The Leafs are always good in the regular season, at least during the Matthews era, but they will be measured by playoff success.
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42 Comments
Looking like another first round exit this year
I like how this upload lined up with the All Star Game 2024 announcement
Jarnkrok has been underrated for the Leafs all year
Already showing cracks in the goalie sitch. Another 1st round bed soiling for the Make-B-Leafs this year!
they need lucic at trade deadline
when other players go after matthews, no one steps up, no one
I don't think they keep Kerfoot honestly.
Kerfoot, Kampf, and Bunting I think are the big 3 UFA's the Leafs should focus on re-signing. With guys like Engvall, Simmonds, and Aston-Reese, if the right asking price presents itself, I could see Toronto potentially moving those players before the deadline depending on what they are getting in return. Benn I could probably see retiring after this season or testing the Free Agent market in July.
That Gary Bettman picture is a beauty, really brings the room together.
Man that’s a creepy Gary bettman photo 😂 😅
Toronto hosting the 2024 all star festivities February 2-3 nice
Shannon I know your on vacation but you need to pop in here real quick and give us your thoughts on last nights skills comp… what a Sh*tshow!
As a huge Habs fan, I can't help but respect the Leafs and how tough they look this year. They could give Tampa a run for their money.
I'm not a Leafs' fan, but as an outsider, what I've observed in the playoffs for the past few years is that they're missing a shutdown line. There's essentially 2 great scoring lines and then players filling jerseys with no official role. What they need to get is a Selke contender on the third line. A guy they can rely on to slow down the pace of the game and make the best players of the opposite team miserable. Other teams have been very successful at doing that against their top guys, and when that happens, the whole team just breaks down because they don't have anyone who's job it is to thrive in those tight gritty games where the offense has no room.
Tampa in 6
Leafs are hammering home a solid first round finish
The Scorefest in South Florida is going on right now
Please don't make a video of Leafs' ex-goaltenders as I only have about 20 years to live.
Tampa v Tor
Hedman v Rielly
Vasy v Samsonov
line 3 v line 3
line 4 v line 4
Tampa wins
Freddy has the second highest save pct in leaf history. was a shame how fans ran him out of town. Dubas shouldn't use twitter comments as a guide to running this team. 😂
Once they get past the first round THAT’S the snowball. This team is so good that once those demons are gone ever other team better watch out
Go leafs Go !
kampf and bunting the rest if the ufas bye bye see ya
I always enjoy your videos. Thanks for taking the time to do a more in depth team specific video. When the videos cover too many teams at once, we don't always get to hear your more in depth thoughts. Really appreciate the deeper dive in this one. Cheers.
Till they win a playoff round not convinced.
The Leafs are already almost guaranteed to play Tampa in the first round, only thing to decide is who the home team is, which won't matter, because the Leafs can't seem to win against winners, which is why they aren't winners. Another laughable chapter will be added to their saga in April, after which heads will begin to roll.
Groundhog Day the team
BOO for always posting Leafs last. Otherwise, thank you for your insight.
31-13-8
This is the one to watch. Leafs are the most important team in the league.
Will Orting boys basketball ever win again? They’ll probably have a 44-game losing streak going on at the conclusion of this season
A big issue is been how the Leafs have performed after last preseason when Matthews, how to line up during a week in January and for 3 straight games already, has been out of the lineup. I say this because when he hasn’t been in the lineup, the Leafs have:
– a 2–3–0–0 win–regulation loss–overtime loss–shootout loss record
– been outscored 17–12, with:
— 2-1 and 5-1 mid- and late-January wins, both in regulation, over the Preds and Capitals, both at Scotiabank Arena
— a 4–1 away loss to the Red Wings the night after the 2-1 win in question
— 6–2 and 5-2 respective home losses last week Friday and last Wednesday to the Sens and Bruins
– yet to win consecutive games, potentially the biggest threat to seeing them continue being a top 3 Atlantic Division regular-season team, making me concerned that unless Matthews injuries adequately, by Monday, heal so that he is ready to join the team when it plays later next week the Blue Jackets, the Leafs will continue to struggle, perhaps go on a losing streak as big as the 7-gamer that earlier this season pushed the Canucks far enough out of a playoff spot that they’ve remained out of a playoff spot ever since and now are unlikely to see playoff action until at least next season, being over a dozen points out of the nearest available playoff spot going into an important game on Monday Eastern Time against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Centre. The Calgary Flames, due to 12 losses earlier this season contained within 7- and 5-game losing streaks, have only 5 out of a possible 24 points to show within, said losing streaks, won’t be playing much further north on Monday when they play the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, hoping to start a new win streak after having beaten the Kraken before the two teams would go on their own All-Star breaks. The night before their win over the Kraken, the Flames had lost 4–1 to a lowly Blackhawks’ squad.
