Really?

Edit: Just checked, stupid Dubas.
- shack67

Chara was never going to sign with the Leafs.
Toronto isn't close enough to Boston.

It's just a Simpsons quote mang.

I do think the Leaf fan negative obsession with Marner is over-the-top and there are more reasons to be excited about he and the Leafs this season.
- Zezel

Sorry, I haven't watched much of the Simpsons. 🤷

I'll grant you that some of the negativity for Marner is over-the-top but then the reverse is also true: some of the apologetics have been over-the-top too. If you're making 10.9M a season and are the top paid RW in the league and are playing mad minutes with a Rocket winner you should be able to put together a solid post-season. You just should.

I'm not really sure how anyone can truly be excited about this team after being perennial 1st round knock outs, but I admire the ability to somehow stay positive.

I'm done with the positivity. This team needs to (frank)ing dominate or they need to jettison Marner into the sun after this season.

Chara was never going to sign with the Leafs.
Toronto isn't close enough to Boston.
- dmnted

Yeah I know. I was being stupid. Chara is too old and too slow.

Sorry, I haven't watched much of the Simpsons. 🤷

I'll grant you that some of the negativity for Marner is over-the-top but then the reverse is also true: some of the apologetics have been over-the-top too. If you're making 10.9M a season and are the top paid RW in the league and are playing mad minutes with a Rocket winner you should be able to put together a solid post-season. You just should.

I'm not really sure how anyone can truly be excited about this team after being perennial 1st round knock outs, but I admire the ability to somehow stay positive.

I'm done with the positivity. This team needs to (frank)ing dominate or they need to jettison Marner into the sun after this season.
- mjones242

If I was going to be perpetually negative, i would just follow a different team or find a new hobby.

Life is too short to constantly be negative about a hockey team.

Sorry, I haven't watched much of the Simpsons. 🤷

I'll grant you that some of the negativity for Marner is over-the-top but then the reverse is also true: some of the apologetics have been over-the-top too. If you're making 10.9M a season and are the top paid RW in the league and are playing mad minutes with a Rocket winner you should be able to put together a solid post-season. You just should.

I'm not really sure how anyone can truly be excited about this team after being perennial 1st round knock outs, but I admire the ability to somehow stay positive.

I'm done with the positivity. This team needs to (frank)ing dominate or they need to jettison Marner into the sun after this season.
- mjones242

I can be excited because the margins of victory are very thin. Toronto was literally one OT shot from beating a Habs team who went on to the final. I don't think the previous results are indicative of what will happen in the future any more than I think Montreal will make the finals again. I think the Leafs have reasons to be optimistic just as Washington did for years before they won or the Blues did before they won.

Matthews shot was lacking a little because of his wrist issues. I expect a big playoff year for him and the team.
- shack67

And he hit quite a few posts. Which is crazy because he had a bummed wrist and probably a bad back from carrying the whole line.

I can be excited because the margins of victory are very thin. Toronto was literally one OT shot from beating a Habs team who went on to the final. I don't think the previous results are indicative of what will happen in the future any more than I think Montreal will make the finals again. I think the Leafs have reasons to be optimistic just as Washington did for years before they won or the Blues did before they won.
- Zezel

All of this.

If I was going to be perpetually negative, i would just follow a different team or find a new hobby.

Life is too short to constantly be negative about a hockey team.
- Leafs43

Who says I've been perpetually negative about this team? I certainly haven't been until this past post-season.

Bro, I'm not talking about this team constantly or crying myself to sleep every night in my Leafs PJs like a petulant child.

I come onto this forum, where people chat about the state of this team, and I feel comfortable female doging a bit because this team has found new and inventive ways to lose and I'm done defending this squad and being perpetually positive about "next season".

I'm a diehard fan and I get to complain and criticize when I feel it's warranted. 🤷

If you can find something I've said that's particularly egregious or offensive about TML, then I'm all ears.

Sorry, I haven't watched much of the Simpsons. 🤷

I'll grant you that some of the negativity for Marner is over-the-top but then the reverse is also true: some of the apologetics have been over-the-top too. If you're making 10.9M a season and are the top paid RW in the league and are playing mad minutes with a Rocket winner you should be able to put together a solid post-season. You just should.

