Blues @ Maple Leafs - Jan. 3rd, 7:00pm - SNO, TSN 1050

[hobarth]

Rielly and Brodie good d-men, really?
The d summary from last night.

Kampf is really good, defensively for TO, huh?
Also in this summary.

https://theleafsnation.com/news/samsonov-was-solid-5v5-but-the-leafs-top-pairing-struggled-in-the-shootout-loss-to-the-st-louis-blues

The commentators prattle on, the coach doles out icetime based on how much the players earn except in some wacky cases like Kampf, Brodie needs to go, Rielly should too, Kampf is good occasionally but should be a 4th line option and PKer,
I think more experimenting needs to be done, it isn't embarrassing to have the top 2 paid d-men play in the 2nd or 3rd pairing, what is embarrassing is that the obvious best d-men aren't being played as such.

I think TO is at cross roads, the decision needs to be made, is TO going to be content to have a regular season great team that has little chance of succeeding in the playoffs or is TO willing to jeopardize the future by going into all in mode using draft choices and quality prospects to win the Cup now.

I think the additions of Horvat and Kane would give TO a significant upgrade in it's chance to advance in the playoffs, doing little like adding Hunt will leave TO as it is/was, a definite improbable to go anywhere in the playoffs. 50 years and counting seems too much with true stars/superstars that TO has but TO hasn't been willing to go all in while the 4 stud forwards are still are or still in TO. It's time to strike, go all in. 

 

[OldTimeHockey]

You want the Leafs to add Horvat and Kane? I suppose I'd like them to add Erik Karlsson as well. May as well. For some reason, I think NHL99 will block these trades.

 

[Guilt Trip]

You want the Leafs to add Horvat and Kane?

Don't forget trade Brodie and Rielly. Oh and Kampf is ok, once in a while.
He also thinks if Hyman was here he'd give Tavares a good fight for our 2nd line centre job now...funny considering Hyman is a winger.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

I'm more curious how something can be a "definite improbable"

 

[bustaheims]

One bad game is clearly an indicator of their performance abilities over the course of the season and the playoffs. We should base all of our judgements on single game samples.

 

[bustaheims]

You want the Leafs to add Horvat and Kane? I suppose I'd like them to add Erik Karlsson as well. May as well. For some reason, I think NHL99 will block these trades.

I'm very curious to see how that would work with the cap and the kind of assets it would require to get those deals done.

This is some serious fantasy land stuff.

 

[Guru Tugginmypuddah]

You want the Leafs to add Horvat and Kane? I suppose I'd like them to add Erik Karlsson as well. May as well. For some reason, I think NHL99 will block these trades.

I'm very curious to see how that would work with the cap and the kind of assets it would require to get those deals done.

This is some serious fantasy land stuff.

PFFFFFFTTT!  Dubas is dumb and should be fired into the sun if he can't do it!!!!111

 

[Bill33]

The other option could be to try Bunting with Tavares and Marner for awhile. Maybe Matthews and Nylander don't need him as much as they would. It'd be tough to break up that line obviously because of how hot it is but the Leafs need to be using this pre-deadline time to try different things before determining exactly what they need to acquire.

I think that's a terrific idea.

 

[hobarth]

I'm more curious how something can be a "definite improbable"

AS always even the seemingly impossible happens, it's probably far more realistic to continue to expect TO to again nibble at the edges, see the people everywhere in Leafland figure more brawn like Lyubushkin is all that's needed for TO to progress, talent be dammed even tho it's obvious thru the last 6 years that TO's talent has been seriously lacking.

I don't know what's possible but I'm sure TO needs a serious infusion of talent not more talentless goons. As TO gets more healthy the results decline, I think it's odd that TO's top 3 paid and supposed best d-men are missing and TO becomes a defensive juggernaut and as they return TO's results reflect, what, they're superiority, ya, OK.

Those losers haven't been the answer, 4 superior forwards aren't enough especially with these two/3 d-men, it's time for TO to move on from them not reup and reward them. Those 2 remind me of the Muskogie 5 or whatever they were.