NHL Playoffs 2022 - Rnd 1

[SDS]

6 minutes ago, Weave said:

I read somewhere earlier today that the difference between TB and Tor is that TB players have adopted roles and stick to them.  Tor has the skill but noone is picking up roles beyond being skill guys.

Coach and culture is what it sounds like to me.

I don’t know. They played three 1-goal games, one in overtime, while winning one. Those games are essentially even and it comes down to puck luck. 

[KC Scouts]

2 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Don’t watch this video. I know you are not going to want to watch this video.😀

He's quite an "over-actor"

I would tell him to look closer at the Sabres / Leafs games, especially the outdoor game for the clues to why the Leafs are who they are....😜

Edited May 15, 2022 by KC Scouts

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

From the Sabres point of view..if Toronto offered you Marner and their next 1st rounder for Dahlin would you do it?  It would free up cap room for Toronto to get a goalie also.

I knew this would start here and as I said earlier, emphatically NO. 

Toronto's simply built the wrong way. For brevity's sake, they are built from the top down and are top heavy. A proper build starts in goal and builds bottom up. If we get the goaltending right (UPL Levi Portello - at least 2 get good ) we should also have the D and so our prospects for playoff success will be brighter in time. 

Signing Tavares and being squeezed by Nylander has forever handicapped that team with too much money on 4 players, and this year they were all healthy. Their D and bottom end is just never good enough and never will be with that salary structure. 

and I love it. 

Edited May 15, 2022 by PerreaultForever

[Kristian]

49 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I probably agree with you on not making a deal like that, but Marner is very productive. Almost 100 points this year in 72 games (would have had 100+ without missing those games). Only 25 years old. his last full season before this one had 90+ points. 9th in the entire league in points per game over the last 4 seasons. Again, I wouldn't trade Dahlin for Marner and a 1st myself, but the guy is not just good, he is bordering on elite point production.

I doubt he’s the same player without Matthews.

Also, he took a ton of flak for his lack of production in the Leafs exit last year. Haven’t paid attention to his playoff numbers this year.

I’d rather add one or two more Alex Tuch’s than one Mitch Marner or even Matthews.

I just don’t see any of those guys being anything but Jack Eichel v2.0, and we just got rid of one distraction. No need to add more.

Edited May 15, 2022 by Kristian

[FogBat]

1 hour ago, KC Scouts said:

He's quite an "over-actor"

I would tell him to look closer at the Sabres / Leafs games, especially the outdoor game for the clues to why the Leafs are who they are....😜

His “Dang-It” videos are fun to watch, though.

[Broken Ankles]

5 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Leafs will also lose a couple of their low key difference makers in Mikheyev and Engvall and probably have to move Kerfoot.

They have no young goalie to come up so I don’t know what they do. They have something like $2.5 million to sign 8 guys.

One of the most alarming stats I have seen with this Leafs team is:

Record in  games where they can close out a series: 0-9  There is a massive mental issue with that group.

https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/mapleleafs
 They have $7.8m to sign one forward, two D and a goalie.  As stated by others, the Mrazek contract and money they will need to pay Campbell is the most troubling.   I see Nylander as the collateral damage this offseason.  

[Doohicksie]

4 hours ago, Flashsabre said:

Don’t watch this video. I know you are not going to want to watch this video.😀

It was okay to watch for a minute or so.  I can't imagine anyone, Leaf fan or foe, wanting to watch 30+ minutes of that.

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

if Toronto offered you Marner and their next 1st rounder for Dahlin would you do it?

No.  We just finished grooming him, now that he's ready to shine you're going to trade him to perhaps the team's biggest rival?  Pheh.

[Kristian]

5 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

It was okay to watch for a minute or so.  I can't imagine anyone, Leaf fan or foe, wanting to watch 30+ minutes of that.

My head started to hurt after two minutes of insane cutting back and forth.

Yes, I’m old….

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, Norcal said:

More fun 

 

I dunno, if the Bills don't win the SB this year I think you'll see some of the Mafia behaving like this.

[steveoath]

15 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:

https://www.capfriendly.com/teams/mapleleafs
 They have $7.8m to sign one forward, two D and a goalie.  As stated by others, the Mrazek contract and money they will need to pay Campbell is the most troubling.   I see Nylander as the collateral damage this offseason.  

Will anyone take nylander? Leafs will need to add a lot of sweeteners before anyone should even be thinking of helping them out. 

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

but noone is picking up roles beyond being skill guys.

Yep, and if you look at how Granato is trying to position Cozens you can see where the Sabres are trying to do this.  He's setting a high draft pick up to be a defensive center.  It helps Cozens because it takes the pressure off him for not scoring as much as he thinks he ought to, and gives him a role on the team.  He may end up being a fine scorer but having that defensive C role covered is important.

I don't think Granato is locking players into roles by any means, but he definitely knows what roles need to be filled and channels player development (as opposed to dumping a player and bringing in a known quantity) into filling them.  It plays well into the whole "playing fore the team, for each other" philosophy, which is probably more important to winning it all than having pure star power.

