Bunting and Nylander have been great together. They’ve developed a nice chemistry on the forecheck and cycle. But don’t kid yourself, if management decides Richie is slowing down Marner and Matthews, he’s gone and Bunting seems like the natural replacement.

I absolutely don’t get the point about wanting Nylander to fail. Isn’t having two strong scoring lines a good thing?
- Canada Cup

Bunting should be on the top line. Yeet Ritchie to the ECHL dude can’t keep up and looks like a dendrophiliac out there.

Willy and JT will be fine with whoever they put with them.

This team has limited options because of the cap. This is the reality of things. They’re super lucky to get Bunting at the price they did.

Bunting should be on the top line. Yeet Ritchie to the ECHL dude can’t keep up and looks like a dendrophiliac out there.

Willy and JT will be fine with whoever they put with them.

This team has limited options because of the cap. This is the reality of things. They’re super lucky to get Bunting at the price they did.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Thankfully the leafs actual coach is smart enough not to break up the second line if it’s ticking nicely.

Can’t wait to watch you whine all year about it

Bunting should be on the top line. Yeet Ritchie to the ECHL dude can’t keep up and looks like a dendrophiliac out there.

Willy and JT will be fine with whoever they put with them.

This team has limited options because of the cap. This is the reality of things. They’re super lucky to get Bunting at the price they did.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Why? He's doing great where he is.

If Bunting continues his success with JT and Willie, I can't see them deciding to (frank) with that chemistry to help out poor AM34 and Mitchy-Mitch.

If the Ritchie experiment fails, it'll be time for Dubas to look outside of the org for a replacement.
- mjones242

I doubt that’s the first move. I don’t know why they wouldn’t try Zach Bunting on the first line first and then try Richie in the second or third line. They need to know what they’re shopping for. Maybe nobody if all the pieces fit somewhere else. Maybe a second line winger. But check out internal options first.

Thankfully the leafs actual coach is smart enough not to break up the second line if it’s ticking nicely.

Can’t wait to watch you whine all year about it
- Dozzer

I’ll bet you Ritchie is off the top line within 5 games.

These guys haven’t gelled yet, so it’s not like he’s married to the idea of keeping Mikey-B with JT & Willy.

Why? He's doing great where he is.
- mjones242

Because he hates Ritchie so much he’s willing to break up a line that plays really good together

I’ll bet you Ritchie is off the top line within 5 games.

These guys haven’t gelled yet, so it’s not like he’s married to the idea of keeping Mikey-B with JT & Willy.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

He literally played with his line for the first time, including preseason, in a game.

He’s only supposed to be the guy that hits and parks his ass in front of the net to screen the goalie and bang in rebounds and he’s been doing rather well at that. It’s the other two at fault for not creating chances for him.

It’s up to Matthews and Marner to get their asses going to get that line moving and nothing more.

Bunting and Nylander have been great together. They’ve developed a nice chemistry on the forecheck and cycle. But don’t kid yourself, if management decides Richie is slowing down Marner and Matthews, he’s gone and Bunting seems like the natural replacement.

I absolutely don’t get the point about wanting Nylander to fail. Isn’t having two strong scoring lines a good thing?
- Canada Cup

Some people, maybe one constantly make suggestions of having Nylander playing with worse players.

Because he hates Ritchie so much he’s willing to break up a line that plays really good together
- Dozzer

Hate is a strong word. It’s not in my lexicon.

I’m not impressed with his game. He needs to muck it up to be effective, ala Wilson.

I’ll bet you Ritchie is off the top line within 5 games.

