The Great Toronto Illusion (or should I say Delusion)

[spndnchz]

[Randall Flagg]

The first thing you have to remember is there is no greater sports team than the Leafs.

The second thing you have to remember is there is no greater city than Toronto.

The third thing you have to remember is that, contrary to popular belief, the sun is not the center of the universe, Toronto is.

This is a fine start to not even beginning to read an article about this team.

How long without a cup and one of the richest teams in the league...even wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy before the cap? Pathetic.

 

I didn't mind them when Sittler and co. played (Ballard was an idiot) or Keon and Ellis and the boys but not one of my favorite sports organizations.

Kadri and Reilly are gamers but that's about it. The Leafs have largely done well because Shanahan cleaned out most of the bad contracts and the team has drafted not too bad mainly because of having higher draft picks. They also picked up a good goalie and a good coach (which seems to go hand in hand). They have to be very careful of overpaying Matthews.

It's popular belief in Canada that the sun is the center of the universe? I thought that was only the case in the US :lol:

[TrueBlueGED]

Toronto is more like L.A. than like NYC IMHO.

 

Yea, it's too clean to be NYC :p

[SwampD]

Toronto is more like L.A. than like NYC IMHO.

Oof.

[Swedesessed]

Yea, it's too clean to be NYC :P

 

Agreed, but LA is catching up fast to NYC's dirty ways

[Sabres Fan in NS]

TORONTO IS THE GREAT SATAN!!

[North Buffalo]

Agreed, but LA is catching up fast to NYC's dirty ways

So much for environmental laws out there.

[GASabresIUFAN]

TORONTO IS THE GREAT SATAN!!

Just in hockey terms.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Just in hockey terms.

 

Nope.

[dudacek]

Nope.

I like this post

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I like this post

 

It's really something that with all our differences Canadians from coast to coast to coast all agree on that.  Except for a few in the centre of the universe.

[Randall Flagg]

@dudacek 

 

Would we not be creaming our jeans if Nylander was up here and played a game at 85% of what that Johnsson kid is doing tonight? Much less a "lesser prospect" like Bailey/Baptiste?

[GASabresIUFAN]

Dear Leafs fans,

 

If your elite team can't beat the lowly Sabres, do you really think you're contending for the Cup?

[Randall Flagg]

Dear Leafs fans,

 

If your elite team can't beat the lowly Sabres, do you really think you're contending for the Cup?

The Bolts are getting spanked by the Coyotes right now, does that mean their chances are over?

 

Leafs are 6th in the league and that speaks for itself. 

[SwampD]

Dear Leafs fans,

 

If your elite team can't beat the lowly Sabres, do you really think you're contending for the Cup?

Dear Sabres fan,

 

Do you really have a pot to piss in in order to feel good about yourself?

Edited March 27, 2018 by SwampD

[Sabel79]

Dear Sabres fan,

Do you really have a pot to piss in in order to feel good about yourself?

For all the bluster, the Leafs haven't won the cup since three years before the Sabres existed. The last relevant Leafs team was terminated with extreme prejudice by the Sabres... Specifically Goeff Sanderson's goal 19 years ago. They are going to be curb-stomped in the first round no matter who they play because they don't have a goalie.

 

Being miles ahead of the Sabres isn't exactly an accomplishment at this point. Think bigger.

[dudacek]

@dudacek

 

Would we not be creaming our jeans if Nylander was up here and played a game at 85% of what that Johnsson kid is doing tonight? Much less a "lesser prospect" like Bailey/Baptiste?

Not a commentary on his play at all, but I honestly didn’t really notice him until maybe late in the second when somebody got kicked out of a draw and he moved in and I thought, “hey that’s the long shot kid Flagg likes.”

 

It might have been because I was too busy watching the good and bad of Willy Nylander and wishing Alex would give us 8.5 per cent of that.

Edited March 27, 2018 by dudacek

[Randall Flagg]

Not a commentary on his play at all, but I honestly didn’t really notice him until maybe late in the second when somebody got kicked out of a draw and he moved in and I thought, “hey that’s the long shot kid Flagg likes.”

 

It might have been because I was too busy watching the good and bad of Willy Nylander and wishing Alex would give us 8.5 per cent of that.

Willy didn't look too good did he? Outside of a few nice moves that didn't lead to much. 

 

I'm not sure who's faster between Johnsson and Kapanen. I wish that was our 3rd line, it's their 4th. 

 

But Baptiste, like you said in another thread, has bared down the way he needed to to keep his career alive. Maybe he can be that for us next year.

[dudacek]

Willy was soft and made some bad passes.

And he still looked better than any time I’ve seen Alex since we drafted him.

Thing is, Alex does have his skill level.