It’ll be interesting to find out, following the All-Star Break, whether:
– Leafs’ GM Dubas makes one or more moves because of the real possibility that Matthews will be unavailable for any game following said break
– the Jets can get a win streak going on the heels of a key win over the St. Louis Blues after having snapped a three-game losing streak via that earlier win
– the Oilers can continue their eight-game point streak and manage to end up third or better in the Pacific
– the Flames can you get back into a wild-card spot because we’re the stand now they are tied with the Avs on points, but lose the fewer-games-played tiebreaker in the standings
– the Sens at least manage to somehow copy the success of last season’s Canucks, minus a coaching change, via a playoff push, made possible by a four-game win streak that has seen them beat the leafs and Habs, but still enough teams left to jump over to get into a playoff spot
– the Habs and Canucks manage to play competitive enough hockey to keep their fans interested, particularly in the case of a Canucks’ squad that has gone through so much turmoil this season
The Leafs are not a bad club. In fact, a very good club. Their issue is that there are better clubs this season. Boston, for example. This year, they will get past the first round, but they will not make the Final.
have fun in the playoffs 🤣🤣🤣
Holls a strange one. He is good most of the time and when he is, hes just very steady and responsible. But when he has a bad game he makes some disastrous plays. Its strange how there are times where he just seems to shut off all hockey sense. but for the majority of the time, hes been great
I'm a die- hard Leaf fan. But a realistic one.
The Leafs will most likely lose in the first round again for two reasons.
First, their first round match-up will be a VERY good team… again.
Second, and most importantly, the Leafs are a team with two bad habits they need to shake. The first bad habit is playing down to bad teams. They have done this for years, and since, as Shannon says, this is a different team than in previous years, yet they still haven't shaken that habit, it is unlikely they have changed enough to shake the other bad habit which is playing scare, or choking, when they have a team on the ropes in a playoff series.
One other bad habit I could mention, which doesn't seem to get a lot of press, is their ability to quickly get overwhelmed by hard-working teams. This may actually be the reason they seem to play down to bad teams. The bad teams often work hard to make up for the lack of skill.
Maybe I'm getting softer in my old age, but I think making Toronto go without a Stanley Cup win for 56 years and 19 years without a series win as of 2023 is actually kinda cruel and I'm a Senators' fan, soooo…
I'd rather the Leafs didn't keep Kerfoot, and if Engvall wanted to play a more physical game I'd be happy to have him back but if not then replace his speed.
They are not built properly. They can win a round but this needs to be about winning 4 rounds and they are simply not heavy/big enough to win tight playoff games when the refs put the whistles away. I love Bunting but he can’t be on a line with Marner in the playoffs, not a desire thing, it is a simple strength issue. It gets harder to get to the middle ice (where all the goals are scored from) in the playoffs because the better teams have bigger/stronger d who are also allowed to get away with more in tight games. Consequently, their d is the opposite, smaller and not as able to stop the stronger forwards of the better teams (as you go deeper you play better and better teams). Those differences over a tight series is where they come up short and under Dubus are 0-7 in elimination games. He is forced to hunt for value b/c of their cap situation and though he finds good dollar value, those players are often discounted b/c there size is a detrimental in the playoffs. Ie. Bunting. Again not a desire/Toughness issue, as Bunting will try to get to the middle but if he is up against Hedman who is got more leeway to use his already large strength advantage, it is no contest. If you watch all the elimination games, it is always the same problem, the slot chances go down for both teams but the Leafs are always a distant 2nd best in that category in the playoffs whereas they are always very good in the regular season. Kyle is going to lose his job b/c he has this blind spot.
…… as the season rolls along…… sighs
They are performing, as expected. Now all the fans can do is wait….. all bragging rights on probation. All trash talking is to be halted. The leafs are doing what we all expected. And now, we play the game of patience….. meditates till the post season arrives
This year will be the toughest first round for them. Bolts are so good in the playoffs. I have my doubts.
As soon as I saw Contender under Status, I didn't bother going any further. Shannon loses all credibility. In order to be a Contender, you need to get out of the First round more than once every 18 years Shannon. Get it together and be brutally honest! You're starting to resemble the Clown Panels on Leafsnet and Toronto Sports Network.
If you simply changed the name of our team we would’ve made the conference finals by now