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Lightning @ Leafs - Feb. 12th, 7:00pm - TSN4, TSN 1050

WhatIfGodWasALeaf said:
I think he's better defensively because he's better offensively, Komarov is an absolute black hole when it comes to getting out of his own zone. He's in the sixth percentile league-wide, that is terrible.

I'd need to dig up the numbers, but I'm fairly certain Soshnikov was one of the best PKers on the team last year too.

I hear what you're saying though re veteran getting the benefit and having to overcome Babcock's veteran biases.

It's becoming tougher though to give Babs the benefit of the doubt, we've all been arguing about the bottom of the lineup on both offense and defense for over a year and when he finally listened to the conventional wisdom, the team started to play much better.

I know he's one of the top coaches in the world, but watching Polak wet the bed most nights while guys like Carrick, Borgman, Sosh and Leivo get the shaft is extremely grating.

A lot of people don't put that much weight on fourth lines and third pair decisions, but when they are playing almost 20% of your even strength time, it's a massive issue, much like a backup goalie is a more important position than most give credit.
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I hear you. I was advocating for all this last year when Polak was re-signed and griping about Martin, etc. and pulling out Dom's Extra 2% article. Remember when you got mad at me for whining about the Martin deal?  ;D

Funny thing about
It's becoming tougher though to give Babs the benefit of the doubt, we've all been arguing about the bottom of the lineup on both offense and defense for over a year and when he finally listened to the conventional wisdom, the team started to play much better.
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is that Babcock is employing conventional NHL coach wisdom with leaning on the veterans. Earlier in the season, I argued that he knew they weren't great, but they made their plays to the best of their (lesser) abilities. During the December slump, Babcock said something to the effect of, "my wife could tell me what's wrong, but the hard part is figuring out what's right". I took this to mean, "yeah I know Polak is trash, but he's the best option in the system for the role I believe the team needs to succeed".

Honestly, I can also see why Babcock doesn't always feel safe with Carrick, Leivo, Corrado, etc. on the ice. They have definite flaws (otherwise they wouldn't be in this position). There are young players they prioritized insulating and growing on the NHL level (the big 3, Rielly, Zaitsev), and there are young players who are designated subs who are in a contract pinch.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
Coco-puffs said:
Just to clarify, he remains on IR until the Leafs doctors have cleared him.  So despite evidence that he's fine (him saying he's fine, playing 3-in-3 over the weekend), he can't just self-clear himself as ready.  They have conveniently pushed off the doctors seeing him by him staying at home today.
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I can understand him staying on for one more day, especially since he was basically given today off. But if I'm a rival team and this lasts longer than that I'm causing a fuss about it.
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"Maple Leafs announce Soshnikov is going to the Joffrey Lupul conditioning camp"
 
herman said:
Honestly, I can also see why Babcock doesn't always feel safe with Carrick, Leivo, Corrado, etc. on the ice. They have definite flaws (otherwise they wouldn't be in this position).
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They do have flaws, but you could argue that they are net positives when you compare them to a guy like Polak who is also deeply flawed.

Babcock can wax lyrical about the role he wants Polak to play, but to anyone watching that is nonsense, he is a total black hole and his penalty differential is disgraceful too.

A guy like Carrick who might be flawed is still a net positive when compared to a guy like Polak and Carrick won't learn as much being scratched every second game or playing once a week, as he would playing regularly and gaining the experience that Polak has already had the chance to accrue.

I've seen enough of Carrick to think he deserves the 300 games most seem to think it takes NHL dmen to fully adapt to the league. He's a point off his totals from last year despite having only played half the games.

As for me busting your chops about Martin, you have my sincerest of apologies, I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong. I hold your opinion in very high esteem, your systems breakdown, prospect knowledge and tactical savvy make you one of the best posters on here, it also helps that you seem like a nice guy who isn't a snarky a$$hole only interested in being right.
 
WhatIfGodWasALeaf said:
They do have flaws, but you could argue that they are net positives when you compare them to a guy like Polak who is also deeply flawed.

Babcock can wax lyrical about the role he wants Polak to play, but to anyone watching that is nonsense, he is a total black hole and his penalty differential is disgraceful too.

A guy like Carrick who might be flawed is still a net positive when compared to a guy like Polak and Carrick won't learn as much being scratched every second game or playing once a week, as he would playing regularly and gaining the experience that Polak has already had the chance to accrue.

I've seen enough of Carrick to think he deserves the 300 games most seem to think it takes NHL dmen to fully adapt to the league. He's a point off his totals from last year despite having only played half the games.
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Totally agreed on Carrick > Polak. Even Marincin > Polak if we're playing this game.
Polak's flaws don't come into play for Babcock's decision for that roster role because he just wants a big, mean RHD who can PK and sacrifice the body with zeal. To that end, Polak is fine, albeit a black hole in every other aspect of the game. He brings something different to the table than the rest of the D corps and, evolutionarily speaking, the diversity of style is not a bad thing.

WhatIfGodWasALeaf said:
As for me busting your chops about Martin, you have my sincerest of apologies, I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong. I hold your opinion in very high esteem, your systems breakdown, prospect knowledge and tactical savvy make you one of the best posters on here, it also helps that you seem like a nice guy who isn't a snarky a$$hole only interested in being right.
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Oh thanks! No need to apologize! We already took care of this back when it came up, and I only brought it up to remind you we're on the same page regarding the youth movement. I really enjoy our discussions when we're kind of on the same path but using slightly different gaits and seeing different things. It certainly makes me better at understanding this stuff. I'm sure I'll be wrong about many things to come.
 
WhatIfGodWasALeaf said:
herman said:
Honestly, I can also see why Babcock doesn't always feel safe with Carrick, Leivo, Corrado, etc. on the ice. They have definite flaws (otherwise they wouldn't be in this position).
Click to expand...

They do have flaws, but you could argue that they are net positives when you compare them to a guy like Polak who is also deeply flawed.

Babcock can wax lyrical about the role he wants Polak to play, but to anyone watching that is nonsense, he is a total black hole and his penalty differential is disgraceful too.

A guy like Carrick who might be flawed is still a net positive when compared to a guy like Polak and Carrick won't learn as much being scratched every second game or playing once a week, as he would playing regularly and gaining the experience that Polak has already had the chance to accrue.

I've seen enough of Carrick to think he deserves the 300 games most seem to think it takes NHL dmen to fully adapt to the league. He's a point off his totals from last year despite having only played half the games.

As for me busting your chops about Martin, you have my sincerest of apologies, I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong. I hold your opinion in very high esteem, your systems breakdown, prospect knowledge and tactical savvy make you one of the best posters on here, it also helps that you seem like a nice guy who isn't a snarky a$$hole only interested in being right.
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Herman for President, Snarky A$$hole for Vice President
 
Really looking forward to seeing how the Leafs handle (or get handled by) Tampa tonight. Big measuring-stick game. Hopefully they put up a better effort than they did against Boston.
 
nic cage youtube stream for any who need it. follow his facebook page for the posted link pre-game.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
Zanzibar Buck-Buck McFate said:
Who are the play by play guys?  That sounds like Beyak.
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Correct. Beyak and McLennan. TSN's C-team is better than anything Sportsnet could put out.
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Why he decamped to WPG I'll never know.  I used to live and die by his radio calls with Ralph.
 
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