1st goal was on him. Yes, Marner turned the puck over at the Habs blue line, but he should have stopped it..

Campbell only allowed 2 goals in game 1 and game 7, Leafs lost both.. Only gave up 13 goals in 7 playoff games.. Campbell was great this year.
- PatC80

Back breaker in a game 7...Andersen all over again. I like Campbell, but maybe its time to get a bonafide star goalie....harder said then done, but gotta try.

When's that? When YOU say so??
Don't worry Santo. Would never lose sleep over a hypocritical, pompous, self righteous jackass like yourself.
- fifty__missions

Yes I think it needs to happen when I think it needs to happen.

I am sorry you disagreed, please dont lose sleep

So honestly - were you excited to sign 41 year old Joe Thornton? Or broken Wayne Simmonds? I'm being negative here, but that's how I felt when they signed both of them. Especially Simmonds at $1.5m.

Thornton was coming off of a 31 point 70 game season where he was -19. You take the age factor and the trajectory of his play, and this was predictable. Friends said to me, "How can you complain about signing a guy for league minimum?", and I said - and stand by it - "Because he's finished, should have retired, and how do you bench a beloved Hall of Fame player in front of your young core? You're stuck with him in the lineup no matter how he plays." If we go back to the preseason, I probably made this point about Thornton in one of our threads.

Simmonds was more influential with the team than I thought he'd be, but his points project out to where you'd be expect them to be in terms of his career trend over the past few years - 46, 30, 28, 18 (this year) - all of which he was a minus player. I was hopeful he'd bring toughness, but really I can think of two times this year when he stepped up physically to create momentum. There's usually an obvious trend you see in physical players who are breaking down. I hate to be callous, but it's not a new pattern.

They didn't lose because of these two - but they weren't helped. I felt that whatever line Thornton was on this year was playing short-handed because he couldn't keep up, couldn't battle and as a result was out of position and losing the puck.

I'm glad he'll be gone.
- Monkeypunk

I was excited that both signed here... I hoped that Simmonds can bring in some toughness.. Thornton for his leadership qualities and his playoff experience. In saying that, I don't think either will be back next year.

I think this loss is all on the players, not on Dubas.

How do you blame Dubas for the Foligno/Thornton/Simmonds moves? Everyone was so excited when those were done.

I blame the players, and the players only for this loss.
- PatC80

Dubas did do a good job last summer and the previous trade deadline - there's no question about that. But it did take him a couple of waves before he bought into getting some character players and improve the defense.

the question NOW is will Dubas have learned enough from this playoff loss and the abhorrent power play during the last two months of the regular season to make the moves necessary this off-season.

Dubas will no doubt want to appear in "control" and "measured" in his response. But doing nothing to the core contracts - all of which he orchestrated puts him in a bind when trying to address what needs changing. Someone needs to be "taken out behind the woodshed" here... does Dubas have the stones to do that.

seems not great
- senstroll

have you never watched the leafs pp?
rest of the team basically dish the puck to marner and expect him to do some magic.
obviously he is not the one to have a lot of shots on the pp, since he is expected to set up other players to score.
in general, marner gets a lot of criticism for taking risks, while other players basically dont want to / are not able to take any initiative, and let marner by himself trying to make something of the play.
he was bad this series. other series not so much -- he was lined up against top lines while matthews and nylander were playing 2nd/3rd lines.

leafs fans truly dont deserve good players like marner - i would applaud him if he decided to join a team with fans that actually understand hockey and win a few Stanley Cups there.

I think we all know the solution is to change the goal song. They clearly don't want to hear that poop so they actively avoid going to the scoring areas.

If we're playing for the second round that's great. But one player not poopting the bed doesn't make the team go from struggle to not choke against bottom seed in the division to challenge for a cup. There's too large of a gap there.

We'd be shooting ourselves in the foot to pretend things are fine even if we win last night.
- joel878

I just disagree man.

I dont think the same way as you on this.

Grow some balls Dubas and Adams and trade Marner for Echiel

You aren’t getting true value for either so might as well help eachother out
- Santo_44

please lecture us again on how Carey Price is a washed up goalie

So honestly - were you excited to sign 41 year old Joe Thornton? Or broken Wayne Simmonds? I'm being negative here, but that's how I felt when they signed both of them. Especially Simmonds at $1.5m.

Thornton was coming off of a 31 point 70 game season where he was -19. You take the age factor and the trajectory of his play, and this was predictable. Friends said to me, "How can you complain about signing a guy for league minimum?", and I said - and stand by it - "Because he's finished, should have retired, and how do you bench a beloved Hall of Fame player in front of your young core? You're stuck with him in the lineup no matter how he plays." If we go back to the preseason, I probably made this point about Thornton in one of our threads.

Simmonds was more influential with the team than I thought he'd be, but his points project out to where you'd be expect them to be in terms of his career trend over the past few years - 46, 30, 28, 18 (this year) - all of which he was a minus player. I was hopeful he'd bring toughness, but really I can think of two times this year when he stepped up physically to create momentum. There's usually an obvious trend you see in physical players who are breaking down. I hate to be callous, but it's not a new pattern.

They didn't lose because of these two - but they weren't helped. I felt that whatever line Thornton was on this year was playing short-handed because he couldn't keep up, couldn't battle and as a result was out of position and losing the puck.

I'm glad he'll be gone.
- Monkeypunk

I was excited until I saw them play out the season, same as everyone else.

