Leafs 2023-2024 Thread

[K Douglas]

Ryan O'Reilly chose not to stay with the Leafs and signed in Nashville.
He's the top center in Nashville with 24 goals and 56 pts. Cap hit 4.5 million
Nashville is 8-0-2 in their last 10. The team is on fire.
For comparison Tavares this season has 20 goals and 46 pts. Cap hit 11 million.
Both Tavares and O'Rielly are 33 years of age.
O'Rielly averages about 20 min per game and about 2 min on the PK and is a +7
Tavares averages 18 min per game and does not do PK and is a -3
Leafs just traded for Dewar specifically for his PK
O'Rielly also averages more PP time than Tavares.
Leafs traded a 1st round draft pick for O'Rielly.
When the Leafs had O'Rielly they moved Tavares to LW.

Imagine the Leafs if they had O'Rielly rather than Tavares as their 2nd line center with money left over.
Imagine further if Leafs instead of Bertuzzi kept Hyman. Both with cap hit of 5.5 million.
Hyman was also an exceptional defensive player for the Leafs. They could use a guy like that for the PK

Yes O'Reilly has more points and a better plus minus. But he also plays an average of 2 more minutes per game. That's pretty substantial. Tavares beats him in several other counting categories. He has a 59.9% faceoff win percentage, O'Reilly is 54.5%. Tavares has dished out 95 hits to O'Reilly's 24. Tavares has 223 shots on goal to O'Reilly's 154.
Also O'Reilly plays on the top line with Filip Forsberg and Gustav Nyquist who both have accumulated more points than him.
Besides his rookie season this is JT's worse points per game production of his career. I would say part of that is due to less ice time, particularly on the PP. But also due to not having the best complementary line mates. I always though he gelled better with Marner than he does with Nylander. And his other winger has been a rotating cycle throughout the season - Robertson, Knies and now Domi.

Bang for the buck though its pretty easy to say that O'Reilly is the better option.

 

[roddermac]

Yes O'Reilly has more points and a better plus minus. But he also plays an average of 2 more minutes per game. That's pretty substantial. Tavares beats him in several other counting categories. He has a 59.9% faceoff win percentage, O'Reilly is 54.5%. Tavares has dished out 95 hits to O'Reilly's 24. Tavares has 223 shots on goal to O'Reilly's 154.
Also O'Reilly plays on the top line with Filip Forsberg and Gustav Nyquist who both have accumulated more points than him.
Besides his rookie season this is JT's worse points per game production of his career. I would say part of that is due to less ice time, particularly on the PP. But also due to not having the best complementary line mates. I always though he gelled better with Marner than he does with Nylander. And his other winger has been a rotating cycle throughout the season - Robertson, Knies and now Domi.

Bang for the buck though its pretty easy to say that O'Reilly is the better option.

But O'Reilly also makes less than half of Tavares salary wise and is a little more than a third of the cap hit. Nothing wrong with Tavares or his salary but that money would've been better spent on defence which the Leafs clearly lack.

 

[roddermac]

You're guilty of projecting. Because every hardcore Leaf fan I know thinks the same as I do. That this team is not built to win 4 rounds in the playoffs.

Funny because every hardcore Leafs fan I know says the opposite. They believe Woll is the next Roy and that Max Domi is the next Gretzky.

 

[shack]

Funny because every hardcore Leafs fan I know says the opposite. They believe Woll is the next Roy and that Max Domi is the next Gretzky.

You are obviously speaking to people who have no grasp on reality and clearly do not know hockey.

Or maybe if they say that Woll is playing pretty well, you interpret it to mean that they believe Woll is the next Roy.

 

[superstar_88]

But O'Reilly also makes less than half of Tavares salary wise and is a little more than a third of the cap hit. Nothing wrong with Tavares or his salary but that money would've been better spent on defence which the Leafs clearly lack.

Nothing wrong with Tavares salary? Are you out of your mind. Everything is wrong with his salary. People complain about Nylander's salary and he's making under 7 mill. Marner is making less than Tavares and people think he's overpaid.
Only 3 Centers currently make more than Tavares and they are MacKinnon, McDavid, and McMatthews

What Leafs should do next year is what TB did with Kucherov and Vegas did with Stone. Put Tavares on LTR and get two 5.5 million D for a pairing and have Tavares miraculously heal for the playoffs very well rested.

 

[oral.com]

Nothing wrong with Tavares salary? Are you out of your mind. Everything is wrong with his salary. People complain about Nylander's salary and he's making under 7 mill. Marner is making less than Tavares and people think he's overpaid.
Only 3 Centers currently make more than Tavares and they are MacKinnon, McDavid, and McMatthews

What Leafs should do next year is what TB did with Kucherov and Vegas did with Stone. Put Tavares on LTR and get two 5.5 million D for a pairing and have Tavares miraculously heal for the playoffs very well rested.

I think the Leafs should buy him out and move him into player development or management. JT bleeds blue and white, but its time to hang up the skates. His body just can’t do what it used to do. Yes, he can still win faceoffs but its a teachable skill.

 

[maurice93]

What Leafs should do next year is what TB did with Kucherov and Vegas did with Stone. Put Tavares on LTR and get two 5.5 million D for a pairing and have Tavares miraculously heal for the playoffs very well rested.

