And Tampa now has JT Miller and McDonagh for a full season as well.

Leafs got better, Tampa got better. Both great teams.
- Scabeh

Stop being such a hater.

Tampa Bay

They subtracted JvR and his 36 goals. He wasnt a game breaker but lets not pretend he wasnt a good player.
- Buggy166

Oh JVR.. You mean the guy who may as well have sat in a chair in front of the net? Let's not forget, David Clarkson hit 30 goals in his career as well standing in front of the net in Jersey. Was he a good player too?

JVR is the beneficiary of Mitch Marner. Marner raised JVR's game.

Tavares had 37 goals and actually passed the puck, adding 47 assists. JVR's 18 assists won't be missed.

Anytime you subtract a one dimensional player and add a more well rounded player, your team gets better.

Stop being such a hater.
- BlueBallz

They subtracted JvR and his 36 goals. He wasnt a game breaker but lets not pretend he wasnt a good player.
- Buggy166

True but he was a big problem for the Leafs in their end. His subtraction is actually a defensive upgrade. Leafs offense will be better this year than last regardless of JVR.

Oh JVR.. You mean the guy who may as well have sat in a chair in front of the net? Let's not forget, David Clarkson hit 30 goals in his career as well standing in front of the net in Jersey. Was he a good player too?

JVR is the beneficiary of Mitch Marner. Marner raised JVR's game.

Tavares had 37 goals and actually passed the puck, adding 47 assists. JVR's 18 assists won't be missed.

Anytime you subtract a one dimensional player and add a more well rounded player, your team gets better.
- Snowman X

Who cares how JVR got his goals, so long as he got them? His number seemed pretty consistent in Toronto, whether Marner was there or not.

Obviously The addition of Tavares of JVR is an improvement, but I wouldn't write JVR off so quickly.

Anyone who doesn't say Toronto is biased, likely because they're Leaf haters. Malkin and Crosby won a cup without Letang and with patchwork defense. Toronto has cut some two way liabilities in Komarov (good defensively and abysmal in the offensive zone) and JVR (who hasn't back checked in his entire career) from their team, added a near 90 point player (from a dumpster fire team) for only cap dollars and who happens to be one of the best two way pivots in the league. These Leafs will win their way through the season 6-5 if they have to, but they'll get it done. That pick-your-poison trio of Tavares, Matthews and Kadri are going to give the opposition fits every night. Not to mention that the addition of Johnsson full time adds a very skilled and speedy winger to the third or fourth line instantly making them deeper than if they kept Komarov. Kapanen should continue to develop nicely with more ice time and if Ozhiganov makes the team out of camp, you won't see as many poor clearing attempts like you did with Polak. Gardiner is who worries me the most with his careless play. But every team has at least one liability. If ours is a 50+ point defenseman, it reaaaally could be worse. Also, don't kid yourself. Vasy is not as good as Andersen. Tampa's D makes him look like a superstar. He's good, but not as good as Andersen. I'm excited to see this new Leafs team in action. Mostly so the Leafs haters can eat a big piece of humble pie.

Consider this if you will.. The Leafs COULD have anywhere between 2-4 100 point players on their roster this year. Any one of Matthews, Marner, Tavares or Nylander can hit that mark with the opposing teams flipping a coin on who to use their shutdown line against.
- Snowman X

What pile of poop is this? Jesus Christ.

What pile of poop is this? Jesus Christ.
- YzermanTheMan

The real pile of poop is the Detroit Red Wings. What a tire fire..

The ones who are talking the most trash are Flyers, Blackhawks and Canucks fans it seems.

Allow me to jump on the hater bandwagon for a minute.

Flyers = a group of studs who may as well just play an empty net every game.

Blackhawks = an organization who was mediocre for almost as long as the Leafs were before winning a couple of cups and trying to call themselves a dynasty. Wake up. you missed the playoffs last year and your GM is growing senile.

Canucks = .....too easy.


- Snowman X

Blackhawks also were in a playoff spot until Crawford got hurt so......

2010 Flyers got further than Leafs have in a long time with an AHL goalie in net. Lost to Hawks who had a NHL backup goalie in net.

The fact is the addition of Tavares is not going to make a drastic change as everyone believes. Its a team game and he is just one player. A real good one at that, but he isnt magically going to be a 100 point player. Not all players have chemistry with each other which is why Stanley Cups are not awarded based on the team on paper. Some players click with each other, some dont. You can have Crosby and Ovi on a line together, it doesnt mean they will work well together.

I believe I an a good player myself but there have been people who I think are good that I didnt feel I worked well with and playing with them had a negative affect on my game. Look at McDavid and Lucic. Lucic is a good player but he cant keep up with McDavid's speed. Tavares is not a speedy guy either so he may not necessarily click with some of the speedy wingers on the Leafs.

Leafs heavily rely on Andersen, I think I saw that he faces close to 40 shots a game. If he has a bad year which happens to all goalies the Leafs are in trouble.

Stammer folds in playoffs, Taveres will be a beast in playoffs.

