2018-19 Toronto Maple Leafs - General Discussion

[bustaheims]

I absolutely 100% believe this team can beat the Bruins.

Agreed. If there are any issues, they're almost entirely psychological.

 

[Bates]

I am not going to start a thread about this, and I wouldn't even know how to create a poll.... but I will ask... does anyone believe that as the rosters stand today the Leafs can, or will beat the Bruins in the playoffs?

I don't. Love this team. Love the improvements. Love the direction. But they do not look to me like a playoff ready team. I really hope that I am wrong.

I think the Leaf's can beat any team in the League in a series, I don't guarantee they will though.

 

[Bender]

I am not going to start a thread about this, and I wouldn't even know how to create a poll.... but I will ask... does anyone believe that as the rosters stand today the Leafs can, or will beat the Bruins in the playoffs?

I don't. Love this team. Love the improvements. Love the direction. But they do not look to me like a playoff ready team. I really hope that I am wrong.

I think the Leaf's can beat any team in the League in a series, I don't guarantee they will though.

I mean just look at Tampa last year. Did anyone really think they were going to get bounced by Washington?

 

[Bates]

I am not going to start a thread about this, and I wouldn't even know how to create a poll.... but I will ask... does anyone believe that as the rosters stand today the Leafs can, or will beat the Bruins in the playoffs?

I don't. Love this team. Love the improvements. Love the direction. But they do not look to me like a playoff ready team. I really hope that I am wrong.

I think the Leaf's can beat any team in the League in a series, I don't guarantee they will though.

I mean just look at Tampa last year. Did anyone really think they were going to get bounced by Washington?

I know the Lightning look very very good this year but I think the Leaf's match up quite well against them. Their goalie has not proven anything in post season and their D drop off quickly IMO.

 

[Fanatic]

I am not going to start a thread about this, and I wouldn't even know how to create a poll.... but I will ask... does anyone believe that as the rosters stand today the Leafs can, or will beat the Bruins in the playoffs?

I don't. Love this team. Love the improvements. Love the direction. But they do not look to me like a playoff ready team. I really hope that I am wrong.

There's a perfectly good panic thread for this very sentiment.

I do think that this is panic. It is an observation.

The Bruins play a game that is more suited to the playoffs than the Leafs, they are particularly hot right now (so hitting your stride in the spring is good) and they have experienced players in their absolute primes. They also have fantastic goaltending (1 and 2). On top of that, they likely carry a fair bit of confidence against the Leafs.

On the other side, the Leafs still seem to be finding out who they are. Much of their core is still very young and have never won a playoff round. They also have holes to fill in RD and they could use a more reliable backup (true for many teams, but I mention it because the Bruins are solid at 1 and 2).

The Leafs need to mature. No one believes that they are ready to win a cup yet. Part of maturing will also mean that they need to win a round or two. To me, that seems unlikely yet at this point. Not because they are not a good team but because the Bruins are better. No need to panic. But ya, it's a problem.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Again, the Leafs took Boston to 7 games just a year ago and if it wasn't for a disastrous final game by a pair of players they probably win that series. Boston hasn't really made any big improvements to their team. The Leafs meanwhile have swapped out Bozak for Tavares, Polak for Muzzin, and JVR's loss is offset by increased playing time for Johnsson and Kapanen. They also won't be forced to play Tomas freaking Plekanec in a key match-up role against the Bergeron line.

How anyone can read that and think "nope, no chance against the Bruins this year" is beyond me.

 

[Guilt Trip]

I absolutely 100% believe this team can beat the Bruins.

Absolutely they can.

 

[Guilt Trip]

They also won't be forced to play Tomas freaking Plekanec in a key match-up role against the Bergeron line.

If memory serves, Pleks actually did very well in shutting down that line. Better then Kadri.

 

[Kin]

The Bruins play a game that is more suited to the playoffs than the Leafs, they are particularly hot right now (so hitting your stride in the spring is good)/quote]

The playoffs are two months away.

 

[L K]

They also won't be forced to play Tomas freaking Plekanec in a key match-up role against the Bergeron line.

If memory serves, Pleks actually did very well in shutting down that line. Better then Kadri.

The fancy stats really didn't bear that out.  Plekanec, Hainsey, Zaitsev and Polak rated out as our worst players.

Plek had the worst expected goals for on the team in the playoffs.  He has the worst relative Corsi on the team.  In usual fashion the notion that "toughness" is needed to win games in the playoffs isn't really what comes out.  It's usually our "tough" players who are the slow ones who result in constant turnovers and changes chasing after the puck.

Also the notion that the Bruins going 9-0-1 in their last 10 is anything other than a hot streak is nonsense.  This has nothing to do with them "being built for the playoffs".  Over their last 10 games: 5 of them have gone to OT or shoot out.  The refs stole a win away from San Jose in one of those games.  It's really amusing how Boston going on a hot streak is proof that they are good but we get to ignore every time they have struggled this year. 

