Leafs: October game thread discussion

[_venom_]

^ Other guy is Jordan Staal.

I still don't like the trade because I would rather have Seguin Kadri and another high pick this year developing together. Sure Kessel is a proven player but complete centres dont come around as often as scoring wingers, especially in Toronto. Also we still don't have a good centre for Kessel and by the time we do finally get him a decent centre (1-3 years its looking like) would you rather have been developing a young core?

I disagree that finding scoring wingers is easier than finding all-around centers in the NHL. Center is the deepest position in the NHL imo, while there aren't very many elite wingers at all.

[bryant08]

UGH! That was a seriously weak call against Lebda and that Versteeg goal was just so damn close I don't see how they could call it off that quickly. Nevertheless, a great game that just needed some finishing. Kessel is proving to be an absolute star, even if he disappears once every 5 games or so. He's finding a way to be impactful on nearly every shift which is definitely what we need out of him. Re-group and get 2 points against the Rangers on Thursday. The rest should do us well.

[bryant08]

^ Other guy is Jordan Staal.

I still don't like the trade because I would rather have Seguin Kadri and another high pick this year developing together. Sure Kessel is a proven player but complete centres dont come around as often as scoring wingers, especially in Toronto. Also we still don't have a good centre for Kessel and by the time we do finally get him a decent centre (1-3 years its looking like) would you rather have been developing a young core?

I disagree that finding scoring wingers is easier than finding all-around centers in the NHL. Center is the deepest position in the NHL imo, while there aren't very many elite wingers at all.

Depends on what degree of center you're talking about. There aren't many elite centers out there and look at it just based on the numbers, there are quite a few more wingers out there. I really am a firm believer that you need a true #1 all-situation star center (extremely difficult to find), but maybe that's because I've been spoiled with Mats for so many years.

[darth_federer]

It was one of those frustrating games. A couple of goals got overturned and it seemed like one of those sleepy games. Crowd was loud tonight. People dont remember how loud it was during the pre lockout era during the playoff runs.

Kessel scored again. Has 5 on the season. Hopefully he doesnt go into those long goal droughts. Had a 19 game drought last year where he only had 2 points and a 21 game one a couple of years ago.

It wasnt Versteeg's night. Missed a couple of breakaways and offensively he looks out of sync with the first line. When MacArthur cools down, maybe they should move Kulemin back to the first line.

Roloson always does well in Toronto. Islanders played their hearts out. Blocked 23 Leaf shots and played hard. Schenn was a beast tonight. Played great and hes going to get a nice deal if he keep this up.

I LOL'd when Lebda was in the penalty box for the winning goal because he was very hopeful that the team wouldn't lose with him being given a shot.

Any way you slice it, 9 out of 10 points to start the season is a hell of a start

[J-Roc]

Great game last night. If you're gonna lose, lose a game you shoulda won. Because if you keep playing like last night, you'll win more than you lose. So far, so good.

Bottom line is we got beat by a goalie. Happens in the NHL. I think both non-goals were the correct call. Lebda was interference. Unnecessary on his part. But when Kulemin was taken down we should have had a PP.

One concern I have. Dion Phaneuf. More I watch this guy, he's NOT captain material. Sorta like Bosh with the Raps, where I say your best player can't be a guy the other team goes after on D. With Phaneuf, in hockey, you can't have your captain giving away the puck. You can't have your captain constantly missing the net with shots that will inevitably ricochet around for the other team to get a rush. The number of.....wrong....things this guy does (bad pinches) in the course of a game is embarrassing. And I realize as I watch these first few games, this guy won't get any better.

[YogiStewart]

at least that, 5 games in, i can admit that i was wrong about the laughs.
yes, its only 5 games, and their sched's been weak, but they are a hell of a lot better than what i expected.

[Brew666]

at least that, 5 games in, i can admit that i was wrong about the laughs.
yes, its only 5 games, and their sched's been weak, but they are a hell of a lot better than what i expected.

I think they're better than what everyone expected...it's been a breath of fresh air in this city...

Lets hope we can avoid any long losing streaks, but we seem to have two quality goalies and with the depth that we do have the blueline we should be able to avoid a long losing streak b/c we'll be tough to score on at least.

