Series Thread: Qualifying Round - Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

[BGDave]

I honestly think the Leafs looked as bad there as they did on David Ayers night.

Mitch Marner makes $11 million and if the Leafs had scratched Ceci he would’ve been the worst player on the ice.

I feel for Freddy on that one. He showed up (even if the goal was fucking awful on him). Nobody else did.

Slept on this one, much like most of the Leafs did.

I am gonna start with coaching. How the hell can they have had months knowing their opponent and yet have no set plays

Agree with the Marner comment, and Nylander was not any better. He looks a step slow. Not that he is the only one, but they dont have 2 weeks to get the rust out.

Freddy was surprisngly good IMO. Korpi was solid also. Both goalies were excellent.

Its going to be a close series. A crossbar or post here or there will make the difference. It would be nice to see the Leafs score, get ahead, and see what adjustments if any CBJ makes.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Slept on this one, much like most of the Leafs did.

I am gonna start with coaching. How the hell can they have had months knowing their opponent and yet have no set plays

Agree with the Marner comment, and Nylander was not any better. He looks a step slow. Not that he is the only one, but they dont have 2 weeks to get the rust out.

Freddy was surprisngly good IMO. Korpi was solid also. Both goalies were excellent.

Its going to be a close series. A crossbar or post here or there will make the difference. It would be nice to see the Leafs score, get ahead, and see what adjustments if any CBJ makes.

Disagree.

Hell if you're gonna pick two of the quartet to criticize for last night I don't know how the other one isn't Tavares.

 

[DragonfromTO]

More on the Dumpy McDumpface who was wearing #16 last night

 

[forty_three]

Jackets prepared, dialed in a game plan for containment and got everyone skating hard for a full 60 minutes and executed their game plan to a "T". They got a fluke goal, and a performance from their goalie above and beyond what anyone expected.

Everyone: "Leafs slept through the game". Like the Jackets had no impact on the outcome. Excatly like last year against Tampa. It's fun.

I thought the Leafs puck pursuit was good, and after the first the Jackets had to fight for time and space. Leafs absolutely shut the Jackets PP down. Freddy was calm and measured the whole game. Marner's dump and chase thing was that that was all he had. Gavrikov, Murray and Savard all had exceptional games.



Ah well... I see all the trade everyone talk. We'll take Nylander. But he has to shave that pathetic mustache off first.

 

[forty_three]

 

[BGDave]

Disagree.

Hell if you're gonna pick two of the quartet to criticize for last night I don't know how the other one isn't Tavares.

My ADD kicked in. After one or two rants, I tend to lose focus and my brain goes off looking to see how the markets are doing.

To swing over to the positive, one guy I had forgotten how much I like is Hyman. Nothing flashy, does the dirty work and is actually pretty good at it. I thought he had a decent game. One of the few Leafs that will win puck battles

 

[BGDave]

Ah well... I see all the trade everyone talk. We'll take Nylander. But he has to shave that pathetic mustache off first.

And, he can really rock a sweet bucket hat

Lets table this for Labor Day, when both are teams are getting the last few rounds in on the course

 

[DragonfromTO]

My ADD kicked in. After one or two rants, I tend to lose focus and my brain goes off looking to see how the markets are doing.

To swing over to the positive, one guy I had forgotten how much I like is Hyman. Nothing flashy, does the dirty work and is actually pretty good at it. I thought he had a decent game. One of the few Leafs that will win puck battles

I thought that whole line was decent. They all need to be better but they're probably the last three forwards I'd be criticizing for last night.

 

[DragonfromTO]

I thought the Leafs puck pursuit was good, and after the first the Jackets had to fight for time and space. Leafs absolutely shut the Jackets PP down. Freddy was calm and measured the whole game. Marner's dump and chase thing was that that was all he had. Gavrikov, Murray and Savard all had exceptional games.

I'd probably argue that's never actually all you have. He needs to examine it and figure out how he can "have" more.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Ah well... I see all the trade everyone talk. We'll take Nylander. But he has to shave that pathetic mustache off first.

Um, can I ask where? You're not wading into hfboards without galoshes, are you?