5 of their games have gone to OT. 

 

[Bullfrog]

I absolutely 100% believe this team can beat the Bruins.

Absolutely they can.

Agreed. No question in my mind they can beat them. I'll even go as far as to say that I think they will beat them (if they get matched up.)

 

[bustaheims]

The Bruins play a game that is more suited to the playoffs than the Leafs, they are particularly hot right now (so hitting your stride in the spring is good) and they have experienced players in their absolute primes.

We've seen so many instances where that hasn't been the case, at all. Also, February is in the spring now? There's still a quarter of the regular season left to be played. If they were getting hot at the end of March, that might be something, but now? Nope.

 

[Kin]

I mean, to take it a step further, there really isn't a single team in the NHL that I'd say has no chance against even the Lightning. I'd be surprised if the Senators beat them, sure, but the series between the two teams is 1-1 with the Senators having the goal advantage.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Since the infamous article from the Athletic about Gauthier's "dominant play" he's posted a 44.62% CF in 40 games. Lindholm is a bit higher at 46.12%, Brown's at 49.71%. Ennis trails the whole group at 41.88% (in 28 games). Every other Leaf is over 50% in that span of time.

 

[Bullfrog]

Trevor Moore: he's just not ready.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Trevor Moore: he's just not ready.

54.95% CF in that span, while playing entirely with Gauthier and Lindholm.

 

[bustaheims]

Trevor Moore: he's just not ready.

I don't think they think he's not ready. They just want him to be more than a 4th liner. Which is both fair and silly. If he makes the team better, put him in the lineup.

 

[Bullfrog]

I think both of those statements can be true. But, he's had three seasons in the AHL to develop different aspects of his game. So, now the second becomes valid. Put Gauthier down and bring up Moore. Give him enough time so that he'll be ready for the playoffs. There's essentially identical in age. He's older than Dermott, Nylander, Marner, and Matthews.

 

[herman]

Trevor Moore: he's just not ready.

I don't think they think he's not ready. They just want him to be more than a 4th liner. Which is both fair and silly. If he makes the team better, put him in the lineup.

I think both of those statements can be true. But, he's had three seasons in the AHL to develop different aspects of his game. So, now the second becomes valid. Put Gauthier down and bring up Moore. Give him enough time so that he'll be ready for the playoffs. There's essentially identical in age. He's older than Dermott, Nylander, Marner, and Matthews.

I'm going to re-post this, because last time I did he was immediately called up:

A couple of reasons I'd spitball to not have Moore up right now (even though I'd much prefer it):
- No yo-yo youth (of which Moore is, nominally). Similar to Johnsson last year and Kapanen before him, they probably want to see him dominate the level for a long stretch playing big minutes and building confidence; he's shooting nearly 25% right now, which can't possibly be a real number unless he's only ever going to be shooting from the slot off Royal Road passes or tips from the point.
- How much more of a boost overall does Moore have over Ennis in the 6-10 minutes of TOI per game? Ennis is not detrimental, just forgettable and the line is apparently designed to make sure nothing happens. I'd want Moore to be positioned to generate, but I don't think they'd slot him in over Marleau or Hyman just yet (if ever).
- Marlies are struggling a bit to win, and the front office values winning throughout the system, so I think it's an easy tradeoff here
- The coaching staff is babying a handful of freshly graduated prospects in Kapanen, Johnsson, Dermott, Ozhiganov, Holl, Gauthier, and sort of Leivo. They've shown a willingness to bend over almost backwards to shelter the kids heavily and adding more bodies to shelter is not what they want to focus on. Kapanen's already been pushed higher than they want due to the injury and impasse but they clearly want him on the PK training program
- Ennis is a free-agent signing looking to rehab his reputation and I think the Leafs are amenable to giving him as much of a chance to do so as an asset to trade later or actually keep for the season if he plays up to the level he can (see Matt Martin).

 

[AvroArrow]

Again, the Leafs took Boston to 7 games just a year ago and if it wasn't for a disastrous final game by a pair of players they probably win that series. Boston hasn't really made any big improvements to their team. The Leafs meanwhile have swapped out Bozak for Tavares, Polak for Muzzin, and JVR's loss is offset by increased playing time for Johnsson and Kapanen. They also won't be forced to play Tomas freaking Plekanec in a key match-up role against the Bergeron line.

How anyone can read that and think "nope, no chance against the Bruins this year" is beyond me.

Worse lineup, missing Kadri half the series, Andy playing poor most of the series, top players (Matthews, Nylander) mostly ineffective, and a disastrous game 7 by Andy and Gardiner.  That's what it took for Boston to just squeak by us.