Toronto Maple Leafs - Playoffs 2022

[Insidious Von]

Oh well, at least they didn't get swept, like I thought they would be.

 

[Fun For All]

Washington and Boston also out...the East is such a tough conference.

 

[jalimon]

'There is always next year!'
A Leafs fan

 

[kyleb899]

Dubas and Shanahan needs to go lol, HAHA

Tampa reacts to Lightning winning Game 7 over Maple Leafs - YouTube

 

[Sonic Temple]

I agree. This Tampa team has been inconsistent. They are beatable. I was thinking the same thing. I would be surprised if they get to the Finals. Leaf played well. They played hard. They have no heart.
They are like a dog who easily chases a cat until the cat is cornered. Now the cat knows it's life or death, claws come out. At that point 95 % of domestic dogs will not know what to do and 1 bad move and the cat is gone. All wolves, coyotes, and large foxes know what to do because this is their life, they have to eat to live.
The Leafs are the lazy domestic dogs, lot's of speed and flash while chasing but when the opponents claws come out? Well then they always shuffle too much one way or the other and the kill is gone. Up 3 to 2 going into the 3rd in game six is when the cat was cornered.
Shanahan and Dumbass have to go. Let somebody else take hold of this team, it needs a heart.

Well said mate!

 

[maurice93]

 

[K Douglas]

Highly unlikely.
This isn't the same Tampa team as the last two years.

They lost about 8 players in the offseason - moves made to dump salary and move contracts - definitely not moves made to improve the team.
They've been way more inconsistent this whole season.
I would bet they're out in the next round.

I tend to agree with this analysis. They lost the following players from the 2020-2021 SC winning team
Blake Coleman
Tyler Johnson
Yanni Gourde
Barclay Goodrow
David Savard
Luke Schenn

They replaced them with
Corey Perry
P-E. Bellemare
Brandon Hagel
Taylor Raddysh
Calian Foote
Zach Bogosian

A definite drop off in FW depth. However, one of the keys for TB in winning this series was their acquisition of Nick Paul from Ottawa at the trade deadline. He played well the entire series and was finally rewarded with 2 goals in game 7. Leafs couldn't stop him and his 6'3" and 230 lb frame. He's exactly the player that the Leafs are in dire need of.

I guess the question now becomes what do we do with Dubas, Shanahan and Keefe. If it were me I'd be inclined to move on from Dubas and Keefe. First thing I do is bring in Barry Trotz as head coach. I'd also look at trading one or more of Nylander, Reilly or Muzzin. No resigning of Kerfoot, Simmonds, Holl or Campbell. Definite re-signing of Bunting to a 3 year deal. Maybe Giordano and Spezza for 1 more year. I'd also look at extending T.J. Brodie beyond next season he's a rock and still only 32.
The focus in the off season should be to get a front line goaltender and some size and grit up front.

 

[Darts]

When Kadri was traded, Tyson Barrie was famous for boneheaded plays in Colorado. They were his calling card.
Barrie had some offensive upside on the power play but he was known for brain-dead defensive lapses even before Dubas brought him here.

Just as well. I'm still pissed that Doug Ford's "buck a beer" policy never penetrated Scotiabank Arena.
The beer venders are as bad as the scalpers.

Doug Ford made his "buck a beer" pledge in 2018, which was the same year that Brendan Shanahan declared that "The rebuild is over, this is the team that will compete for the Stanley Cup the next 5 years".
There's probably some correlation between the two promises.

Always enjoy your posts. They are intelligent, rational, knowledgeable and civil.

I think Kadri had to go, for his own sanity if nothing else. He was really getting a lot of heat from Toronto fans and media. Besides, he went to a better team IMO. (I think Marner is the one getting the heat from fans and media now.)

Good or bad the Leafs, concessions and scalpers always seem to make money.

 

[Darts]

Also, if we had kept Kadri we would not have signed Tavares who had been ineffective for the most part in the 4 playoffs with the Leafs. We would have a more matured Kadri plus 5 million cap space.

Always enjoy your posts.

Tavares was never very fast and now he looks to have lost a step or two. Also, I think he was the reason the Leafs feel obliged to reward RFA Matthews and Marner with $11mm contracts at a time when the salary cap was pretty much frozen.

 

[Cheeta]

Always enjoy your posts.