 

[forty_three]

Um, can I ask where? You're not wading into hfboards without galoshes, are you?

Worse, Reddit.

It actually started somewhere around the glove save. Tavares and Nylander have to go. They want Kardi back. Ceci should be shot into the sun. Not that I disagree with the last one.

He's still better than Zaitsev, IMO.

My ADD kicked in. After one or two rants, I tend to lose focus and my brain goes off looking to see how the markets are doing.

To swing over to the positive, one guy I had forgotten how much I like is Hyman. Nothing flashy, does the dirty work and is actually pretty good at it. I thought he had a decent game. One of the few Leafs that will win puck battles

Our announcers were saying Hyman's name the whole game. He was everywhere. Robertson was pretty good too for his debut. Liked Kapanen too.

 

[DragonfromTO]

He's still better than Zaitsev, IMO.

Even if he isn't, at worst he's just a two month "problem" now. Everyone complaining about that deal seems to forget (or just not understand) what the benefit/point was.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Disagree.

Hell if you're gonna pick two of the quartet to criticize for last night I don't know how the other one isn't Tavares.

JT’s speed has been an issue. It’s not going to get better.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I also think it needs to be said that trading Kadri and getting Kerfoot and Barrie back was a very bad trade by Dubas. Think that was already settled at this point anyway but it bears repeating.

Saw someone on the PPP board say that Barrie is everything that Leaf fans complained Gardiner was. That’s a great description.

 

[DragonfromTO]

I also think it needs to be said that trading Kadri and getting Kerfoot and Barrie back was a very bad trade by Dubas. Think that was already settled at this point anyway but it bears repeating.

Saw someone on the PPP board say that Barrie is everything that Leaf fans complained Gardiner was. That’s a great description.

I don't like Barrie's game but I'm not sure it was that easy to find someone clearly better for just $2.5 M or whatever the Leafs ended up paying him.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I don't like Barrie's game but I'm not sure it was that easy to find someone clearly better for just $2.5 M or whatever the Leafs ended up paying him.

I’m just more disappointed that for a legit 2C he couldn’t find a deal where he got a top 4 RD who doesn’t need a stay at home d-man attached to his hip (since that’s kinda what we needed lol).

I know Kadri’s rep after last season wasn’t good but this is kinda disappointing. Especially when Naz is scoring buzzer beaters for a legit Cup contender.

 

[DragonfromTO]

I’m just more disappointed that for a legit 2C he couldn’t find a deal where he got a top 4 RD who doesn’t need a stay at home d-man attached to his hip (since that’s kinda what we needed lol).

I know Kadri’s rep after last season wasn’t good but this is kinda disappointing. Especially when Naz is scoring buzzer beaters for a legit Cup contender.

Yeah but's it's kinda the same point, that type of defenseman wouldn't have cost $2.5 million against the cap. And that's what they needed to make it work.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Yeah but's it's kinda the same point, that type of defenseman wouldn't have cost $2.5 million against the cap. And that's what they needed to make it work.

Yeah but you’re assuming they needed a guy with Kerfoot’s salary at forward. They could’ve gone to the scrap heap for a Kerfoot and spent most of the cap hit on the defenceman. Fuck, they already had Tyler Ennis and could’ve kept him for league minimum.

 

[DragonfromTO]

Yeah but you’re assuming they needed a guy with Kerfoot’s salary at forward. They could’ve gone to the scrap heap for a Kerfoot and spent most of the cap hit on the defenceman. Fuck, they already had Tyler Ennis and could’ve kept him for league minimum.

I like Kerfoot more than that I guess. Not as much as Kadri of course. But Spezza or Gauthier logging 3rd line minutes (this seems to me like what would have happened) sounds like a bad plan to me.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I like Kerfoot more than that I guess. Not as much as Kadri of course. But Spezza or Gauthier logging 3rd line minutes (this seems to me like what would have happened) sounds like a bad plan to me.

I guess I just see it as I’d rather have a better blue line than a stronger third line. When we have the top six we do I’m just not all that worried about how the third line plays out warranted that the blue line was better than it is.

No right answer here regardless, we are where we are.