Red Mosquito

Ugh. I don't have much of a problem with that specific series loss. Tampa Bay is a great team and both teams played a really strong series. It's the culmination of events the last few years that really makes it hurt, particularly the losses to Columbus and Montreal.

Honestly, I think if the Leafs fire management or try to make a big splashy move or something it's going to make things worse. They best thing they can do is stick with the core and continue to try to improve the secondary pieces.

philpritchard wrote:Ugh. I don't have much of a problem with that specific series loss. Tampa Bay is a great team and both teams played a really strong series. It's the culmination of events the last few years that really makes it hurt, particularly the losses to Columbus and Montreal.

Honestly, I think if the Leafs fire management or try to make a big splashy move or something it's going to make things worse. They best thing they can do is stick with the core and continue to try to improve the secondary pieces.

wonder if mike sullivan will be available to coach the team

Peeps wrote:

philpritchard wrote:Ugh. I don't have much of a problem with that specific series loss. Tampa Bay is a great team and both teams played a really strong series. It's the culmination of events the last few years that really makes it hurt, particularly the losses to Columbus and Montreal.

Honestly, I think if the Leafs fire management or try to make a big splashy move or something it's going to make things worse. They best thing they can do is stick with the core and continue to try to improve the secondary pieces.

wonder if mike sullivan will be available to coach the team

Hopefully they don't have a coaching vacancy that needs filling.

Actually, I shouldn't say that. I don't care much about Keefe one way or the other. It's just... he's basically coached two seasons worth of hockey for the Leafs. Took over mid-season for Babcock then had the season shut down early, then another short Covid season, then this full season. I don't know. Like the rest of the team, I think it would be reactionary and short-sighted to make a big move like that right now.

Toronto has a good team, just a tough matchup.

The NHL needs to change this shitty playoff alignment but they never will. It should just be 1-8 in each conference, IMO. In the West, the Blues and Wild were 2 and 4 in points but had to play each other. That’s dumb.

philpritchard wrote:

Peeps wrote:

philpritchard wrote:Ugh. I don't have much of a problem with that specific series loss. Tampa Bay is a great team and both teams played a really strong series. It's the culmination of events the last few years that really makes it hurt, particularly the losses to Columbus and Montreal.

Honestly, I think if the Leafs fire management or try to make a big splashy move or something it's going to make things worse. They best thing they can do is stick with the core and continue to try to improve the secondary pieces.

wonder if mike sullivan will be available to coach the team

Hopefully they don't have a coaching vacancy that needs filling.

Actually, I shouldn't say that. I don't care much about Keefe one way or the other. It's just... he's basically coached two seasons worth of hockey for the Leafs. Took over mid-season for Babcock then had the season shut down early, then another short Covid season, then this full season. I don't know. Like the rest of the team, I think it would be reactionary and short-sighted to make a big move like that right now.

I don't know that a coaching change would matter much either way. I could see them sticking with Keefe or pulling the trigger on someone like Trotz. I dunno, I think I agree that the core is almost there. I was really impressed with Campbell's development, I don't like Nylander much but he's great in a supporting role, Reilly is fantastic. Just a tough matchup. I think they would be beaten Boston or Pittsburgh.

Mickey wrote:

philpritchard wrote:

Peeps wrote:

philpritchard wrote:Ugh. I don't have much of a problem with that specific series loss. Tampa Bay is a great team and both teams played a really strong series. It's the culmination of events the last few years that really makes it hurt, particularly the losses to Columbus and Montreal.

Honestly, I think if the Leafs fire management or try to make a big splashy move or something it's going to make things worse. They best thing they can do is stick with the core and continue to try to improve the secondary pieces.

wonder if mike sullivan will be available to coach the team

Hopefully they don't have a coaching vacancy that needs filling.

Actually, I shouldn't say that. I don't care much about Keefe one way or the other. It's just... he's basically coached two seasons worth of hockey for the Leafs. Took over mid-season for Babcock then had the season shut down early, then another short Covid season, then this full season. I don't know. Like the rest of the team, I think it would be reactionary and short-sighted to make a big move like that right now.

