Damien gotta Damien:

Damien Cox
@DamoSpin

If Leafs started a home opener like this under Babcock, he would have been shredded. Keefe, so far, seems immune to media criticism. Although so far he hasn’t improved the team at al.

7:35 PM · Oct 13, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

If you have followed the conversation, I'm not the one that this needs to be explained to.
- Leafs43

I think you have some esplaining to do...

Although he was correct in that the Leafs were absolutely brutal to start the game.

Give credit to Campbell - without him, we would have been down 2-0 within the first six minutes.

Damien gotta Damien:

Damien Cox
@DamoSpin

If Leafs started a home opener like this under Babcock, he would have been shredded. Keefe, so far, seems immune to media criticism. Although so far he hasn’t improved the team at al.

7:35 PM · Oct 13, 2021·Twitter for iPhone
- Atomic Wedgie

Quick, somebody send Kristen Shillton to ask the hard questions of James O'Keefe.

The Athletic had an article on goalies. The league isn't sold on Jack Campbell quite yet.


25. Jack Campbell, Maple Leafs

Unranked prior to this season

Eleven years after he was a first-round pick, Campbell is finally entering a season as a No. 1, albeit for his third franchise.

Campbell is a beloved figure in the Leafs’ locker room and picked up some early fans with his performance last season, but with a small sample size there are some worries about his ability to be the No. 1 in the most-scrutinized on-ice job in the league.

“He’s the type of goalie who can look good in stretches, but I don’t see him as being able to handle a typical No. 1 workload. He needs to be used in a tandem,” one executive said.

“Jack’s talent is really good. And that capability is really good,” a former league executive said. “The problem is he doesn’t have a big body of work. I hear this lots, ‘Look what he did in the season.’ Yeah, I know what he did in the season … in 30 games. That doesn’t establish you as a person.”

Another voter pointed out that they wouldn’t be surprised if Petr Mrazek was starting Game 1 of the postseason, assuming the Leafs get in.

“I know he’s the affable guy and all of that and had the streak in Toronto, but you don’t get in this league and all of a sudden wake up at 30 years old and you’re a superstar,” a former goalie said of Campbell.
- Leafs43

I think this is bs.

Jack has always had the talent and that's obvious from his teens to now. He was stuck behind Quick and has been open about his mental struggles his whole career.

Time to start giving him some credit.

I think the bigger issue was only getting 5 years out of Matthews. Lock him up, dammit. Not straight to UFA.
- prock

The conversation, as I understood it, had more to do with the cost of his UFA years making the cap hit untenable.

Let's say that you assume a 3.5% annual salary cap increase. If you had started Auston Matthews with a $10.5m salary in year 1, and increased that annually by 3.5% each subsequent year, it ends up at $12.5m by year 5 - but it actually has an average AAV of $11.66m which is pretty close to where he is ($11.63m).

If you carry that forward into his UFA years, the AAV ends up being $12.3m - but that ignores that the cost of a UFA is considered higher than that of an RFA year because the market will increase the demand - which could have driven those three years in a $14 - $15m range, which would have made the AAV closer to $13m.

I do recall there being reports that the conversation involved those types of numbers, and the math backs up that theory.

Although he was correct in that the Leafs were absolutely brutal to start the game.

Give credit to Campbell - without him, we would have been down 2-0 within the first six minutes.
- Atomic Wedgie

And still would have won. It’s a team of destiny this year Wedgie. I set it all out in the prediction thread.

Damien gotta Damien:

Damien Cox
@DamoSpin

If Leafs started a home opener like this under Babcock, he would have been shredded. Keefe, so far, seems immune to media criticism. Although so far he hasn’t improved the team at al.

7:35 PM · Oct 13, 2021·Twitter for iPhone
- Atomic Wedgie

This is an issue? They won the game without the top goal scorer in the league.
And if I recall Allen made quite a few really good saves also.

Quick, somebody send Kristen Shillton to ask the hard questions of James O'Keefe.
- AdamFrench

Mrazek starting tonight - goalie controversy

Mrazek starting tonight - goalie controversy
- Canada Cup

Children should be seen and not heard...

Boy.