Tavares was never very fast and now he looks to have lost a step or two. Also, I think he was the reason the Leafs feel obliged to reward RFA Matthews and Marner with $11mm contracts at a time when the salary cap was pretty much frozen.

Good luck trading him. At one point he was a very good player but his lack of speed are showing.Mangment changes must happen now. Matthews played great with heart. But unless they can free up lots of cap and move Tavares. I tthink they will be non-factor for future.

 

[Darts]

After my short side trip to Hanlan's, I went back to Scotia Arena again. Unbelievably, the scalpers were asking even more money. They must be sorely disappointed that the Leafs didn't advance to round 2.

BTW: Our company does have a private box but the room was taken up by managers at higher pay grades than I and VIP clients.

 

[bigdickdean]

'There is always next year!'
A Leafs fan

You must be talking about the next century.

 

[Varoufakis]

Folks … go back to the first 3 posts on this thread…. Hilarious…

the writing was on the wall…
Yes, short lived
Yes, jinxed
Yes, hurt again

 

[chuckertmg]

You must be talking about the next century.

Don't be a cynic. It's only a few more months till October when the Maple Leaf fan-boys in the Toronto media will declare us to be overwhelming Stanley Cup favourites again.
It'll be our 5th consecutive year winning the Stanley Cup in October.
No other team has ever had a dynasty like this... we're going down in history. Again.

 

[mellowjello]

Don't be a cynic. It's only a few more months till October when the Maple Leaf fan-boys in the Toronto media will declare us to be overwhelming Stanley Cup favourites again.
It'll be our 5th consecutive year winning the Stanley Cup in October.
No other team has ever had a dynasty like this... we're going down in history. Again.

This is Shanahan's press conference when he first cleaned house and unveiled the "Shanaplan"
Go to 10:12 when he's asked about his evaluation of the lineup, let's see if he's going to live up to that now,
or was it just bravado because he knew he had everyone on his side at the time.
Brendan Shanahan's Press Conference. April 13th 2015. (HD) - YouTube

 

[chrispalen]

Morgan Reilly is a defense man and yet he was the one who scored the only goal in game 7.
What is wrong with all those highly paid forwards. Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner didn't even
score one. They should get a pay cut and give Reilly a raise. Sheldon Keefe should be fired.
The only thing he did was calling a time out close to the end.
Some people are saying the Leafs should recruit Nick Paul who scored twice.
Wishful thinking. Why would Nick Paul leave a championship team to join a forever losing playoff team?

CP

 

[kyleb899]

Not looking forward to the next 30 years of leafs fans and the Toronto Sports Network complaining about the interference call that lead to the Tavares non goal.

Sportnet and Tsn are trash, they should called it Leafs trash network .

 

[chuckertmg]

Not looking forward to the next 30 years of leafs fans and the Toronto Sports Network complaining about the interference call that lead to the Tavares non goal.

This is so typical of Leafs nation: I know Toronto media is full of "experts" who are criticizing that call, but I don't understand the controversy and I've no idea why people are getting their tight little Maple Leaf panties in a knot.

Holl skated over to shoulder check the Tampa player shadowing Tavares, which directly resulted in Tavares being able to move unmolested into scoring position.
It was a textbook example of interference and was appropriately called immediately, the whistle blowing before Tavares shot the puck.

If that call was a conspiracy by the league then you must be a huge fan of Marjorie Taylor Greene and the Jewish Space Laser theory.

 

[superstar_88]

Game 7 it was TB's 3rd line that was the difference. On the game winner Killorn made a great play to take Muzzin out and keep him from clearing the puck over the blueline which would have killed the play. With the lead most of the game TB just locked it down in front of their goalie. Blocked shots and restricted the passing lanes.

Game 6 was the game to win. Even with the Kerfoot and Micki turnovers they did recover but those double high sticking penalties were killers. Leafs were able to score on Vasil for most of the series but in game 7 they locked it down.

 

[chrispalen]

If Barry Trotz would come to Toronto, should the Leafs fire Keefe and bring in Trotz?

Why would anyone with the right mind would quit a championship team to join a constant playoff losing team?
Sheldon Keefe should be fired. We need a better head coach. The only thing he did in game 7 was calling for a timeout
ned the end of period 3. Why are we still paying him. He is the the right coach for the Leafs.

CP