I'm not really sure how anyone can truly be excited about this team after being perennial 1st round knock outs, but I admire the ability to somehow stay positive.

I'm done with the positivity. This team needs to (frank)ing dominate or they need to jettison Marner into the sun after this season.
- mjones242

I like to be in the middle here. Marner and Matthews failed in the playoffs but they also lost to a team that destroyed Vegas in the semi finals.

Also, I just don't think we get rid of these top end guys. Did Washington remove Ovie and Backstrom when they failed year after year? No.

You can be tired of positivity but being negative is boring AF to live life and enjoy sports that way but you do you. I rather just be a positive fan and enjoy myself instead of flogging myself as a fan of a team. Some of the negative people act like they don't have a choice to stop watching or paying attention until Dubas and Co. are removed.

And he hit quite a few posts. Which crazy because he had a bummed wrist and probably a bad back from carrying the whole line.
- bryant

Exactly. We didn’t get to see that overpowering wrister.

Last I checked he was on a PTO.

If it wasn't clear, "this (Gusev) isn't the found wallet this team needs" is the point I was trying to make.

As I've mentioned before, I'm cautiously wildly pessimistic about this coming season. I'm not on suicide watch and you can rest assured I will hardly lose any sleep after the Leafs impending 1st round exit this coming post-season.

Ostensibly, I'm the yin to Zezel's yang.
- mjones242

I understand now that Dubas kill me now is a figure of speech and the Lincoln emergency services have been ordered to stand down

Marner needs to earn his contact and make Tavares more of a threat. Mathews will score with any number of players flanking him. Nylander should run his own line to pull checking assignments away from the top line.

Gusev-matthews-kase
Bunting-Tavares-Marner
Ritchie-kerfoot-nylander
Soup-kamph-spezza

I can be excited because the margins of victory are very thin. Toronto was literally one OT shot from beating a Habs team who went on to the final. I don't think the previous results are indicative of what will happen in the future any more than I think Montreal will make the finals again. I think the Leafs have reasons to be optimistic just as Washington did for years before they won or the Blues did before they won.
- Zezel

Washington and the Blues all tasted a modicum of playoff success. This team has not.

You're allowed to be excited. That's great. I'm allowed to poop on them a bit and be extremely skeptical that they have the right culture and roster to widen those margins.

It's time for this team to grow up and make things happen.

Washington and the Blues all tasted a modicum of playoff success. This team has not.

You're allowed to be excited. That's great. I'm allowed to poop on them a bit and be extremely skeptical that they have the right culture and roster to widen those margins.

It's time for this team to grow up and make things happen.
- mjones242

While I agree that they need to show up sooner than later I will argue about the blues and washington. Capitals only ever made it to the second round...for years. That isn't real success. (Nor would it be for the leafs this year imo)

Blues were a favourite to win the cup and were swept in 4. poop happens.

I like to be in the middle here. Marner and Matthews failed in the playoffs but they also lost to a team that destroyed Vegas in the semi finals.

Also, I just don't think we get rid of these top end guys. Did Washington remove Ovie and Backstrom when they failed year after year? No.

You can be tired of positivity but being negative is boring AF to live life and enjoy sports that way but you do you. I rather just be a positive fan and enjoy myself instead of flogging myself as a fan of a team. Some of the negative people act like they don't have a choice to stop watching or paying attention until Dubas and Co. are removed.
- Aaron_85

OV and Backstrom have been consistent playoff performers year-on-year. Backstrom, who would be the better analog of the two to Marner, also never soaked up near as much cap space as Mitch currently does.

To be perfectly clear, I'm not "negative". Being negative is putting yourself in a predictable state of mind where you focus on every possible outcome with the worst-of-all-possible worlds mentality. I'm not that.

I'm skeptical about this team's ability to achieve post-season success. I think there are more "ifs" on this year's squad than the past few years which makes it difficult to gauge if they've improved or regressed (I'm leaning towards the latter).