[YogiStewart]

at least that, 5 games in, i can admit that i was wrong about the laughs.
yes, its only 5 games, and their sched's been weak, but they are a hell of a lot better than what i expected.

I think they're better than what everyone expected...it's been a breath of fresh air in this city...

Lets hope we can avoid any long losing streaks, but we seem to have two quality goalies and with the depth that we do have the blueline we should be able to avoid a long losing streak b/c we'll be tough to score on at least.

except....
many unanswered questions. a hot start doesn't mean they won't hit a losing streak.
Komisarek = bad signing so far. that's a cap killer
too many D, not enough quality forwards. this still holds true
Future prospects - you have Kadri and D'amico. otherwise...anything else to get excited about, esp without a 1st round pick next year?
Goaltending - remember that J-S sucked it big time in Anaheim. so don't be shocked if his play comes back down to earth.

I suggest all Leaf fans have guarded optimism. like i said, their schedule's been VERY kind.

[s e n s i]

I'm perfectly fine with having an above-average defense corps without many quality forwards, for now at least. We'll struggle to score goals on nights when Kessel is shut down, but the defense will at least always keep us in games. Burkie has some resemblance of a plan, and as previously mentioned, is stockpiling solid defensemen and speed. Kadri has the potential to be a top-6 foward, and I think acquiring another one through a trade/free agency would put us right in the mix of things in the next coming years. How that will come to fruition- I don't know, but it's not impossible.

[bryant08]

Poor performance all together. If one thing's clear, we need more depth at center. Zigomanis is a solid role player, but throwing him out there with Kessel/Versteeg is just sad. Kulemin was in there for a bit too, so we really do need to go after a center. And my goodness Versteeg, ever heard of going to your backhand on the breakaway? He's just missed chances left, right and center the last two games. He's got so much skill it's disappointing not to see those finished off. Positives were Gustavsson, Grabovski, and Schenn for me. Schenn has been a beast to start this season, whereas Phaneuf has had flashes off brilliance and moments where he's been below-average. Beauchemin is starting to annoy me with dangerous passes/unsafe plays and I'm not too impressed with Lebda either.

[leafsfan89]

Bryant08, i agree with you there on many points!

1) Lack of depth at centre was shown tonight! After the first couple of games i convinced myself that maybe this Bozak, and Grabovski experiment as 1 & 2 in the centre position may work after all. Tonight just proved the opposite. Bozak is quite good, but this team can't delay on getting that number 1 centre much longer. All the analysts keep pointing out that Richards is a hot commodity, and I for one, at this point wont mind if we could somehow ink him on a 5 year deal of sort. He would add a ton of depth to this team right away. Because watching Zigomanis play on the top line was not a pretty sight for hopeful fans like me, he jumped from Line 4 to Line 1.

2) Yes Versteeg, GO TO YOUR BACK HAND! He had that glorious breakaway chance against the islanders i believe it was, but he completely missed and if he went back hand he might have scored. I noticed that today too. I know we're only 6 games in but he only has 2 pts! But the positives obviously are that hes generating a lot of scoring chances and hes got that swag that can help him get his game on soon so im still very much excited about him!

3) I love to defend any player that currently plays for the Leafs against people who are not so friendly towards torontos puck team but its getting harder and harder to defend beauch these past couple of games. You are right, hes actually starting to annoy me a little too. Those passes are so sketch, and that goal today could have been avoided if he just put more muscle into it and used the stick better.

Gustavsson, despite the loss, was actually pretty good i thought he would be more shaky in net. I cant put the blame on him for the loss, our defense wasnt up to the level it has to be at. Especially the second goal, if Gustavsson poked checked the pass the goal could have been avoided but it was Kaberle who let his man score.

[YogiStewart]

Zigomanis on the 1st line? now you know how Sundin felt all those years....

worst part about that loss? not Phaneuf looking slow and useless on D. not Bozak coming back to earth. not The Twin Towers bumbling around on D.

it was Ron Wilson talking down to the press during his post-game conference. what a jackass.

[Brew666]

[quote="leafsfan89"]Bryant08, i agree with you there on many points!

