I'm an avalanche fan but living close to Toronto I always laugh when all my friends who are leaf fans just hate on the team nobody realizes that they are in the toughest division in playoff hockey in my opinion matching up with Tampa, Florida, or Boston the last 6-7 years is just a nightmare for them.
The fact that they have consistently made the playoffs these years in the tightest division in the league just proves how good a team they are. Getting rid of Keefe and Dubas has just made them stronger. I’m happy Keefe is doing good in New Jersey, but the time was right for the echo-chamber to break in Toronto.
As a Leaf fan, it is a nightmare. We got out of our days of mediocrity and got rewarded with a division with 3 other teams capable of making cup finals. Atleast for this season the underlying numbers are a lot more promising than they are with Keefe but if we don’t win the division this year and start the playoffs off with as favourable match up as possible then we are just consistently shooting ourselves in the foot every year.
@@scottwill19 it just proves the leafs are NOT that good. they have no grit or heart and the top paid guys like matthews/marner simply disappear when it gets tough. the coaches will NEVER split them up no matter how many years we see them getting shut the fuck down once they isolated matthews and go anywhere near marner as he panics and throws the puck away. rielly is NOT a top d and they have never had even good goaltending. they keep running it back and we all know they will let marner bend them over once again. i stopped watch after mtl when NOTHING changed. they do not deserve my time
@@scottwill19 if Stolarz stays healthy after his surgery I think they can make a run for it given all the pieces play their role! If they can stay hot in the playoffs and make it out of their division if I were a leaf fan I'd be ecstatic but caps devil's and hurricanes are looking scary as well
No matter what their home arena will always be the most toxic playoff environment. 1 goal against in the first game and the crowd goes silent. Tickets cost too muvh so majority of seats are fiilled with less passionate fans. The expectations and the drought will always be the weight holding them back
As a leafs fan. We aren't a contender. But the leafs are way more physical, which i love to see. Even Marner is throwing the body more. Defense and goaltending especially is way better. At the end of the day, it's all about the playoffs, i think it'll be a 2nd round exit unless they make a huge move
What move if any could make the leafs a more legitimate contender this year? What move should they make at the deadline basically to improve the team overall?
@@jimmyhockey they need a solid 3rd line center for a start. I would like to see them upgrade the defense a little more, as I'm not that confident in Myers or Timmins for the long run. But the the 3rd line needs an upgrade imo
I think you are wrong about Tavares and money. He’s home and he doesn’t want to leave. He’s at the back half of his career and he already got his massive deal. I don’t see a world where he signs for more than like 4-5 million.
This is about to sound crazy BUT im allowed to do that the way Leafs fans do the same: i hope Marner goes to free agency and the Capitals find SOME way to sign him. Imagine a top line of Ovechkin Strome Marner? Oh man
"The way leafs fans do the same" like it's not something that EVERY fan base in pro sports does on a regular basis. Ask fans what they hate about leafs fans and you will assuredly get answers that some fans of every team do/say and only some leafs actually do/say.
@Qmocean yeah I haven't been listening to the SDPN talk about how they could totally get Crosby in a trade. I'm talking about a specific thing here, going crazy with speculation about where a teams star player might end up, like leafs fans do all the time. Calm down homer
Toronto Maple Leafs - Mecca of hockey = With-out a Stanley Cup championship (Or a final appearence) since 1967. 58 years of a record cup drought with fans going mad of never getting there.
As a leafs fan. Im very happy With the way things have gone so far. Especially with Berube in charge. Bummer that Matthews so far for him it's been a bit of a down year with injuries but. Nylander and marner have stepped up alongside leading the atlantic division with Florida which is arguably the most competitive division in the league. Regular season wins are cute but the one thing that matters to me is the Playoffs and getting over the hump of the 1st round which has been a Complete nightmare for the leafs. Whether it's against the B's. Tampa Montreal list goes on Is Toronto a Contender. I'll answer that question come Playoff time
They’re a much better club this year than they’ve ever been. All those things you’ve mentioned have shown to be true. There’s been almost no nights where a team has had their way with them. They’ve fought hard every night and I’d say that’s a testament to the job our new coach is doing. Not planning the parade planning the parade!
