Check out the face off numbers. JPG was a mind boggling 82%. It is not hyperbole to say he owned Kadri in the face off circle.
- spatso

Did he log against Kadri every single faceoff? No.

clarkson really isnt as big of a loss as many try to make it out to be, other than the locker room presence


you will see why

also kovy missed a fair amount of games so that stat isnt too far fetched
- dmarsden2988

Fair enough. But also keep in mind Clarkson had the 4th highest shot total in the league last year. That stat is going to take a hit.

Personally I think that reading too much into last year is dangerous. Go back and look at standings from previous years after 48 games. They don't necessarily stay the same by game 82. Teams that came out of nowhere like Toronto and Montreal proved nothing last year. As far as I'm concerned, they're coming off a missed playoff season last time we sued a real season.
- scotch_tape

Thank you

What climbed up your ass this morning?!
- A_Tree

Can't handle the truth?

The Leafs are not very good. They overpaid for a redundant goalie, got rid of a few of their best possession players, signed a terrible contract with Clarksson and Bozak that will hurt the Leafs badly for years to come. Still have Liles, Franson is going to Sweden and Lupul is already showing his injury history is not a thing of the past.

He was actually cut by the shield of his helmet when Clarkson tried to pull it off. I think you better check the head to head play when JPG and Kadri were on the ice together. Kadri's numbers do not look good.
- spatso

You mean like Kadris goal, head to head?

He wasn't cut by a shield. Its was a fist. The black eye proves it.

Did he log against Kadri every single faceoff? No.
- A_Tree

Just every one that Kadri lost!

And they had Kovelchuk and Clarkson too, but now they're gone.
- PrinceLH

Kovalchuk missed a good chunk of the season and Clarkson was invisible for about half the season....

Can't handle the truth?

The Leafs are not very good. They overpaid for a redundant goalie, got rid of a few of their best possession players, signed a terrible contract with Clarksson and Bozak that will hurt the Leafs badly for years to come. Still have Liles, Franson is going to Sweden and Lupul is already showing his injury history is not a thing of the past.
- riceroni

This is just completely absurd now...

Because he played on a good team and still got smoked in the playoffs by the Sharks and hasn't proven that he can win consistently. Is he worth a top 10 pick in the draft? I don't think so. So lets get this straight. The Devils could have gotten rid of the 29th pick, but didn't last year, in a weak draft, traded their top 10 pick for a dubious goalie that's not won anything and then surrendered their first pick next year, because of cap circumvention. Add to that, the loss of Parise, a year ago, losing Kovelchuk to the KHL and letting Clarkson walk as a UFA. So how does that constitute an upgrade, by adding Clowe and a couple of marginal Euro's?
- PrinceLH

ryder is marginal?

so what your saying is schneider sucks but bernier is the truth

the way I see it:

the playoff staple teams: Pittsburgh, Boston, NY Rangers, Detroit.

the solid teams: Ottawa, Toronto, Washington

the bubble teams: NY Islanders, Montreal, Columbus, Phily


then everyone else... I think all 4 staple teams make it easily and the remaining 4 spots are left to the other 7 or so teams competing. I would expect Ottawa, Toronto, Washington, and Montreal to take those spots.

You mean like Kadris goal, head to head?

He wasn't cut by a shield. Its was a fist. The black eye proves it.


- Gunslinger

Boy are you out to lunch.

Kadri scored with Pageau in the penalty box.

The cut was on the shield removal, many stories on that account.

JPG is the real deal.

the way I see it:

the playoff staple teams: Pittsburgh, Boston, NY Rangers, Detroit.

the solid teams: Ottawa, Toronto, Washington

the bubble teams: NY Islanders, Montreal, Columbus, Phily


then everyone else... I think all 4 staple teams make it easily and the remaining 4 spots are left to the other 7 or so teams competing. I would expect Ottawa, Toronto, Washington, and Montreal to take those spots.
- SuperHenderson13

Thank you

Fair enough. But also keep in mind Clarkson had the 4th highest shot total in the league last year. That stat is going to take a hit.
- cryptical77

We add Ryder and Jagr and I think it will even out in terms of shots. We are a deeper team with less top talent up front. Bubble team especially in the metropolitan division.

Thank you
- bobert836

Still think the Devils suck

Nah kidding. No clue. I could see them challenging for a spot. They have the goaltending. Sometimes that's enough.

Can't handle the truth?

