2022-23 Toronto Maple Leafs General Discussion

[L K]

Ultimately the puck needs to go in the net but I feel a bit more confident that this team can pot some scrappy goals out of their bottom 6.  As much as the big earners haven't had a 10 point in 5 game playoff series, the lack of bottom 6 scoring has killed them as teams shutting down Matthews/Marner pretty much guaranteed a 3-2 game or lower.

[cw]

I have mixed feelings about the deadline.

I think Dubas improved the team.
I think this group has a fairly short window due to the cap and expiring contracts so Dubas was justified generally.
The roster of talent probably has the best depth I can recall a Leafs team having.
The goaltending will probably be the biggest factor to determine their playoff fate.

With as many changes as they've made, it is going to take them a while to gel.
Dubas addressed it and added
https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2023/03/03/kyle-dubas-on-the-difference-in-this-years-maple-leafs-team/
I think that is just part of the profession and part of the job. I don't know anybody who doesn't come with a great deal of anxiety to it in terms of worrying each day about the group, how it is fitting together, and every single part of it.

It is a job that whether you want to or not, you live it. You don't just come and do it, go home, and drop it. You live it. It is part of everything that you do.

9 dmen with Benn 10th and Mete 11th. That doesn't work for me as good use of resources.
The jury is out on how well it will get utilized. But you know that only 6-7 will be playing in a given game and the forward depth is dependent on Knies signing or the AHL. I would have liked to have seen at least one of them flipped for a left winger.

Dubas added 6 players and looks to be adding a 7th in Knies.
If the roster was that lacking, after his declared 40 game analysis, why wait until a week before the deadline before addressing all of it? Dubas spoke about how even a few more games together could help them. I do not understand why some of it couldn't have happened sooner.

[herman]

Load manage and rest up Matthews so he can be your top-6 deadline acquisition.

[cw]

Bobby McMann recently completed a string of 15 goals in 15 AHL games.
With an unlimited NHL roster after the deadline and the cap space (for Knies..), I was curious if he would get another look as we wait for Knies.
Last Sunday, in his 16th game since the goal streak started (in late December), he got hurt.
Hasn't been back since.
Couldn't find anything on the injury ...

[Dappleganger]

9 dmen with Benn 10th and Mete 11th. That doesn't work for me as good use of resources.
The jury is out on how well it will get utilized. But you know that only 6-7 will be playing in a given game and the forward depth is dependent on Knies signing or the AHL. I would have liked to have seen at least one of them flipped for a left winger.

I completely agree about a left winger, but was Knies the best option available considering acquisition cost and cap hit? It's definitely a gamble if that was ultimately the decision they made.

My ultimate desire would have been trading Knies + the 2023 1st round pick for Troy Terry (cap hit 1.45m). That would have had me dreaming about a Stanley Cup. 


Bunting-Matthews-Terry
Jarnkrok-Tavares-Marner
Kerfoot-O'Reilly-Nylander
Lafferty-Kampf-Acciari

[Nik]

Ultimately the puck needs to go in the net but I feel a bit more confident that this team can pot some scrappy goals out of their bottom 6.  As much as the big earners haven't had a 10 point in 5 game playoff series, the lack of bottom 6 scoring has killed them as teams shutting down Matthews/Marner pretty much guaranteed a 3-2 game or lower.

That's why I still kind of think they're a scorer short. I still look at the team and see two scoring lines and two lines that will struggle to contribute offense.

[Nik]

Load manage and rest up Matthews so he can be your top-6 deadline acquisition.

Some real "College UFA's are basically 1st round picks" energy here.

[Bill33]

Yeah, i hope mcmann is the next man up. They never did address the top 6LW glaring need, but who knows what options were truly available.

That said, if the truly the plan was to get the 13th best scoring option in NCAA 3 NHL games and put him in against Tampa, then I sure hope luck is on Dubas' side, because logic isn't

[Omallley]

If the roster was that lacking, after his declared 40 game analysis, why wait until a week before the deadline before addressing all of it? Dubas spoke about how even a few more games together could help them. I do not understand why some of it couldn't have happened sooner.

I don't disagree with the player mix (that's a lot of defensemen to carry) or the fact that it is a lot of folks to bring in at/near the deadline. But I can only assume that player availability (enough teams out of playoffs to be sellers), and cap space (both maximizing available space for the leafs, but also another team's willingness to retain salary) were the driving factors for the players that they were looking to acquire. You don't get RoR without the blues being well out of the playoffs and there being enough salary retained. Ditto McCabe (although, in fairness, Chicago's been terrible for the season).

[herman]

Load manage and rest up Matthews so he can be your top-6 deadline acquisition.

Some real "College UFA's are basically 1st round picks" energy here.

Haha maybe! But Matthews is a known quantity and him rounding back to health and form pushes the needle tangibly. 

[Andy]

I have mixed feelings about the deadline.

I think Dubas improved the team.
I think this group has a fairly short window due to the cap and expiring contracts so Dubas was justified generally.
The roster of talent probably has the best depth I can recall a Leafs team having.
The goaltending will probably be the biggest factor to determine their playoff fate.

With as many changes as they've made, it is going to take them a while to gel.
Dubas addressed it and added
https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2023/03/03/kyle-dubas-on-the-difference-in-this-years-maple-leafs-team/
I think that is just part of the profession and part of the job. I don't know anybody who doesn't come with a great deal of anxiety to it in terms of worrying each day about the group, how it is fitting together, and every single part of it.

