a significant chunk of the season.

Wouldn't ANY top line's stats suffer with those kinds of losses at Centre?

Everyone was pretty healthy the year before. How were their ES numbers in 2012/13?

Unfortunately no. Phil & Tyler (with either Lupul or JVR) have traditionally given up around as many ES goals as they've scored over the course of a season.

They do well on the PP, but that also gets negated by a poor PK.

Unless this changes, we will continue to be at the mercy of our secondary scoring.

Perhaps the new additions will be able to play more of a shut down role that will get our top line away from the opposition's top lines.

 

[Tak7]

Who have the Leafs really lost???? Kulemin and Bolland. Not exactly offensively explosive

Who have they gained?

Not exactly defensively sound or possession-savvy.

 

[rdawg1234]

ottawa finished 4 points ahead of us last season, and if they were even modestly lucky in overtime, would have been considerably ahead of us.

Toronto had a pretty crazy home overtime record - something i wouldn't expect to repeat itself next season. (11 wins, 1 loss)

They finished 4 points ahead because we didnt give a **** about the last game against them and literally let them win, the players didnt look like they were even trying.

I never ever take end of year results seriously for a non-playoff team, this team did not care at all in the last ten games or so when they were eliminated and went in a free-fall, if they actually cared we probably would've finished 9th-10th.

 

[EastVan]

Who have the Leafs really lost???? Kulemin and Bolland. Not exactly offensively explosive

We lost Raymond's 20 goals too.

As for the Vancouver talk, I think that they will have a better record than us.

Their new GM has been far more active and appears to have more of a vision for his team.

 

[Mess]

Wouldn't ANY top line's stats suffer with those kinds of losses at Centre?

Everyone was pretty healthy the year before. How were their ES numbers in 2012/13?

Kessel

2011-12 .. 82 games .. 84 ES goals against
2012-13 .. 48 games .. 44 ES goals against
2013-14 .. 82 games ...83 ES goals against

Past 3 season 212 games & 211 ES goals against

Kessel is good for 1 ES goal against on average every game.

Its like Leafs start each game down 1-0 knowing Leafs top line will be on for at least 1 ES goals against.