I remember Game 5 of the Montreal/Toronto playoff series. Marner had the puck and was approaching the Montreal blueline. He saw Weber and Chiarot (?) with their hands on their sticks in the crosscheck position. He then decided maybe not to gain the blueline but skate along it. When I saw it I knew Montreal was going to win because they would sacrifice more.
This is really smart analysis. Subbed as a leafs fan. It’s funny us leaf fans are well aware of the heart and soul teams because of the teams we had in the early 1990s and again in the late 1990s/ early 2000s
There is a lot of talk of him being the second best player in the league, in Toronto. The Hart trophy he won should have been MacKinnon's. He is having the best season of his career. He is a top 20 guy. But yes there are a dozen players I'd take in a second before Matthews.
I think a lot of fans know what the problems are with this team. The message needs to go to the management team, not the fans I disagree that the coach doesn't impact the culture of the team. Of course he does - look at what Torts and Babcock did, for better or worse. Not having a strong culture like these coaches is also a culture in of itself. Obviously Dubas and others also created the losing culture in Toronto as well - it's an entire management problem - but I don't think educated fans need to be told this. Who are you talking to exactly? The documentary "All of nothing" showed this quite well. I get a sense nothing has really changed. Need major firings from top-down. Everything from Shanahan to the PP/PK coaches. Everything.
There’s not a lot of educated fans here. Most eat every word super fan Steve Dangle says. Man’s an utter moron at times. Basic chatter in bars etc most ppl simply don’t have much depth to understanding the game. Sure there are some who get it. But the regular Joe gets it much less than a lot of true hockey towns. Look at Sid Cicero- again such a basic viewpoint and understanding and he led a sports talk show for years with that moron Tim.
Thank you! Life long bruins fan in my 40s. Have lived here for 17 years now, from US. Everything you said I have been preaching here for over 10 years. I said top down the team doesn’t have the culture. It’s just not there and it truly is laughable. Thinking they have a contender every season. I know the bruins don’t have it fully this year but I know they won’t go out to the Leafs. The scorers they have don’t play like men, they don’t have any sort of a cohesive system, can’t win a puck battle, blame it all on the goalie. What goalie would want to play there, look like a dented up door and bombed in the media. Liked and subscribed. Should be a fun round 2. See you there!
Its funny how everyone else in the league that follows other hockey teams besides their own understand this but the fans in Toronto don't. You would think that something would have been done with the powerplay being one of the worst if not the worst in the playoffs this season. Shocker about the leadership in the locker room problem. If anything, the other night when Matthews and Marner and Nylander were yelling at each other on the bench, Tavares should have been the one speaking out there and pushing the team to win. Did we see that? NOPE! I feel for the Islanders for losing him in the way it happened but I almost think you got a blessing in disguise there as well. That "C" needs to come off of Tavares and placed on either Rielly or Nylander or hell, bring someone like Stamkos if Tampa doesn't want him. You need a leader on and off the ice not just off the ice. Accountability is something that I def know that needs to happen over there. In Nashville after the game last night where it should have been a win instead of an OT loss after the greatest comeback I have seen from Canucks. The fans right now are lightning up not only Saros but pretty much everyone on the team. That feedback from the fan base is needed for everyone, including your star player. I have seen Josi, Forsberg, hell even Pekka Rinne get lit up from the fans in social media when they were not playing as the caliber that we knew they would. Even if it meant them leaving the team, you are 100% right, fans need to push for that accountability the whole season.
Well said. Very accurate description of the Leafs. They spent way too much on that top 4. It left nothing for a supporting cast. Tavares was a mistake. Great player, too expensive. They should have taken that money and invested in a top defenseman and they would have had money left over to invest elsewhere.
Well when you go 2 and 13 on the powerplay it hard to come back from that Boston capitalize on their power play, even if they get one or 2 or 3 Miss opportunities in front the net
In do or die playoff games the Core 4 and Reilly have a combined record of 0-29...4 goals scored and a - 27 Marner, Matthews, Nylander & Rielly are just one game back of their ex teammate Jason Spezza for having the worst record in do or die games...Spezza was 0-7 in his career...the other 4 are currently 0-6...only time will tell if they can climb to the summit and join their place in the Playoff Hall of Shame.
Mhmmmmm!! 🤨 🤔 I thought 2 years ago they should’ve pulled the trigger on a start over Start from scratch Young core group not just core 4 with 3 veteran players at most and team toughness that’ll play for the name on the front and check their egos at the door and not the name on the back Trade for also young prospects 23 & under to 19 & acquire high end draft picks with late drafts to fill the farm team Then fill the gap with best possible free agents with 3-4 free agents at most All new coaching staff Proven stripes that have been in the league like the Canucks with Tocchet , Foote & Gonchar Leadership that’ll demand respect and honour
Dude, its insane you're defending Marner as a non-Leafs fan. The guy is not good in the playoffs. Every year we get the same thing from Mitch. And I mean, fair point what you're saying about Matthews and Nylander. But with your first point about the coaching structure, I think you are exactly correct. So guys like Matthews and Nylander, they're not thriving at their potential within the system we have in place. Keefe shouldn't have been the coach to start with.
62% of their salary cap is tied up in five players. Tavares and Marner have their contracts coming up and have no move clauses in their contracts. They are stuck with this line-up that has gotten worse and worse each year and which they have to replenish every year.
You have no idea how fortunate you are not being anywhere near Leafs territory. Decades of the media talking about how talented the Leafs are. Decades of being told they were Stanley Cup contenders. It was Kyper who convinced me years ago to become a Panthers fan when he talked about Florida having eight fans. Toronto is the most arrogant hockey community there is. Canada has the most biased announcers. And when all the Canadian teams are eliminate, they try to satisfy their fragile egos by reminding viewers where in Canada hockey players were born. Ft Leafs. PS New subscriber. Greetings from Southern Canada.