I hate the entitlement that they get though, handcuffs the coach almost as much as the effete bourgeois that is our core, because you can't sit Thornton, he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer!

Simmonds and Thornton could've easily sat a bunch of games or at least not played on our top line/top PP unit.

I think we all know the solution is to change the goal song. They clearly don't want to hear that poop so they actively avoid going to the scoring areas.
- AdamFrench

I think we all know the solution is to change the goal song. They clearly don't want to hear that poop so they actively avoid going to the scoring areas.
- AdamFrench

Its a good start.

please lecture us again on how Carey Price is a washed up goalie
- MaximusAurelius

Yeah he played great, I am interested to see if he can do it again next series.

I dont think he does.

I was excited that both signed here... I hoped that Simmonds can bring in some toughness.. Thornton for his leadership qualities and his playoff experience. In saying that, I don't think either will be back next year.

I think this loss is all on the players, not on Dubas.
- PatC80

you keep saying "this is on the players"... and you are correct.

what happens in the offseason and what needs to happen in the offseason are ALL on Dubas.

Back breaker in a game 7...Andersen all over again. I like Campbell, but maybe its time to get a bonafide star goalie....harder said then done, but gotta try.
- Archaic

I like the idea of a Campbell / Driedger combo. Pipes always being available to whoever earns them.

Unless the goalies name is Vasilevsky I'm not sure I buy into the star goalie approach these days, and even if I were to I'm really not sure how you get one.

Back breaker in a game 7...Andersen all over again. I like Campbell, but maybe its time to get a bonafide star goalie....harder said then done, but gotta try.
- Archaic

yeah, it was a weak goal but it shouldn't have killed the team like it did.

have you never watched the leafs pp?
rest of the team basically dish the puck to marner and expect him to do some magic.
obviously he is not the one to have a lot of shots on the pp, since he is expected to set up other players to score.
in general, marner gets a lot of criticism for taking risks, while other players basically dont want to / are not able to take any initiative, and let marner by himself trying to make something of the play.
he was bad this series. other series not so much -- he was lined up against top lines while matthews and nylander were playing 2nd/3rd lines.

leafs fans truly dont deserve good players like marner - i would applaud him if he decided to join a team with fans that actually understand hockey and win a few Stanley Cups there.
- MaximusAurelius

What in the ever loving flying (frank)ing sh!t are you talking about?

What in the ever loving flying (frank)ing sh!t are you talking about?
- Leafs43

He is mad because Nylander played so well in that series

you keep saying "this is on the players"... and you are correct.

what happens in the offseason and what needs to happen in the offseason are ALL on Dubas.
- BorjeFan4Ever

I agree... The series loss is on the players, the off-season is on Dubas to figure out how to fix it

I was excited that both signed here... I hoped that Simmonds can bring in some toughness.. Thornton for his leadership qualities and his playoff experience. In saying that, I don't think either will be back next year.

I think this loss is all on the players, not on Dubas.
- PatC80

Thornton's playoff experience is mostly an underachiever throughout his career.

Yes, and I believe this is a classic side effect of having too much money tied to the top few players on your roster. They are forced to bargain bin hunt every summer, its a never ending chain of gambles and new faces.
- joel878

Which worked all season. Remember the season? Top in the Division, Richard winner, 9 e of the top point getters. And in the playoffs through injury and whatever’s you want to call it $33M of cap space gets you one goal over 7 games.

That’s not because of the bargain bin, that’s because your top guys didn’t get the job done.

I agree... The series loss is on the players, the off-season is on Dubas to figure out how to fix it
- PatC80

It's on the players, but the coach holds responsibility as well for refusing to make a shift to give the players a better chance to get themselves out. The writing was on the wall for 4 games if not the entire series with Matthews and Marner. Keefe hung it right around their necks and said figure it out or wear the horns.

But yes, it's back on Dubas now.

What in the ever loving flying (frank)ing sh!t are you talking about?
- Leafs43

What risks is Marner taking? Shooting the puck high against the glass?

Which worked all season. Remember the season? Top in the Division, Richard winner, 9 e of the top point getters. And in the playoffs through injury and whatever’s you want to call it $33M of cap space gets you one goal over 7 games.

That’s not because of the bargain bin, that’s because your top guys didn’t get the job done.
- Canada Cup

Yeah and in my opinion I dont think any team goes anywhere when that happens.

you must be new to sports. Razzing leaf fans for another early playoff exit is in itself a national pastime. No need to be sour about it. Nothing new. Just have fun with it.
- bloatedmosquito

it's childish.

I suppose I could keep going on about 8-after-luongo, go start a riot, burn some buildings.

But it's just stupid. Why is it a "national pastime"? What do you get out of it?

Which worked all season. Remember the season? Top in the Division, Richard winner, 9 e of the top point getters. And in the playoffs through injury and whatever’s you want to call it $33M of cap space gets you one goal over 7 games.

That’s not because of the bargain bin, that’s because your top guys didn’t get the job done.
- Canada Cup

I don't disagree with you, I just don't care about the regular season anymore. We had a team smoke their division and fall on their faces, we had another team loaded full of rookies limp into the post season and give Washington a scare on their way to the cup. It means nothing...

The playoff editions of this team (to me) are proving that being corralled into dependence on the teams best players is not working... Not even close. The bargain bin did it when you look at Spezza, how'd it payoff outside of the top 6 everywhere else?

Team needs more balance in my opinion. If for nothing else because the alternative has been beat to death and its not working.