One thing that is kind of unique to hockey in regards to a team sport is that even if you have a superstar, they're on the ice for less than half the game so you need a strong team behind them to be dominant.
- lemieux_66

Stud D break that rule but that said still need a deep roster & money to around spent & built properly. Idk how to do that as most GM’s don’t. Easy to say hard to do in todays cap world & the talent a GM has. It all goes back to coaches & system & buy in at the root. My 2 bits. Thx

Im routing for Petey. Got him on my fantasy team as well as Demko. And I managed to be Boeser the night of the first game as a FA when he got a hattie. Those guys have been killing it for my team.
- lemieux_66

HB pool or a real pool? Grats anyways 👍

Yep I agree with all that, I just don’t see the cash being there. In my mind we paid these guys too much before they won anything, Like a playoff series, never mind a cup.
- Bullot

Agreed.

Klingberg is unplayable.
- fifty__missions

Imagine if they saved the money from Klingberg & Reaves and spent it on O'Reilly instead?

HB pool or a real pool? Grats anyways 👍
- Nighthawk

It's just a no money pool with a bunch of old highschool friends.

Imagine if they saved the money from Klingberg & Reaves and spent it on O'Reilly instead?
- lemieux_66

Ror didnt want to play in Toronto

Stud D break that rule but that said still need a deep roster & money to around spent & built properly. Idk how to do that as most GM’s don’t. Easy to say hard to do in todays cap world & the talent a GM has. It all goes back to coaches & system & buy in at the root. My 2 bits. Thx
- Nighthawk

Yes, that's true about stud D but even then they usually only play 30 plus in OT games. Not every night. but thats besides the point, just interesting to think about how stars impact the game compared to soccer, nba, nfl, etc.

Ror didnt want to play in Toronto
- Fakepartofme

Ya, I'm curious why though. If it was because of the location or the culture of the team.

It's just a no money pool with a bunch of old highschool friends.
- lemieux_66

Good stuff

Imagine if they saved the money from Klingberg & Reaves and spent it on O'Reilly instead?
- lemieux_66

Didn’t learn from Gardiner & Reaves is a dinosaur.

Didn’t learn from Gardiner & Reaves is a dinosaur.
- Nighthawk

The fact that they traded Lafferty to sign Reaves and to see how each is doing is quite the disappointment.

Yes, that's true about stud D but even then they usually only play 30 plus in OT games. Not every night. but thats besides the point, just interesting to think about how stars impact the game compared to soccer, nba, nfl, etc.
- lemieux_66

We had stars the Sedins but Burrows really stirred that drink. Had Hyman but he priced outta the market when the big 4 ate up cap.

Said it then & over & over the JT contract really hamstrung the cap & adding to that no winger is worth 10.9m that hasn’t won a cup. You pay superstars that are a C or D. Not wingers or goalies not named Kane & Vasi who have cups.

The fact that they traded Lafferty to sign Reaves and to see how each is doing is quite the disappointment.
- lemieux_66

Good point. He’s flying here in Van & a great add for only a 5th.

Keefe on Klingberg; 'We need to protect hm better'

I actually feel for Keefe on this one. He has to deal with this absolute.disaster his GM dropped in his lap.

We had stats the Sedins but Burrows really stirred that drink. Had Hyman but he priced outta the market when the big 4 ate up cap.

Said it then & over & over the JT contract really hamstrung the cap & adding to that no winger is worth 10.9m that hasn’t won a cup. You pay superstars that are a C or D. Not wingers or goalies not named Kane & Vasi who have cups.
- Nighthawk

I agree. IMO the leafs got greedy thinking they could out score teams to win the cup using 4 high paid star forwards. Having Matthews, Reilly, Marner is a great core to build around but paying 2 more forwards like Nylander & Tavares to the point of not being able to build a deep balanced core has really hampered their potential.

A first line of Matthews & Marner with any average winger should be fine. Look how Crosby did for much of his career with Dupuis and Kunitz. Malkin has had typically an average to slightly above average winger as wings and then the 3rd and 4th lines were made up of decent players (at least during their winning years). Pens D was never elite but at least was average. Hell, they won the cup without Letang the one year.

Keefe on Klingberg; 'We need to protect hm better'

I actually feel for Keefe on this one. He has to deal with this absolute.disaster his GM dropped in his lap.
- fifty__missions

Lol when I heard that quote presented on leafs talk after the game they said that they didnt know the context of the quote. But that's exactly what I was thinking, as if Keefe said it as a shot towards Tre.

I agree. IMO the leafs got greedy thinking they could out score teams to win the cup using 4 high paid star forwards. Having Matthews, Reilly, Marner is a great core to build around but paying 2 more forwards like Nylander & Tavares to the point of not being able to build a deep balanced core has really hampered their potential.

A first line of Matthews & Marner with any average winger should be fine. Look how Crosby did for much of his career with Dupuis and Kunitz. Malkin has had typically an average to slightly above average winger as wings and then the 3rd and 4th lines were made up of decent players (at least during their winning years). Pens D was never elite but at least was average. Hell, they won the cup without Letang the one year.
- lemieux_66

I get it going for JT but was not needed. Willy was still blooming & if it was him & AM & MM only the cap left back then could’ve made for a better balanced team. JT would’ve been fine & starred elsewhere. No clue why he left NYI in the 1st place.

Pens had depth & played playoff hockey.

As absurd as it sounds, I would actually like this team to nosedive for the next 5-10 games to force Tree's hand on Keefe.
- mjones242

This does not sound absurd at all. Something's got to give, and it is the obvious choice that, I guess, has to be made MORE obvious with a long slide.

This does not sound absurd at all. Something's got to give, and it is the obvious choice that, I guess, has to be made MORE obvious with a long slide.
- sokosteve

I think Keefe should have been replaced already.

But in looking at this team now, I don't think coaching is the main issue.

This just isnt a very good hockey team.

The defence in particular is dreadful. The fourth line is awful. The PK is terrible.

And if they get goaltending like they've got the last few starts, Scotty Bowman wouldn't be able to do anything with this poopshow.

Next two games are B2B. Better make some lineup moves before if they are serious about the play-offs this year.
Tres best moves may have been Lagesson and Benoit and they were after thoughts.

With the new additions, it appears that our GM has set up the coach to fail.

Not a good look so far.

With the new additions, it appears that our GM has set up the coach to fail.

Not a good look so far.
- Leafsmart

Yeah, that's exactly what GM's do: get guys to fail, because they can't just fire the coach, they have to set him up.

If only they had the authority to terminate a coach... oh wait a second, they do, and this is a dumb take.

Yeah, that's exactly what GM's do: get guys to fail, because they can't just fire the coach, they have to set him up.

If only they had the authority to terminate a coach... oh wait a second, they do, and this is a dumb take.

- gravyface

I don't think he's suggesting that he set him up to fail on purpose. The additions have weakened the team considerably.

I don't think he's suggesting that he set him up to fail on purpose. The additions have weakened the team considerably.
- fifty__missions

Then just say that then, the cretens on here need hot takes that we can understand

Was Holl really the glue guy that held this backend together?

Also that video of galchenyuk was rough. Could only watch a couple seconds of it.