Do you have any surgeries or legit injuries planned for Tavares to start the year, that the NHL will approve?

Kucherov was legit injured and had surgery. Stone is legit injured. The issue is whether they are healthy in the final few weeks of the regular season which then is the cap issue.

 

[superstar_88]

Do you have any surgeries or legit injuries planned for Tavares to start the year, that the NHL will approve?

Kucherov was legit injured and had surgery. Stone is legit injured. The issue is whether they are healthy in the final few weeks of the regular season which then is the cap issue.

Some staff member will need to tonya harding him.
Leafs put Murray on LTR this whole season.
Perhaps this is their Kucherov move.

 

[glamphotographer]

Some staff member will need to tonya harding him.
Leafs put Murray on LTR this whole season.
Perhaps this is their Kucherov move.

Tavares was legit hurt, their team doctor could sign off on a medical note for the NHL to approve LTIR.

 

[glamphotographer]

Sammy played a good game. I was pissed that the Leafs let him down for that 2nd goal...a shortie with just a minute and a half left.

The Flyers coach was pissed about Keefe sending out the top PP unit in a 6-1 lead. Keefe said "They got a shorthanded goal out of it".

 

[superstar_88]

I think the Leafs should buy him out and move him into player development or management. JT bleeds blue and white, but its time to hang up the skates. His body just can’t do what it used to do. Yes, he can still win faceoffs but its a teachable skill.

Leafs in their last playoff series with Boston used 2 wingers to kill penalties. It was Hyman and Marner. Couldn't win faceoffs. Not against Bergeron. Boston's PP steam rolled over the Leafs. They couldn't use Tavares since he can't kill penalties.

 

[maurice93]

Some staff member will need to tonya harding him.
Leafs put Murray on LTR this whole season.
Perhaps this is their Kucherov move.

The Kucherov situation was easier to accomplish for Tampa. It was a retaining players issue (since they were over the cap) rather than acquiring additional players issue. It was a shorter season that year (Covid) that lasted about 4 months.

It was a legit surgery that typically heals in 3-4 months. They just had to stretch out the final healing process for a few weeks at the end when he was healthy enough to play. Others didn't like it but it was very plausible timeline.

Adding a few months to the injury process for Tavares (he will need to be out for 6 months) if you intend to attract FA's just makes it harder to pull off.

 

[superstar_88]

The Flyers coach was pissed about Keefe sending out the top PP unit in a 6-1 lead. Keefe said "They got a shorthanded goal out of it".

They only got the short-handed goal after Keefe took out the top unit and put on the 4th line with Reaves. The penalty looked like a punch to the head of a Leaf. A free shot. If that's the case then why not put out your top unit and put another dagger in it.

The penalty at 17:11 of the 3rd period was officially Cam York roughing on Matthew Knies so if the game was already over in the Flyers eyes why is Cam York roughing up a Leaf player. If it was an accidental tripping penalty that would be a different story.

 

[glamphotographer]

Leafs in their last playoff series with Boston used 2 wingers to kill penalties. It was Hyman and Marner. Couldn't win faceoffs. Not against Bergeron. Boston's PP steam rolled over the Leafs. They couldn't use Tavares since he can't kill penalties.

I think faceoffs are going to be huge in the playoffs. Tavares wins faceoffs and is one of the best in the league.

 

[superstar_88]

The Kucherov situation was easier to accomplish for Tampa. It was a retaining players issue (since they were over the cap) rather than acquiring additional players issue. It was a shorter season that year (Covid) that lasted about 4 months.

It was a legit surgery that typically heals in 3-4 months. They just had to stretch out the final healing process for a few weeks at the end when he was healthy enough to play. Others didn't like it but it was very plausible timeline.

Adding a few months to the injury process for Tavares (he will need to be out for 6 months) if you intend to attract FA's just makes it harder to pull off.

They were able to put Muzzin on LTIR without surgery. For 2 whole years. Albeit he's probably legit injured since there's no sign of him making a miraculous comeback in the playoffs. Leafs have been very good at getting players on LTIR. They created Robidas island for just that. Remember Joffrey Lupul?

 

[glamphotographer]

Leafs won 7 straight against Philly, are the Leafs The Bay Street Bullies?

 

[superstar_88]

I think faceoffs are going to be huge in the playoffs. Tavares wins faceoffs and is one of the best in the league.

Sure, but Tavares does not take faceoffs when Leafs are on the PK and their PK this season has been terrible.
Both Florida and Boston have very good power plays. Florida is 2nd in the league. TB is 1st.

 

[glamphotographer]

Robertson is back in the lineup.

 

[glamphotographer]

Sure, but Tavares does not take faceoffs when Leafs are on the PK and their PK this season has been terrible.
Both Florida and Boston have very good power plays. Florida is 2nd in the league. TB is 1st.

They relied on Kampf and now Dewar. Maybe on the PK Tavares wins the faceoff, Leafs get the puck down the ice and Tavares goes off. Leafs have games to try it before the playoffs.

 

[shack]

The Flyers coach was pissed about Keefe sending out the top PP unit in a 6-1 lead. Keefe said "They got a shorthanded goal out of it".

Regardless of how pissed the coach was, does not excuse how poorly the Leafs played that shift. They looked like the Keystone Kops there.