2024-25 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion
- Thread starter herman
- Start date
herman
Well-known member
Powerplay instantly improves.
but 5v5 is going to be rough...
In positive news, that's Jake McCabe participating in the small ice PP drill.
The Leafs in previous seasons did not practice PP with any defenders on the ice.
I'm not going to do your homework for you. It's not complicated.
Highlander
Active member
that video of JT did not look good. Hope he is Ok but I say he is day to day for the next two months.
bustaheims
Well-known member
Speaking of passive aggressive…
Highlander
Active member
Calm down children.
azzurri63
Well-known member
The only position I feel confident in with this team is in net. The lack of depth up front and on the D is really concerning and personally going to be hard for Tre to improve. He may be able to tinker with the lineup but going to be tough to improve it unless he deals another 1st which I hope he doesn't. The real changes will hopefully come at the end of the season which is the route they need to take. Quit selling off picks it hasn't worked and the main reason why are farm system sucks. Hopefully everyone is healthy come playoff time and they play like they did for a stretch back in November when they actually looked like a team. If they cave in the playoffs then you tear this team down. It already should have happened but I don't see that happening again if they shit the bed AGAIN.
Ozzie
Active member
I'm pretty positive about this team.
I know fundamentally they don't have it to make a deep run. We already have enough evidence of that. Without changes in the Core, there is no Cup (IMHO).
However what is good is that there were material positive changes over the past 18 months...... beyond minor or temporary attempts to modify around the edges or with rentals (i.e. the Dubas method).
Material Improvements over Past 18 Months:
1. Treliving
2. Berube
3. Stolarz
4. Tanev
5. Major improvement in low event defensive hockey
No#s 3, 4, 5 are combos that steal series.
Notwithstanding my lack of confidence in the 4 Lovely Lads......I think the crease and blue line makes a big difference. Like I said, I'm pretty positive.
I know fundamentally they don't have it to make a deep run. We already have enough evidence of that. Without changes in the Core, there is no Cup (IMHO).
However what is good is that there were material positive changes over the past 18 months...... beyond minor or temporary attempts to modify around the edges or with rentals (i.e. the Dubas method).
Material Improvements over Past 18 Months:
1. Treliving
2. Berube
3. Stolarz
4. Tanev
5. Major improvement in low event defensive hockey
No#s 3, 4, 5 are combos that steal series.
Notwithstanding my lack of confidence in the 4 Lovely Lads......I think the crease and blue line makes a big difference. Like I said, I'm pretty positive.
At the risk of being shat upon, and agreeing that Dubas made some pretty big errors in giving away so much, you
have to acknowledge that an unprecedented world pandemic absolutely slammed the Leafs most who like I'm sure everyone
else did, banked on the Cap increasing and thus bringing those over-pay contracts back into a reasonable level and would
have allowed for the opportunity to sign much better support players and thus not the need to toss draft picks away.
It just matches being a Leaf fan but THAT was juuuusssttt a bit over the top Hockey Gods....
have to acknowledge that an unprecedented world pandemic absolutely slammed the Leafs most who like I'm sure everyone
else did, banked on the Cap increasing and thus bringing those over-pay contracts back into a reasonable level and would
have allowed for the opportunity to sign much better support players and thus not the need to toss draft picks away.
It just matches being a Leaf fan but THAT was juuuusssttt a bit over the top Hockey Gods....
Ozzie
Active member
As I outlined in a prior post.... successful teams with amazing drafted talent will sign ELCs, then Bridge Contracts, then AFTER there is evidence the talent can win, sign the "player-friendly - NMC - Mega Contracts"
This is what Chicago did for example with Toews and Kane and won multiple cups.
Dubas went straight from ELC to Mega Contracts. Which meant no carrot.....all the comfort....and all the cap money in the forwards.
Every team had to deal with covid. In fact, Covid handed the Leafs best chance at a Cup in decades.....which Leafs handed over to an inferior MTL.
The Leaf architecture before covid was amatuer hour.
But again.... thats in the past.
I like it that there have been changes. The Core4 will never ever change. They will always be the same guys.....so don't expect them to surprise you in April.
But maybe Stolarz might!
Seems to be the way to go around here.
Generally agree but they still have to score some goals. Otherwise, they'll lose a lot of 2-1 games - again.
Bill_Berg
Active member
Or win them!
Guilt Trip
Well-known member
It's amazing how little some say when they're winning a game but if they're losing they've got lots to say and it's the same crap over and over again. Some prefer to be negative it seems.
Ozzie
Active member
The statistics show:........ they mostly win them!
And that's what the playoffs will look like. Close games decided by one or two goals.
Im just pointing out facts, but just quickly, MacKinnon, Mcdavid, Makar, Quinn and Jack Hughes, Stamkos, Brady Tkachuk, and Draisaitl did not have bridge deals. And I’m sure there are more.
Ozzie
Active member
That's not a fact.
MacKinnon signed ELC and then a Bridge Contract for $6.3m and then AFTER the Avs won a Cup he signed for the Mega Contract at $12.6m.
Again.... contracts need reciprocity. You need a "carrot" where if there is performance, they will eventually get more. If you give them everything without getting that performance, you spoil the player because they are comfortable.
7 years at 6.3 isn’t a bridge. Look at what his stats were compared to Marner’s at the time he signed that deal.
I’m not saying Marner didn’t get paid too soon, but his stats lined up with ‘future’ pay. You have to look at it in context. I’m sure they were thinking the cap would rise significantly. It was a gamble that doesn’t look fantastic in retrospect but it’s what happened.
So yes, these are facts.