I have made exactly one junior player prediction in my entire life:

After seeing him skate at a Team Canada Juniors pre-tournament camp, I declared that Shawn Belle would be a superstar. I've never seen a guy skate that well.

https://www.hockeydb.com/...ts/pdisplay.php?pid=55476

20 NHL games.

1 assist.
- Atomic Wedgie

Makes you realize being a scout is difficult.

Some players have everything going for them, you see them being amazing... and for some reason it just doesn't work out.

Totally trolling now..


Dozzer.... Dozzer...
- bixll

It is a great day to talk hockey. And, Leaf fans are so knowledgable and passionate. Sometimes I can't control myself. Please excuse me if I overstepped a boundary in my excitement.

It is a great day to talk hockey. And, Leaf fans are so knowledgable and passionate. Sometimes I can't control myself. Please excuse me if I overstepped a boundary in my excitement.
- spatso

You have the Leafs all figured out, now go back to the Sens blog and inform them you have the secret.

This might be more than a tad optimistic given that Hyman never scored 50 with Matthews & Marner and he's a better player than Ritchie.

If you pencil Ritchie in on the top line, and we assume he can keep up (I've heard the counter arguments - I disagree, we still move the puck up the ice with pace. A banger & crasher is useless if he gets there more than a second after the puck has left the area - Hyman's value was being _there_ when it mattered), then his role will be to work the boards, and work the front of the net, create a screen and time & space for Marner & Matthews. At 5v5 he'll also have to help defensively against top competition and that could be where he falls flat on his face.

Now this being said, Ritchie could still probably offer more to that line than a 41 year old Joe Thornton did. Joe thought the game faster, but his body no longer reacted to it at the speed he needed it to. Of course I hated Joe Thornton on that line, so I don't know if Ritchie will make us that much happier.
- Monkeypunk

Well I was really more referring to pace. Hyman was a 60ish point pace player with MM and AM. I think 50ish points for Ritchie isn't unreasonable if he gets PP time as well.

But anyway - have to atleast see them play together first. Maybe they will just have zero chemistry and they will go with a different LWer on the top line.

I still hate the Flyers, but...

https://twitter.com/Gritt...tatus/1440798077254701056

You have the Leafs all figured out, now go back to the Sens blog and inform them you have the secret.
- bixll

I can't wait for him to go back and let them know how he totally owned Leafs Nation.

Honest question:

Are you trolling, or do you really think that you've come up with some clever secret strategy to play against the Leafs this year?

Because suggesting that other teams will try to hit the Leafs because they are a soft team and let them play on the perimeter isn't particularly insightful - it's a franking waste of time that any 12 year old hockey fan would suggest.
- Atomic Wedgie

It really is an insightful question.

The Leafs really do have an intimidating possession game with their top two lines. But, with 4 games against Montreal and Ottawa in the first week of the season...a lot will be discovered.

I believe there will be some panic on the Leaf side if the get off to a bad start.

Whoa! Don't get too excited. We haven't played even a preseason game yet.

But, you do have to wonder if teams will start playing the Leafs in a similar way as they get played in the playoffs?
- spatso

Let's take this question at face value:

1) Tavares will be in the lineup giving the Leafs more depth, and the ability to roll 2 lines featuring first line players.
2) Teams won't be able to exclusively focus on the first line
3) For some reason penalties are called in the regular season and not in the playoffs
4) They did add some toughness in the off-season to help fight through some of this stuff.

. . .do you figure Connor McDavid will be held to a 20 goal, 60 assist season because teams will play him like they did in the playoffs? They've also clearly figured him out, too.

Honest question:

Are you trolling, or do you really think that you've come up with some clever secret strategy to play against the Leafs this year?

Because suggesting that other teams will try to hit the Leafs because they are a soft team and let them play on the perimeter isn't particularly insightful - it's a franking waste of time that any 12 year old hockey fan would suggest.
- Atomic Wedgie

spatso has never trolled.

Let's take this question at face value:

1) Tavares will be in the lineup giving the Leafs more depth, and the ability to roll 2 lines featuring first line players.
2) Teams won't be able to exclusively focus on the first line
3) For some reason penalties are called in the regular season and not in the playoffs
4) They did add some toughness in the off-season to help fight through some of this stuff.

