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26 Jan 2025 14:20:48
I'm starting to lose faith in Berube. It seems like the same song and dance Keefe would do, albeit different systems.
Marner & Matthews always stapled together, regardless who's injured or not. To make matters worse, they bring up their best remaining LW to play with them and have a blender for the rest of the lines.
Ut makes Ottawa's job easier only having to shut down one line and having the last change to boot.
When Matthews was injured, JT gets shifted with Marner. Now that Knies is also injured, McMann gets shifted to the top line with Matthews & Marner.
Now I know Nylander has his faults, but give me a break, he gets shifted all over the map playing with Holmberg and Kampf and whatever other scraps the team has. AND he doesn't complain at all, at least to the media.
I would love to see if Marner reaction if this happened to him.
Berube needs to split Marner and Matthews, especially with all these injuries Leafs have. Even when the team is healthy, I would like Marner and Matthews split to help balance the rest of the team.

One final note, Matthews calls the fans out after the Reaves fight, and probably rightly so. BUT, he responds the next game with his worst showing since coming back from injury. He was dog rubbish last night IMO.

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26 Jan 2025 16:18:46
Well said Tagsy and I agree. Not sure why we always resort to keeping these two together. We have watched them fail in playoffs year after year. I was hoping Berube would be the guy to put a stop to this. If you want to make over 10+M per year, you should be able to run your own line with production. It’s annoying that I don’t think they have played longer than a period apart this year, like why not even try it Chief?

27 Jan 2025 14:25:16
I am all for having Marner away from Matthews, although my idea for the top two lines when healthy is not the most popular on here either.
I see this as a more playoff style hockey they are playing. Berube is still trying new combos to see what will work. Plus, injuries have been plentiful this year and hard to really know what Berube would want to try when healthy. I'm not too worried about too much. Playoffs will be the real test. Until then, it's just how hard are they willing to compete and what habits are we seeing. imo.

29 Jan 2025 13:58:43
RLF. Agreed they are playing a different system, which is more playoff style hockey.
My beef is that Berube even though he may be trying new combos to see what works, he is still just like Keefe in the fact that he never seems to split Matthews/ Marner. Especially with all these injuries, it makes more sense to spread the wealth instead of loading up one power line with all the best players from each position making it easier for teams to shut the Leafs down.
I would just like him to experiment with Matthews & Marner split. Maybe try Domi up with Matthews again and see if they still have some of that chemistry they built last season.

29 Jan 2025 15:53:25
Tags. You guys make valid points. Just my opinion, but I think all the injuries is the main part of this. You try and spread it out with all these injuries on a team still learning to play a completely different way, and they may never score. They were starting to find a rhythm and then JT and Patches went down. Then Knies. Nevermind Stolarz also being out. I am actually surprised how competitive they have remained in pretty much every game. But that's me.

29 Jan 2025 18:26:38
Have to agree with RLF on the injuries. JT (as aligned as he is at times), is still a solid 2C option. Not having a 3C hurts, but having no 2C is devastating. I'm surprised they're winning at all.

29 Jan 2025 20:43:57
LL. Injuries are playing a big part imo.
The top line expected tonight is McMann-Matthews-Marner which is fine. 2nd line is Domi-Holmberg-Nylander (yikes)3rd line is Patches (if possible) -Minten-Robertson (not strong) 4th line Lorentz-Kampf-Reaves (Reaves has really declined)
I look at it this way-If that was the lineup to start the season, people would have said we're not even going to come close to making the playoffs. Nevermind the goaltending tandem of Woll and Murray as well.

26 Jan 2025 04:54:09
I commend the GM for Colorado and President Joe Sakic for kicking Rattinen to the curb for being greedy.

Teams want to spread out the money to balance teams not all end up like Toronto and Edmonton with 3 or four players making all the money.

Just look at Toronto's salary cap sheet.
Four forwards $46.5 million, that is just wrong. 1 player at $3.5, 1 player at $2.5 and all the rest at $900 - $700 thousand.
And you ask where is the second daily scoring, on other teams, dumbies!

If Toronto ever wants to win a cup of come close, spread the money around.

Dubas screwed all the fans with his analidical bull, and gave out full no-trade classes like candy to a fat kid.

Treliving was handed a bag of rubbish to work with but hopefully he can fix it by next year!

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26 Jan 2025 04:38:16
HEY BRADLEY,

HERE'S AN IDEA, CALL THE GM'S IN VEGAS AND TAMPA AND GET THIER DOCTORS PHONE NUMBER SO THEY CAN DIAGNOSIS TAVARES AS A GROIN TEAR AND OUT FOR THE SEASON.

