Is it panic time yet?

[hockeyfan1]

Some points:

Andersen being injured didn?t help the team.  He is without question the Leafs MVP, for the simple reason that he does the impossible, providing the kind of goaltending that recovers the defence?s miscues.

Nylander and Matthews aren?t on fire, but then neither is Kadri.  Kadri.  What happened to all the tough assignments he used to be given in the DZ.?  Not quite anymore thanks in part to Tavares? presence and the fact that Kadri hasn?t had the most fantastic of linemates.  Adjustments can be difficult to get used to, when your old job is given to the team?s very versatile best centre (Tavares).

Zalysev and Hainsey aren?t really the types you?d want for your defence, particularly Zaltsev.  Forgive Hainsey, he?s a vet and not very fleet footed.  A liability at various times on that ice.  But then, a good mentor to the young corps.

Which brings us to another defensive liability ? Gardiner.  Gardiner is high risk, high reward.  He and only he can dish out those long bomb stretch passes.  With Gardiner on the ice, the Leafs have scored a higher percentage of goals and have allowed fewer.  He also 5vs5 leads the team in GF% differential.

But...when he becomes error-prone, that peculiarly is much noticed than errors by other Leaf dmen.  The thing with Gardiner is when and how he makes those mistakes. 

Against the ?Yotes Sunday night and without Gardiner (injured), Babcock finally gave Travis Dermott his big opportunity to play heavy minutes.  Wonder what coach Babcock has against giving Dermott that extra stake.  Justin Holl, where are you?

I agree that Babcock seems inflexible with experimenting more with the lines and even tinkering with the defence.  Does he really have much choice.  With the return of Ennis and Moore (filling in for Johnson), the Leafs should have some extra speed in the lineup.

Plus, the All-Star game will be a welcome break for this team.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/MoneyPuckdotcom/status/1087341155648385024
This one is fun to play around with. You can see how Andersen's lingering injury tanked the team save percentage; shooting percentage regressed at the same time. PP shooting is in a cold pocket (there was a longer one in Nov).

https://twitter.com/ChartingHockey/status/1087719104079900672
These charts show the Leafs are still putting in the work and getting chances. Eyeballs-wise, it's still pretty clear they can play better than they've shown (I'm not talking about scoring here), so again if these are the shot rates they're putting up when playing lackadaisical, then it'll be quite interesting when they start actually trying.

 

[herman]

Re: Babcock

By and large, he is doing a very good job. And it's not to some people's liking, which makes a lot of sense because the people that really don't like what Babcock has done are also the people who have conniptions about every single play that doesn't go right. I can't imagine what this team would be like with a head coach that can't keep an even keel in the choppy waters of this market. Actually...

This is still a young team and as evidenced by the performances of the not-as-young-anymore players that transitioned from Wilson/Carlyle to Babcock hockey, Babcock knows how to (re)build hockey players and deploy them advantageously. Honestly, Bozak and JvR can thank Babcock for their collective 12M a year.

I have quibbles about how he uses his pressbox players (he has room to improve there), but those are the fringes where a coaching staff doesn't want to focus its core time investments. Babcock is very good about the decisions he makes for long-term growth, sustainable success, and process-driven results. He gives fairly accurate reads of the situation to the media, demonstrates a clear understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the game that players can actually control, and administers player-specific motivation (carrot vs stick).

Is he a bit slow to make changes? Yeah, usually by a month, but he gets there evenutally. I appreciate that he gives things a chance to correct themselves, and doesn't make knee-jerk reactions. What about his hokey hockey sayings? They're actually very succinct methods of delivering key concepts that drive the process players take to get to good results and healthy lives.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/mirtle/status/1087732133941202945

The practice was already scheduled to be canceled yesterday. There was an evening event for the team/alumni last night.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

The over/under on how many times Dubas says the word "process" in this media appearance is set at 3.5, place your bets folks.

 

[ZBBM]

The over/under on how many times Dubas says the word "process" in this media appearance is set at 3.5, place your bets folks.

I predict he'll announce the Leafs are disbanding because of their deep underachievement.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1087756945379999745

https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1087751312584912897

https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1087756053452853249

So many chances to say it, but elected not to. #TrustthePlan #TrusttheProgress

 

[Zee]

https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1087756945379999745

https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1087751312584912897

https://twitter.com/kristen_shilton/status/1087756053452853249

So many chances to say it, but elected not to. #TrustthePlan #TrusttheProgress

At the request of Marner's agent Paul Marner er I mean Darren Ferris.

