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2024-25 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion

L K said:
What the heck is up with the schedule this year.

We play Wednesday/Sunday this week and Wednesday/Saturday next week so a stretch of 4 games in 14 days.

December the Leafs play 15 games.
- 4 back to backs.
- All four back to backs involve travel
- Play 3 games in 4 nights three times
- Play 4 games in 6 nights three times
- Have a 5PM game on December 15 against Buffalo (play the night before at 7PM)
- Have a 2PM game on December 23 against Winnipeg (the 4th game in 6 nights)
- Have a 1PM game on December 31 against New York

With December being a disaster if Matthews isn't 100% ready to go they should just hold him out until he is because the schedule is going to kill guys who are a bit banged up
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I'd think the 8 day 4 Nations (Feb12-20) might have something to do with the compression, and they also have only played 8 games so far in the month of November and only have 4 more over the next 12 days...but ya, December looks lousy.
 
I wonder if it’s demands on the arenas as well. Certainly over here we seem to be seeing a lot more use of arenas for various concerts or random events like moto cross or whatever.

Plus I suppose a number of the arenas in the NHL also host NBA so might be prioritising whichever of those is bringing in more revenue and leaving the “worse” nights for hockey
 
Aside from the injury news, Berube talks about what I was talking about in the AGM thread

"The 5-on-5 offensive production is more, for me, about our forecheck and disrupting more plays on our forecheck and getting pucks back, and making something happen out of that. Right now, we're a little bit slow at, if we get pucks back, quick strike plays, you know, whatever the play may be [...] We need to do a better job disrupting more plays on the forecheck and getting the puck back. We were doing a real good job of it for awhile this year and I think our expected goals were good; I mean our chances were better. That's what's missing right now in our game. We're a little bit slow, whether it's through transition or breaking a puck out. It's like a lot of one-man forechecks and we need more guys involved."
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I think it's good to build the muscle memory and instincts now in the regular season (and work out the kinks and personnel that suck at it), so we can be elite disruptors and puck retrievers and turnover offense generators when spring hits.
 
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To me, Chief is just coaching old school hockey...get the puck out of the d-zone, get it in the o-zone as quickly as possible, forecheck hard, get the puck, make a quick play. But it's a lot harder on the body, so more bangs and bruises along the way.
 
I don't understand how Berube can say we need more guys in on the forecheck when he has been dressing a guy like Reaves every night. To get in on the forecheck you need speed. Reaves can get in there if he's already on his way in, but the second the puck goes back the otherway he can't get going again. His skating always seems fine if he's strictly in a straight line but the second you turn him around he's molasses.
You want a fast forecheck, you need guys who can skate to get in on the forecheck
 
Columbus rolled Boston to the tune of 5-1 and there’s chatter about the heat of Montgomery’s seat. Leafs lost embarrassingly to them both as well, so we ain’t throwing stones from this here glass house, but I think it’s okay to laugh.
 
We are close to the quarter season mark and there are some highlights this season for me already:

1. Tampa game where Toronto totally dominated a full 60 minutes and made the greatest goaltender in the past decade hit the showers early..... during the Leaf's first Amazon broadcast that featured fantastic audience audio and a hot babe amongst the broadcast panel (Blake Bolden).

2. The comeback against the Capitals with the team down 3 to 1 with minutes left and Marner with a wicket shot perfectly sniped at the top right corner of the net to tie it up, and then Johnny T driving the net with the winner in OT.

3. Stolarz making the bare handed save against Detroit

4. Beating the Unbeaten Jets was pretty sweet. Just like Boston owns Toronto in the regular season.....Toronto owns Winnipeg (i guess add football too)
 
Bender said:
For a lot of these things I think lately he's been more right than wrong, but yeah they obviously need to drive clicks somehow.
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when it comes to stuff like hockey culture and what goes on between players, sure. But when he starts talking bigger picture items he sounds completely out of his depth.

Like his take on the goal reviews were nonsense. When they tried to discuss all the non calls on mcdavid (slashing, knocking stick away) he just completely dismissed it and wouldn’t even discuss it.
 
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