 

I knew when we picked Alex that I would dislike him the same way I disliked Miro Satan, but I made up my mind I would be OK with the pick, if he scored like Satan on Jacks wing.

 

Still clinging to a faint hope.

Edited March 27, 2018 by dudacek

[GASabresIUFAN]

The Toronto still doesn’t see that this Leafs team is still hopelessly flawed. The D simply isn’t good enough. The goaltending isn’t good enough. Everything I saw from Fred last night confirmed by previous opinion that he isn’t a championship caliber goalie. Maybe with a a better D, but not currently.

 

Sadly, for us, despite having their number, they are a vastly more talented team right now. However, I’m not sure that will be true by 2019.

[millbank]

For all the bluster, the Leafs haven't won the cup since three years before the Sabres existed. The last relevant Leafs team was terminated with extreme prejudice by the Sabres... Specifically Goeff Sanderson's goal 19 years ago. They are going to be curb-stomped in the first round no matter who they play because they don't have a goalie.

 

Being miles ahead of the Sabres isn't exactly an accomplishment at this point. Think bigger.

Not so the Leaf goalie has been their best player. Without him they would be struggling to make the playoffs.

I don’t disagree with you that they very well may not make it out of first round. But that is because the teams they would play either of them are very good. The Leafs are growing getting better with more young depth but are likely still two years away from being contenders

 

And really what is the difference neither team has won anything , the Leafs since 67 the Sabres 70 .

Edited March 27, 2018 by millbank

[Randall Flagg]

The Toronto still doesn’t see that this Leafs team is still hopelessly flawed. The D simply isn’t good enough. The goaltending isn’t good enough. Everything I saw from Fred last night confirmed by previous opinion that he isn’t a championship caliber goalie. Maybe with a a better D, but not currently.

 

Sadly, for us, despite having their number, they are a vastly more talented team right now. However, I’m not sure that will be true by 2019.

Your posts show a habit of taking sample sizes as small as one game and using them to confirm the notions you believed before that sample size happened.

 

Not to say I disagree with your overall point that the Leafs won't win the cup this year. But watching that team, coming away with "hopelessly flawed" is only something I could do if I desperately want to believe that that team isn't having more fun this season than we've had in my time as a sports fan.

 

I'm not sure why you have the confidence that the Sabres can approach 6th in the league in the next year, but I'm sure you won't feel the same way when the Leafs sign Doughty and add 2 top 4 D men in Dermott and Liljegren :angel:

[Thorner]

Your posts show a habit of taking sample sizes as small as one game and using them to confirm the notions you believed before that sample size happened.

Not to say I disagree with your overall point that the Leafs won't win the cup this year. But watching that team, coming away with "hopelessly flawed" is only something I could do if I desperately want to believe that that team isn't having more fun this season than we've had in my time as a sports fan.

 

I'm not sure why you have the confidence that the Sabres can approach 6th in the league in the next year, but I'm sure you won't feel the same way when the Leafs sign Doughty and add 2 top 4 D men in Dermott and Liljegren :angel:

We had more fun from 05-07.

 

PLEASE let the Leafs sign Doughty. He’ll put them in cap hell soon enough. I honestly want no part in paying any of those soon-to-be-30, about to overpay for past performance upcoming UFA dmen.

 

Having said that, Leafs should be good for a good while.

[Randall Flagg]

We had more fun from 05-07.

 

PLEASE let the Leafs sign Doughty. He’ll put them in cap hell soon enough. I honestly want no part in paying any of those soon-to-be-30, about to overpay for past performance upcoming UFA dmen.

 

Having said that, Leafs should be good for a good while.

I was 10 so I can't say that it was enjoyed to the fullest extent that I'd be able to now. 

 

It'd be worth it for them (probably not for us) because they're an instant cup contender with 

Rielly - Doughty 

Gardiner - Dermott 

Zaitsev - Liljegren 

 

As the "weaker" part of their team, presuming Dermott and Liljegren keep doing what they're doing and don't randomly fall off the table.

[Thorner]

I was 10 so I can't say that it was enjoyed to the fullest extent that I'd be able to now. 

 

It'd be worth it for them (probably not for us) because they're an instant cup contender with 

Rielly - Doughty 

Gardiner - Dermott 

Zaitsev - Liljegren 

 

As the "weaker" part of their team, presuming Dermott and Liljegren keep doing what they're doing and don't randomly fall off the table.

Makes sense. But Doughty will turn 30 in the first year of what will be a 7 year, massive $ deal. If he falls off when Keith did, they’ll get 3/4 years of a declining Doughty before his deal becomes a huge problem.

 

We know they are going to be really good either way, in my view I’d be happy to take that chance that a past his prime Doughty puts them over the edge for a few seasons, knowing what’s likely coming after.

 

Just my view.