Tavares, if he wants to stay in Toronto AND win a cup, he really needs to sign for no more than $4.5M to $5M per season. That way the Leafs get 2 more good players as opposed to players at or close to the minimum league salary. same goes for Marner, he needs to accept and be happy with a $12M AAV.
I think other podcasts should stop being so hysterical about AM34 injuries and how the team classifies AM34 time away from the team. NO team will tell you exactly how long or what an injury is to a player. Case in point look at what VGK does with there players especially Stone. VGK shuts the player down gives very little insight and brings the player back for the playoffs. Let AM34 recover from whatever is going on and bring him back when READY! The Leafs are doing well without AM34 now. Everyone should take a breath IMO.
This is the honest truth with the Leafs: They aren't bad. But they arent a contender. I believe the Leafs are a team that when they are at the top of their game are a top 3 team in the world. But when they aren't. Like we have seen in the playoffs over the past half a decade+. They are a bottom 3 team in the league. They are inconsistent. Thats the biggest issue with them. I believe they are capable to go on a finals run. But i think they are also capable to get swept by Ottawa in round 1. They probably will need a change in their core in order to be more probable for those dominos to fall. I look at a team lke Florida. They are never having bad games. Or even Edmonton. Even when they lose. They often outplay their opponents and get bailed by goalies. The Leafs losing are usually the worse team. And when they win they usually deserve it. Not to mention their endurance and compete level is pretty bad. By the playoffs they dont really have the endurance to play 100%. Some guys do. But most people on the team take a step down.
Lol at bottom 3. All but 3 of their series have gone the distance and 2 that went 6. All but 3 of their opponents went on to the SCF, and only 1 of those series didn't involve a vezina winning goalie. There are teams that have seen multiple sweeps in that time frame. Give your head a shake.
@jimmyhockey I think just get a big change. A kinda Tkachuk Huberdeau esk trade. I just don't think Stolarz can sustain this into the post season. And we've seen them collapse many times. I think a Marner for Connor and Pionk kinda trade would work well. I'm just not confident in this core running it back for the 3rd straight year as contenders. They make moves every year to make them look like a contender but every year they fall early in the playoffs. It's enough with the small moves. The Leafs need something big to give them a shake
@Qmocean Well that's the point. The east is soo stacked. Do you really think this Leafs team beats the Cats? How confident are you that they are better then Tampa Boston and Rangers? They gave had slow starts but there are just major holes in the Leafs team to beat them. The top 6 offense has been the major issue the last couple of playoffs. And I mean why would I change? The east is full of elite starters: Bob, Shesterkin, Vasy, Ullmark, Thompson, Swayman, Andersen/Kotechkov, Markstrom. Maybe I'm wrong. But it's not like it's a one off thing where their top 6 dosent show up in clutch time. It's been the issue in 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24. It's not like that whole core was 18 and their still developing. They are all in their prime years. I think you can't run it back and need to make a Marner Connor+ esk trade at some point.
They can’t afford monahan especially since he just signed a big extension in Columbus. I also don’t believe they have a lot of space with their cap at the moment but I could be wrong
@ ok I see what you mean. But I also disagree the leafs had good coaches all throughout the drought and they have never been good maybe they have had some playoff success like there 93 run but they have never been all that good
A consistent playoff team for a decade now 1 series win fair totally fair. 2020, 2021, 2019 2018 choked it, 2022, 24 and even the Florida series was a good series people forget that it was a one goal game in every single game besides 1 (which was a last minute empty net) now last year against Boston okay fair enough but it’s not like they’re the Sabres. Consistent playoff appearances means they’re doing at least something right. Just need to be like Washington in 2018 and get over the hump
Imagine this line up come playoffs patch mattews marner knies Tavares domi Roberson Monahan nylander Dewar kampf lorentz Jamie oleskiak Chris tanev jani hakanpa Morgan reily OEL Simone benoit Storlarz Woll Murray To make these move I think they should put mattews on ltir and wait till playoffs and make moves
I’ve seen a few comments on this video about monahan, I haven’t seen any rumors about him leaving Columbus and I don’t think the leafs really have the space for his 5.5M for the next 5 years. If they somehow can make that work though their lineup would be tough to beat
Some crazy comments here. The team is as much of a contender as any other team. Nobody would hav predicted Las Vegas or Florida to be top teams the last 6-7 years. Who knows what is gonna happen with Edmonton. Vancouver is shaky. Can't predict what is going to happen with Jets or New Jersey. Colorado seems inconsistent without Landeskog. Boston sucks this year. Even Minnesota could go all the way.
