Golden Knights vs. Leafs - Oct. 8th, 10:00pm - TSN4

[CarltonTheBear]

	​
Vegas Golden Knights 3-1-0, 6 points​	vs.​	Toronto Maple Leafs 2-2-0, 4 points​

Projected Line-ups​

Barbashev-Eichel-Stone Howden-Karlsson-Marner Connelly-Hertl-Olofsson Bowman-Dowd-Gatcomb McNabb-Theodore Wotherspoon-Andersson Lauzon-Hanifin Hart​

Roslovic-Matthews-Nylander Cowan-Tavares-Marchenko McKenna-Paul-Sissons Duhaime-Blueger-Groulx McCabe-Tanev Rielly-Raddysh OEL-Stecher Bobrovsky​

Scratches​

Raphael Lavoie Dylan Coghlan​

​

Zach MacEwen Nick Blankenburg​

Injuries​

​

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Dakota Joshua - Abdomen - Injured Reserve Elvis Merzlikins - Shoulder - Injured Reserve Max Domi - Back - Injured Reserve​

Game Notes​

VGK -Carter Hart will likely start for the Golden Knights

TOR -Sergei Bobrovsky will likely start for the Leafs -Toronto saw some line-up juggling in Tuesday's game against Nashville, with Nylander moving up to L1, Marchenko and Cowan going to L2, and McKenna to L3. We'll see if Hiller sticks with those lines in Vegas or goes to something diifferent

Streams​

Sportsurge OnHockey NHL66​

 

[cabber24]

Are those actually the lines to start? I love the balance; I think they can cook some teams with those lines. If we actually have a coach who's willing to balance lines, it would be the first in Leafs history. Swap JT for McKenna on PP1, and we're good to go.

 

[herman]

Swap JT for McKenna on PP1

All in due time. If we're shooting from the point or the flanks, you need puck retrievers and slot clean up.

I think we have enough weapons to run two relatively even and balanced PP units that sort of compete against each other. Right now it is both too skilly and too easy to disrupt (Tavares). PP2's simple attack and chase method is more effective.

It currently does not make sense to just walk McKenna onto PP1 or L1 basically unearned. I'd sooner Easton Cowan get those looks given how he has developed and what he brings to the table.

 

[Arn]

Don’t get used to Cowan.

Button has him traded for help on D

 

[herman]

Don’t get used to Cowan.

Button has him traded for help on D

When has Button ever been... on the button?

 

[rjd]

When has Button ever been... on the button?

You forgot to put your sun glasses on when you said that.

 

[herman]

You forgot to put your sun glasses on when you said that.

 

[L K]

You forgot to put your sun glasses on when you said that.

Sure, Edvinsson for Cowan straight up. I'd do that. That's about it.

 

[herman]

It'll be a very tricky puzzle to land any D of note, like Edvinsson or Werenski or even Nikishin, barring Rielly going the other way (NMC says hello).

a) The Leafs are currently at 50 SPCs so any move has to be in and out.
b) The Leafs next season cap hit needs to be cap compliant (tagging rule) where LTIR doesn't count. The cost of doing business for Marchenko was Merzlikins' remaining year at 4.4ishM, which leaves them currently just over 3M in space to work with.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2107878179377750226

c) Players that we want are looking for numbers we can't currently handle next season without shedding future $alary. We have many candidates (Domi, Joshua, Bleuger, Roslovic) that would probably need sweeteners to move.
d) Teams that have those players aren't likely to accept a winger (+ cap junk) as a centrepiece for the return on such a deal. Even when Knies was still on the board, he's not the caliber of winger that would yield a real top 4 defenseman.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2108263349041721668

So what is the point of signing Blankenburg if we aren't going to work him into the lineup? I'd want to get him at least one game here before setting him for the revenge game against Colorado. I like Stecher and his gumption but he hasn't been so great that he's locked in.

 

[rjd]

It'll be a very tricky puzzle to land any D of note, like Edvinsson or Werenski or even Nikishin, barring Rielly going the other way (NMC says hello).

a) The Leafs are currently at 50 SPCs so any move has to be in and out.
b) The Leafs next season cap hit needs to be cap compliant (tagging rule) where LTIR doesn't count. The cost of doing business for Marchenko was Merzlikins' remaining year at 4.4ishM, which leaves them currently just over 3M in space to work with.

https://twitter.com/x/status/2107878179377750226

c) Players that we want are looking for numbers we can't currently handle next season without shedding future $alary. We have many candidates (Domi, Joshua, Bleuger, Roslovic) that would probably need sweeteners to move.
d) Teams that have those players aren't likely to accept a winger (+ cap junk) as a centrepiece for the return on such a deal. Even when Knies was still on the board, he's not the caliber of winger that would yield a real top 4 defenseman.

