2019-2020 Leafs, if the season resumes

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1255174491300229121

An update from Jake Muzzin and his hand injury today. I haven't heard anything about Mikheyev's situation, but I would assume that he would be available to play if/when the season resumes as well given that it seemed as though he would be ready to go by late March before this all happened. Johnsson's injury was expected to keep him out until August but it's hard to say what his rehab situation would be through all of this so I'd imagine he's still ruled out for this season. So that's a recap of the injury situation.

I've said before in other threads that I think this season should just be scrapped for a number of different reasons but let's put all that aside for now. Let's say the season resumes in July or August. How would you feel about the team? Would you like their chances any more or less than you did back in March? A part of me wonders if the Leafs would have a bit of an advantage if the playoffs started after a 3-4 month break. I imagine the hockey we see will be a little more watered down/unorganized/sloppy than we'd normally expect come playoff time and that kind of sounds right up the Leafs alley.

Also, let's just say hypothetically speaking, the Leafs have a pretty long run in the playoffs. Would their results be any way skewed in your mind? One of my reasons for not wanting the season to resume is because I think any champion at this point will always have an asterisk next to their names. But if the Leafs were that champion? Ehhh, I doubt I would celebrate any less.

 

[Frank E]

I imagine the hockey we see will be a little more watered down/unorganized/sloppy than we'd normally expect come playoff time and that kind of sounds right up the Leafs alley.

Ha!

 

[herman]

CJ and Mirtle both reported on podcasts recently that Mikheyev is already healed up and ready to go

Also reported by his agent.

 

[Bender]

CJ and Mirtle both reported on podcasts recently that Mikheyev is already healed up and ready to go

Also reported by his agent.

Wasn't that his normal timeline? Or was he supposed to be out longer?

 

[herman]

CJ and Mirtle both reported on podcasts recently that Mikheyev is already healed up and ready to go

Also reported by his agent.

Wasn't that his normal timeline? Or was he supposed to be out longer?

His normal timeline was re-evaluation after 3 months (injured Dec 27th). He started firing (plastic) pucks before that ~Feb 12, doing regular puck drills by March 4, and ended up being healthy basically in time for re-evaluation.

 

[Kin]

Also, let's just say hypothetically speaking, the Leafs have a pretty long run in the playoffs. Would their results be any way skewed in your mind? One of my reasons for not wanting the season to resume is because I think any champion at this point will always have an asterisk next to their names. But if the Leafs were that champion? Ehhh, I doubt I would celebrate any less.

Not to be all doom and gloom but, well, you would celebrate less. Not you personally maybe but most of the things we associate with celebrating a sports championship would be impossible. We wouldn't get to watch games in bars or with big groups of friends, there wouldn't be a parade, probably no big banner raising next year in front of a packed house.

I appreciate that's not really what you meant by the championship being skewed but it's hard to imagine you could think of it as any sort of a normal championship. Sure it'd be nice to see Leafs players holding the cup and a banner eventually being raised but it's really tough to imagine it feeling like anything other than a cardboard facsimile of a real championship.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Not to be all doom and gloom but, well, you would celebrate less. Not you personally maybe but most of the things we associate with celebrating a sports championship would be impossible. We wouldn't get to watch games in bars or with big groups of friends, there wouldn't be a parade, probably no big banner raising next year in front of a packed house.

I appreciate that's not really what you meant by the championship being skewed but it's hard to imagine you could think of it as any sort of a normal championship. Sure it'd be nice to see Leafs players holding the cup and a banner eventually being raised but it's really tough to imagine it feeling like anything other than a cardboard facsimile of a real championship.

Yeah, fair points. One aspect of a championship team that I wouldn't envy would be having to tell your fans there won't be a parade. Or the city having to try to do something to limit people from celebrating in the streets after the win as we've seen in other instances.

 

[Peter D.]

Tough to really give a crap any more about this season as each and every day goes by.  A championship would feel hollow.

 

[Bill_Berg]

Once they get going again the excitement will return. Sports are totally out of my head these days, but when games return, I'll probably fall back into my old routine within a week.

 

[Frank E]

Yeah, I feel like it's easy right now to say it would be a bit hollow, but once it's back on TV, game on!

We'll all be back to chastising anyone critical of Matthews, giving undue praise to Nylander, and pretending Holl is a $2m defenceman. 

 

[Bullfrog]

Frank, you take that back! (undue praise)

 

[bustaheims]

I look forward to the day that Frank comes to grips with what a $2M defenceman is in the league today. (HINT: It's not a particular strong group)

 

[Zee]

Man, the last Leafs game was March 10th, it would feel super weird if they suddenly picked up and started playing the same season again.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Man, the last Leafs game was March 10th, it would feel super weird if they suddenly picked up and started playing the same season again.

I'd think that with this amount of time passed and the circumstances in which there's no on-ice facilities available, they'd need at least 3 weeks in a training camp setting. I mean, in Byfuglien terms, they're at the 300lb stage of the offseason.

I think they should commit to shutting it down, hold the draft, and maybe have some sort of revisit to the 2016 world cup of hockey in late summer if circumstances allow for it.

 

[Arn]

I think pretty much every sporting league that was suspended should stop. Start afresh when everything is in a position to do so. This feels as if it may potentially even drag on enough to impact next season also.

But, money talks.

 

[disco]

Leafs are young and the long, dark Canadian winter is a grind in the last few months. I think they'd come out gang-busters after a recharge. The key would be Freddy, if he's sharp they've got a good a chance as any!

 

[disco]

Looks like it's a 24 team tourney. The 1st round is 9-24 crossing up for a best-of-five, 1-8 crossing up for better 2nd round seeding (within their respective conferences). Then rounds 2-4 played normally.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1265732716374429704
CARLTON

Looks like the boards got a new twitter plugin?
Edit: Twitter modified their embed; it kind of looks ass.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

It's his time to shine.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

A team can have an extended playoff roster of 28 skaters, plus an unlimited amount of goalies in this return to play scenario.

Since I'm bored here's a guess:

Matthews Tavares Marner Nylander Kerfoot Kapanen Hyman Clifford Engvall Mikheyev Malgin Spezza Gauthier Robertson Agostino Petan

Rielly Ceci Muzzin Barrie Sandin Dermott Rosen Marincin Holl Liljegren

Andersen Campbell Woll Kaskisuo

That's 26 skaters, so two spots left. Almost added Gravel on D since the organization seems to like him but he's a) a pending UFA and b) someone who's had health issues in the past so he might not want to get dragged around for this with 0% chance to actually play. Aberg could be an add at forward, but that again might depend on if he's returning next season or heading to Europe (he's a RFA). Brooks, Hollowell, and Kivihalme could all be possibilities for those last spots too. Not sure if they would take Johnsson around since he's injured, or if he would count against this even if they did.

Anyway did I mention that I'm bored?