Why do you even come here? Seriously if you think others (me for sure) don't see the BS trash talking you do about the Leafs and Leaf Fans in other blogs and somehow think when you come in here you are just here to "talk hockey" you're wrong.

The tolerance level for you and your crap here is at an all time low so I'd suggest you either stop coming in here entirely or if you do refrain from anything that even remotely resembles trolling.
- Cush29

Easy there tiger... you're en fuego... take a deep breath... Relax..

DeSmith
Ingram
Reimer

You’re just pushing for a Gibson trade😆
- mr.sir

just re-signed for 1.8m per on a 2 year deal

I don't think I particularly like this move and am a bit miffed the Leafs couldn't find a goaile coach with more of NHL caliber resume as it relates to coaching goalies. I guess there aren't alot out there who are available?

Sanford wasn't a good NHL goalie and he hasn't coached NHL goalies at the NHL level ever - yes he coached Demko when he was in the AHL but that's one guy who had success - is that the coaching or the goalie?

He's coached for 5 years at the AHL level - how does that make him a good hire to coach NHL goalies?

- Cush29

a cheap signing for a coach

a 40 year old took a team 3 more rounds than 27 other NHL teams...And this 38 year old is much better.

Silly way to look at things in my opinion. Its all based off talent.
- Santo_44

That 40 year old didn't take a team anywhere, he was horrific and carried entirely by his offence. A strategy that resulted in failure as soon as they had to play a team that could hold pace with their offence.

Even if that 40 year old did carry them (he didn't), that would make him of the extreme minority. A lightning strike isn't good cause to bet on another. Fleury was not good last year, at all, and he's only getting older. He sat for Talbot when Minnesotas season was on the ropes, that's not the kind of talent we need...

Sure but Keefe coached his team to the Calder Cup at the AHL level and my point was Sanford wasn't a good NHL goalie and hasn't got much in the way of success as a goalie coach to show. So to me he has neither.

I get it - you need to get your start somewhere but with a specialized positional coach I'm not sure I want Toronto to be the place where that comes.

I guess we will see, I'll be happy to be wrong on this but I also find it a bit odd to hire a goalie coach with a big ? on who your goalie or goalies will be. Usually a goalie coach has a style they want their goalies to play, sometimes to a lesser degree, sometimes to a big degree but you would think maybe you want to know who the goalie is so you know what style he plays and perhaps look for a good match? I dunno' just my innner thoughts I guess.
- Cush29

He wouldnt have been my first pick either, but with that said, I really dont know much about who's who of goalie coaches.
Goalies tend to come and go (specially in Leafs land), I would think you get a coach who can work with various styles, no?
It is a little unsettling for a team with Cup aspirations that they dont know who their starter will be and they get a rookie goalie coach.
But we will see.

a 40 year old took a team 3 more rounds than 27 other NHL teams...And this 38 year old is much better.

Silly way to look at things in my opinion. Its all based off talent.
- Santo_44

I believe that is called the exception to the rule... And the Oil went as far as they did ... in spite of Smith ... not because of.. that's pretty obvious..

He wouldnt have been my first pick either, but with that said, I really dont know much about who's who of goalie coaches.
Goalies tend to come and go (specially in Leafs land), I would think you get a coach who can work with various styles, no?
It is a little unsettling for a team with Cup aspirations that they dont know who their starter will be and they get a rookie goalie coach.
But we will see.
- Fakepartofme

Lots of goalie coach experts

Lots of goalie coach experts
- Canada Cup

Non experts are not allowed here.

I believe that is called the exception to the rule... And the Oil went as far as they did ... in spite of Smith ... not because of.. that's pretty obvious..
- dozerD10

My gawd Smith was bad. lol

That 40 year old didn't take a team anywhere, he was horrific and carried entirely by his offence. A strategy that resulted in failure as soon as they had to play a team that could hold pace with their offence.

Even if that 40 year old did carry them (he didn't), that would make him of the extreme minority. A lightning strike isn't good cause to bet on another. Fleury was not good last year, at all, and he's only getting older. He sat for Talbot when Minnesotas season was on the ropes, that's not the kind of talent we need...
- joel878

Fleury was good last year. on a bottom feeder terrible team.

I don't care that he is 37. He is 37 and is a good goalie.

Won the vezina at 35. 36 if we want to use what age you think he is

I believe that is called the exception to the rule... And the Oil went as far as they did ... in spite of Smith ... not because of.. that's pretty obvious..
- dozerD10

I was more saying that the whole age thing is stupid.

If he was 27 he would be a top paid goalie in the NHL. He is 37 now and is still a good starter and would fit the Leafs cap. Good deal.

Huh? He had a .910 and .906 in playoffs.

Wasn't amazing but I sure as hell do not put much stock into a goalie jumping in late to a new system come playoff time. GM's don't either and want proof? Look at he cost of TDL adds in the past from goalies.
- Santo_44

Season average was .907 and playoff average was .913.

Look Kuemper was .902 in the playoffs; Campbell was .897. Vasilevskiy was .922.

Cam Talbot was .846 (mentioned because Minnesota is not a good defensive team despite some claims; they have made a conscious shift to be more offensive in their style and sacrificed some back-end reliability in the trade). In fact in the regular season in that Minnesota system, Talbot, Fleury and Kahkonen all had almost identical numbers.

Honestly you just need the big save in the right moment.

