How Can Maple Leafs Fix The Top-6 With Their Current Cap Issues? | SDP 

I agree with Steve 100 %. The core 4 are still there, same crap, different year

LOL a 35 year old defense man that is NOT able to play 1st pair minutes is the best partner Rielly has EVER had , sad but true and what does that say about TML?

Honestly, I believe it's a culture problem in Toronto. And you can add depth players but your star players and leaders on the team drive the bus and the culture. You can fix some deficiencies, but playoffs are a different beast. One thing I have always been in shock and flabbergasted by over the past several years, if stars and coaches not accepting or offering criticism when they throw a stinker. It's always could've gone either way, we played hard, we played well, just wasn't our night. Just rainbows and tulips and everything is great and we're just so complacent winning would be great but we tried and thats okay. I'm used to seeing Skinner say guys played great that loss is all on me and I need to be better next game. I have seen Leon say after a win, guys played great but I didn't play my best hockey, I need to do better. Hyman after a win say wasn't our best hockey we were lucky to win we have this this and that to clean up. Eckholm after a win wasn't our best effort, there's more in us to give and we won but we can be better and I don't think were playing our best hockey yet and everyone needs to step up. I see guys stepping up and taking responsibility when things dont go well, and never satisfied when it does always pushing for more. Then I see leafs post game interviews and I'm just "Wow!" How is this team gonna drag each other, fight and claw through a cup run with this culture? Starts at the top down. I mean Gio was always a warrior team first, sacrifice kinda guy and he couldn't impact that room. If I was Berube I would take all the letters away this season, and see who steps up to earn it. I hope Berube can make players accountable and make them earn ice time and not be afraid to call guys out. For Leafs fans sake. Because I don't know how else you can change the culture after 7 years short of blowing it up.

Leafs fans in the off season: IDGAF about regular season success Leafs fans during the season: OMG Matthews gonna score 70!!!!! I'm gonna read 100 articles on it!!

Yes, the Leafs change the mudflaps, change the paint color, put new wipers on and so on but the fact is, they have a busted engine and until they change it, they are going nowhere. It's been what now, 6-7 years with the core 4? They still refuse to see the real problem and unless things change between now and opening day, I expect same result in 24-25 as the last few years.

Just found you guys. Best hockey show on earth. I fw this.

Everyone was pissed at domi and bertuzzi signings last year and during regular season. Now everyone loves both. Maybe trust Brad a little more. Man has a plan!!

I actually really am impressed by Knies playoff performance in back to back years. He was playing with some edge vs Boston. Him continuing to develop could be a big piece. I do have concerns about a top 6 that includes Tavares, Nylander and Marner in playoffs. Just one more year until out from under the JT contract.

Robertson is a huge offensive weapon. Dude got one of best shots and jets. He was 2nd behind Matthews on points score even strength. He belongs on first line.

Four guys should get 75% of the budget. That's a winning strategy.

If we do not care about the regular season. Why not give prospects an opportunity . It worked for Holmberg Knies and McMann. Robertson, Minten, Steeves.

I think people are underestimating how shaky the Leafs goaltending could be again. Stolarz has played maximum 29 games in 1 season and we all know Woll cannot stay healthy. It is a big jump from a good backup goalie getting 20 starts a season to being a 1A goalie playing 55+. Do they have enough goaltending?

"Throw Timmins in the garbage" bruh 😂

I don't care about the regular season any more either. The leafs could go undefeated all season and I still wouldn't be impressed

It seems like more and more Leafs fans have come to accept that there's no real change coming, and the Leafs will be rolling out the band again to face the same result.

Fire Shanaplan forces Jt to take a huge home town discount. Push marner trade and nylander later if you have too

Interesting how Kampf coming off 26 & 27 pt seasons as primarily a 4th line centre buried in the D-zone on face-offs, suddenly took a step back playing with Gregor & Reaves. Gee who could've seen that coming? As soon as he starts playing with Dewar & Holmberg.....voilà, a better 4th line & PK with Dewar. Kampf was the #2 guy in terms of TOI at the worlds, when he was given much better players to play with on his wings. Just like when he was rotating with Mikheyev, Kerfoot & Engvall....more points with better D stats.

