2021-22 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion
- Thread starter herman
- Start date
Guilt Trip
Active member
So the receiving team can send him directly down.... Like the Leafs did with Clifford. I'm hoping he's goneJoe S. said:
Guilt Trip
Active member
Anywhere is fine with me... We'll see by tomorrowcaveman said:Guilt Trip said:So the receiving team can send him directly down.... Like the Leafs did with Clifford. I'm hoping he's goneJoe S. said:
Edmonton ??
So when healthy, playoff line-up of...
Bunting-Matthews-Marner
Nylander-Tavares-Kase
Mikheyev-Kampf-Engvall
Blackwell-Kerfoot-Spezza
Rielly-Lyubushkin
Giordano-Brodie
Muzzin-Holl/Sandin
<Whichever one of Campbell/Kallgren/Sateri/Mrazek won the last regular season game>
Goaltending there is obviously a question mark to say the least so let's just pray somebody gets hot.
Defence is solid, and if Muzzin returns to form it's REALLY solid. Like better-than-I-wanna-say-out-loud-because-people-will-scoff solid.
Forwards are really just going to come down to getting Tavares and Nylander going. And if Keefe is dead set on not breaking up the top line (which I think he should probably do, but he seems hesitant) then they need to spend the next few weeks rotating some wingers there, because if Kase is LTIR'd until the end of the regular season it's probably more likely he starts game 1 on the 3rd or 4th line. I wouldn't be opposed to throwing Blackwell there right off the bat, especially since he has experience playing in the top-6 at times (Panarin line in NYR, and with Seattle apparently he's been playing very well with Gourde lately). He also seems to have some of those attributes you want from a complimentary player on a line like that. If he doesn't click then you gotta give Mikheyev a shot there.
Bunting-Matthews-Marner
Nylander-Tavares-Kase
Mikheyev-Kampf-Engvall
Blackwell-Kerfoot-Spezza
Rielly-Lyubushkin
Giordano-Brodie
Muzzin-Holl/Sandin
<Whichever one of Campbell/Kallgren/Sateri/Mrazek won the last regular season game>
Goaltending there is obviously a question mark to say the least so let's just pray somebody gets hot.
Defence is solid, and if Muzzin returns to form it's REALLY solid. Like better-than-I-wanna-say-out-loud-because-people-will-scoff solid.
Forwards are really just going to come down to getting Tavares and Nylander going. And if Keefe is dead set on not breaking up the top line (which I think he should probably do, but he seems hesitant) then they need to spend the next few weeks rotating some wingers there, because if Kase is LTIR'd until the end of the regular season it's probably more likely he starts game 1 on the 3rd or 4th line. I wouldn't be opposed to throwing Blackwell there right off the bat, especially since he has experience playing in the top-6 at times (Panarin line in NYR, and with Seattle apparently he's been playing very well with Gourde lately). He also seems to have some of those attributes you want from a complimentary player on a line like that. If he doesn't click then you gotta give Mikheyev a shot there.
Heroic Shrimp
Active member
We?re well into this play, but somehow Josh Ho-Sang feels to me like the gun that was introduced in the first act.
Guilt Trip
Active member
He has to be signed by tomorrow to be eligible for the playoffs so we're going to find out.Heroic Shrimp said:
BlueWhiteBlood
New member
Heroic Shrimp said:
He's (Dubas) being stingy with the draft picks, so this is certainly a possibility! I wouldn't rule out another forward, especially if he gets Mrazek out of town. For the right player, (a lefty to play with the 2nd line), they should look to add Mikheyev, Holl, or a prospect to get it done.
herman
Well-known member
Heroic Shrimp said:
Chekov's winger!
Assuming no one gets claimed off waivers (including our older KHL goalie), the Leafs will be at 49 SPCs.
Friedman has been pushing that the Leafs are very keen on signing Abbruzzese and Knies for NHL looks before the end of the season; CJ has affirmed the Knies half of that. Seney and Suomela and Steeves and Blandisi have all given good enough showings as well. Ho-Sang is currently not actively in Marlies games for the past 10+ days.
Whatever happens in this area, it will be last minute.
I know "Ho-Sang becomes a x-factor in the playoffs after dominating in the AHL all season" was a nice story at the beginning of the season, but that he kinda didn't do that first part so I'm really not convinced he's on the Leafs radar.
L K
Active member
I don't see Ho Sang as an option. He was barely used in the Olympics and he isn't dominating the AHL in a way that makes me think he should take a spot from someone else. Another two-way deal (in the could play in the AHL or NHL if he breaks camp rather than whether he gets an NHL only or NHL/AHL contract) is the best case scenario at this point.
I still think the Leafs need to try and find an upgraded middle 6 winger if they can. They have internal options but they need to find a way to get Tavares/Nylander going in a way where their line isn't getting railroaded most nights. I'm not sure that putting Mikheyev or Blackwell there fixes it and Kerfoot hasn't worked.
If Muzzin is playing they still have a glut of defensemen but I'm not sure that it makes sense to trade Holl at this point as he has played well since the COVID break and trading Liljegren/Sandin just doesn't make sense.
I still think the Leafs need to try and find an upgraded middle 6 winger if they can. They have internal options but they need to find a way to get Tavares/Nylander going in a way where their line isn't getting railroaded most nights. I'm not sure that putting Mikheyev or Blackwell there fixes it and Kerfoot hasn't worked.
If Muzzin is playing they still have a glut of defensemen but I'm not sure that it makes sense to trade Holl at this point as he has played well since the COVID break and trading Liljegren/Sandin just doesn't make sense.
herman
Well-known member
With the playoffs moreorless in the bag, and really any seeding is going to be quite ass either way, it's time to just build line combos and chemistry for playoff flexibility.
Known to be working:
Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Engvall - Kampf - Mikheyev
Rielly - Brodie
Rielly - Liljegren to a degree
Sandin with anyone on the 3rd pair
At this point, the Leafs need to be less adamant about making sure we have one 60+ xGF% first line to ride for 25 min and spread some of that out for depth purposes (3x 54% xGF% lines perhaps?), and accordioning to the super lines as needed.
Split Tavares and Nylander; while they are PPG while playing like butt, they are like 2 PPG against lol. They both immediately look better apart every time. Tavares needs someone to do the F1 duties so he can play from slot to slot, instead of all 200 ft, and just capitalize on loose ugly pucks thrown between the dots around the crease.
Known to be working:
Bunting - Matthews - Marner
Engvall - Kampf - Mikheyev
Rielly - Brodie
Rielly - Liljegren to a degree
Sandin with anyone on the 3rd pair
At this point, the Leafs need to be less adamant about making sure we have one 60+ xGF% first line to ride for 25 min and spread some of that out for depth purposes (3x 54% xGF% lines perhaps?), and accordioning to the super lines as needed.
Split Tavares and Nylander; while they are PPG while playing like butt, they are like 2 PPG against lol. They both immediately look better apart every time. Tavares needs someone to do the F1 duties so he can play from slot to slot, instead of all 200 ft, and just capitalize on loose ugly pucks thrown between the dots around the crease.
Guilt Trip
Active member
Brooks never clears waivers lol.Joe S. said:Guilt Trip said:So the receiving team can send him directly down.... Like the Leafs did with Clifford. I'm hoping he's goneJoe S. said:
Ahh ok thx. For some reason I thought they had to clear again, because of how Adam Brooks keeps finding himself on waivers.