Leafs @ Hurricanes - Jan. 9th, 7:00pm - SN, SN 590

[LittleHockeyFan]

S*it the bed and hope we get Ekblad.

really? You guys want my Aaron Ekblad? (We'd have at least one decent d man then though O  )

 

[mr grieves]

Grabbo wasn't getting ice time, especially not much offensive ice time, so you could hardly say he was on the team even before the trade.  With Carlyle as coach, replacing him with someone that Carlyle WOULD play, and who WOULD be effective in the new system made a certain amount of sense.

The major problem is that he wasn't adequately replaced.  We sort of got Clarkson, I guess?  Different positions, but Grabbo's money was freed up (at least the part we aren't still paying him) largely to pay for Clarkson.  That's how a void was created.

After firing Carlyle, the next thing needs to be dumping every "quintessential Randy Carlyle player" as can be hunted down in the ACC into the lake -- at least into Ricoh. Is see that coach's preferred fourth line center (the guy that plays wing on the Marlies) is -2 so far, and he's been on the ice for 1:30.

I've said it before, but it says something unflattering about the Leafs that players having success elsewhere have no place on this team.

 

[Zee]

Its great that Lieweke has planned the parade route, but refuses to to commit to a rebuild.

I put 0 blame to Leiweke for the mess this team is in.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Rielly out with Gunnar now, I hope that means Fraser is stapled to the bench.

More likely means he'll be paired with Franson, on the slowest defensive pairing of all time.

Yes, Carlyle doesn't learn that quick, what was I thinking.

 

[ZBBM]

I guess the consensus is that we've been crap all the way back to March 1 or so, with an anomaly in the playoffs.

Their play was trending downwards in the latter half of the shortened season, yes, but, they were still a decent team. They still skated hard and all that, they just were showing signs that they weren't as good as their record. This season, they've yet to string together back to back quality 60 minute efforts - largely because they've only had a handful of them. The signs were pretty clear early in this season. This is not a team playing to it's full potential.

Well, I really mean it then when I say the playoffs were an anomaly, not the beginning of something to build from.  Nonis was duped into thinking this team was on the cusp of something bigger and better.

They had a lucky short season basically and then doubled-down on "grit" type players not recognizing that their scoring wasn't sustainable the way they were playing.

I think that's about as good a one-sentence summary as you could make.  The blame then, is on Nonis for not recognizing the reality.

 

[Stronger Than All]

Why did they ice it there?

 

[bustaheims]

Its great that Lieweke has planned the parade route, but refuses to to commit to a rebuild.

Lieweke really hasn't been here long enough to commit to any real direction with this team, yet. They were coming off an encouraging playoffs when he was brought in. Was he supposed to commit to a rebuild then?

 

[Bonsixx]

Damien Cox ‏@DamoSpin 34s
Just wanting the Leafs to be better isn't enough.  They just don't have the talent. Don't have a No. 1 goalie.  Part of mushy middle.

Talent and goaltending is all this team has.

Cox has actually been fairly lenient on this team, preaching fan patience and sticking to the rebuild, etc...

I do think they have a good amount of talent, but he's right that they don't have a No. 1 goalie. At least not one that's proven it yet. Seems likely at least one of them will at some point though.

 

[mr grieves]

Well, I really mean it then when I say the playoffs were an anomaly, not the beginning of something to build from.  Nonis was duped into thinking this team was on the cusp of something bigger and better.

They had a lucky short season basically and then doubled-down on "grit" type players not recognizing that their scoring wasn't sustainable the way they were playing.

I thought at least one of you saw in the playoff performance -- the part of it that was good -- a model for how this team could move forward and improve. Am I mistaken?

I sort of did, and among the frustrations of this season is that the pretty good lineup the team injured itself into for games 2 to 7 wasn't what they built on and isn't something we got to see more of.

 

[Stronger Than All]

Finally get a pp and it's interrupted by intermission

 

[ZBBM]

Well, I really mean it then when I say the playoffs were an anomaly, not the beginning of something to build from.  Nonis was duped into thinking this team was on the cusp of something bigger and better.

They had a lucky short season basically and then doubled-down on "grit" type players not recognizing that their scoring wasn't sustainable the way they were playing.

I thought at least one of you saw in the playoff performance -- the part of it that was good -- a model for how this team could move forward and improve. Am I mistaken?

I sort of did, and among the frustrations of this season is that the pretty good lineup the team injured itself into for games 2 to 7 wasn't what they built on and isn't something we got to see more of.