THEN PULL A STONEY-KUCHEROV AND USE THE $11 MILLION AND GO GET SOME F..CKING PLAYERS!

IF YOU DIDN'T NOTICE THERE ARE ABOUT 8 TEAMS FIGHTING FOR 2 WILD CARD SPOTS AND THEY ARE GOING TO GET ALL THE PLAYERS THAT YOU WANT BUT DON'T HAVE THE MONEY OR BALLS TO GET!

GET OFF YOUR ASS AND GET RID OF OUR THIRD AND FOURTH LINE TRASH AND GET SOME PLAYERS.

ALSO LET MARNER WALK, AS HAVING FOUR SO CALLED SUPERSTARS MAKING $50 MILLION COMBINED WIN NOT WIN!

OH AND KICK RIELLY TO THE CURB WHILE YOUR AT IT, SEND HIM TO PITTSBURGH TO SUCK ON DUBAS'S TIT!

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26 Jan 2025 01:48:22
Garbage again in ottawa
The softies have no grind to find a way to win
Berube better bag skate these wimps
No heart

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25 Jan 2025 11:16:49
Thoughts on rantanen trade?
Me personally don't think the Avs got enough necas is a good player.. He doesn't replace the offence rantanen puts up dury is ok young guy I think they did good getting a younger player. if I had one gripe it's how did they not get one of Jarvis or svech or a 1st.

How this ties to the leafs is marner I would say this is the market for marner now would you take this package for marner?

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25 Jan 2025 14:42:20
If that's all Rantanen gets as a better player on a way better contract, I don't know what we can't expect foe Mitchy.

25 Jan 2025 16:02:13
LL I guess there's not much more to expect on a Marner deal, unless an extention is part of the trade.
Goat 2.0 obviously the AVS determined they weren't going to extend Rantanen at $14Mish, so they probably got the best deal they could for a pending UFA (instead of letting him walk for nothing) . Plus I think the fact that Colorado already won a cup makes to move easier to do.
As for the Leafs and Marner, I don't think anyone would be happy with this return, especially since the Leafs haven't won a cup. If Leafs had won, then I'd personally punt Marner out the door.

25 Jan 2025 20:16:30
I got to believe there was a better trade to be had another team would of ponied up the right pieces I mean rantanen was said to be caught off guard and never thought he was getting traded watch this dude pop off now lol.

25 Jan 2025 20:26:32
It’s cause Raantanen is on the last year of his deal and could potentially be a rental if they don’t come to an agreement. Tough for playoff contending teams to shovel out 14M for this guy. If Carolina loses out early and Raantanen doesn’t resign there, they would be losing Necas and Drury for nothing so that IMO is why Jarvis or Svech isn’t in the deal.

23 Jan 2025 19:54:07
Leafs need upgrades everywhere but in goal. Domi, Robertson, Kamph, Reaves, Holmberg, Timmins, Myers, Benoit…. all of them need to go.

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24 Jan 2025 13:02:14
Odd statement about goaltending considering you trashed Woll not long ago and Hildeby just crapped the bed in the last game.

24 Jan 2025 21:03:52
You made the same post last week we get it you don’t like the depth players cool.

19 Jan 2025 17:14:26
I’m giving Knies an assist on McMann’s goal; after all he did help.
LOL.

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17 Jan 2025 18:32:53
Reaves, Domi, Benoit, Timmins, Myers, Holmberg, Robertson, Kamph…. find a way to get rid of all of them. Don’t even care how.

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18 Jan 2025 04:54:37
I'm fine with Domi. I don't understand all the hate honestly.

Domi is exactly what the team needs. He's willing to fight, agitates, plays all forward positions (2 of them poorly, but he can), at a great rpixe and most importantly, wants this team to succeed more than anything.

If Willy had the drive Domi does, he'd be rivaling Mcdavid for best in the world.

18 Jan 2025 12:39:29
Domi plays with heart and really hasn’t been given much of a chance to play up in the lineup.

Benoit is everything that this team lacks in physicality yes ge takes a lot of penalties but come playoff time he will be valuable

And myers is cheap depth keep him the rest I can agree with you but you’re not getting much back in a trade.

18 Jan 2025 13:07:40
Cops,
Agree with Goat and LL on Domi, Benoit and Myers.
They are not the problem IMO; the others need replacement as you say.
And I daresay that you do care how, just because it’s our Leafs!

18 Jan 2025 14:21:36
Same 3 I would keep.
You don't trade cheap, big, physical D-men in their mid/ later 20's that can be your 5-7 guys that can PK (unless in a package for a major upgrade of course) . Who can you replace them with that are better and no more expensive? Benoit and Myers are pieces I would keep. Two more years of Benoit at $1.35M and Myers at $.850M is great, cheap depth.
Domi is expensive if you look at points alone, but as the others have said, he plays hard, great speed and stands up for guys. He WANTS to be in Toronto wearing that sweater. You know he is going to play hard in the playoffs.

