Matthews is way better this year, Marner is way better this year but everyone is acting like we should expect the same Nylander as last year. He might be way better as well.
- HealthyScratch6

I completely agree. But the money he wants and the fact that we don't really need Nylander to score goals makes him expendable. I've said it a dozen times, get him signed, get him on the ice, let him score like crazy and then trade him for a top pair RHD. Any way you slice it, the Leafs have enough guys who can score and not enough guys who can prevent goals. They need to move one for the other.

A lot of that is because of the PP (against a lot of bad teams too), 5 on 5, not the same story.

And yeah, it's enjoyable but the Cup isn't won in October. This team is going to make the playoffs, of that there is no doubt. It's about how you play when those playoffs start that matters. The season is the time to make the necessary adjustments to ensure that they're playing an optimal style to succeed in the playoffs rather than be that team who scores a bazillion goals, finishes really high in the standings then flops in the playoffs.
- Unholy_Goalie

Last year the leafs started season the exact same way. They'll tighten it up once all the young guys learn Babs system. They stopped blowing leads in the second half of the year last year. Except game 7.

Last year the leafs started season the exact same way. They'll tighten it up once all the young guys learn Babs system. They stopped blowing leads in the second half of the year last year. Except game 7.
- HealthyScratch6

They did start the same way last year and they played most of the year the same run and gun way and then Boston dominated them and ended their season. Maybe Tavares gets you past Boston, but then what about Tampa Bay? Pittsburgh? Washington? It's one thing to put up great regular season numbers, it's another to succeed in the playoffs. I want to see this team play a style that works in the playoffs. It took Washington 13 years to figure it out. I'd rather not make the same mistakes they made before they figured it out last year.

Not sure how everyone on here goes down the same rabbit hole every night..

They did start the same way last year and they played most of the year the same run and gun way and then Boston dominated them and ended their season. Maybe Tavares gets you past Boston, but then what about Tampa Bay? Pittsburgh? Washington? It's one thing to put up great regular season numbers, it's another to succeed in the playoffs. I want to see this team play a style that works in the playoffs. It took Washington 13 years to figure it out. I'd rather not make the same mistakes they made before they figured it out last year.
- Unholy_Goalie

I guess we'll see what happens with willy. I think you can make more minor trades to shore up the D. Going after guys who are under the radar but solid like Nate Schmidt before last year as opposed to going for the homerun. I just hate the idea of over paying for an average Dman just because you have to pay a premium for dmen.

Fender should make a Leaf signature Strat Elite series
- jimi james

They did start the same way last year and they played most of the year the same run and gun way and then Boston dominated them and ended their season. Maybe Tavares gets you past Boston, but then what about Tampa Bay? Pittsburgh? Washington? It's one thing to put up great regular season numbers, it's another to succeed in the playoffs. I want to see this team play a style that works in the playoffs. It took Washington 13 years to figure it out. I'd rather not make the same mistakes they made before they figured it out last year.
- Unholy_Goalie

Zzzzzzzzzz

OK....

I can't risk reading 24 pages of Ugtard....

But can someone tell me what I missed here while I watched the Leafs crush it, live!

OK....

I can't risk reading 24 pages of Ugtard....

But can someone tell me what I missed here while I watched the Leafs crush it, live!



- .HOHO.

https://twitter.com/Isuck...tatus/1052017104637972480

- Garnie

I have a no-name blue resonator steel guitar...I'm so tempted to stick a Leaf logo sticker on the headstock

I guess we'll see what happens with willy. I think you can make more minor trades to shore up the D. Going after guys who are under the radar but solid like Nate Schmidt before last year as opposed to going for the homerun. I just hate the idea of over paying for an average Dman just because you have to pay a premium for dmen.
- HealthyScratch6

Small moves usually yield small rewards. Nylander is a big chip that can get you a big piece in return and that big piece is the last piece to the puzzle and could end up being the difference between winning a Cup and not winning a Cup. Look at the difference that Chara made for the Bruins when he left Ottawa. The Bruins went from being a joke of a team to a legit contender and eventual winner. Pronger to Edmonton then Anaheim, same effect. Niedermayer to Anaheim. These moves don't happen every day but that's the type of ground breaker the Leafs need to make next to really put the finishing touch on moving to the next level.

You can look at every team that wins Cups and more often than not, they have a Norris winner or Norris candidate on the team. That's one of the big differences between Toronto and Tampa Bay right now. They have Hedman, we don't. Sure, Rielly is scoring points (mostly because of the PP) but the defense still isn't there. And that's fine if you get a guy who plays beside him who is a legit top pairing RHD. But right now, it's a really old guy (who's been punching above his weight for a few years) who is playing like his age and probably won't last to game 95+ of the season / playoffs.

