2017-18 Toronto Maple Leafs - General Discussion

[cabber24]

Please no Hyman on Matthews line! I just wanted to throw this out there. I don't get it and have yet to be convinced by anything I have seen or read. You can't play with Matthews and only score 10 goals! Surely our forward group is deep enough to have someone else on Matthews line besides Hyman.

I don't get it.

 

[herman]

Pronman is releasing a Top 100 Under 25 of NHL players:
25+ GP and < 25 years old by Sept 15, 2017

72. Connor Brown, RW, Toronto

The top half drop tomorrow, but it'll probably be forgotten amidst the iPhone news.

 

[Coco-puffs]

Pronman is releasing a Top 100 Under 25 of NHL players:
25+ GP and < 25 years old by Sept 15, 2017

72. Connor Brown, RW, Toronto

The top half drop tomorrow, but it'll probably be forgotten amidst the iPhone news.

Yeah, I saw that today.  Didn't realize Pronman had that high of an opinion on Brown.  He's ahead of a number of players I wouldn't expect like Sam Bennett, Kevin Fiala, Timo Meier, Pavel Zacha... but I haven't followed their progression much since they were drafted.  Anyways, I like Brown alot and if Pronman is right with his ranking, Brown will continue to improve and become quite important to this team in the future- hopefully at a low cost long term.

 

[bustaheims]

Yeah, I saw that today.  Didn't realize Pronman had that high of an opinion on Brown.  He's ahead of a number of players I wouldn't expect like Sam Bennett, Kevin Fiala, Timo Meier, Pavel Zacha... but I haven't followed their progression much since they were drafted.  Anyways, I like Brown alot and if Pronman is right with his ranking, Brown will continue to improve and become quite important to this team in the future- hopefully at a low cost long term.

The guys you list there have disappointed relative to their draft position so far - Brown has been a better NHLer than all but Bennett, and an argument can be made for Brown there, too.

 

[Coco-puffs]

Yeah, I saw that today.  Didn't realize Pronman had that high of an opinion on Brown.  He's ahead of a number of players I wouldn't expect like Sam Bennett, Kevin Fiala, Timo Meier, Pavel Zacha... but I haven't followed their progression much since they were drafted.  Anyways, I like Brown alot and if Pronman is right with his ranking, Brown will continue to improve and become quite important to this team in the future- hopefully at a low cost long term.

The guys you list there have disappointed relative to their draft position so far - Brown has been a better NHLer than all but Bennett, and an argument can be made for Brown there, too.

Yeah, but Brown is also 2 years older than all of them (3 in Zacha's case).  Pronman's guidelines are

based on talent assessment of who I believe will have the best NHL careers. This ranking is not based on how well a player will perform in the 2017-18 season.

Despite the disappointment compared to their draft positions, I still surprised Pronman thinks Brown will have a better career than most of those guys.

 

[bustaheims]

Despite the disappointment compared to their draft positions, I still surprised Pronman thinks Brown will have a better career than most of those guys.

Maybe he hasn't liked what he's seen in terms their ability to adapt the level of play in the NHL, and he's skeptical about their ability to improve on that?

 

[Bender]

With Bennett you have to wonder if he's a bit of a first round bust. They did seem to rush him for some reason though.

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

 

[hockeyfan1]

[tweet]907313265818050560[/tweet]

He specifically mentions (Leaf standouts): Martin Dzierkals (forward), Fedor Gordeev & Travis Dermott (defence).

 

[disco]

Please no Hyman on Matthews line! I just wanted to throw this out there. I don't get it and have yet to be convinced by anything I have seen or read. You can't play with Matthews and only score 10 goals! Surely our forward group is deep enough to have someone else on Matthews line besides Hyman.

I don't get it.

I'm sure Babs will provide Patty every opportunity to bury Auston's passes that weren't converted last year. I'm predicting a slight drop in Matthews' goals this year with a significant increase in assists.