I don't know that a coaching change would matter much either way. I could see them sticking with Keefe or pulling the trigger on someone like Trotz. I dunno, I think I agree that the core is almost there. I was really impressed with Campbell's development, I don't like Nylander much but he's great in a supporting role, Reilly is fantastic. Just a tough matchup. I think they would be beaten Boston or Pittsburgh.

Yeah, I would have preferred almost any other matchup for the Leafs.

Blues vs Avalanche

Flames vs. Oilers

Panthers vs Lightning

Hurricanes vs Rangers

philpritchard wrote:

Mickey wrote:

philpritchard wrote:

Peeps wrote:

philpritchard wrote:Ugh. I don't have much of a problem with that specific series loss. Tampa Bay is a great team and both teams played a really strong series. It's the culmination of events the last few years that really makes it hurt, particularly the losses to Columbus and Montreal.

Honestly, I think if the Leafs fire management or try to make a big splashy move or something it's going to make things worse. They best thing they can do is stick with the core and continue to try to improve the secondary pieces.

wonder if mike sullivan will be available to coach the team

Hopefully they don't have a coaching vacancy that needs filling.

Actually, I shouldn't say that. I don't care much about Keefe one way or the other. It's just... he's basically coached two seasons worth of hockey for the Leafs. Took over mid-season for Babcock then had the season shut down early, then another short Covid season, then this full season. I don't know. Like the rest of the team, I think it would be reactionary and short-sighted to make a big move like that right now.

I don't know that a coaching change would matter much either way. I could see them sticking with Keefe or pulling the trigger on someone like Trotz. I dunno, I think I agree that the core is almost there. I was really impressed with Campbell's development, I don't like Nylander much but he's great in a supporting role, Reilly is fantastic. Just a tough matchup. I think they would be beaten Boston or Pittsburgh.

Yeah, I would have preferred almost any other matchup for the Leafs.

Weird autocorrect, I meant that they would HAVE beaten Boston or the Pens. So I agree. It was not my favorite draw for the Lightning either.

Avs
Flames
Lightning
Rangers

I think the Leafs core is missing something crucial and they will not win until they make a serious change. But also part of the leafs problem might be due to how the culture has been impacted by the constant shuffling and trades to the secondary players. Same thing that destroyed Vegas. The team has no soul.

you like hockey?

So they would have beaten other teams that got beat?

Would losing in this round be that much better than exiting when they did?

Tampa still in a groove

elliseamos wrote:So they would have beaten other teams that got beat?

Would losing in this round be that much better than exiting when they did?

Are you joking? Yes, absolutely I think it would have been better for Toronto not to have lost in the first round for the sixth consecutive year.

Man the Avs dominated the Blues. Binnington made that closer than it really was. Shot attempts were 104-45.

Mickey wrote:

elliseamos wrote:So they would have beaten other teams that got beat?

Would losing in this round be that much better than exiting when they did?

Are you joking? Yes, absolutely I think it would have been better for Toronto not to have lost in the first round for the sixth consecutive year.

that is kind of the defeatist attitude here. well if the pens did get past the rangers they werent beating XXXX the next round

scrub12 wrote:Man the Avs dominated the Blues. Binnington made that closer than it really was. Shot attempts were 104-45.

Yeah i was hoping STL could have pulled one off there when it went to OT

Peeps wrote:

Mickey wrote:

elliseamos wrote:So they would have beaten other teams that got beat?

Would losing in this round be that much better than exiting when they did?

Are you joking? Yes, absolutely I think it would have been better for Toronto not to have lost in the first round for the sixth consecutive year.

that is kind of the defeatist attitude here. well if the pens did get past the rangers they werent beating XXXX the next round

No joke, Mick.

I'm on record in this thread saying that the Toronto-Tampa winner takes the East. I still think that's the case. I think you essentially got an ECF matchup in the first round. But I also think you can read any number of Leafs thinkpieces about how different it would feel if this team could have won round one, and who knows how they start playing once that monkey is off their backs.

We'll never know I guess..