Suffice it to say, I'm not excited by this prospective season. I think being perpetually "positive" is as silly as being "negative". It doesn't allow for nuance and that's boring AF.

I'll be cheering this team on but I'll also be critical when I feel it's due. And boy oh boy, this team's performance over the past few years deserves criticism.

While I agree that they need to show up sooner than later I will argue about the blues and washington. Capitals only ever made it to the second round...for years. That isn't real success. (Nor would it be for the leafs this year imo)

Blues were a favourite to win the cup and were swept in 4. poop happens.
- Aaron_85

Yeah and the Blues missed the playoffs the year before they won. There's many examples of teams not having success just before having success.

Who says I've been perpetually negative about this team? I certainly haven't been until this past post-season.

Bro, I'm not talking about this team constantly or crying myself to sleep every night in my Leafs PJs like a petulant child.

I come onto this forum, where people chat about the state of this team, and I feel comfortable female doging a bit because this team has found new and inventive ways to lose and I'm done defending this squad and being perpetually positive about "next season".

I'm a diehard fan and I get to complain and criticize when I feel it's warranted. 🤷

If you can find something I've said that's particularly egregious or offensive about TML, then I'm all ears.
- mjones242

I was specifically responding to the part of the post I bolded.

Of course you can have negative sentiments about the team. You can do whatever you want.

While I agree that they need to show up sooner than later I will argue about the blues and washington. Capitals only ever made it to the second round...for years. That isn't real success. (Nor would it be for the leafs this year imo)

Blues were a favourite to win the cup and were swept in 4. poop happens.
- Aaron_85

We know how Marner and Matthews can play: First Team All Star selection and Richard Trophy winners. We know how they have played in the playoffs. We don’t know whether they will always play that in the playoffs. A lot of people here decided they will. Some professional hockey people have bet with their jobs that the HB braintrust is wrong.

I thought Matthews was a beast in the playoffs but he had no help whatsoever. Then without Tavares and losing Muzzin it was a perfect storm.
- shack67

Agreed

While I agree that they need to show up sooner than later I will argue about the blues and washington. Capitals only ever made it to the second round...for years. That isn't real success. (Nor would it be for the leafs this year imo)

Blues were a favourite to win the cup and were swept in 4. poop happens.
- Aaron_85

It's a lot more success than the Leafs have had. I wouldn't downplay the significance of winning a playoff series.

Until this team can get by the first round, I don't think the Caps are a good comparison.

I was specifically responding to the part of the post I bolded.

Of course you can have negative sentiments about the team. You can do whatever you want.
- Leafs43

And I was responding more generally.

And yes, I can do whatever I want which is why I explained, in depth, that I'm not actually Mr. Negative.

We know how Marner and Matthews can play: First Team All Star selection and Richard Trophy winners. We know how they have played in the playoffs. We don’t know whether they will always play that in the playoffs. A lot of people here decided they will. Some professional hockey people have bet with their jobs that the HB braintrust is wrong.
- Canada Cup

A lot of people seem convinced they won't always play subpar. Interesting, that.

A lot of people seem convinced they won't always play subpar. Interesting, that.
- mjones242

I said at the end of the season that I didn’t think Marner would be traded unless Dubas/Shanny concluded that there was something there that prevented him from performing in the playoffs. They seem to have concluded that there’s not if they would have moved him even if the return wasn’t a full and even return.

I think it’s more likely that an elite player will get it together than not.

I'm not. He's not what this team needs in the least.
- mjones242

In your opinion

I said at the end of the season that I didn’t think Marner would be traded unless Dubas/Shanny concluded that there was something there that prevented him from performing in the playoffs. They seem to have concluded that there’s not if they would have moved him even if the return wasn’t a full and even return.

I think it’s more likely that an elite player will get it together than not.
- Canada Cup

Dubas is going down with the Core 4 ship. He absolutely believes in this core and he may very well be vindicated.

I hope so - I truly do - but I'm not quite as convinced. I guess because I don't wear glasses and I'm not employed by MLSE.

But yes, none of these players are getting ousted until the off-season - assuming poop goes down.