Not me.  But what I would have said is keep going with the speed that won the 3 games against BOS.  I sure as hell wouldn't have let Grabs go for nothing, signed Clarkson, or any of that other crap.

 

[13th fan]

Your second intermission advertisement brought to you by a disgruntle fan.

 

[Joe S.]

One of the worst parts of all this is that when Carlyle eventually gets fired his hands will be all over losing two of our best, most consistent forwards.

And his influence is all over the team's worst contract, as well.

It's scary how much damage a coach has done to this franchise. A freaking coach.

Well, the good news is they were pretty brutal before Carlyle too.

And, I loved Grabbo as much as anyone, but if losing Mikhail Grabovski is a death knell to your franchise, your franchise blows.

No one is saying it's a death knell, but it's a significant loss, coupled with MacArthur.  Those two stay and some other moves probably aren't made, either.  Those two were very strong contributors.

Grabbo wasn't getting ice time, especially not much offensive ice time, so you could hardly say he was on the team even before the trade.  With Carlyle as coach, replacing him with someone that Carlyle WOULD play, and who WOULD be effective in the new system made a certain amount of sense.

The major problem is that he wasn't adequately replaced.  We sort of got Clarkson, I guess?  Different positions, but Grabbo's money was freed up (at least the part we aren't still paying him) largely to pay for Clarkson.  That's how a void was created.

Which trade are you referring to?

 

[mr grieves]

Damien Cox ‏@DamoSpin 34s
Just wanting the Leafs to be better isn't enough.  They just don't have the talent. Don't have a No. 1 goalie.  Part of mushy middle.

Talent and goaltending is all this team has.

Cox has actually been fairly lenient on this team, preaching fan patience and sticking to the rebuild, etc...

I do think they have a good amount of talent, but he's right that they don't have a No. 1 goalie. At least not one that's proven it yet. Seems likely at least one of them will at some point though.

Who cares? They've got the 5th best goaltending in the league. If it's one guy or three, there's more than enough talent in net.

 

[Stronger Than All]

Does Cox know we as fans can't do a darn thing but want them to be better?

 

[tusket]

Damien Cox ‏@DamoSpin 34s
Just wanting the Leafs to be better isn't enough.  They just don't have the talent. Don't have a No. 1 goalie.  Part of mushy middle.

Talent and goaltending is all this team has.

Cox has actually been fairly lenient on this team, preaching fan patience and sticking to the rebuild, etc...

I do think they have a good amount of talent, but he's right that they don't have a No. 1 goalie. At least not one that's proven it yet. Seems likely at least one of them will at some point though.

Who cares? They've got the 5th best goaltending in the league. If it's one guy or three, there's more than enough talent in net.

The Leafs have a starter and a backup. The issue is the other 18 players in front of them that are dragging them down.

 

[Sudafederov]

I didn't know it was possible for the same semi to go over the side of a cliff twice.

 

[Bill_Berg]

Damien Cox ‏@DamoSpin 34s
Just wanting the Leafs to be better isn't enough.  They just don't have the talent. Don't have a No. 1 goalie.  Part of mushy middle.

Talent and goaltending is all this team has.

Cox has actually been fairly lenient on this team, preaching fan patience and sticking to the rebuild, etc...

I do think they have a good amount of talent, but he's right that they don't have a No. 1 goalie. At least not one that's proven it yet. Seems likely at least one of them will at some point though.

Who cares? They've got the 5th best goaltending in the league. If it's one guy or three, there's more than enough talent in net.

Lol, yeah. The goalies aren't giving up close to 40 shots a game. I could play goal for them and I wouldn't be the biggest problem, of course we'd be losing by 20 goals every night.

 

[mr grieves]

I thought at least one of you saw in the playoff performance -- the part of it that was good -- a model for how this team could move forward and improve. Am I mistaken?

I sort of did, and among the frustrations of this season is that the pretty good lineup the team injured itself into for games 2 to 7 wasn't what they built on and isn't something we got to see more of.

Not me.  But what I would have said is keep going with the speed that won the 3 games against BOS.  I sure as hell wouldn't have let Grabs go for nothing, signed Clarkson, or any of that other crap.

Keeping going with the speed is what I meant.

How'd they compete with Boston? Icing fast team, dumping the immobile grit, balancing the attack (3 threatening lines), and playing James Reimer in net.

What's it they do over the summer? Slowed the team down, added more expensive grit, reverted to the top-6/ bottom-6, and put James Reimer on the bench.

 

[moon111]

Before this game, if the Leafs were to go 17-17-4, they would have a 3.5% chance of making the playoffs.