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Around the League 2019-2026 Edition

Preston said:
Well BJ's would have been easier if they outplayed them by a lot more than they did like we saw with Tampa, where luck became less of a factor in the end. But I agree, that one was basically a coin flip. Two similarly tiered teams and the series was ultimately decided by goaltending.
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Toronto vs Tampa against the BJs (5v5 sva)

xGF%: 54.64 vs. 59.55
SCF%: 54.58 vs. 57.55
HDCF%: 58.70 vs. 61.50
SH%: 2.00 vs. 7.34
SV%: 92.61 vs. 94.26

The big difference was shooting% and goaltending.
 
Yeah Tampa dominated them way more than the leafs did (thus increasing the odds that the right team wins). As an elite team should. I'm fine with it because I don't see the leafs as elite but some here do. If that's the case, you should not be happy with how they played in the series. They outplayed them and probably should have won but it wasn't a truly dominant performance by any stretch. Leaves too much up to prestoluck.
 
BeLeafer said:
The important takeaway is that these series don't scream for radical change. Much of what ails the Leafs the past four years has been evident throughout the regular season (RD, centre depth, goaltending). The only thing I've seen in these series that screams for change is Fred's backbreakers.
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Yeah again Freddy really dropped the ball not putting up more goals for us during the BJ series.

We got shut out twice against Columbus and nothing else screams for change aside from a goaltender. Some real doozies on the analysis front today on FI.
 
I worry that yearly we are finding different ways to barely lose a series. Freddy needs to go based on his contract ending next year and there's so many choices out there. But we have to get better in other areas. We need to find that really strong 1st pair RHD.
 
leaffan2005 said:
Yeah again Freddy really dropped the ball not putting up more goals for us during the BJ series.

We got shut out twice against Columbus and nothing else screams for change aside from a goaltender. Some real doozies on the analysis front today on FI.
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You seem confused.
 
BeLeafer said:
Guess which team put up this stinker xGF% and won the deciding game: 33.15
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Of course. Anything can happen in a single game. Come on, not even zeke is arguing that Tampa had a far better series than the leafs. I'm a prestoluck nerd but to a point. I think prestoluck matters far less when you have a super elite cup contender play against a wildcard team like the BJ's over the course of a full series. When the teams are fairly even quality-wise it becomes a larger factor, as it was this year. I was way more impressed with their series against the Bruins last year. Taking the Bruins to 7 in a fairly even series is far more impressive than losing to Columbus in a fairly even series. Sorry, but it is. They took a step back.

They need to get to a point where a series against a Columbus is almost a formality, even if they get roided up goaltending or out-luck them. It shouldn't matter. And it didn't for Tampa. Toronto isn't there yet. Let's stop talking like they're in the same tier.
 
If I’m dubas I totally retool around the big 4 up front. The whole point of having 12.5m tied up in kappy / johnsson / kerfoot is to have some bodies who can pick up the slack when the top guys are short on presto luck, but I think what we’ve seen when it comes to guys who can’t drive an offense is just about anybody given the ice time / role can find some prestoluck and put up numbers.

That Tavares - Matthews - Marner like was ridiculous from a blob perspective but they couldn’t score and unfortunately as the series wore on those second tier 3-4m guys all dried up as well (you can include hyman and soup in that grouping).
 
I want them to get to a point where they can go super line at times (or maybe always like Boston) because it would be really fucking explosive. They obviously couldn't in that series because their depth got eaten alive. I am all for insulating the big four with low event high possession players. More Tuch/Zucker types, less kapanen/AJ's. A big part of that is trusting Willy to center a second line. He was obviously over his head in that series but in fairness it was new for him and something he hadn't done for several months. He should definitely be able to drive a second line.. thankfully now without possession disaster kapanen on his wing.
 
Red Line said:
yea we'll cut Dubas some slack while he burns years trying to learn how to build a cup team , hopefully he figures it out before JT/Muzzin become cap anchors or AM leaves
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I have it on good authority that AM would never leave the Leafs. Nothing to worry about there, EVER!!!
 
Preston said:
I want them to get to a point where they can go super line at times (or maybe always like Boston) because it would be really fucking explosive. They obviously couldn't in that series because their depth got eaten alive. I am all for insulating the big four with low event high possession players. More Tuch/Zucker types, less kapanen/AJ's. A big part of that is trusting Willy to center a second line. He was obviously over his head in that series but in fairness it was new for him and something he hadn't done for several months. He should definitely be able to drive a second line.. thankfully now without possession disaster kapanen on his wing.
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that line played 5 on 5 like they were on the pp. granted it was against CBJ, but seth is no slouch.

if i'm keefe i'm very tempted to start the season with the big three together.

i'm not sold on willy at centre, but i think now's a good time to figure it out. if he can't hack it then, fine, we have great value on the wing. if he can, the lineup is ridiculous -- and if things don't work out and you need to make a move a 30 g C at willy's salary is one hell of a trade chip.
 
zeke said:
Realtalk: everyone is kidding themselves if they think they'd be more satisfied with the leafs right now if they had won a series or two and then got routed.
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Oh, the ol' "If you're not first you're last" argument."
 
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