I had defended Kampf for a while, but he just isn't playing physical enough this season and and he seems a step slower. At $2.4M, he can be replaced with a more physical and cheaper option.
Timmins, Robertson and Holmberg I have never really been a big fan of and Reaves just isn't doing anything in his role, so he is redundant.

18 Jan 2025 16:54:11
@RLF I was also a Kampf supporter and thought he could be 3C. As he is though, he needs to go. In a perfect world he makes 1.5 and is a shutdown centre, but that's just too much money for a black hole offensively.

17 Jan 2025 00:52:16
Again very tough to watch and be upset.

The Leafs have fumbled the puck time after time tonight; Knies and Robertson handle the puck like it’s a hot potato.

Our D while semi capable defending are simply poor at making a first pass. The forwards being too far up the ice doesn’t help.

And our opposition’s goaltending has been better than ours recently.

If NJ scores the next goal I hit the sack early.

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17 Jan 2025 12:59:07
I thought they battled all game last night. Best game I have seen them play in a while. (Except OEL who was brutal most of the night)
Where I do agree with you is that the forwards being so far up ice all the time is a huge problem and that they are being out-goaltended too much lately. Woll needs to get his game back on track.

I would also say that the forwards are not reading plays well enough in the D-zone and on the PK. I don't put it all on the D. The wingers are getting pinched down on when the puck comes to them and the bump play from winger on the boards to the centre just isn't there because the C is nowhere to be found leaving the winger screwed. And then on clean breakouts, all the forwards are outside the blueline already. They need at least one shorter outlet to hit the neutral zone with speed and the wingers need to be hitting the opposition blueline moving forward for dump-ins, not standing there just to chip it in. Same issues as you said about the PP is there at 5 on 5. Berube needs to still break them of these horrible habits.

17 Jan 2025 15:25:36
Give Woll some rest. Just because Stolarz is out doesn't mean you ride Woll every night. He isn't that guy.

17 Jan 2025 18:04:20
LL. He may need some rest, but in the playoffs he could be playing every other night. He needs to figure out how to handle playing more. imo.

18 Jan 2025 00:03:25
@RLF Goalies have won cups as tandems. If that's what this is then I'm fine with it.

18 Jan 2025 12:30:49
LL. They have, but typically if one gets hot he gets the net. No guarantee both stay healthy either. I can't imagine if Woll is on a run in the playoffs, they sit him to give him a rest. Both goalies need to be able to 0lay multiple games in a row. imo.

18 Jan 2025 13:15:24
Agree RLF that it was hard-fought and a better effort.

The puck handling problems of Knies and Robertson is frequent and seems to stem from their anxiousness; they’re like jitterbugs in their movement, not smooth and deceptive.

Stick speed is important but not to the detriment of losing the puck. Perhaps a little more head and body movement would create more deceptiveness.

And again let’s hope the PP improves.

18 Jan 2025 14:27:04
Rsears. I agree, I think it is a little anxiousness. They see an opportunity happening and try to (more quickly then needed) move the puck and then lose control of the puck just enough that the opportunity is now lost.

15 Jan 2025 08:35:45
At this point Toronto should strongly consider blowing this up it's been awful from top to bottom. the players still make the calls on who they play with the coaching staff can't figure out how to run a power play.. And the star players have had such little impacts on the games.

Last night was the worst I've seen the blueline goals 2,3,4 there wasn't a defender within 5 feet of the goal scorer I'm over the whole Reilly thing yes he's been here through everything but he looks like a guy who's gonna drop off hard as he already has started. Trade diva marner and get what you can he isn't gonna get you to a cup and at this point if Tavares number is at or above 5 mill I'm not interested. Leafs brass needs to take this team back!

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15 Jan 2025 12:04:52
They are 1st in the Atlantic and you want to blow it up?

15 Jan 2025 13:47:01
I think a deep breath is needed. They need to get back to playing Berube hockey. He will keep on them and if Willy keeps slacking, I do believe Berube will send him a message sooner than later. Stolarz and McCabe back will make a huge difference.

15 Jan 2025 15:50:54
@leafslife @RLF what I mean by blow it up is rebuild the core as in restructuring it I don’t believe in this team if a few injuries can derail them this much… and I also find it hard to believe that the players aren’t the one pulling the strings any other coach would have seen the amount of success marner had without Matthews and been like I’m not putting them two back together also any coach could look at the power play and see that it’s not gonna work it started being bad last playoffs which cost them the series… and will cost them again this year if they don’t fix it. all I’m saying is even when they were winning they weren’t dominating team and being 1st in the Atlantic isn’t as big of a flex as it was in years past the leafs are a good week and a half of bad play and they could be out of a playoff spot…. And bringing in one centre does not help fix the issues as a team.