 

[herman]

Other than the contractual situation update, Dubas isn't saying anything he hasn't before, and is clearly speaking directly to a certain subset of Leafs fandom.

https://twitter.com/jonassiegel/status/1087764515989659649

In the meantime:
https://twitter.com/Dylan_Morrow/status/1087750740267974656

I can't verify this rule for certain since I'm not in the PHWA, but I was guessing that this might be the case.

 

[L K]

Even if it isn't a rule its probably prudent in Toronto because the media would likely start pushing out "they cancelled practice because Matthews is revolting against Babcock" articles.

 

[herman]

https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2019/01/22/kyle-dubas-on-jake-gardiner-i-reiterate-how-important-hes-been-to-turning-the-organization-around-for-the-fans-and-media-alike-it-would-be-nice-for-them-to-recognize-that-and-to-be-sup/

Do these challenging times impact the team?s long-term mandate as it approaches the trade deadline in a month?s time?

Dubas: No, I don?t think so whatsoever. I think we?re happy with, overall, where the team is at. I know you can sort of get immersed in the short term both when things are going great and when things are going not to the level you expected them to as far as wins and losses, but it?s a good time to reflect on how the team is playing, where the team is at, what we can improve on. It gives the group a good time to reflect on how we can rely on each other and pull our way out of it. It?s a good time. It?s a great opportunity. I?m excited for Wednesday, for sure.

https://twitter.com/mapleleafs/status/1087795914830430208

 

[Phileas Fogg]

To answer the question specifically - no, I don't think so. He's got 18 points this season playing for Arizona, and although his acquisition cost would be fairly low, I don't see how he'll make a big difference in the lineup.

Ha! You're hilarious, Frycer14. Never change.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Leafs head into the break with an 8-point lead on the 9th place team in the East. They're 7th in the league in points. 3rd in regulation+OT wins. 5th in points percentage. They also haven't lost more than 2 games in a row all season.

This thread is and always was silly.

 

[Bender]

Leafs head into the break with an 8-point lead on the 9th place team in the East. They're 7th in the league in points. 3rd in regulation+OT wins. 5th in points percentage. They also haven't lost more than 2 games in a row all season.

This thread is and always was silly.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/IanGraph/status/1087435322957287424

I'm only halfway through but there are lots of fun tidbits in this one as Bourne has some behind the scenes stories from his time with the Marlies/Leafs organization, and insight on what players go through when mired in slumps (which is why I'm sharing it here).

1) Lou move vs Dubas move was a real thing (duh), but Bourne refused to be too specific
2) When Alzner went down with injury and Schmidt came in during the 2017 playoffs, Dubas (who was very high on Schmidt) said, "Oh noes". The Capitals turned their series around at that point.
3) Babcock has a sign on his door (for himself and his coaches and the players to see) that reads "Catch them doing it right"
4) Dubas is one of the best people in the business at separating a player's performance from his pedigree, draft position, etc. He was very high on Yanni Gourde, Nate Schmidt (see 2), and you can see it in pickups like Trevor Moore and Mason Marchment.

 

[disco]

no.

 

[cabber24]

Leafs head into the break with an 8-point lead on the 9th place team in the East. They're 7th in the league in points. 3rd in regulation+OT wins. 5th in points percentage. They also haven't lost more than 2 games in a row all season.

This thread is and always was silly.

I am a little panicked that our current D sucks at a time when our F are ready to peak.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Will this thread look ridiculous in a month's time if the Leafs go on a run and re-establish 2nd in the conference by a fair margin?  All good questions.

About a month later and the Leafs are 2nd in the league.

 

[Zee]

Will this thread look ridiculous in a month's time if the Leafs go on a run and re-establish 2nd in the conference by a fair margin?  All good questions.

About a month later and the Leafs are 2nd in the league.

I knew you'd come at me hard. 

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Will this thread look ridiculous in a month's time if the Leafs go on a run and re-establish 2nd in the conference by a fair margin?  All good questions.

About a month later and the Leafs are 2nd in the league.

I knew you'd come at me hard. 

I so wanted to wait a full month but just couldn't contain myself anymore.