Leafs 2025-2026 Season

[BLUE]

Bummer of a game tonight, miscue by Hildebeast in OT costs the game. At least the PP looks better, Papi is letting them fly again and Knies is back to scoring. Floater did not play due to getting an injury prior game.

[BLUE]

Leafs shutout the Devils tonight without Matthews or Nylander. Tanev and DakJo both injured last game and did not play (both probably out for a while). Both Nics had 2 points and Knies let Nico have it after being sick of his BS.
They will never strip Matthews of the C but Knies should be the next. He is the closest to Wendel Ive seen.

[Pokecheque]

Welcome to the New Leafs, same as the Old Leafs, specifically the Pat Quinn Era.

Less than a handful of legit stars surrounded by a ragtag merry band of grinders, running around with no discernible identity or system, and getting bailed out by goaltending.

People say Knies looked good but he was literally on the ice for 1 shot for, 12 shots against. No idea what's wrong with him but he's taken a gigantic step back from his breakout season just last year. I mean the toughness is nice and all but come on man, you're paid to score goals.

[BLUE]

Watching the majority of the games Knies was doing most of the work on the lines he was on. Matthews and Floater have the tendency to sit and wait for someone to feed them the puck if it there isnt an odd man rush situation. The rest of the team seems to band together when the big guys are out, hopefully that continues. Tanev is going to be out with a groin injury for a while which is really disappointing. Apparently Stolarz is skating again, should get Matthews and Floater back soon. Last year bottom six was supposedly the issue but I think this year we realize its been a top six issue all along.

[BLUE]

Wow. i almost posted with rage when they were down 4-1 in the 2nd about how Matthews comes back and now they fall back to taking the night off. Then Matthews did what he hasn't done in a very long time and took the game over ending up with a hatty and assist. However like JBS sings It Ain't All Flowers, they should have never started Woll in this one and Hildebeast performed admirably after Woll was pulled after 4 goals. Mo Reilly and Myers should NOT be paired together, they drive me batshit crazy with the giveaways. Still gutsy comeback W and nice seeing Matthews looking like he gives a shit once again.

[BLUE]

Fun back and forth game last night. Matthews has his swagger back and surpassed Mats for Leafs all time goals in 300 less games according to TSN. That Roy line with Nicky Robby and Cowboy looked good. Idk if we were giving Roy enough credit earlier when he was paired with McMann and DakJo and they were clicking. Woll looked ok guess there is only so much you can do when you're consistently being hung out to dry by Mo. Somehow Chief thought it was a great idea to play Mo 27 minutes which as can be expected led to disastrous results and a -4. Meanwhile McCabe somehow is a +26 on this dumpster fire and left in the 3rd. Leafs can’t afford to have him miss any length of time.

[Chris18]

It's funny how the Robertson bros have the Isles' number. They both score against the Isles every time they play.

[Pokecheque]

Pagnotta reporting that Tanev likely undergoing surgery and will be out for the year.

[BLUE]

Pagnotta reporting that Tanev likely undergoing surgery and will be out for the year.

I saw that and the Floater finally hit IR. Anxiously awaiting news on McCabe if he's out for any length of time Leafs are screwed.

[Pokecheque]

Dakota Joshua is out with a lacerated kidney? What!?

[BLUE]

Welp McCabe out at least a week but Carlo could be back tomorrow. Hopefully Carlo can turn back the play to last year vs this year. Yea DakJo somehow has a lacerated kidney from a hit he took in Detroit which is crazy given his size. He has no timetable for return which would is understandable.

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/article/tanev-mu ... y-updates/

[BLUE]

Great game by Leafs last night. Nic Roy continues to be the catalyst for the 3rd line with hits and great passes. Knies had a goal and a sweet dish to Matthews. Maccelli, Nicky Robby, and Bobby Mc continue strong play. Carlo returned and settled down Mo once again, not sure why he seems to be the only D partner who can lol. Laughton was hit into the boards from behind but appears to be ok. Leafs made it a point to hit Marchy whenever possible and he was taken out of the game in the 2nd after a big hit by McMann. I think they had enough of his epic trolls that the Toronto media keeps running. Wondering if after this strong game from Woll if they give him a break next game vs Philly and start Hildebeast. He tends to do better with some rest.