Matthews is a goal scoring star who can get physical and win puck battles and a must keep...Marner is way overpaid and should be jettisoned....Willy is all offense...not very good defensively, probably could trade him and use the 11.5 more efficiently and get assets to boot...Tavares is fine, but contract is an albatross at this point...can't pay 11mil for basically someone who wins faceoffs and has 2nd line talent at this moment....Reilly is okay, but not a true #1 Lockdown physical defenceman....Domi is a pest, not great defensively, but at right price i'd bring him back (3-3.5mil)...Bertuzzi seems to play a playoff style, but without much result...he'll probably be looking for long term contract at 6-7 mil...so Leafs might have to pass and let someone else take the risk....Bring back all of the lower cost D if they don't expect major raises...Lybuskin, Benoit, Edmundson all can come back on low cap deals...Then use the money by moving on from Marner, Willy and Tavares and grab a Stud D man, or pair of top notch shut down defenders...I truly believe you can keep Matthews surround him with one other guy who can feed him the puck (at far less than 11mil per season) and build the D and hope Woll is the real deal and go from there...as for the other perimeter offensive stars (Willy & Mitch) time to get substantial returns as either draft picks or players and change the culture of this squad....As a Leaf loather I really hated the fact when they acquired Ryan O'Reilly last year...he had the playoff makeup you want...but, luckily he didn't want to play in the media cesspool known as Toronto and decided to sign elsewhere....Well Leaf fans I think we've finally come to the point where the Core 4 will not be a reality by playoff time next year...at least 1 will be on the move....and Shanny and Keefe will be gone too....Amazing that this super hyped bunch has performed even more miserably in the playoffs than the Harold Ballard laughing stock era teams during the 80s...a team which averaged about 60 points a season during the regular season.
The soft culture, if there is any culture at all in that toxic locker room is the biggest demon of this team.. The spoiled rich kids live on their own planet, do what they want and are allowed to do so. I dont think Keefe catches all the blame here at all, I feel bad for the rest of the guys caught up in the toxic, ego warfare behind closed doors that spilled onto national television for everyone to finally see (awesome) Marner HAS to go this summer but I am afraid he is not the only toxic element in that room. I dont care how good a player is and what his numbers are, if they are not hungry for the big prize and look most of the time like they dont give a flying rats butt, I dont want them on my team. I feel bad for Bert and Domi getting dropped into the middle of a boy-band fight and dealing with behind closed doors BS and would love to keep them, Bert more so, but I think he wants the @#$#$ out of here ASAP.. He is a real to the core hockey player and there are too few of those on the leafs and that wastes him.. I could see him going back to boston or even the wings, to teams with identities and workhorse cultures, not sitting around a toxic silver spoon room where he is just out of place... Damn this team pissssses me off sooo much. On paper we should be ripping most every team a new one every night but a lack of heart and soul and actual desire are missing from that mix and we got what we see.. a bunch of individual players, not a team in the slightest
Its accepted by the cliche.." May the best team win" ...the problem here is that the Leafs are not the best...simple as that ...shut up..fix it..and move on.... All the talking heads only add to the problems of distraction ..especially in Leaf Land ...
Your comments are in hindsight, after the fact. You don't say anything that isn't already known in and around Toronto regarding the Leafs. Toronto & the Leafs aren't naive. New word all the podcast bros are using = snot. Bros know a lot about snot. Podcast bros want subscribers for their channel, they'll say anything. Marner wants to spend his millions without being injured. Willy is auditioning for porn hub. So what should the Leaf fans do, make the decisions for MLSEntertainment? This is about entertainment not actual sport competition.
It was a long, soporific comment that clearly demonstrates that the Leafs are an illusion. The entire premise of Toronto fans and commentators is false. The Leafs are not a talented team and I add that without the culture and transcendent personalities, they are not a “team”. You seem incapable of saying out loud the taboo name of the real person responsible... Shanahan. Fans are calling for players to be brave but you yourself wouldn't have the audacity to point a finger in the right direction.
You Sir need to be given a consulting job with Leaf upper management. Or even better just send them this 27.51 minute assessment of the team at a one million dollar fee. This would be money well spent by the ownership. People continue tzona harp on the core 4 making 10+ mill as being the problem. It is not the problem. What coach wouldn't want 4 guys who can score close to 100 points every year on the same team. You have to pay 100 point guys and pay 20% more in Canadian markets because of our tax structure. The problems are as you say perfectly. The problem is that none of them are team leaders. All incredibly quiet, introverted powderpuffs that don't make for Captain material. Just look at the lack of emotion on their faces on the bench or their inane comentary after a loss with the press. They all look like they are deep in thought about what kind of flooring they want
@@ronmurray7349 lol Babcock was a fucking weirdo going through players phones and pitting guys against each other. I'd KILL if we could get a coach like Tortorella, or Mike Keenan. Babs was just a weirdo.
The reason the Leafs can't play a structured game is ALL about the lazy spoiled players not wanting or more likely not able to play that way. The Leafs are lead by 3 of the most entitled brats sport has ever seen. I knew the Leafs were doomed when the new GM re-signed Nylander to that ridiculous contract! The guy is the biggest floater in the NHL! But somehow the Leafs brass think if you score a few points that's good enough. If you watch any very good NHL team in the playoffs EVERY shift is all out compete!! Does old Willy compete like that?? Never! the only big 4 player worth keeping on the Leafs is Matthews, the rest NEED TO GO!!
lol that was comical. Well played. He said everything you could possibly say all correct and you hit em with a you’re clueless buddy! Fuckin eh right. 😂