15 Jan 2025 20:00:54
@Goat most teams can't handle 2 injuries to key guys. If Makar or Helly went down for 6 months both their teams would feel it.

16 Jan 2025 12:16:34
Goat. Fair enough on the core, but how has it been awful from top to bottom? I mean, no one was saying blow it up during the 5 game winning streak. But a 3 game losing streak and it needs blowing up.
I get the frustration. All I would say is that this team made a ton of changes in the off-season. New coaches, New goalie, 4 new defenceman (although Hakanpaa has hardly played) and 2 new forwards.
The PP is a big concern, I agree. Should they spread out the talent more between 2 units, I think they should. Should they have already benched Willy and sent a message, I think they should have. Do they need a true 3C, I think they do. Would I trade Marner if possible and use the cap space to grab two or 3 less high profile players, I would. Easier said then done when he has a full no move.
This isn't the end result likely of this years team, it's just mid-season.

17 Jan 2025 11:25:11
RFL I think part of the problem too is that willy is the only one of the core to ever get punished because the other guys are too fragile? When I’m saying it’s bad from top to bottom I look at the games while they are winning and a lot of nights they win because their goalie stood on his head. One of McCabe or tanev go down and the blueline is toast…. I think if the leafs can play like they did against jersey in the third period more consistently they may be able to do something but we just haven’t seen it consistently. Maybe I’m being too hard on them but I see the flaws of this team and Like most leafs fans I’m pretty damaged from all the losing they have done. lol.

17 Jan 2025 12:49:00
Goat. I think the franchise is still suffering from the Dubas years to an extent. I don't think it's possible to undue what Dubas did in 1 year. I like the makeup of this team more than any we have had in years. Really good (yet fragile goaltending it seems) . The D-core is the best we've had in ages imo. Upfront, the talent is there, they still need to break embedded bad habits that pop up.

As for Willy. The reason I said bench Willy is because the effort wasn't there. He is the worst for that. Effort is the one thing he can control. Last night, he was a beast. He was physical, he battled hard. He didn't take a shift off. And Voila, he also scores twice. Even if he didn't score, I would have said Willy had a good game. No one on the team slacks like Willy does and that is why he is the one that gets punished imo. Typically, effort is not the issue with Matthews or Marner.

14 Jan 2025 02:04:43
If the Leafs want to improve their power play try this,

PP1
KIVES (NET FRONT)

NYLANDER. MATTHEWS
(DOT). (DOT)

TAVARES (BUMPER)


OEL

THIS IS THE ARROW SETUP, THE DEFENSE CAN SLAP IT FROM THE POINT AND THE BUMPER CAN MOVE DOWN TO HELP WITH REBOUND
OR
THE BUMPER CAN PASS OFF TO EITHER DOT FOR A ONE TIMER.

PP2

PATCHERITY (NET)

MCMANN (DOT). ROBERTSON (DOT)

MARNER (BUMPER)

RIELLY OR MYERS(POINT)

SAME EFFECT JUST HAVE TO SHOOT!!!!

SOMEONE SEND THIS TO SAVARD!

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14 Jan 2025 13:10:48
From what I have seem is they are often too static. They need to be moving their feet more and the puck quicker when they set up. Just moving the puck around while players remain static allows the defenders to keep their box tight and intact. The passing lanes never change when offensive players remain static.
IMO, Get guys moving so the defender feels he has to slide a bit out of his spot to cover a newly created lane and that will open up lanes as the defenders react to the changing positions of the offensive players. Need to get the defenders moving. Get them to chase a bit and then throw one at the net while outnumbering for a rebound.
It's not rocket science, but you can tell they are feeling the pressure right now. They look like they are gripping their sticks pretty tight while on the PP. I would start the 2nd PP and give the number 1 unit the back half. The second unit looks more in tune right now.

16 Jan 2025 21:58:58
To add to the notion of being static I’ve said for a long time their zone entry is bad.

The drop pass is executed poorly and by the time the puck carrier hits the blue line the wingers are stationary.

The wingers need to time the entry better and the puck carrier needs to have speed when he hits the blue line.

The player that drops the puck, normally Reilly, also needs to execute a pick without getting a penalty. Reilly just looks around.

But clearly a stationary player is easy to cover; movement is needed to get the defending team to also move, perhaps creating an opening.

 


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