Fleury has acumen, but he's older. We have a team that stresses goalies. With Gio in the fold I think we might be better. I'm still not sure that's what you do to a 38 year old goalie.

If we got Fleury at a reasonable price, I wouldn't mind I suppose even though I have huge reservations, but he's certainly not an answer long term - it just moves the bump in the snake.

He's 38 years old. How many 38 year old goaltenders are still carrying their teams to cups?

Hard pass.
- joel878

Not many, the fall off at the mid 30's seems to be huge but MAF sure looked good in Chicago last year most of the year and his playoff #'s last year were much much better than Cambell's.

If they Leafs could get him short term for relatively good $ I'd be willng to take the gamble but they definatley need a solid backup option.

These were the only 3 I could find who won a cup at 38 or orlder (Bower was 42!)

Johnny Bower
Gump Worsley
Dom Hasek at 43 (but really it was mostly Ozzie)

Twix is the only candy bar with a cookie crunch my friend.
- Zezel

Crunchie and Skor.

Non experts are not allowed here.
- Fakepartofme

Don’t get me started on the assistant equipment manager

Season average was .907 and playoff average was .913.

Look Kuemper was .902 in the playoffs; Campbell was .897. Vasilevskiy was .922.

Cam Talbot was .846 (mentioned because Minnesota is not a good defensive team despite some claims; they have made a conscious shift to be more offensive in their style and sacrificed some back-end reliability in the trade). In fact in the regular season in that Minnesota system, Talbot, Fleury and Kahkonen all had almost identical numbers.

Honestly you just need the big save in the right moment.

Fleury has acumen, but he's older. We have a team that stresses goalies. With Gio in the fold I think we might be better. I'm still not sure that's what you do to a 38 year old goalie.

If we got Fleury at a reasonable price, I wouldn't mind I suppose even though I have huge reservations, but he's certainly not an answer long term - it just moves the bump in the snake.
- Monkeypunk

Don't think the Leafs need to find a long term solution right now, mostly because there aren't any good ones.

a cheap signing for a coach
- dmnted

By the team with what the 2nd most money in the league when there is no cap on coaching salaries? lol

Oh, having a differing opinion and one that makes sense, unlike yours, makes me a goof.

Coming from the clown that says we should go with Mrazek?

Lay off the windex little buddy
- .HOHO.

I have no issues with your differing opinion
Only how rude and insulting you are

Not many, the fall off at the mid 30's seems to be huge but MAF sure looked good in Chicago last year most of the year and his playoff #'s last year were much much better than Cambell's.

If they Leafs could get him short term for relatively good $ I'd be willng to take the gamble but they definatley need a solid backup option.

These were the only 3 I could find who won a cup at 38 or orlder (Bower was 42!)

Johnny Bower
Gump Worsley
Dom Hasek at 43 (but really it was mostly Ozzie)
- Cush29

Thank you for elaborating, my point was based around the idea that the age thing does matter as there's proven to be a drop off over the course of history. But we've determined that the age thing is stupid because one person said so so I'll digress. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Easy there tiger... you're en fuego... take a deep breath... Relax..

- dozerD10

No thanks, I said what I said and meant it.

Meh, far worse contracts have been dumped. I can see Mrazek being a quality option for someone who needs a stopgap for two years and has money to piss away, Chicago for example.

Hot take: the leafs won't even need a sweetener to dump him. They'll get some 4th line can and the cap space in return.
- joel878

I agree with the hot take.

just re-signed for 1.8m per on a 2 year deal
- dmnted

Hexy and Burkie are SMRT

Thank you for elaborating, my point was based around the idea that the age thing does matter as there's proven to be a drop off over the course of history. But we've determined that the age thing is stupid because one person said so so I'll digress. 🤦🏻‍♂️
- joel878

It is when you look at goalies individually yes.

Comparing MAF to how he has declined to other goalies can be quite silly.

You have Holtby who dropped off at 30 and then you have MAF who won a vezina at 36. Pretty obvious to me it can vary vastly and to simply say "I don't want him because he is 38" is quite silly.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/toronto-maple-leafs-fans-voted-most-annoying-in-nhl
- TurdFergeson

You're days late. Already posted it, and the guy who did it even added the stats on which teams voted for who. The results will shock you.

I believe that is called the exception to the rule... And the Oil went as far as they did ... in spite of Smith ... not because of.. that's pretty obvious..
- dozerD10

But did they? He allowed a couple of terrible goals - and still had a GSAx of 1.86 and a save percentage of .913%. On the same team Koskinen (who is a well below average goalie, admittedly) was .905% and -0.46 in GSAx.

I mean Campell was .898% and -0.11 in GSAx.

Smith is a lanky chaotic octopus in net. And you get better goaltending than the type of goaltending you might expect from a lanky chaotic octopus, but it sure looks like a lanky chaotic octopus nonetheless.

I will say that Fleury compares with a guy like Joseph to me. He is acrobatic more than positional, and adrenaline fueled more than stoic - like the more crazy the game gets, the better he is apt to be, but in simple plays, he just isn't as engaged.

The first part - the acrobatic goalie - suffers as you get older because you get slower and you react slower. It's just a fact. The second part might do well here for a bit - but again, Curtis Joseph on a not dissimilar Leafs defense - started to show his problems at just 34. We moved on from Joseph and his sub-par .906% to Ed Belfour, who was 3 years older and posted a .922% on the same team.

Acrobatic just doesn't age as well as someone who is sound positionally in my opinion.