Mrazek starting tonight - goalie controversy
- Canada Cup

Someone somewhere will actually believe this lol

Damien gotta Damien:

Damien Cox
@DamoSpin

If Leafs started a home opener like this under Babcock, he would have been shredded. Keefe, so far, seems immune to media criticism. Although so far he hasn’t improved the team at al.

7:35 PM · Oct 13, 2021·Twitter for iPhone
- Atomic Wedgie

only the leafs dictate play, they either try or dont try.
The Habs have no impact.

only the leafs dictate play, they either try or dont try.
The Habs have no impact.
- senstroll

I am pretty sure he has the best winning percentage of all coaches since being hired. I could be wrong but I know he is at the top.

Damien gotta Damien:

Damien Cox
@DamoSpin

If Leafs started a home opener like this under Babcock, he would have been shredded. Keefe, so far, seems immune to media criticism. Although so far he hasn’t improved the team at al.

7:35 PM · Oct 13, 2021·Twitter for iPhone
- Atomic Wedgie

Isnt cox a part of the "media"?

Although he was correct in that the Leafs were absolutely brutal to start the game.

Give credit to Campbell - without him, we would have been down 2-0 within the first six minutes.
- Atomic Wedgie

That 5on3 was pretty impressive.

I do think that if the opposing team had higher end talent, their aggressiveness killing the 5on3 would have been exploited though.


By far the most concerning thing of the night was when the camera zoomed in on Liljegren and the announcer introduced Ilya Mikheyev. I've never seen someone look so uncomfortable.

How does that happen with a 1st rate franchise like this?

Someone somewhere will actually believe this lol
- Aaron_85

This is Toronto
This will be a convo all year, specially if both play well.
Eventually there will be campbell people and Mrazek people arguing who is better.

But thats the beauty of 1a/ab goalie tandems, of both play so well that you could argue either is the starter. Then the leafs have done well.

That 5on3 was pretty impressive.

I do think that if the opposing team had higher end talent, their aggressiveness killing the 5on3 would have been exploited though.


By far the most concerning thing of the night was when the camera zoomed in on Liljegren and the announcer introduced Ilya Mikheyev. I've never seen someone look so uncomfortable.

How does that happen with a 1st rate franchise like this?
- TheMussel

The anthem singer pretty much took the night off. I hope she got paid by the word.

Are we really complaining about a small editing mishap and the anthem singer? Do we really care about these things?

I am pretty sure he has the best winning percentage of all coaches since being hired. I could be wrong but I know he is at the top.
- Santo_44

He's right up there. I don't think any of these teams have had their coaches replaced, but the Leafs have the 6th best regular season record since Keefe took over in November 2019:

Colorado Avalanche: 69-27-10; 0.698. Goal Diff: +98
Vegas Golden Knights: 69-29-7; 0.69. Goal Diff: +81
Boston Bruins: 64-27-14; 0.676. Goal Diff: +65
Tampa Bay Lightning: 70-32-7; 0.674. Goal Diff: +78
Pittsburgh Penguins: 67-32-6; 0.667. Goal Diff: +52
Toronto Maple Leafs: 63-29-12; 0.663. Goal Diff: +61
Carolina Hurricanes: 61-30-12; 0.65. Goal Diff: +53
Washington Capitals: 62-32-9; 0.646. Goal Diff: +37

Surprising to me was that Minnesota was 9th.

Are we really complaining about a small editing mishap and the anthem singer? Do we really care about these things?
- Santo_44

Waiting for your blog entitled "Things we should and shouldn't care about"

Kampf showed some offensive flair last night.

Had an insanely low shooting percentage on the Hawks...Could be more there.

Waiting for your blog entitled "Things we should and shouldn't care about"
- TheMussel

Im just genuinely asking, and wondering why it's even a thought.

Im just genuinely asking, and wondering why it's even a thought.
- Santo_44

It was a joke about the anthem. Carry on.

Im just genuinely asking, and wondering why it's even a thought.
- Santo_44

Because watching it made me feel awkward as all hell. I had empathy for Liljegren having to endure that on opening night in front of a packed house and millions of TV viewers.

It was a joke about the anthem. Carry on.
- Canada Cup

I've just heard the anthem crap for so long, Its just why