I watched what Button said, and the part that gets missed is the "Does the deal for the defenseman make you stronger than if you just kept Easton Cowan".

I agree with you Herman, I think the type of d-man that would make the Leafs stronger than just having Easton Cowan, is probably not the type of d-man you can get with just Easton Cowan.

I'm hopeful that a balanced three line system, along with good goaltending, can make up for some of their defensive warts.

 

[herman]

I'm hopeful that a balanced three line system, along with good goaltending, can make up for some of their defensive warts.

Putting away some of those opportunities that have missed or rung off the post recently would go a long way to obviating some of those defensive warts. For the most part, their defensive woes have just been mis-executed plays, rather than structural deficiency, so I'm glad for that. And for all the goals against, they were either grade A opportunities generated with mismanaged pucks, or the ref show.

Their actual results are lagging a touch behind their generated chances overall, but it's only a 4 game sample. The process is sound and additional practice refinement should only help (unlike under Berube's system where more practice and better adherence to his system meant worse results).

 

[CarltonTheBear]

So what is the point of signing Blankenburg if we aren't going to work him into the lineup? I'd want to get him at least one game here before setting him for the revenge game against Colorado. I like Stecher and his gumption but he hasn't been so great that he's locked in.

Yeah that's beginning to get a little weird. It's not like there's that much separating the two of them (both small and mobile-ish defencemen). Stecher likely leans slightly more defensive while Blankenburg offensive. I thought maybe this was a PK thing but Blankenburg killed penalties with both Nashville and Columbus.

Not that we should read a ton into this after 4 games but Stecher's last among the D in CF% and considerably last in xGF%.

 

[L K]

I

Yeah that's beginning to get a little weird. It's not like there's that much separating the two of them (both small and mobile-ish defencemen). Stecher likely leans slightly more defensive while Blankenburg offensive. I thought maybe this was a PK thing but Blankenburg killed penalties with both Nashville and Columbus.

Not that we should read a ton into this after 4 games but Stecher's last among the D in CF% and considerably last in xGF%.

I feel like this happened last year. Stecher looked good but his underlying numbers weren't nearly as good as his effort on the ice. Lower ability player who works his ass off and it makes you a fan favourite even though your overall play is middling.

 

[cabber24]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2108263349041721668

So what is the point of signing Blankenburg if we aren't going to work him into the lineup? I'd want to get him at least one game here before setting him for the revenge game against Colorado. I like Stecher and his gumption but he hasn't been so great that he's locked in.

Just break up JT and Nylander already... it will be okay; it's for the best.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I feel like this happened last year. Stecher looked good but his underlying numbers weren't nearly as good as his effort on the ice. Lower ability player who works his ass off and it makes you a fan favourite even though your overall play is middling.

His on-ice results matched his work effort in a genuinely good way for the first month or two he was here. But yeah eventually that ended up being the case too as the season went on.

 

[cabber24]

All in due time. If we're shooting from the point or the flanks, you need puck retrievers and slot clean up.

I think we have enough weapons to run two relatively even and balanced PP units that sort of compete against each other. Right now it is both too skilly and too easy to disrupt (Tavares). PP2's simple attack and chase method is more effective.

It currently does not make sense to just walk McKenna onto PP1 or L1 basically unearned. I'd sooner Easton Cowan get those looks given how he has developed and what he brings to the table.

PP1 has stunk... I want them to mix it up. JT short side jams are getting old, feels like JVR going 1 for 100 attempting a shot through the legs down low.

 

[ZBBM]

We also have to factor in the likely loss of Tanev to some injury for like 45 games or so. ChayMats fixed the O, and maybe the G, but not that letter which wins one championships.

 

[herman]

Putting away some of those opportunities that have missed or rung off the post recently would go a long way to obviating some of those defensive warts. For the most part, their defensive woes have just been mis-executed plays, rather than structural deficiency, so I'm glad for that. And for all the goals against, they were either grade A opportunities generated with mismanaged pucks, or the ref show.

Their actual results are lagging a touch behind their generated chances overall, but it's only a 4 game sample. The process is sound and additional practice refinement should only help (unlike under Berube's system where more practice and better adherence to his system meant worse results).

https://twitter.com/x/status/2108299805487505584

Lmao
Current season on the left, last (full) season on the right.

That left wall blip of red has gotta be Domi, Robertson, McMann just whipping whatever they got on net.