herman
Well-known member
Oh, I added the review as an edit, so you are probably still looking at the cached initial post that you reacted to. I think you just need to hit refresh.
2024-25 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion
- Thread starter herman
- Start date
Oh, I added the review as an edit, so you are probably still looking at the cached initial post that you reacted to. I think you just need to hit refresh.
I don't get why the Domi/Matthews combo has not been attempted this year. It worked, why not try again? I don't buy that the stars have a say in line combo's. Balance the lines and give it a try. I would swap Nylander and Marner though above.
It's okay to point out how much they make compared to their peers and how little actual winning they have done. I don't get why everyone freaks out when this is pointed out. It's frustrating as hell as a fan for these guys to be paid so much and deliver so little success. Driastial contract is exponentially better value than Matthews for example (an extra 4 years for just 750K more). Anyway, this is not a productive discussion. I just don't think it's fair to attack someone who questions our core.
Guilt Trip
Well-known member
That's wasn't an attack. It was merely a response to a lazy bullshit narrative that the core basically doesn't care and "there is no hunger, no fire that can be lit," because they have their money.
Really though, there are multiple "lazy bullshit narratives" flying around here. Saying the core players "have no fire" or desire or whatever is obviously not true. You don't get to the level these guys are at without having some of those attributes. However, it is more than fair to question whether they have enough of those qualities after year upon year of playoff failure. Multiple elimination games where these guys simply don't produce. Where is that Messier moment? When will we be able to look back on a playoff series and say "wow, Matthews really showed me something there." Instead of "shut down again, too much perimeter play", "no secondary scoring", "they had the better goaltender",etc etc.
As for "the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win" (debatable at best) or "it's hard to win in the NHL", come on - those are world class cop outs. It's hard to win in every sport. The NHL is no different in that one team will win the championship every year, and that team has to run through the same playoff gauntlet as every other NHL team. What makes it truly difficult to win in the NHL is when you never make it past the first round because you can't score any goals even though you have the highest paid core group in the whole league. Which of course leads back to the original question, do these guys have that extra gear, that extra level of desire, that willingness to go through a wall for each other to win a championship.
To be determined...
As for "the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win" (debatable at best) or "it's hard to win in the NHL", come on - those are world class cop outs. It's hard to win in every sport. The NHL is no different in that one team will win the championship every year, and that team has to run through the same playoff gauntlet as every other NHL team. What makes it truly difficult to win in the NHL is when you never make it past the first round because you can't score any goals even though you have the highest paid core group in the whole league. Which of course leads back to the original question, do these guys have that extra gear, that extra level of desire, that willingness to go through a wall for each other to win a championship.
To be determined...
Guru Tugginmypuddah
Well-known member
What have Draisaitl and McDavid won? A couple more play-off rounds. Why aren't they being loaded up into a rocket and fired into the sun? They lost by a goal in game seven. Shows they just don't have what it takes to be a winner. No drive. No passion. No heart.
azzurri63
Well-known member
Been saying that forever. Dubas didn't just screw the team cap wise he also left the cupboards empty. We don't have a good D in the minors to replace Timmins, Benoit and now Myers? That's brutal and to boot we traded away so many picks with this years 1st gone. Only bright spot is JT's 11 million coming off the books maybe just maybe they can sign a couple decent guys that can fill a couple bottom 6 or D spots which suck.
Guru Tugginmypuddah
Well-known member
You need a lot of things to go right to win a championship in a team sport.
Guru Tugginmypuddah
Well-known member
The trading away of picks and prospects for rental players is really what stalled this teams development. Goes back to Lou trading a first for Anderson soon as Matthews was drafted. They should have stayed the course and kept sucking for another couple years while Matthews, Marner, Nylander matured. Keep drafting high and stocking up on cheap young talent.
Free agency and the trade deadline isn't a good place to build the foundation of your team.
azzurri63
Well-known member
Real question Chris is how long do you wait? I personally thought changes were coming after last years playoffs and not just with players. Unfortunately as I have eluded before with no one willing to waive there NMC's your stuck with the same core. The only thing I see different in this team that may get us a couple rounds is our goaltending. If Woll and especially Stolarz plays like they have the 1st half we may do something but I'm not counting on anything different from the core. They haven't figured it out till now and in my opinion won't. Talent is one thing desire grit toughness is another. One is teachable one isn't.
azzurri63
Well-known member
I totally agree. I see the Habs who everyone knows my distaste for and they are doing it right. We'll be looking down at them in the next few years I'm thinking. Going to be the end of me lol.
They have better contracts, that's what they have.
bustaheims
Well-known member
Taking a flier on Klingberg might not be the worst thing in the world, depending on the terms and such. If he can get back to even 80% of what he was a few years back, it could be very worthwhile.
Wouldn't the Leafs' interest be considered fake news? I never really believed that his ailment was something that happened during his time as a Leaf. I thought it was a Robidais Island move to have a lingering thing he was managing dealt with to get him on the LTIR. I also worry that like Reilly, his style might not be great under Berube.
I believe Reilly will bounce back and I generally have liked playoff Reilly.
bustaheims
Well-known member
Why would it be fake news? They could very well be legitimately interested. Also, no one ever seriously suggested his issues were something that happened while he was a Leaf. They just became unmanageable that season, which is why he ended up getting surgery to address and repair his hips.
herman
Well-known member
The AP Notebook is appointment reading for Leafs fans.
Is it a coincidence these comments coincide with noted Casual mentor, Joe Thornton, in the mix?
I don't doubt their 'heart' and 'grit' and they're not objectively wrong in their assessment (it's January of an 82 game season), but I think it would benefit them to have at least one of the top paid players act like a maniac in the media (similar to MacKinnon) that hates losing so much he will punch a plate of pasta out of a teammate's hands. It can't just be McCabe and Tanev.
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This team's D is better than previous versions. This is the best pre-deadline team we have had in this core's era.
The other narrative was he was a bad signing and a mistake and he was buried on the LTIR to get out of the contract.
bustaheims
Well-known member
He had a legit injury and it was a one year contract. That narrative doesn't hold much water.