[BLUE]

Leafs win last night in OT and now have a 4 game win streak. My old ass could not handle the late start being on EST. Idk if its coincidence or not but ever since Savard was canned and Sullivan brought in they have been playing better overall including the PP. Matthews seems to have finally found that missing gear around the same time. Stolarz is apparently skating again but the tandem of Woll and Hildebeast is working so not sure what long term plan is? Maybe they can trade Stolarz to a team out west. Not sure what would be the biggest hole given their recent play, another D or F, or maybe try to get a pick or 2?

[BLUE]

Leafs rollercoaster and injury riddled season continues last night. OT loss on a Cowan giveaway, 1. Berube should have never had him out there and 2. Cowan needs to hit the weight room this off season and put on some weight. He gets knocked off the puck way too easy. OEL was injured in the 1rst and never returned then Carlo tweaked something and was out. Leafs barely have any bodies left to fill a lineup if they are out any length of time with Tanev, Floater, and DakJo still hurt. Tanev apparently is holding out surgery to see if he can come back which I question why at this point. Knies clearly is still hurt as he continues to struggle and McCabe hasnt been the same since he came back from his injury. I think the condensed Olympic season is kicking most trams ass at this point.

[Chris18]

I find it pretty funny that Leafs fans booed Marner, after how much shit they've given Isles fans for booing Tavares. But that's sports.

[BLUE]

I find it pretty funny that Leafs fans booed Marner, after how much shit they've given Isles fans for booing Tavares. But that's sports.

Agreed very ironic. Fans booing players for leaving is ridiculous.

[Pokecheque]

I’m of the mind that hey, you paid for the ticket, cheer or boo whomever you want.

That said, I’ve never been a fan of booing players who left.

Also extraordinarily stupid to see that some idiot was holding up a Leafs jersey with Marner’s old number on it with SELLOUT on the nameplate right outside the visitors tunnel. Keegan Kolesar ripped the jersey out of the fan’s hands before Marner actually saw it.

Speaking of Marner, I need to find the link to that Elliotte Friedman article. It really laid bare why and how things between the Leafs and Marner went south the way they did. I never had a high opinion of Marner…it’s definitely lower now.

[Pokecheque]

Also, the Avs apparently sent Steve Dangle to the woods in the midst of a massive deep freeze across North America.

[Chris18]

I’m of the mind that hey, you paid for the ticket, cheer or boo whomever you want.

That said, I’ve never been a fan of booing players who left.

In Tavares' case, it was because he kept saying he never wanted to leave the Isles, asked not to be traded, etc, and then after signing with the Leafs, said he didn't want to be traded because he didn't want to weaken his new team. He had every right to leave as a UFA, of course. But he really screwed the Isles, so fans hate him. I think it's stupid to even bother booing him at this point, but some fans missed out on tix to boo him up until this year, so they go into those games amped up, wanting to boo him. There was one guy a few years ago who went off on Tavares, yelling "if you'd been honest we could have traded you and gotten something back. We wouldn't hate you if you'd done that". Tavares stood there looking stunned, but he listened to the whole thing. Even his Player's Tribune piece was insulting to Isles fans. Okposo's was a perfect example of how to do those. He thanked the fans, told a few stories about how the fans made the hair on his neck stand up because they were so loud during playoffs... Tavares wrote about someone hiding him in a closet so the media didn't attack him on draft day, and how excited he was to be a Leaf. Never thanked or said anything about Isles fans, who had bought jerseys with his name, etc. To that point, all Isles fans ever did was put the dude on a pedestal and support him. Dude is just tone deaf. So, Isles fans still hate him. Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack the thread in order to talk trash about a Leaf player.

[Chris18]

Nylander gets fined $5k for flipping off the camera. By the NHL, the same league that allowed Quenneville and Stan Bowman to return.