The Leafs could be a contender this year, but they have a lot more pressure than some other teams. And your comments like "Bruins suck this year" or "Vancouver is shaky" can easily be reflected back to the Leafs, since they're very close in the standings.
Yeah they are as much of a contender but like other teams you mentioned they do have some criticism that can be applied. Tough comment about Boston not being good compared to the leafs when they are only a game back from Toronto and have owned them for quite some time now
I'm an avalanche fan but living close to Toronto I always laugh when all my friends who are leaf fans just hate on the team nobody realizes that they are in the toughest division in playoff hockey in my opinion matching up with Tampa, Florida, or Boston the last 6-7 years is just a nightmare for them.
The fact that they have consistently made the playoffs these years in the tightest division in the league just proves how good a team they are.
Getting rid of Keefe and Dubas has just made them stronger. I’m happy Keefe is doing good in New Jersey, but the time was right for the echo-chamber to break in Toronto.
As a Leaf fan, it is a nightmare. We got out of our days of mediocrity and got rewarded with a division with 3 other teams capable of making cup finals. Atleast for this season the underlying numbers are a lot more promising than they are with Keefe but if we don’t win the division this year and start the playoffs off with as favourable match up as possible then we are just consistently shooting ourselves in the foot every year.
@@scottwill19 it just proves the leafs are NOT that good. they have no grit or heart and the top paid guys like matthews/marner simply disappear when it gets tough. the coaches will NEVER split them up no matter how many years we see them getting shut the fuck down once they isolated matthews and go anywhere near marner as he panics and throws the puck away. rielly is NOT a top d and they have never had even good goaltending. they keep running it back and we all know they will let marner bend them over once again. i stopped watch after mtl when NOTHING changed. they do not deserve my time
@@scottwill19 if Stolarz stays healthy after his surgery I think they can make a run for it given all the pieces play their role! If they can stay hot in the playoffs and make it out of their division if I were a leaf fan I'd be ecstatic but caps devil's and hurricanes are looking scary as well
No matter what their home arena will always be the most toxic playoff environment. 1 goal against in the first game and the crowd goes silent. Tickets cost too muvh so majority of seats are fiilled with less passionate fans. The expectations and the drought will always be the weight holding them back
Leafs are tied with Vegas for best home record this season....guess that weight is helping them along this year.😊
I hope they go on a run. I think the core knows this could be their last run. Its up to them whether they are looked upon as legends or as failures.
Yeah definitely a big season for the boys, contracts being on the line is always good motivation though
Marner is 6th in scoring overall and Nylander is 3rd in goals overall
As a leafs fan. We aren't a contender. But the leafs are way more physical, which i love to see. Even Marner is throwing the body more. Defense and goaltending especially is way better.
At the end of the day, it's all about the playoffs, i think it'll be a 2nd round exit unless they make a huge move
What move if any could make the leafs a more legitimate contender this year? What move should they make at the deadline basically to improve the team overall?
@@jimmyhockey they need a solid 3rd line center for a start. I would like to see them upgrade the defense a little more, as I'm not that confident in Myers or Timmins for the long run.
But the the 3rd line needs an upgrade imo
@@jimmyhockey Pick up a bonafide 3rd line centre and maybe some defensive depth.
I think you are wrong about Tavares and money. He’s home and he doesn’t want to leave. He’s at the back half of his career and he already got his massive deal. I don’t see a world where he signs for more than like 4-5 million.
