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Training Camp Thread

A little surprising to see Brooks and Bracco go down without a preseason game, but that type of comment is usually made about someone every training camp.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
A little surprising to see Brooks and Bracco go down without a preseason game, but that type of comment is usually made about someone every training camp.

Well, I think part of it is trying to get the group down to a more manageable size to focus on the NHL squad - but then I don't know why they'd keep Timashov up...
 
AvroArrow said:
Well, I think part of it is trying to get the group down to a more manageable size to focus on the NHL squad - but then I don't know why they'd keep Timashov up...

Outside of a handful of career AHLers, it looks like they kept every forward under contract to the Leafs or Marlies who has at least one full season in a professional league here or in Europe. So, they set a pretty clear cut off.
 
bustaheims said:
AvroArrow said:
Well, I think part of it is trying to get the group down to a more manageable size to focus on the NHL squad - but then I don't know why they'd keep Timashov up...

Outside of a handful of career AHLers, it looks like they kept every forward under contract to the Leafs or Marlies who has at least one full season in a professional league here or in Europe. So, they set a pretty clear cut off.

I was surprised at Bracco and Brooks too, but you're probably right. They knew they wanted to get them a year in the AHL so no time wasted, get them to the AHL camp right away.
 
WhatIfGodWasALeaf said:
Would there be any interest in a TMLFans podcast?

Some of the discourse here is streets ahead of what you encounter elsewhere.

I'd be very interested in listening to a well-moderated fan-based discussion about the range of issues we talk about here. I think the pitfall there would be distinguishing between what makes a great post(which often involves editing/research/consideration) and what makes for good discussion(which is more on your feet responses).

Also, without wanting to discourage anyone but I've always been shocked at how tricky recording podcasts seems to be.
 
I wasn't surprised by Bracco and Brooks being sent down early. They're both straight out of junior and play the positions we are most set in on the NHL roster (top 9 C/RW).

Keeping Timashov, Rychel, Johnsson, and Grundstrom, in addition to most of them playing like they deserve a shot, might be pretty telling about the LW situation. Trades please.
 
Nik the Trik said:
WhatIfGodWasALeaf said:
Would there be any interest in a TMLFans podcast?

Some of the discourse here is streets ahead of what you encounter elsewhere.

I'd be very interested in listening to a well-moderated fan-based discussion about the range of issues we talk about here. I think the pitfall there would be distinguishing between what makes a great post(which often involves editing/research/consideration) and what makes for good discussion(which is more on your feet responses).

Also, without wanting to discourage anyone but I've always been shocked at how tricky recording podcasts seems to be.

I've been involved with the Belfast Giants official podcast off and on for about 12 or 13 years. We started out as an unofficial fan-led production with episodes generally being our fairly random thoughts and lasting about 20-30 minutes with reviews of the last week's games, new signings, previews etc. Normally put out the show once a week or so, occasionally more, often less.

We then got contacted by the organisation and asked to produce the podcast as the "official" podcast of the Belfast Giants. By that time we had been very lucky to have developed a good working relationship with the organisation with them providing us access to interview players etc.

Last season each weekly episode generally ran to around 2 hours. It included one or two feature interviews, normally with one of our players and then with a coach or player from the teams we were due to play the following weekend.

Recording each interview usually used up an evening of your week - if I interviewed a player I would then edit it down and send it to the guy who put the show together.

Our usual recording of the body of the show was done on a Tuesday evening and would normally take around 2 hours just to record our game reviews and previews and other general discussion.

Thankfully I wasn't the overall show editor, although have done it on occasion, and splicing the interviews with the discussion etc was at least another couple of hour's work to get it out and released by the Wednesday morning.

Outside of that I did all of the post game interviews which we then released via Twitter/Soundcloud immediately after the game. (I also did the same interviews a second time for the TV highlights and filled in as live summariser/commentator for the live webcasts when the main guy, an ex player, wasn't available).

All in all it ended up taking up probably 30-50% of my non work time a week during hockey season and this year I've decided to step away.

It also had a negative impact on my joy of watching the game to be honest, particularly the post game interviewing. I was having to watch the games with a critique mindset rather than sitting back and enjoying the game. So much so that I've actually yet to attend a game this season despite it being a few weeks old.


(Apologies - this ended up being longer than intended, but basically, podcast production takes over your life  ;D )
 
If anyone does want to go ahead with it and needs any help/ideas/info give me a shout.

For example the 4 of us who normally presented all live in different cities/countries so we recorded using Skype and call recorders and then interview sound clip files were sent to one guy by the likes of a google drive or telegram or whatsapp messengers so he could cut it all together.

I did most of my interviews using Skype and a call recorder. I even did one with a player who was home in Alberta via Facebook video chat and recording the audio coming out of the speakers on my iphone as he didn't have Skype. That was an interesting experience. You have to learn to expect anything.