Timmins is a good defenceman!😊

Leafs should sign Cal Clutterbuck for the 4th line. He is a total wrecking ball.

They weren’t good in regular season And lost every 4 point game they had an opportunity to catch Florida or Boston

Dude. I'm okay with regular season success. Leafs don't even have 1000 poont player They need organizational success first imo. I love the boys setting records Love them and don't care. Just love watching each game can being in SK

We could package robertson, kampf, and Steeves for a solid 3rd line center Knies-Matthews-nylander Macmann-tavares-marner Jarnkrok-???-domi Abruzzee-Dewer-Holmburg Rielly-tanev Liligren-Larsson Benoit-mcCabe

Domi has to play with Matthews. He can protect Matthews and get him to play more physical because people have to answer to Domi.

Nylander has offensive skills teams would like but is an defensive liablility. I don't like seeing him glide around without moving his legs, reaching in with his stick, or avoiding physical contact. They made Willie play on the PK and it is stressful to see him glide around with no urgency. Clear his cap space.

Get rid of Marner, any means possible

That's the funny part. They don't!

Sure can't wait for TJ to come back and score the game winning goal against us in our first of 2 losses to Chicago!

Mitch isn’t the problem, Tavares is. Tavares is a total non factor in the playoffs and gets routinely outplayed by 2-3 million dollar players.

I love Yushkevich but did you guys forget about Kubina?

Kampf and Jarnkrok can give us space. Liljegren too but we'd need to replace Lilly externally. I think Laughton or Jenner is the perfect target.

Alex Nylander!

Adam you keep saying things are gonna be different lol how has that worked out year after year

If leaf fans want to jump on the Canucks or Oilers bandwagon come on. The Leafs are not a cup contender

One playoff series win with the core four in 7 years. our management is literally like an insane asylum Patient smashing his head on the wall Expecting to cure his insanity.

Seems easier to get help upfront at the deadline than good like Tanev. Give the kids and Robertson ang Holmberg a shot and improve for the playoffs at the deadline.

Steve how can you be so passionate about hockey and want to keep Liljigren over Timmins ? 25 gp mostly second and third pairing minutes with defensive zone starts. 10 pts +9 After

isnt Nick Robertson also a centre? NHL 24 has him as a C/LW. Maybe he is the 3rd line centre with Cowan on his wing?

This year net and D! Next year the forwards. Go slow. Do it right. No panic. Leafs will push for the cup in 2025-26

Was the 21 loss to Montreal. Worse or hardest loss to stomach in franchise history? All or Nothing: Maple Leafs covered whole year. To not forget, that season. 😂😅😊🎉 20 year old Caufield, Toffoli, and Danault. 36 year old Shea Weber.

in the nhl are they allowed for a team to take part of your contract , because if they can , could they save five up a draft pic for a bad team to take half of tavaras' contract?

What do you mean the website might be gone ?

Like Steve said, its gonna be a long year. Even if they finish 1st in the season, it wont predict what happens in the playoffs.

I’m gonna start this with the fact that I love Mitch Marner, but it be funny for treeliving to ask the coach to put Mitch on defense until Mitch opens up his availability to be traded

Here's the irony I want to see: Berube builds a team in which the core four are a luxury but not a necessity to winning, where they are part of the equation and not the equation itself.

There are no adjustments coming. Unless they trade Robertson or Marner, this is the roster. There is no ‘figuring this out this summer.’ Trades are done, rosters are pretty much set save a handful of RFAs, but none are gigantic enough, save Necas, to impact a teams cap that they need to trade off of it. No one is taking Kampf. There are players making a million less than Kampf that do the exact same thing, sometimes better. It’s a bad contract regardless if the cap is going up or not. Puckpedia has his price at a late first for cap relief and I doubt Toronto would pay that.