These guys haven’t gelled yet, so it’s not like he’s married to the idea of keeping Mikey-B with JT & Willy.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Some things have gelled. Willie-Bunting have gelled. They’ll keep it if they can but they need the top line to work. It’s only one game for Austin so there’s no need to worry but at some point if it doesn’t work with Richie, they’ll try Bunting and then try different combos,

They need the top two lines rolling

Some people, maybe one constantly make suggestions of having Nylander playing with worse players.
- jribout

Nylander is more dangerous if there’s a threat on the other wing 100%

Some people, maybe one constantly make suggestions of having Nylander playing with worse players.
- jribout

As long as it’s not the coach, I don’t care

So amI hearing right? Move bunting to the first line because Mitch and Matthews need the help. But Tavares and Nylander good enough they do not need him?😀

Some people, maybe one constantly make suggestions of having Nylander playing with worse players.
- jribout

c'mon, that's nothing but hearsay

Some things have gelled. Willie-Bunting have gelled. They’ll keep it if they can but they need the top line to work. It’s only one game for Austin so there’s no need to worry but at some point if it doesn’t work with Richie, they’ll try Bunting and then try different combos,

They need the top two lines rolling
- Canada Cup

I’d wager on the under at 5 games.

I had high hope for thicc nick, but he looks much slower than I thought he would. He’s not even playing physical.

Hate is a strong word. It’s not in my lexicon.

I’m not impressed with his game. He needs to muck it up to be effective, ala Wilson.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Ritchie is leading the team in hits with 15 while second is Rielly who is only at 9

He has been “mucking” it up more than anyone on the bloody team

Ritchie is leading the team in hits with 15 while second is Rielly who is only at 9

He has been “mucking” it up more than anyone on the bloody team
- Dozzer

I haven’t seen him in any scrums, or throwing big hits.

He just sorta lumbering around.

Ritchie is leading the team in hits with 15 while second is Rielly who is only at 9

He has been “mucking” it up more than anyone on the bloody team
- Dozzer

Yeah that line looked fine last night. Matthews had what 16 shot attempts

Agreed. Goalies seem to develop fully a couple of years later so it’s so hard to draft a goalie early while feeling guaranteed he’ll develop into an NHLer
- Dozzer

While I agree that drafting a goalie early is a risk, Many picks in the first round after say #10 don't pan out. Forwards and D-men also need to develop unless they are top three picks. Look at these terrible 1st round Leaf picks.

Frederik Gauthier
Tyler Biggs
Luke Schenn (he was top five but luckily for the Leafs turned in JVR)
Jeff Ware
Bendan Convery
Scot Thornton

Even with a success rate of say 40%, Drafting the potential best goalie in the draft might be a good move.

Current Top ten goalies (round drafted)

Vasilevskiy (1st)
Lehner (2nd)
Helleybuyck (5th)
Kuemper ( 6th)
Sorokin (3rd)
Sheterkin (4th)
MAF (1st)
Spencer Knight (1st)
Campbell (1st) (added to piss off a few people)

Yeah that line looked fine last night. Matthews had what 16 shot attempts

- jribout

Matthews and Marner are elite talents, they’re amongst the very best hockey players on the planet. We’re extremely lucky to have both those players

I haven’t seen him in any scrums, or throwing big hits.

He just sorta lumbering around.
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Because he’s huge, it doesn’t look like a big hit because he were to do poop like that he’s get tossed in the penalty box for roughing

He leads the team in hits and notably so.

He has been the only guy on that line doing his job properly. Like I said, once Matthews has his rust off watch out, even Ritchie will start to bang in rebounds. That line needs the star players to get going, not the augmentation winger.

Four games

Yeah that line looked fine last night. Matthews had what 16 shot attempts

- jribout

But only 8 on net. He’s doing nothing more than knocking the rust off but doing so extremely quickly by shooting a ton. Wait til the preciseness kicks in as well.

Matthews and Marner are elite talents, they’re amongst the very best hockey players on the planet. We’re extremely lucky to have both those players
- Arctic_AARDVARK

Yep we got 4 of them.

No need to break a good thing up to try and cater to M & M

But only 8 on net. He’s doing nothing more than knocking the rust off but doing so extremely quickly by shooting a ton. Wait til the preciseness kicks in as well.
- Dozzer

Exactly!