I can also link you episodes of the show if you want to hear it, but I can't imagine a load of guys talking about a minor european hockey team would be of much interest!
 
http://www.tsn.ca/talent/matthews-rielly-hope-summer-skills-camp-boosts-competitive-edge-1.858903

Darryl Belfry articles are always welcome.
 
I like what Babs and co. are doing with the roster. Keeping 49 guys up right to the end so everyone only has to play 4 of these games each. He knows the wear-and-tear of a long season and playoff run. Preseason is a success if the NHL guys are game ready and nobody gets injured, even if they go 0-8. After two games I can tell most of the vets aren't going full tilt yet, it's not worth it.
 
Lines today to obsess over for the next 24 hours (per Shilton):

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander
Marleau-Kadri-Komarov
Leivo-Aaltonen-Brown
Martin-Mueller-Lindberg
T. Moore, Timashov

Rielly-Hainsey
Borgman-Dermott
Nielsen-Holl
LoVerde-Polak
 
Dermott on the right?  Interesting...  So far, I like Dermott and one of the Swedes as the bottom pairing.

Carrick continues to unimpress me.  And Marincin has been subpar so far.
 
https://twitter.com/mirtle/status/910883244807213056

This was to be expected, and quite frankly it might be where Marleau's impact is felt the most.

Last year the Leafs two PP units looked like this (with point totals in parenthesis):

JVR (19)
Kadri (17)-Bozak (18)-Marner (21)
D

Komarov (10)
Matthews (21)-Brown (6)-Nylander (26)
D

As you can see, the top unit all 4 forwards were so effective in their spots, while on the bottom unit it was basically just Matthews and Nylander passing it across the ice to each other all the time and racking up the points. Marleau can probably double Brown's point totals there fairly easily.
 
https://twitter.com/jonassiegel/status/910917539915497472
www.twitter.com/jonassiegel/status/910917539915497472

I'm way more okay with this now than I was last October/November. But I'd still like to see a Grundstrom in there at some point, and Babcock really likes Grundstrom's game.
 
I'd have no beef whatsoever with it if I genuinely though Hyman legitimately was that much of a difference maker when it came to getting guys the puck.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
https://twitter.com/mirtle/status/910883244807213056

This was to be expected, and quite frankly it might be where Marleau's impact is felt the most.

Last year the Leafs two PP units looked like this (with point totals in parenthesis):

JVR (19)
Kadri (17)-Bozak (18)-Marner (21)
D

Komarov (10)
Matthews (21)-Brown (6)-Nylander (26)
D

As you can see, the top unit all 4 forwards were so effective in their spots, while on the bottom unit it was basically just Matthews and Nylander passing it across the ice to each other all the time and racking up the points. Marleau can probably double Brown's point totals there fairly easily.

If Brown is down on the 4th line to start the year, I think he will get the PP minutes boost over Komarov. If they run with Rosen or Johnsson sneaks into the lineup, I could see them putting Matthews on the crease instead of the wall, as he has the best in-close hands of this second group. Johnsson and/or Rosen take up the left halfwall and out lane with their +shots, while Nylander basically has two open sticks to play off of with Marleau and Matthews on top of the crease.
 
Nik the Trik said:
I'd have no beef whatsoever with it if I genuinely though Hyman legitimately was that much of a difference maker when it came to getting guys the puck.

I think we'll see Hyman pot a few more this season (can't be much worse than last). He even admitted in a recent article that he got way more chances at the puck than he expected and wasn't quite ready (head down, in too close). It's a mental switch.
 
herman said:
I think we'll see Hyman pot a few more this season (can't be much worse than last). He even admitted in a recent article that he got way more chances at the puck than he expected and wasn't quite ready (head down, in too close). It's a mental switch.

I'd think that would be inevitable even without any personal growth on Hyman's part just because he'll be playing a full season with Matthews-Nylander.

Even still, I'd think it would be reflected just as much in his assist rate. You'd figure the world's best puck-getter would be able to rack them up playing with some pretty talented goal-scorers.
 
herman said:
If Brown is down on the 4th line to start the year, I think he will get the PP minutes boost over Komarov. If they run with Rosen or Johnsson sneaks into the lineup, I could see them putting Matthews on the crease instead of the wall, as he has the best in-close hands of this second group. Johnsson and/or Rosen take up the left halfwall and out lane with their +shots, while Nylander basically has two open sticks to play off of with Marleau and Matthews on top of the crease.

I don't know about any of that. Rosen isn't going to make the Leafs go back on their '4-F PP is best" strategy, and Johnsson almost certainly isn't cracking the line-up. And I'm not sure moving Matthews off the wall would be a smart idea. All the elite forwards play there, not in front of the net. Brown will likely bump Komarov out of the net-front spot on Matthews' unit. That's how they practiced at the beginning of the preseason. So it'll be:

Brown
Matthews-Marleau-Nylander
D

With the other unit staying the same.
 

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