Just here for the angst!

Best puck movers. Lapointe, Salvard and Robinson. Give peace a chance!!

On paper their defence has improved. Their forwards are the same and their goaltending may or may not have improved. There’s absolutely nothing more this team could have done except force one of the top 4 into a trade. That’s not going to happen so they have no choice but to ride it out this year.

Fix the top six? This is the top six. It's Marner, Matthews, Knies?, Tavares, Nylander, Domi? The ethos has changed? Bobby McMann, Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf? Holmberg. Tanev is not a first pair defender. Rielly is not a first pair defender. Have to plan Cowan and Minten. This group is what it is. Also need another goalie. They will not get enough games played from Woll, Stolarz, Murray. Hildeby will probably get in a dozen games.

Rarely, if ever, is a trade made by a team going into camp reflective of anything of value. Everyone is gone for the off-season. There aren't more trades coming. They needed to do these deals over the last 2 weeks. They didn't- we are stuck with them. The Ducks will be compliant by signing a couple of these left over FAs and moving them at the deadline.

What about Boone Jenner for third line center as a place holder for Minten??

Leaf fans are delusional if they think this team will be any different in the playoffs

I saw this with the Sharks when they brought in deboer. Same core was in place.. Patty, Jumbo, Pav etc. New coach, mew system. Made the cup. The coach can and should completely change the style of play without changing the core. Let's fkn go!

no one thinking the step back incoming but its a probable outcome, everything has gone smooth for the leafs making the playoffs for several years and I think this is the year they lose their regular season mojo

I’m feeling more like Steve these days. I respect Adam’s optimism but I don’t agree. This team failed to look at their biggest weakness. It is beyond proven at this point, that they can’t score in the post-season. The Leafs will be what they have been for the last 5 years. An above average team that squanders points & ensures they face another difficult team in the first round.

Much different? I’m not convinced Adam knows what he’s talking about. The forward group is literally the exact same minus Bertuzzi and the D added Tanev and OEL… not exactly needle pushers. Maybe Tanev yes - OEL, no.

angry steve is best steve

I say give Nylander more time at Center. I think he can play 2nd line. Move Tavares to the third line. Teach him a defensive role

Bring Hyman back…. Fire shanny and Brad before this goes completly off the rails.

What about dewar?

Oh and you guys forgot about conner dewer

Why would you say 'calm down' to Steve??? i'm here for the info sure but also for Steve's rants and emotional outbursts...If i want straight boring info i can go to TSN or sportsnet or...

This team like every other year with this core 5, has rearranged the deck chairs but the Titanic still hit the iceberg on schedule. Your defense might have improved but if our so called superstars don't show up, it all amounts to a hill of beans. Our goaltending, though respectable, is not in the top 5 in the league unless Woll becomes a Vezina trophy candidate. And think about it, in the last series against the Bruins, it wasn't our D or goaltending that got outplayed, it was again, our inept offense, the supposed stars, who failed us in their regular fashion...the guys haven't learnt to pay the price and when you have so much money to spend, why waste it at a hockey rink.

Scoring 2 goals is enough for a championship team to win any game. You are not going to win if you expect to score 4+ goals in the playoffs.

I am curious to see just how long Shanahan gets a free pass if we keep getting no playoff success.

Matthews will be fine. Nylander and marner must be willing to be more physsical not necessarily violent.

We know that the Leafs "should" make the playoffs with the current team. However like years past, the regular season means nothing, it's how they perform in the playoffs that matters now. The regular season is basically 82 exhibition games to separate the pretenders and the contenders. The Leafs can dominate the regular season, but if they choke aggggggggain in the playoffs, then who cares about what this team did in the regular season.

This is why you care steve. An entire childhood of born hockey. Let alone even having the ability to fail in the playoffs

You guys should have a million subscribers by now I don't get it 💖🙄

Trade Nylander and get two players at 5.7m each for the money.

