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Top heavy 19-20 season thread
http://offthepost.org/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=8352
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Author:  Hounsy [ Thu Oct 03, 2019 9:51 am ]
Post subject:  Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Well Tavares is the captain.
Opener win in dominate fashion...but it was Ottawa.
Barrie sure likes the razzle dazzle. As a goalie I focus on what happens when that fails for a d-man but if he makes it work most of the time then carry on.
Matthews better stay healthy so he can win a Rocket. His PP numbers are going to be there this year as he becomes the right dot version of OV on the PP.
Timashov is on the team...I called this guy a player a year and a half ago, cool. Doubt he stays but he is on track.
Goat beats out Spezza for a spot on opening night. wow.

Author:  Pokecheque [ Mon Oct 07, 2019 9:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Hounsy wrote:
Well Tavares is the captain.
Opener win in dominate fashion...but it was Ottawa.
Barrie sure likes the razzle dazzle. As a goalie I focus on what happens when that fails for a d-man but if he makes it work most of the time then carry on.
Matthews better stay healthy so he can win a Rocket. His PP numbers are going to be there this year as he becomes the right dot version of OV on the PP.
Timashov is on the team...I called this guy a player a year and a half ago, cool. Doubt he stays but he is on track.
Goat beats out Spezza for a spot on opening night. wow.


That's Tyson Barrie for you. Lots of razzle and dazzle at both ends of the ice. He can be frustrating in stretches but more than makes up for it...personally I'd put him on the top power play unit. He may not be as good overall as Rielly but he's much better manning the point and getting shots through traffic.

I still think Babs is an enormous jerk for scratching Spezza for the opener against his old team. Was playing Gauthier 5-8 minutes really the deciding factor in that game!?

The one player who appears to be really struggling right now is Kapanen. It's only two games but...what's up with him?

Author:  Pokecheque [ Fri Oct 11, 2019 12:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Well, he always has slow starts, but I've never been a big fan of the Great Dane. I just don't think he's a legit franchise goalie. Certainly not at the level the Leafs need him to be if they're going to play a more up-tempo offensive scheme like they do.

Author:  Hounsy [ Fri Oct 11, 2019 12:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Any goalie is going to suffer in the Leafs system. Sure he may not be a franchise goalie due to being streaky, but I think he is top ten.

Author:  Pokecheque [ Fri Oct 11, 2019 1:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

I don't disagree, but I also don't think goaltending in the NHL is all that great. Maybe it's just being spoiled from the 90s when goaltending was never better, but

Now, I still say your goalie's just gotta be "good enough" for your team to win, however, they also need to step up their game when it matters most. Holtby tends to run hot and cold during the regular season, but generally, once the playoffs start, he's on it. Andersen hasn't proved that yet...and I'm not sure he can. The last two times he's had to do so, he did the exact opposite.

Author:  Pokecheque [ Sat Oct 12, 2019 10:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Someone should make a Soup Wood thread.

Author:  Hounsy [ Wed Oct 23, 2019 1:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Well looks like another backup is going to get run out of town. When most of your starts are second half of back to backs you are being put in a position to fail then add the Toronto media pile on and it is brutal. Babcock really needs to move on from this one, if the hidden motive is to protect Freddie from the tough starts to keep his confidence high the last two playoffs show that did not matter.

Author:  Pokecheque [ Wed Oct 23, 2019 2:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Babs ran Sparks outta town in the most forceful way possible. I didn't think Hutch was adequate either, but dude is garnering a reputation for being rougher on goalies than Quenneville.

I'm reading that he's messing with Barrie as well. If he's not letting TB94 loose then he's making a huge mistake. Barrie is not at all an ideal QB-type defenseman who can make accurate long passes. His passing is quite good but it's not elite. His value is in his ability to jump into the play and control the puck through traffic. He's basically a 4th forward out there. if Babs isn't letting him do that, then that's a huge problem.

Author:  Hounsy [ Wed Oct 23, 2019 3:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Weird schedule, when the leafs play on Saturday it will be the second game of their fourth back to back after 13 games. When all is said and done they are middle of the pack for total back to backs but I can take a small grain of salt in the slow start to season in it. Oh and the three so far they lost all the tail end games.