This is about to sound crazy BUT im allowed to do that the way Leafs fans do the same: i hope Marner goes to free agency and the Capitals find SOME way to sign him. Imagine a top line of Ovechkin Strome Marner? Oh man
maybe if that had happened this off szn
@amarpalrai i dont know what you mean by that?
He would be a great fit there but it all depends on how well the leafs perform in the playoffs this year
"The way leafs fans do the same" like it's not something that EVERY fan base in pro sports does on a regular basis. Ask fans what they hate about leafs fans and you will assuredly get answers that some fans of every team do/say and only some leafs actually do/say.
@Qmocean yeah I haven't been listening to the SDPN talk about how they could totally get Crosby in a trade.
I'm talking about a specific thing here, going crazy with speculation about where a teams star player might end up, like leafs fans do all the time. Calm down homer
Toronto Maple Leafs - Mecca of hockey = With-out a Stanley Cup championship (Or a final appearence) since 1967.
58 years of a record cup drought with fans going mad of never getting there.
Suprised Matthews hasnt ended up seein Mark Stones doctors and LTIRing
Keefe always struck me as a " im your coach but im yout buddy" kind of guy. Berube is more " im your coach but im your coach".
Its made a difference.
As a leafs fan. Im very happy With the way things have gone so far. Especially with Berube in charge. Bummer that Matthews so far for him it's been a bit of a down year with injuries but. Nylander and marner have stepped up alongside leading the atlantic division with Florida which is arguably the most competitive division in the league. Regular season wins are cute but the one thing that matters to me is the Playoffs and getting over the hump of the 1st round which has been a Complete nightmare for the leafs. Whether it's against the B's. Tampa Montreal list goes on
Is Toronto a Contender. I'll answer that question come Playoff time
It’s all about playoffs for this team, it sounds harsh but it’s the reality with the expectations of the core four
There. You got your sub
🤝
People have been saying the leafs are contenders for like the past 10 years.
Win a few playoff rounds.
They’re a much better club this year than they’ve ever been. All those things you’ve mentioned have shown to be true. There’s been almost no nights where a team has had their way with them. They’ve fought hard every night and I’d say that’s a testament to the job our new coach is doing.
Not planning the parade planning the parade!
It’s a good sign. Team is playing with effort every night and that’s a necessary thing for the playoffs!
Tavares, if he wants to stay in Toronto AND win a cup, he really needs to sign for no more than $4.5M to $5M per season. That way the Leafs get 2 more good players as opposed to players at or close to the minimum league salary. same goes for Marner, he needs to accept and be happy with a $12M AAV.
I wouldn’t say Tavares had his captaincy taken away as much as MLSE marketing had it handed over to Matthews to sell more jerseys and other merch.
how many rounds is a "successful playoff run" for the leafs?
Conference Finals, at least, I guess
Maybe a non-embarrasing loss in Round 2 would be fine.
I think other podcasts should stop being so hysterical about AM34 injuries and how the team classifies AM34 time away from the team. NO team will tell you exactly how long or what an injury is to a player. Case in point look at what VGK does with there players especially Stone. VGK shuts the player down gives very little insight and brings the player back for the playoffs. Let AM34 recover from whatever is going on and bring him back when READY! The Leafs are doing well without AM34 now. Everyone should take a breath IMO.
i didn't click, i was sucked in
This is the honest truth with the Leafs: They aren't bad. But they arent a contender. I believe the Leafs are a team that when they are at the top of their game are a top 3 team in the world. But when they aren't. Like we have seen in the playoffs over the past half a decade+. They are a bottom 3 team in the league. They are inconsistent. Thats the biggest issue with them. I believe they are capable to go on a finals run. But i think they are also capable to get swept by Ottawa in round 1. They probably will need a change in their core in order to be more probable for those dominos to fall. I look at a team lke Florida. They are never having bad games. Or even Edmonton. Even when they lose. They often outplay their opponents and get bailed by goalies. The Leafs losing are usually the worse team. And when they win they usually deserve it. Not to mention their endurance and compete level is pretty bad. By the playoffs they dont really have the endurance to play 100%. Some guys do. But most people on the team take a step down.
So in your eyes what move would Toronto need to make in order to make them a consistent legitimate contender?