Kampf is a passenger. The leafs have enough of those already, no? When have you ever seen him throw a check or make a difference in a game. Give me a break guys

I think they are waiting on JT contract to come off the books

I think TJ Brodie's on ice play was affected by his personal situation with his wife 's illness. His head wasnt in the the game all year. He should of taken a leave of absense.

"We dont need a center, we need a winger." Ooooooooooook buddy, the Leafs wings group is the weakest in the Atlantic division by a mile. You dont have Robertson signed, Timmins, McMann and Holmberg are bottom 6 guys at best, and Knies is an up jumped third liner being forced to take big minutes. Reaves is a useless pylon for defense and gives nothing offensively, Jarnkrok is good but cant be relied upon to be anything more than a third line winger, maybe a second line power play guy. What does that leave you? An anemic David Kampf and a Max Domi? Even with the core 4 the Leafs have the worst bottom 6 in the East, possibly the whole league. And you have nothing on defense aside from Reilly and an aging Tanev. Without your upper management addressing the problem of the greed with Matthews, Marner, Tavares and Nylander, your team will never win a cup.

I heard something the other day that may work Liljergren and robertson to calgary for kadri at 33% retained

Regular season means nothing for the Leafs due to the meme. Its a sad weight to have, but it is what it is. Personally a conference final appearance would be enough for me to stop memeing on them.

Fix the top 6 by trading them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You don't need to fix top 6 just need a goalie with a 2.0 or less period

Condolences to these three gentlemen for being contractually obligated to talk about the Leafs. Pity that they have to appear to be members of the Maple Leafs fan club when there are actually other Canadian teams who could have much better playoff success than the frauds in Toronto.

they can't. next episode please

Even if they were a point per game in the playoffs it probably still wouldn’t be enough. It’s just too imbalanced. We’ve seen it not work with considerably superior players. Without getting too specific, you just need more players and less passengers. They already have too many passengers and too few players. Cap increases won’t fix it. (Because better teams will still have less passengers, I don’t get why people like Adam doesn’t get this).

They haven't won a cup since I was born.. Keep it going boys....😂

Knies Matthew's Marner Cowan Tavares Nylander Mcmann Domi Jarnkrok Minten kampf Dewar Extra Reaves,Holmberg What's wrong with roster

I can't think of three LESS qualified people to try and "fix" the top 6.

Why in the F is Ryan Reaves on their team!? Can you not find someone who can scrap AND contribute defensively!?

Steve, come on. You don’t like the leafs scoring in the playoffs, but then you say their new defence can help them move the puck. 🤔

Its the top 4

Imagine paying 4 guys in your top 6 over $45million dollars and the top 6 is your problem. 😂😂 Only the Leafs.

These guys completely forgot about Connor Dewar, and Robertson wants a trade. If they sign Dewar, who has arb rights they wont have any money left for Robertson anyway. 😂 oh and Hackenpaa is the better player not Benoit. I doubt he sits.

Just make it to a Stanley Cup final that will help

Tavares on LTIR

By getting rid of Tavares and Marner and building a PROPER NHL team. FIRE SHANAHAN or lose fans !

Would much rather have Kampf than Reaves on the team. Reaves continues to be a waste of a roster spot on every team he's ever been on. Kampf in the playoffs is helpful while Reave's 6min per game are not.

This is the definition of insanity... Keep running it back with the same core hoping for a different outcome.. Geezers Tanev and Larsson aint gonna put this team over anything

OEL cannot play 2nd pair minutes. Still a half trash D.

no depth or defence.. they arent going anywhere.

When this team stops losing to the likes of Ottawa, Buffalo, Columbus etc. with those lazy games during the regular season…then maybe this team will be ‘different’.

Wow....picture is worth a thousand words. They are screwed

maybe producer Drew can fix?

The maple leafs core players still can’t perform when it matters so the result will be the same