Would be real interested in seeing how many times teams get to play teams on the back end of a back to back but a quick google search did not work. will look more later.

Author:  Pokecheque [ Wed Oct 23, 2019 3:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Oh I should probably add that slow starts are nothing new with Barrie. For whatever reason he can take 10-15 games to really hit his groove. He was HORRID to start last season and still ended up with 57 points on the season. I haven't seen enough Leafs games to really make any sort of informed observation.

I think things will start to really hit high gear once Dermott comes back. He's a perfect guy to have alongside Barrie, and then they won't have to rely on Cody friggin' Ceci so much for big minutes.

But ultimately my biggest concerns if I'm a Leafs fan are the goaltending...and the coach.

Author:  Pokecheque [ Thu Oct 24, 2019 12:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Take it for what you will, but I'm reading on Twitter that Leafs management wanted to fire Babs this offseason and Shanny blocked it.

Personally, I think they should have moved on from him, but that's just me.

Author:  Hounsy [ Sat Oct 26, 2019 1:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Move on to who, and why?

The reason I think the talk of getting rid of Babcock is so strong is because fan delusion is so strong with Leaf fans and Babcock is an easy target. They have lost in the first round three years in a row comes up with the fans all the time but the thing is we have lost in 6, 7, an d 7 games and where the underdog in every series. The team has not been built to win yet and that does not fall on Babcock but if it doesn't then you have to face the fact that the team is not a contender, just a good team. That said I like this team(slow start and all) more than the last three seasons if for no other reason not as many D are playing the off side.

I find it weird the level of negativity around the team with media and the fans right now they are currently pacing for 96 pts with significant injuries and Marner, Matthews, barrie, and Freddie clearly not at the top of their game yet. Yeah they have not lite the league up, but there is lots to be optimistic about right now for me and this team.

If Mikheyev and Marner can comfortably play on opposite wings would love to see them together. Mikheyev is always working to get the puck when the Leafs don't have it and working to get open when they do. It is a simple idea in hockey but so few instinctively do that and if Mikheyev can continue to do that like he has he will be in the NHL for a long time.

Well Saturday night against the Habs. Win and they are cup contenders again, lose it is time for a rebuild.

Author:  Hounsy [ Sat Oct 26, 2019 9:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Boy I hope Barrie is just a slow start because he has been pretty bad. Though starting to think having him and Muzzin together in a contract year is an issue as Muzzin is jumping in plays like crazy and Barrie is not equipped to be the defensive back up.

Author:  harmfuljays [ Sat Oct 26, 2019 10:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Well I hate to keep it real but what you see is what you get with Barrie. If Muzzin is pinching he needs to be paired with someone else.

Author:  E.L. [ Sun Oct 27, 2019 1:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

harmfuljays wrote:
Well I hate to keep it real but what you see is what you get with Barrie. If Muzzin is pinching he needs to be paired with someone else.


Barrie and Muzzin together was disastrous against the Habs tonight.

Author:  E.L. [ Tue Oct 29, 2019 5:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Ovi said the Leafs have to change the way they play if they want to win. Ouch.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/ove ... anley-cup/

Author:  Hounsy [ Tue Oct 29, 2019 5:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

I don't mind OVI saying what he said. Just shows how gutless the league thinks the Leafs are. You don't give fuel to an opponent like this if you think they may respond with effort on the ice.

Author:  Chris18 [ Wed Oct 30, 2019 8:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Did Bettman really bag on the Leafs this past week, about the playoff format being good unless you're the Leafs? I read it on an Isles blog, but they sometimes throw jokes out. Or was that taken totally out of context?

Author:  Pokecheque [ Mon Nov 04, 2019 3:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Chris18 wrote:
Did Bettman really bag on the Leafs this past week, about the playoff format being good unless you're the Leafs? I read it on an Isles blog, but they sometimes throw jokes out. Or was that taken totally out of context?


Elliotte and Marek brought it up on the latest 31 Thoughts pod. I thought Bettman may have used those as a jab at Friedman himself, but it kinda comes off like Bettman getting all defensive about the division-heavy playoff format that NO ONE likes except for maybe Bruins fans and his office.

Author:  Pokecheque [ Sun Nov 10, 2019 3:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Top heavy 19-20 season thread

Fire Babcock. Now.

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