The Leafs are not very good. They overpaid for a redundant goalie, got rid of a few of their best possession players, signed a terrible contract with Clarksson and Bozak that will hurt the Leafs badly for years to come. Still have Liles, Franson is going to Sweden and Lupul is already showing his injury history is not a thing of the past.
- riceroni

And still found time to beat the Sens in Ottawa, the other night, playing their second and third lines against Ottawa's top line. We also used our AHL goalie for 2 periods and lost Kadri at the end of the second. So what's your point? Ottawa is what they always are.....the little Ontario brother that can't deal with big brother, when the chips are down. Sibling rivalries are always like that.

Leafs fans have false confidence from last year. In the Boston series a lot of Leaf fans don't remember that Boston was tired coming into the series after playing the extra makeup games with Ottawa and Tampa. Also, their D was injured for a lot of the series and I think game 6 they played with 5 D because Seidenberg got injured on the 1st shift. But, don't let those facts get in the way of planning the parade.

The Leafs will miss the playoffs that's for sure. I don't even think they will be in 10, I am thinking at best they make 11th, I can see them around 13th at the end of the season.

Hopefully Kessel get's frustrated and signs somewhere else next summer.
- riceroni

They were tired?

Boy are you out to lunch.

Kadri scored with Pageau in the penalty box.

The cut was on the shield removal, many stories on that account.

JPG is the real deal.
- spatso

I know, you told us. I said it before, we get it. Pageau is as good, if not better, than Claude Giroux. You mentioned this.

Nice goal by Kadri, and nice drawing of blood on Pageau who he manhandled. I might be out to lunch, but you're paying.

Homer.

Because he played on a good team and still got smoked in the playoffs by the Sharks and hasn't proven that he can win consistently. Is he worth a top 10 pick in the draft? I don't think so. So lets get this straight. The Devils could have gotten rid of the 29th pick, but didn't last year, in a weak draft, traded their top 10 pick for a dubious goalie that's not won anything and then surrendered their first pick next year, because of cap circumvention. Add to that, the loss of Parise, a year ago, losing Kovelchuk to the KHL and letting Clarkson walk as a UFA. So how does that constitute an upgrade, by adding Clowe and a couple of marginal Euro's?
- PrinceLH

But adding Schnieder for that pick doesn't equal an argument towards them not making the playoffs THIS year.

I also feel they'll miss for the record though.

Homer.
- TheLeafsInsider

Milhouse

And still found time to beat the Sens in Ottawa, the other night, playing their second and third lines against Ottawa's top line. We also used our AHL goalie for 2 periods and lost Kadri at the end of the second. So what's your point? Ottawa is what they always are.....the little Ontario brother that can't deal with big brother, when the chips are down. Sibling rivalries are always like that.
- PrinceLH

Did we not miss the playoffs seven years in a row? Did Ottawa not go to the Stanley Cup final during that period? Did they not win the President's Trophy another year? Did you just become a hockey fan last year for the first time?

ryder is marginal?

so what your saying is schneider sucks but bernier is the truth
- dmarsden2988

Not at all. If Schneider was all world, don't you think he's still be playing for the Canucks? He's a 10 -20 goalie in this league. He's not a top 10 like Marty was, for 20 years. He's also not got the same cast of players that Vancouver had in front of him. It's going to be a real change for him, coming east to play in a division and conference that is very close.

Did we not miss the playoffs seven years in a row? Did Ottawa not go to the Stanley Cup final during that period? Did they not win the President's Trophy another year? Did you just become a hockey fan last year for the first time?
- spatso

Wow. So you want to go back in time?

Does Toronto not have the 2nd most Cups, behind Montreal, in NHL history? Did you just become a hockey fan blah blah ..zzzz...

And still found time to beat the Sens in Ottawa, the other night, playing their second and third lines against Ottawa's top line. We also used our AHL goalie for 2 periods and lost Kadri at the end of the second. So what's your point? Ottawa is what they always are.....the little Ontario brother that can't deal with big brother, when the chips are down. Sibling rivalries are always like that.
- PrinceLH

It was a preseason game, don't get ahead of yourself. The leafs seemed to make that mistake recently and it went badly for them.

Can't handle the truth?

The Leafs are not very good. They overpaid for a redundant goalie, got rid of a few of their best possession players, signed a terrible contract with Clarksson and Bozak that will hurt the Leafs badly for years to come. Still have Liles, Franson is going to Sweden and Lupul is already showing his injury history is not a thing of the past.
- riceroni

Oh god, please stop there. Our best possession players were Grabovski, MacArthur and Frattin? Are you brain dead? No.. Sorry that's not fair. You've been mislead by "statisticians".

Clarksons contract is terrible, most leaf fans agree. That doesn't mean he was a bad acquisition. On the contrary, it was a very good pick up based on the teams direction.

I still believe Franson will resign. I don't put too much weight into rumors until they are proven. Having Bernier is hardly redundant. It helps, more than anything, to have a bit of strong competition between to young goal tenders.