. . .do you figure Connor McDavid will be held to a 20 goal, 60 assist season because teams will play him like they did in the playoffs? They've also clearly figured him out, too.
- Monkeypunk

Spatsie hasn't actually figured this out yet and informed other teams, so McDavid should be fine.

It really is an insightful question.

The Leafs really do have an intimidating possession game with their top two lines. But, with 4 games against Montreal and Ottawa in the first week of the season...a lot will be discovered.

I believe there will be some panic on the Leaf side if the get off to a bad start.
- spatso

You didn't answer my question.

Oh, and by the way, this beer tastes like poop:



Disappointing.
- Atomic Wedgie

Damn, I have 1 sitting in the fridge.

I was hoping it would be Rush worthy.

spatso has never trolled.
- AdamFrench

Well I was really more referring to pace. Hyman was a 60ish point pace player with MM and AM. I think 50ish points for Ritchie isn't unreasonable if he gets PP time as well.

But anyway - have to atleast see them play together first. Maybe they will just have zero chemistry and they will go with a different LWer on the top line.
- Leafs43

I would adore for someone to sign here and come to the team having had the best summer of their lives, amped up and ready to go at their personal best - because being a Leaf is their life-long dream. It's that perennial "Next Doug Gilmour" chase (not that is a fair equivalence at all in any way, but you want someone to be far better than they were considered when you acquired them).

I think for me, I'm cautiously optimistic about what Ritchie offers to _this_ team because they have an absence of players like him. I think he gets a shot at the top line, and I hope he sticks there, but similarly . . . I'm just putting the brakes on that optimism because I don't want to hate Ritchie if he fails to impress in the top-6!

You never saw Hyman on the forecheck? Yeah, it happened. It wasn’t their exclusive system and they got away from it in the playoffs.
- Canada Cup

Sure, I did. What I didn't see was this team consistently - let alone exclusively - deploying a strategy that relied on speed.

Hyman will be missed -- he was an effective forechecker and pest. He wasn't exactly a great two way player though and he wasn't the type to drop the gloves to protect his linemates. Flawed as he was, he did make this team better.

Having said that, Ritchie has the tools to succeed on this team with the possession game they excel at... if he can put it all together. He'll be given every opportunity to make things happen in the Top 6.

I remain cautiously irrationally(?) optimistic about his potential this season.

It'd be nice if one of Bunting, Kase, or Ritchie worked out in a real positive way. It'd be fun if more than one did. This season there are so many question marks which will wildly determine the fortunes of this club.

Looking forward to mass angst.

Makes you realize being a scout is difficult.

Some players have everything going for them, you see them being amazing... and for some reason it just doesn't work out.
- Scabeh

Ya...tell me about it with Burmistrov.

Spatsie hasn't actually figured this out yet and informed other teams, so McDavid should be fine.
- Atomic Wedgie

Pierre McGuire should hire Spatso as an advisor.

Damn, I have 1 sitting in the fridge.

I was hoping it would be Rush worthy.
- Garnie

Sadly, I'm not enough of a Rush fan to make some clever response involving Rush lyrics.

spatso has never trolled.
- AdamFrench

If I am trolling, I guess I am not very good at it.

Leaf fans are so passionate and knowledgable and it is just a fun place to talk hockey.

I still hate the Flyers, but...

https://twitter.com/Gritt...tatus/1440798077254701056
- Atomic Wedgie

Gritty (frank)ing sucks.

Yeah, it happens all the time.

Also, working hard and being a hard working player are two different things.
- joel878

If you have lots of talent and float back to the bench on the back check you’re not working hard or hard working…both seem to mean the same to me. 🤣

GO LEAFS GO

I can't believe you would post the secret to beating the Leafs on line... Oh my.. Now, playoffs are out...
- bixll

Teams knew all of of this last year. It’s why they were able to contain hold back Marner and Matthews offensively.

For those of you that are not too irritated. Can I ask;

Are the Leaf forward lines better than what they were last year? Has the D improved? Will the Leafs be better in goal?

If you have lots of talent and float back to the bench on the back check you’re not working hard or hard working…both seem to mean the same to me. 🤣

GO LEAFS GO
- Garnie

- winsix

Have you seen the video yesterday of him skating though?

Yikes.