 

[herman]

Please no Hyman on Matthews line! I just wanted to throw this out there. I don't get it and have yet to be convinced by anything I have seen or read. You can't play with Matthews and only score 10 goals! Surely our forward group is deep enough to have someone else on Matthews line besides Hyman.

I don't get it.

I'm sure Babs will provide Patty every opportunity to bury Auston's passes that weren't converted last year. I'm predicting a slight drop in Matthews' goals this year with a significant increase in assists.

Even on Matthews' line, I don't think Hyman is the most difficult to understand problem with the lineup, if he can even be called a problem.

 

[herman]

Pronman is releasing a Top 100 Under 25 of NHL players:
25+ GP and < 25 years old by Sept 15, 2017

72. Connor Brown, RW, Toronto

The top half drop tomorrow, but it'll probably be forgotten amidst the iPhone news.

Just ahead of the iPhone event!

https://theathletic.com/97243/2017/09/12/the-top-100-nhlers-under-25-years-old-part-2/

46. Morgan Rielly
21. William Nylander
9. Mitch Marner
2. Auston Matthews

As an aside, I?ve maintained for the last year and a half that between Laine and Matthews it?s a coin flip, and that remains true to this day. After leaning to Laine for most of the last year or so, I leaned a little to Matthews now after continuing to be wowed by his skill level and shot generation, more so than what I thought of his skill as a prospect. Matthews is nearly a year older and has one more season of experience so Laine's development track could surpass Matthews at the pace he?s going. However, I see where both players are now and ask how likely can Laine improve and push play forward in the upcoming season like Matthews showed in the previous season and it?s questionable enough to make me lean the opposite way from where I?ve been the last year.

 

[herman]

Marner feels like a bit too high. Nylander feels too low (esp. with Puljujarvi and Arvidsson, etc. above him). Matthews is in the right spot.

Rielly is... whatever. Pronman has Ristolainen higher than Rielly, so I'm a bit flummoxed there.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Yeah, the Nylander ranking is pretty laughable.

61 points last year, improved as the games got harder and then dominated the WHC.

 

[dappleganger]

Marner feels like a bit too high. Nylander feels too low (esp. with Puljujarvi and Arvidsson, etc. above him). Matthews is in the right spot.

Rielly is... whatever. Pronman has Ristolainen higher than Rielly, so I'm a bit flummoxed there.

Nothing against Rielly, but I'd take Ristolainen over Rielly every time. 

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Marner feels like a bit too high. Nylander feels too low (esp. with Puljujarvi and Arvidsson, etc. above him). Matthews is in the right spot.

Rielly is... whatever. Pronman has Ristolainen higher than Rielly, so I'm a bit flummoxed there.

Nothing against Rielly, but I'd take Ristolainen over Rielly every time.

 

[disco]

https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/907662507980050432

Predicting the Toronto "Aretnas" becoming a meme around that time. Much like the "Oneders" from That Thing You Do.

 

[herman]

In honour of my World Cup memories,

Team North American Leafs
Marleau - Matthews - Marner
Leivo - Kadri - Hyman
JvR - Bozak - Bracco
Rychel - Brooks - Piccinich

Gardiner - Carrick
Rielly - Hainsey
Dermott - Nielsen

Sparks

Team European Leafs
Timashov - Nylander - Grundstrom
Johnsson - Aaltonen - Kapanen
Soshnikov - Komarov - Korshkov
Lindberg - Bobylev - Dzierkals

Borgman - Liljegren
Rosen - Zaitsev
Marincin - Rasanen

Andersen

Yeah, I know Nylander was born in Calgary.

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

In what is quite frankly shocking news, both Horton and Lupul failed their medicals.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/908486667702558721

I cried.

 

[Zee]

https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/908486667702558721

I cried.

He's wrong, Auston Matthews would take that potato and pass it around, and the team would be amazed that there's enough food for the entire roster, coaches, training staff and management.  Jesus-style.