Lol at bottom 3. All but 3 of their series have gone the distance and 2 that went 6. All but 3 of their opponents went on to the SCF, and only 1 of those series didn't involve a vezina winning goalie. There are teams that have seen multiple sweeps in that time frame. Give your head a shake.
@jimmyhockey I think just get a big change. A kinda Tkachuk Huberdeau esk trade. I just don't think Stolarz can sustain this into the post season. And we've seen them collapse many times. I think a Marner for Connor and Pionk kinda trade would work well. I'm just not confident in this core running it back for the 3rd straight year as contenders. They make moves every year to make them look like a contender but every year they fall early in the playoffs. It's enough with the small moves. The Leafs need something big to give them a shake
@Qmocean Well that's the point. The east is soo stacked. Do you really think this Leafs team beats the Cats? How confident are you that they are better then Tampa Boston and Rangers? They gave had slow starts but there are just major holes in the Leafs team to beat them. The top 6 offense has been the major issue the last couple of playoffs. And I mean why would I change? The east is full of elite starters:
Bob, Shesterkin, Vasy, Ullmark, Thompson, Swayman, Andersen/Kotechkov, Markstrom.
Maybe I'm wrong. But it's not like it's a one off thing where their top 6 dosent show up in clutch time. It's been the issue in 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24. It's not like that whole core was 18 and their still developing. They are all in their prime years. I think you can't run it back and need to make a Marner Connor+ esk trade at some point.
They're a regular season team. Their core players don't have the extra gears needed for playoff success. They fade away once hockey gets real.
I just dont wanna lose a series to boston
Well based on the standings there is a strong chance we will get that series again
Lose*
“contender” 😭😭😭
I say they leave mattews out until playoffs and get a player like Sean Monaghan and another puck moving defender
They can’t afford monahan especially since he just signed a big extension in Columbus. I also don’t believe they have a lot of space with their cap at the moment but I could be wrong
Parade is planned.
Th leafs suck they will never be good
I disagree, good hockey club this year with a very good head coach that is known for building a strong culture
@ ok I see what you mean. But I also disagree the leafs had good coaches all throughout the drought and they have never been good maybe they have had some playoff success like there 93 run but they have never been all that good
A consistent playoff team for a decade now 1 series win fair totally fair. 2020, 2021, 2019 2018 choked it, 2022, 24 and even the Florida series was a good series people forget that it was a one goal game in every single game besides 1 (which was a last minute empty net) now last year against Boston okay fair enough but it’s not like they’re the Sabres.
Consistent playoff appearances means they’re doing at least something right. Just need to be like Washington in 2018 and get over the hump
@ ya I’ll give them that
@@TheGoldenBrett Game 1 didn't have an empty net. No empty netters that series. Florida was much better
Imagine this line up come playoffs
patch mattews marner
knies Tavares domi
Roberson Monahan nylander
Dewar kampf lorentz
Jamie oleskiak Chris tanev
jani hakanpa Morgan reily
OEL Simone benoit
Storlarz
Woll
Murray
To make these move I think they should put mattews on ltir and wait till playoffs and make moves
I’ve seen a few comments on this video about monahan, I haven’t seen any rumors about him leaving Columbus and I don’t think the leafs really have the space for his 5.5M for the next 5 years. If they somehow can make that work though their lineup would be tough to beat
Some crazy comments here. The team is as much of a contender as any other team. Nobody would hav predicted Las Vegas or Florida to be top teams the last 6-7 years. Who knows what is gonna happen with Edmonton. Vancouver is shaky. Can't predict what is going to happen with Jets or New Jersey. Colorado seems inconsistent without Landeskog. Boston sucks this year. Even Minnesota could go all the way.
The Leafs could be a contender this year, but they have a lot more pressure than some other teams. And your comments like "Bruins suck this year" or "Vancouver is shaky" can easily be reflected back to the Leafs, since they're very close in the standings.
Yeah they are as much of a contender but like other teams you mentioned they do have some criticism that can be applied. Tough comment about Boston not being good compared to the leafs when they are only a game back from Toronto and have owned them for quite some time now