Tampa has the experience over Leaf Youth.......but that experience/age is going to start working against them.

lol at the leafs fans that think their roster is better than Tampa's
- SimpleJack

If you've read the actual comments you would see that every Leafs fan with the exception of whoever this Snowman X guy is, has said Tampa has the better roster than the Leafs. Take your stupidity elsewhere.

True but he was a big problem for the Leafs in their end. His subtraction is actually a defensive upgrade. Leafs offense will be better this year than last regardless of JVR.
- Cooshie

So much of JVR (and Bozek's) production came from being sheltered. We have at least 6 other players who would benefit from that usage and fill the net. I don't think we will miss the no back check line as much as some think.

The real pile of poop is the Detroit Red Wings. What a tire fire..
- Snowman X

Yes, I agree.

But still smells like roses compared to that post.

Stammer folds in playoffs, Taveres will be a beast in playoffs.

Tampa has the experience over Leaf Youth.......but that experience/age is going to start working against them.
- Bullot

How do you know? From all the times Tavares hasnt been to the playoffs? He has been there 3 times and went past round 1 once. Stamkos's stats arent much different in the playoffs than Tavares...

This is why people dont like Leaf fans.....

- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Please don't lump us all in with this window licker!

Stammer folds in playoffs, Taveres will be a beast in playoffs.

Tampa has the experience over Leaf Youth.......but that experience/age is going to start working against them.
- Bullot

Probably to worried his leg will get blown up again. Takes him off his game. But in all seriousness Stammer and Kucherov definitely need to up their post season games in order for the Lightning to go all the way. Which shouldn't be hard for them to do.

Please don't lump us all in with this window licker!
- .HOHO.

I’ll just lump in UG and Lums.

General consensus seems to be that both teams are deadly, but until the Leafs probe it, the edge has to go to the Bolts. And I think that’s a very fair assessment

The wild card here is the boatload of cap space the Leafs are currently hoarding. Whether it’s pre-season or at the deadline, you know they’ll be spending to the cap. Gotta figure it’ll come in the form of defensive help...

Blackhawks also were in a playoff spot until Crawford got hurt so......

2010 Flyers got further than Leafs have in a long time with an AHL goalie in net. Lost to Hawks who had a NHL backup goalie in net.

The fact is the addition of Tavares is not going to make a drastic change as everyone believes. Its a team game and he is just one player. A real good one at that, but he isnt magically going to be a 100 point player. Not all players have chemistry with each other which is why Stanley Cups are not awarded based on the team on paper. Some players click with each other, some dont. You can have Crosby and Ovi on a line together, it doesnt mean they will work well together.

I believe I an a good player myself but there have been people who I think are good that I didnt feel I worked well with and playing with them had a negative affect on my game. Look at McDavid and Lucic. Lucic is a good player but he cant keep up with McDavid's speed. Tavares is not a speedy guy either so he may not necessarily click with some of the speedy wingers on the Leafs.

Leafs heavily rely on Andersen, I think I saw that he faces close to 40 shots a game. If he has a bad year which happens to all goalies the Leafs are in trouble.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Hockey is a team game. And some players just have a knack for making players around them better. Tavares turned Josh Bailey into a scoring threat. What do you think he's going to do with ACTUAL scoring threats? There's a reason that John signed in Toronto instead of Tampa guys. Come on. He thinks that the talent is there and the timing is right for this team to rise to the next level. I fully agree. I've been watching it happen right before my eyes as everyone was continuously bashing the Leafs like they are perpetually the same team they've always been.

They've built a crazy front office. Added an elite coach. Drafted elite players. Signed elite players. And they did it all with everyone saying they can't do it. Wake up. It's happening.

So much of JVR (and Bozek's) production came from being sheltered. We have at least 6 other players who would benefit from that usage and fill the net. I don't think we will miss the no back check line as much as some think.
- leafsfann

He scored 36 goals with only 15 mins of ice time per game. That is good. If it was so easy why arent other "sheltered" players doing it? JVR is not elite in anyway but you can not discount his importance to the team just because he left. People complain about his defence but the defensive responsibility of the wingers is much lower than a centres. Wingers dont need to back check unless the Centre is caught deep. Other than that, you are more or less covering the point man.

I’ll just lump in UG and Lums.
- YzermanTheMan

UG? Yes.
Lums? Please got (frank) your hat!

UG? Yes.
Lums? Please got (frank) your hat!


- .HOHO.

Please don't lump us all in with this window licker!
- .HOHO.

Too late, it's been done.

This guy speaks for us all.

So much of JVR (and Bozek's) production came from being sheltered. We have at least 6 other players who would benefit from that usage and fill the net. I don't think we will miss the no back check line as much as some think.
- leafsfann

JVR was so bad defensively that Babcock played him for some 14min per game - which included PP.
Leafs are not going to miss JVR at all and probably a better team without him considering there biggest weakness is defense - which is none existent in JVR's game.

JVR was so bad defensively that Babcock played him for some 14min per game - which included PP.
Leafs are not going to miss JVR at all and probably a better team without him considering there biggest weakness is defense - which is none existent in JVR's game.
- Cooshie

It was bound to happen with Kessel not there to make up for the defense.