Fender should make a Leaf signature Strat Elite series
- jimi james

as the gear whore i am, i would scoop that up in an instance

as the gear whore i am, i would scoop that up in an instance
- MikeBabcock

Small moves usually yield small rewards. Nylander is a big chip that can get you a big piece in return and that big piece is the last piece to the puzzle and could end up being the difference between winning a Cup and not winning a Cup. Look at the difference that Chara made for the Bruins when he left Ottawa. The Bruins went from being a joke of a team to a legit contender and eventual winner. Pronger to Edmonton then Anaheim, same effect. Niedermayer to Anaheim. These moves don't happen every day but that's the type of ground breaker the Leafs need to make next to really put the finishing touch on moving to the next level.

You can look at every team that wins Cups and more often than not, they have a Norris winner or Norris candidate on the team. That's one of the big differences between Toronto and Tampa Bay right now. They have Hedman, we don't. Sure, Rielly is scoring points (mostly because of the PP) but the defense still isn't there. And that's fine if you get a guy who plays beside him who is a legit top pairing RHD. But right now, it's a really old guy (who's been punching above his weight for a few years) who is playing like his age and probably won't last to game 95+ of the season / playoffs.
- Unholy_Goalie

How do you feel about the Kessel deal now with kap doing well?
I agree with you regarding Reilly. ...he'd be more Keith like if we had a Seabrook type. I do think he can or is our number 1...but it would be fantastic to have the second half of that top pairing.
I think Tavares and Matthews and marker maturing into elite players have turned this team into a legit contender. But having that dman would make this team so much more dangerous.

How do you feel about the Kessel deal now with kap doing well?
I agree with you regarding Reilly. ...he'd be more Keith like if we had a Seabrook type. I do think he can or is our number 1...but it would be fantastic to have the second half of that top pairing.
- mykokes

Still a poop deal. Kapanen is a serviceable player, Kessel scored 90+ points last year and was a consistent 30 goal scorer whom we even have to retain salary on which (frank)s up our cap situation even more.

I think Rielly is overachieving. His offensive production has been bolstered by playing on the 1st PP unit (probably trying to avoid Gardiner putting up those easy points as a pending UFA) against bad teams.

That doesn't mean I don't like Rielly, because I do, I just don't think he's a legit #1, all around defenseman and I think he'd be better served as the #2 beside a legit #1 guy or at worst another #2 so they can just share the load with the RHD being more defensively useful.

LA is incredibly slow and a shade of the team they used to be. Could have had a penalty called on them every shift. Kapanen

Outside of McDavid....I don't see a player in the league I'd want more than Matthews.

Outside of McDavid....I don't see a player in the league I'd want more than Matthews.
- mykokes

It'd be nice to see Matthews vs. McDavid in the Cup Finals in a few years. That's one thing the Crosby vs. Ovechkin rivalry never had even though whomever won between the two usually went to the Cup Finals.

I have a no-name blue resonator steel guitar...I'm so tempted to stick a Leaf logo sticker on the headstock
- jimi james

The fact that it is not there already tells us all we need to know........

I have a no-name blue resonator steel guitar...I'm so tempted to stick a Leaf logo sticker on the headstock
- jimi james

Dont do it

The fact that it is not there already tells us all we need to know........
- mr.sir

I kept thinking what if I sell it to a habs fan?

Dont do it
- Garnie

I didn't...but I thought about it

I completely agree. But the money he wants and the fact that we don't really need Nylander to score goals makes him expendable. I've said it a dozen times, get him signed, get him on the ice, let him score like crazy and then trade him for a top pair RHD. Any way you slice it, the Leafs have enough guys who can score and not enough guys who can prevent goals. They need to move one for the other.
- Unholy_Goalie

this

sign and trade greedy bill and gardiner for a real dman who doesn’t want to play house

trade jhonsson for mackelhiney then send him to the marlies

what a (frank)ing joke

edit:nice alliteration

$8,118,642 to $10,148,302 - Two firsts, a second and third-round picks

this is a good site for that:

https://www.prohockeyrumo...r-sheet-compensation.html
- Dozzer

It's important to note that the AAV for offer sheets isn't necessarily the AAV of the entire contract. The total contract value is divided by the length of the contract or 5, whichever is less.

So if a team signs Nylander to a 5-year, $8M offer sheet, that would be a $8M AAV and would return a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick. However, if a team signs him to a 7-year, $8M offer sheet, that would be an AAV of $11.2M, or four first round picks.

LA is incredibly slow and a shade of the team they used to be. Could have had a penalty called on them every shift. Kapanen
- PlatosRepucklic

I agree, LA is slow (and old) - not a shade of the team though - its just that the Leafs are that much better. And you are right about the atrocious officiating - LA got away with that pinching/interference thing 20 times or more, but somehow Marner got 4 minutes for slashing in the 3rd. Leafs played well as a team, I thought Leivo had his best game as a Leaf.