Edited May 15, 2022 by Doohickie

[Norcal]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

I dunno, if the Bills don't win the SB this year I think you'll see some of the Mafia behaving like this.

Spoiled already?

Maybe some of em, I'll laugh at them too.

[Claude Balls]

15 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Bergeron looked like he was saying farewells. If he's done it's a loss to the league. A great leader and class act second to none. 

Tony Amonte said Bergeron wants to play for Montreal next season. He's in the know and apparently let that slip out. 

[Doohicksie]

18 minutes ago, Norcal said:

Spoiled already?

Maybe some of em, I'll laugh at them too.

[Zamboni]

Sooooooo IF Crosby suffered a concussion a few days ago, then it’s pretty bad on all involved that he’s playing tonight.

[Taro T]

20 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Is anyone going to disagree with me that the curse of Punch is real?

Let's hope it is.

But wonder what major change to the NHL will keep the Loafs out of the playoffs for good?

League expands beyond 6 teams. -> Leafs Stanley Cup-less.

League institutes a salary cap.  -> Leafs playoff series winless.  

Would be cool if it was going back to home whites.  Would make so much of the world right.  😉

 

[Taro T]

10 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Toronto is in a tough position.

Once 'cooler' heads prevail, it would seem you would want to run the same core back out there next year, and their cap situation, while not DIRE, dictates you may not have many options because they won't have much flexibility. No major contracts come off the books next year....but if you want to keep Campbell in goal he will require a big pay increase. There really isn't any room to improve the team by spending more money, but the point is you are good enough (and the core is young enough) where you don't need to. The old Billy Beane philosophy of team building....make a team good enough to get to the playoffs and when you do just hope for the best.

The tough part is....you aren't getting any BETTER,  and is basically 'the same' good enough? You might be as good as or slightly better than Tampa next year again, but they will be a tough out in the playoffs.  And, with 'the same' team I see Toronto has having a tough time getting by what Carolina will be next year, and it would be an upset for them to get by Florida.  Then if you do all that, if you make it to the cup finals are you better than a team like Colorado in a 7 game season?

I don't know. Again, logic says it will be very hard to make major changes so go with what you have, but I just look at the Leafs and see too many areas that may not be weaknesses, but at least 'non strengths', that they seem to be built a bit flawed to defeat multiple other top teams in 7 game series.

I'd love to have another year by Campbell in net like he had this year (or someone else to do the same) and I think in a playoff series they need one or 2 D-men who are young, great skaters who can control the game...and I would gladly trade one of their forwards to get that guy on the back end.   I just don't see a team that has an 'under 30, all star level D-man' trading them to the leafs for someone like Nylander, and the Leafs have no cap room to sign or offer sheet one to get them over the top.

Why would you WANT to fix the Loafs?

They ain't broke, don't fix 'em.  Well, s'pose you could figure out how to keep 'em out of the playoffs altogether.  But that just seems greedy.  😉

 

[mjd1001]

51 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Why would you WANT to fix the Loafs?

They ain't broke, don't fix 'em.  Well, s'pose you could figure out how to keep 'em out of the playoffs altogether.  But that just seems greedy.  😉

 

I don't 'want' them to be good, but they are an interesting case to think about.  As a hockey fan, taking a look at any team and thinking what you would do to make them better based on their current situation is a fun exercise.

I'm not hoping that they actual management of the team figures it out, but as a fan his is the stuff that is fun to think about.

[PromoTheRobot]

Holy crap. How much higher above the cross bar does a stick need to be before you waive a goal off? Rangers got boned.

[Taro T]

Not a gambler myself, but think there is an item that could make a gambler some money on prop bets.

Whatever Koharski says, expect the actual call to be the opposite.  Haven't seen him right once yet.

[Zamboni]

5 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I don't 'want' them to be good, but they are an interesting case to think about.  As a hockey fan, taking a look at any team and thinking what you would do to make them better based on their current situation is a fun exercise.

I'm not hoping that they actual management of the team figures it out, but as a fan his is the stuff that is fun to think about.

You are right, an interesting case … for those that care about what rival teams will or can do to improve. I personally won’t waste one second on pondering what they could or will do to improve themselves. In fact, I’ll just waste time pondering how they can screw up even more so they fail even harder next season. Same goes for the Boston scum bags.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 minute ago, Taro T said:

Not a gambler myself, but think there is an item that could make a gambler some money on prop bets.

Whatever Koharski says, expect the actual call to be the opposite.  Haven't seen him right once yet.

But he was right. That goal should not have counted. Obviously struck above the crossbar.

[Taro T]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Holy crap. How much higher above the cross bar does a stick need to be before you waive a goal off? Rangers got boned.

The way it is interpreted, it's where the puck is at the point it's touched.  If it is at the crossbar, then the stick doesn't make contact w/ the puck above the crossbar.  Just like Koharski didn't call, it's a good goal.

[Zamboni]

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

But he was right. That goal should not have counted. Obviously struck above the crossbar.

Obviously? Was there a definitive without a shadow of a doubt camera angle I missed? Damn I must have missed that angle.