It is a job that whether you want to or not, you live it. You don't just come and do it, go home, and drop it. You live it. It is part of everything that you do.

9 dmen with Benn 10th and Mete 11th. That doesn't work for me as good use of resources.
The jury is out on how well it will get utilized. But you know that only 6-7 will be playing in a given game and the forward depth is dependent on Knies signing or the AHL. I would have liked to have seen at least one of them flipped for a left winger.

Dubas added 6 players and looks to be adding a 7th in Knies.
If the roster was that lacking, after his declared 40 game analysis, why wait until a week before the deadline before addressing all of it? Dubas spoke about how even a few more games together could help them. I do not understand why some of it couldn't have happened sooner.

I think this is a very fair assessment of the situation. The defense, in particular, is one area that seems a bit wasteful. I was SURE the acquisition of Schenn meant Holl would be traded. Schenn/Timmins/Benn would make a very solid 6/7/8 and with 2023 and 2024 1sts, along with the return for Holl (and Gustafsson) a top-6 LW could easily be obtained without leaving the pick cupboard completely barren. And then ROR could slide comfortably into the 3C spot where he absolutely should be.

Yea, I'm a little bit confused still with this plan.

[Guilt Trip]

I have mixed feelings about the deadline.

I think Dubas improved the team.
I think this group has a fairly short window due to the cap and expiring contracts so Dubas was justified generally.
The roster of talent probably has the best depth I can recall a Leafs team having.
The goaltending will probably be the biggest factor to determine their playoff fate.

With as many changes as they've made, it is going to take them a while to gel.
Dubas addressed it and added
https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2023/03/03/kyle-dubas-on-the-difference-in-this-years-maple-leafs-team/
I think that is just part of the profession and part of the job. I don't know anybody who doesn't come with a great deal of anxiety to it in terms of worrying each day about the group, how it is fitting together, and every single part of it.

It is a job that whether you want to or not, you live it. You don't just come and do it, go home, and drop it. You live it. It is part of everything that you do.

9 dmen with Benn 10th and Mete 11th. That doesn't work for me as good use of resources.
The jury is out on how well it will get utilized. But you know that only 6-7 will be playing in a given game and the forward depth is dependent on Knies signing or the AHL. I would have liked to have seen at least one of them flipped for a left winger.

Dubas added 6 players and looks to be adding a 7th in Knies.
If the roster was that lacking, after his declared 40 game analysis, why wait until a week before the deadline before addressing all of it? Dubas spoke about how even a few more games together could help them. I do not understand why some of it couldn't have happened sooner.

I think this is a very fair assessment of the situation. The defense, in particular, is one area that seems a bit wasteful. I was SURE the acquisition of Schenn meant Holl would be traded. Schenn/Timmins/Benn would make a very solid 6/7/8 and with 2023 and 2024 1sts, along with the return for Holl (and Gustafsson) a top-6 LW could easily be obtained without leaving the pick cupboard completely barren. And then ROR could slide comfortably into the 3C spot where he absolutely should be.

Yea, I'm a little bit confused still with this plan.

Who was that top 6LW that was easy to get? As for the D, I don't blame him. We had our to 3 D or for lengthy times this season. Not sure if they still lead but the Leafs lead the league in man games lost to injury at one point. The Marlies aren't loaded with replacements.
As for Holl, 3rd pairing PKer is just fine. Schenn/Timmins are not as good defensively as him. Holl is our best PKing D man. I actually think with Schenn around, Holl will use the body more. Competition is a good thing.

[Nik]

Haha maybe! But Matthews is a known quantity and him rounding back to health and form pushes the needle tangibly. 

Yeah, he's also already on the team.

[CarltonTheBear]

Kerfoot and Holl are actually own rentals.

[Bender]

I have mixed feelings about the deadline.

I think Dubas improved the team.
I think this group has a fairly short window due to the cap and expiring contracts so Dubas was justified generally.
The roster of talent probably has the best depth I can recall a Leafs team having.
The goaltending will probably be the biggest factor to determine their playoff fate.

With as many changes as they've made, it is going to take them a while to gel.
Dubas addressed it and added
https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2023/03/03/kyle-dubas-on-the-difference-in-this-years-maple-leafs-team/
I think that is just part of the profession and part of the job. I don't know anybody who doesn't come with a great deal of anxiety to it in terms of worrying each day about the group, how it is fitting together, and every single part of it.

It is a job that whether you want to or not, you live it. You don't just come and do it, go home, and drop it. You live it. It is part of everything that you do.

9 dmen with Benn 10th and Mete 11th. That doesn't work for me as good use of resources.
The jury is out on how well it will get utilized. But you know that only 6-7 will be playing in a given game and the forward depth is dependent on Knies signing or the AHL. I would have liked to have seen at least one of them flipped for a left winger.

Dubas added 6 players and looks to be adding a 7th in Knies.
If the roster was that lacking, after his declared 40 game analysis, why wait until a week before the deadline before addressing all of it? Dubas spoke about how even a few more games together could help them. I do not understand why some of it couldn't have happened sooner.

I thought about that and what is the impetus for teams to sell that much earlier, especially if they can better dictate price earlier in the year? I think you had to play a game of chicken to get these prices to fall.