2024-25 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion
- Thread starter herman
- Start date
Ozzie
Member
Good read. And Catherine OHara agrees! Thanks for posting.
Leafs are 3.05 GF/G this season vs 3.65 last season. And they have the best GA in the Atlantic and currently sit first place in the Atlantic.
Do they need to drum up more offense if they are winning? In the first quarter of the season, we see guys like Domi, Holmberg, and even Matthews with significantly reduced production. But as a team they are winning games convincingly.
They currently look to me like the 2023 Florida Panthers.....the one that annahilated the Leafs in 5 games.
I remember back in 2021 and 2022 the Leafs and Panthers were similar teams before Tkachuck and Maurice. Great in regular season....duds in playoffs.... and high scoring fast and loose.
I was in Miami and saw them play in early April 2022...... and I recall Leafs were up like 5 to 1 in the 2nd period, and then lost 7 to 6. So Leafy. Being sorrounded by drunk Florida fans watching a 6 goal come back is an experience! I wouldn't except that type of game in 2024 to 2025.
Let's see what happens when these two teams clash next week.
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herman
Well-known member
Focus now on defending. Learn how to generate more offense without cheating the defensive structure.
Berube has asked them pretty consistently to generate offense through plain hockey: shoot the puck, crash the rebound, take away eyes, tip the puck. Rush chances come when they are earned off the counter. I’d like to see more high tips off the low-to-high plays they generate off the cycle. Not every play needs to be a zorro pass twice through the slot to an open one-timer; that play is never available in the playoffs.
So far, the Leafs at 5v5 aren’t changing the sight lines or puck trajectories enough when taking shots. Some are shooting to put the puck in directly, which goalies stop 95% of; sacrifice your own shot to help your linemates create chaos and cash in.
Berube has asked them pretty consistently to generate offense through plain hockey: shoot the puck, crash the rebound, take away eyes, tip the puck. Rush chances come when they are earned off the counter. I’d like to see more high tips off the low-to-high plays they generate off the cycle. Not every play needs to be a zorro pass twice through the slot to an open one-timer; that play is never available in the playoffs.
So far, the Leafs at 5v5 aren’t changing the sight lines or puck trajectories enough when taking shots. Some are shooting to put the puck in directly, which goalies stop 95% of; sacrifice your own shot to help your linemates create chaos and cash in.
L K
Well-known member
I'm not super concerned with their offense at this point other than depth scoring. Their defensive structure looks much better than in October and they are making fewer glaring mistakes like they did at the start of the year.
Still too many passengers in the middle/bottom 6. They don't need everyone to be putting up 20+ points but there are too many players on pace for <15 points
Domi with 0 goals 6A (hopefully we can write it off as injury driven but his production has been bad).
Robertson with 1G 0A (clock is ticking on him...trying hard isn't enough).
Reaves (shouldn't be playing every day anyway).
Holmberg 1G 2A and his goal was an empty net.
McMann 1A, he's had a few goal scoring moments but I'd like to see him be more consistent at generating scramble plays for others to score off...he's not a playmaker but he should be finding a way to create more net front chaos.
Kampf 0G 3A
Jarnkrok, Matthews, Paccioretty....and Domi even though he's listed above should help scoring if/when they come back. Jarnkrok seems more like a playoff acquisition at this point though with his injuries so I doubt he plays in the regular season.
Still too many passengers in the middle/bottom 6. They don't need everyone to be putting up 20+ points but there are too many players on pace for <15 points
Domi with 0 goals 6A (hopefully we can write it off as injury driven but his production has been bad).
Robertson with 1G 0A (clock is ticking on him...trying hard isn't enough).
Reaves (shouldn't be playing every day anyway).
Holmberg 1G 2A and his goal was an empty net.
McMann 1A, he's had a few goal scoring moments but I'd like to see him be more consistent at generating scramble plays for others to score off...he's not a playmaker but he should be finding a way to create more net front chaos.
Kampf 0G 3A
Jarnkrok, Matthews, Paccioretty....and Domi even though he's listed above should help scoring if/when they come back. Jarnkrok seems more like a playoff acquisition at this point though with his injuries so I doubt he plays in the regular season.
Ozzie
Member
Yes..... we have a new system that doesn't rely on "bursts of brilliance" from the same 3 or 4 players that are easy to shut down in meaningful games (like the playoffs, or when shitty teams come to Toronto to play in the mecca of hockey and have something to prove).
So let's assume we have a system closer to the 2023 finalist and 2024 Cup winning Panthers in Berube (as the Maurice) and Stolarz/Woll (as the Officer Bob/Stolarz) with noticeably beefier defense over the past 2 seasons.