1) Lack of depth at centre was shown tonight! After the first couple of games i convinced myself that maybe this Bozak, and Grabovski experiment as 1 & 2 in the centre position may work after all. Tonight just proved the opposite. Bozak is quite good, but this team can't delay on getting that number 1 centre much longer. All the analysts keep pointing out that Richards is a hot commodity, and I for one, at this point wont mind if we could somehow ink him on a 5 year deal of sort. He would add a ton of depth to this team right away. Because watching Zigomanis play on the top line was not a pretty sight for hopeful fans like me, he jumped from Line 4 to Line 1.quote]

I don't think Richards is availabe, he's just going to be that name that gets constant attention whether he's coming to Toronto or not, even though there hasnt been any true indicators. I see him re-signing with Dallas probably sometime during the season...We don't have NHL proven depth in the middle but there's still potential IMO. Nothing has been proven yet whether Bozak and Grabo can or cannot handle the top 2 lines...too early to tell. I think Burke is going to really push for the playoffs this year and if Bozak and Grabo aren't up to the task, he's going to find someone who is.

[SDM]

Zigomanis on the 1st line? now you know how Sundin felt all those years....

worst part about that loss? not Phaneuf looking slow and useless on D. not Bozak coming back to earth. not The Twin Towers bumbling around on D.

it was Ron Wilson talking down to the press during his post-game conference. what a jackass.

Were you expecting him to be complimentary about anything? I can physically hand Ron Wilson a cheque for a billion dollars and he'd still find a way to ridicule me.

[J Dilla]

Versteeg's been pissing me off for a while now.

[darth_federer]

The good thing about Versteeg is that he contributes even if hes not scoring. Hes a good penalty killer, hes top 3 in the team in blocked shots and hes good in his own end.

Bozak might just be going through a sophomore slump like Schenn and Gunnarson (it looks like.) Keep in mind that hes only played 40 games in the NHL. Yes hes 24, but hes still a rookie.

Big test today in Philadelphia. Pronger is back and if they can beat Philadelphia on the road in front of a loud home crowd, it would do wonders for their confidence.

[Rude Boy 1]

The good thing about Versteeg is that he contributes even if hes not scoring. Hes a good penalty killer, hes top 3 in the team in blocked shots and hes good in his own end.

Bozak might just be going through a sophomore slump like Schenn and Gunnarson (it looks like.) Keep in mind that hes only played 40 games in the NHL. Yes hes 24, but hes still a rookie.

Big test today in Philadelphia. Pronger is back and if they can beat Philadelphia on the road in front of a loud home crowd, it would do wonders for their confidence.

Versteeg is pissing me off he had the game on his stick TWICE in our two losses and failed to hit the net. He needs to start burying those chances if we are to have any hope of making the playoffs.

Bozak is just not that good a hockey player unfortunately, he is at best a second liner on a bottom feeder. When he has to go at the top defensive pairing night in night out he'll get exposed. That first line needs one mucker a guy that can get space for Steeg and Phil. We DESPERATELY need a big strong centre to play with these guys they just aren't aggressive enough in the offensive zone to go in the corners and win the battles for the puck.

[Rude Boy 1]

Poor performance all together. If one thing's clear, we need more depth at center. Zigomanis is a solid role player, but throwing him out there with Kessel/Versteeg is just sad. Kulemin was in there for a bit too, so we really do need to go after a center. And my goodness Versteeg, ever heard of going to your backhand on the breakaway? He's just missed chances left, right and center the last two games. He's got so much skill it's disappointing not to see those finished off. Positives were Gustavsson, Grabovski, and Schenn for me. Schenn has been a beast to start this season, whereas Phaneuf has had flashes off brilliance and moments where he's been below-average. Beauchemin is starting to annoy me with dangerous passes/unsafe plays and I'm not too impressed with Lebda either.

Echo your sentiments here 100%

Beauch and Lebda looked awful. Beauch struggles to make good first passes out of the zone and Lebda is just terrible...

[darth_federer]

On another ntoe, Tie Domi's son Max Domi is a top prospect. Hes only 15, but hes breaking records and hes the best player in his age group

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=338281

[leafsfan89]

wow, another terrible pass from beauchemin resulting in that first goal for philly! Get your head on out there beauch, he's playing absolutely terrible past few games. And the worst part is, for some reason wilson paired him with Phaneuf .