My question is.... even if the system Berube brings is better for playoffs, do we still need to do a Huberdeau and Weegar for a Tkachuk style move?
I.e. do we need a tenacious forward that will play in the playoffs with a broken sternum that scores OT, and then waves his team off the ice to focus on the next game? That was some legendary winning mentality spirit in 2023 that carried through to the next season to win the Cup.
The closest we have to someone like that is Knies. And he needs more maturity to get there. No one else I can see.
Arn
Well-known member
Bottom 6 is the issue to me too, but I e felt that all season and don’t see a way it can be fixed without moves.
But the good thing is the D and goal and overall team D look stronger so I don’t think we need much in any other area.
A 3rd line centre and maybe a top line or 2nd line winger who pushes others down the depth a bit and the likes of Reaves out of the lineup altogether probably push the team to the next level.
No OEL at practice (sick).
Also no Knies of course. I imagine we'll get an update on him soon. Leafs would need another forward call-up if he's unable to go on Sunday, unless they chose to go with 7D (which is certainly possible).
Guilt Trip
Well-known member
How do you exactly practice 11/7? Think about it for a second.
And Reaves doesn't get a holiday because he's suspended.
Guilt Trip
Well-known member
Robertson has been playing on his off wing all year so if Knies can't go I hope he gets a shot playing with 88 on his natural side.
ZBBM
Well-known member
Ha, you're right!
bustaheims
Well-known member
This is going to be his best - and possibly last - shot to show he can contribute to the Leafs this season.
20 games in with new coaches & system along with a bunch of new players.
There were bound to be some bumps.
Older players were likely to have some injuries. They have competed well without Matthews (6W-1L).
With all that, at the 20 game mark
.650 win% 7th in league and trending up
6th in GAA & PK - which are substantial improvements needed for the playoffs
15th in PP and 16th in GFA which are likely to improve as they continue to shake out the system & roster and Matthews and others return from the IR.
Woll & Stolarz are in the top 8 in save% & GAA (6 or more GP, helped by the improvements in team D)
Goalie depth looks very good (may be the best in decades).
Tanev, OEL & Hakanpaa have all panned out so far to improve the D
They're still shaking out the forwards but the depth has shown pretty well so far.
Marner has put the contract stuff in the rearview mirror. Nylander is off to a good start. Tavares seems rejuvenated.
I'd say, all things considered, that it has been a pretty good first 20 games.
There were bound to be some bumps.
Older players were likely to have some injuries. They have competed well without Matthews (6W-1L).
With all that, at the 20 game mark
.650 win% 7th in league and trending up
6th in GAA & PK - which are substantial improvements needed for the playoffs
15th in PP and 16th in GFA which are likely to improve as they continue to shake out the system & roster and Matthews and others return from the IR.
Woll & Stolarz are in the top 8 in save% & GAA (6 or more GP, helped by the improvements in team D)
Goalie depth looks very good (may be the best in decades).
Tanev, OEL & Hakanpaa have all panned out so far to improve the D
They're still shaking out the forwards but the depth has shown pretty well so far.
Marner has put the contract stuff in the rearview mirror. Nylander is off to a good start. Tavares seems rejuvenated.
I'd say, all things considered, that it has been a pretty good first 20 games.
Ozzie
Member
Just to add:
Number 1 in Atlantic Division..... thats new for Leafs at this point in the year......meaning we would play Boston which has last wild card....which is not new.
Stolarz has the 3rd best GA/A and 1st in SV% in the NHL. Which is new for the Leafs having a top goalie. He is definitely the highlight of the first 20 games for the Leafs....even with all the other positive things.
By most reports Nylander hasn't exactly dummied the AHL like we had probably hoped he would (although he is coming off of a 3-point game, just his 2nd multi-point effort of the season). But with 6 forwards now on the IR/LTIR and also Reaves suspended obviously options were getting pretty limited. Hope he makes the best out of this.
Ozzie
Member
Maple Leafs Sign Alex Nylander to a one-year Contract | Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has signed forward Alex Nylander to a one- year contract. The contract is worth $775,000. With the signing, Nylander has been recalled to the Maple Leafs while forward Matthew Knies has been placed on injured reserve (upper body)...
www.nhl.com
It will be fun to watch Nylander and Nylander on the same line. Who would be the third forward?
A. Nylander - Minten - W. Nylander
Robertson - W. Nylander - A. Nylander
A. Nylander - Holmberg - W. Nylander
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