The Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a disappointing loss in Game 5 to the Florida Panthers. Mike DiStefano and David Morassutti give their thoughts on how everything transpired including the familiar storylines for the Leafs. They also give their thoughts on the questionable plays in the game including the review of Morgan Rielly’s goal that was called back and whether a call was missed on the overtime winner. They move on to the questions about what comes next for the Leafs with locker room cleanout upcoming. They debate what the feeling should be about the Leafs playoffs after winning a round but getting bounced right after in disappointing fashion.
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17 Comments
Keefe got out-coached. If you can't win at home in the playoffs………….you're toast!!!
go leafs go! already excited for next year
Even if Rielly’s non-goal counted, it doesn’t mean the Leafs would’ve won the game. It would’ve changed the course of the game and we have no clue how the game would’ve unfolded. If anything, we’d probably have seen them still go to OT with the same result, but we have no clue so it’s barely worth discussing.
If only Muzzin could have stayed healthy. Mathews and Marner for Bedard.
Italians lolz,,,
Sad as it is. I think the reff probably made the correct call. The root of the rule says as soon as the refferee loses sight of the puck the whistle has to be blown
Summer at the lake. You can’t afford it. Ha ha
It will be difficult to break this up. Do you get rid of your only playoff performer, your generational player or your top point getter. Your captain is unmovable.
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Tavaras and the Other Canadian Playoff Grit will be Removed so the Leafs will remain the Softest Ones in the NHL
Cuddly in the Creases and Corners
Don't Delay, get your Softest Leaf Today
Worst signing ever Johnny T they had to let go of playoff players and wronged the rebuild
Keefe gone and dubus stays
Game 6 of the Oilers-VGK 2023 playoff series didn't go so well for the Oilers via a 5-2 loss. The Leafs, during the Panthers-Leafs' series, on average scored and allowed 2 and 2.8 goals while over the 1st 5 games of the Oilers-VGK series the respective averages were for the Oilers 3.4 and 3.4. The Leafs needed to score >2 goals per game but on Bobrovsky this month NEVER did.
Fire Carlyle, Babcock & Keefe. Blame Andersen, Campbell & Samsonov. But keep Dubas & Shanahan!!!!
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
–Albert Einstein
A sports organization is a centralized, command and control hierarchy. The Leafs were arguable in disarray and Shanahan appears to have imprinted a strong culture and has enabled moves like bringing in talent at the management, coaching and playing level. He, along with Dubas, have structured a professional minor league feeder system and the loyalty and opportunity extended to their minor league and now NHL coach is honorable. The most successful coaches in the NHL tend to have been around for a while and have brought along a successful ethos that they gained either as a player, previous coach and sometimes both. In the playoffs coaching will naturally go with the guys that got you there.
The run and gun regular season offensive show sells tickets and jerseys and from that perspective the Leafs are thriving. The playoffs are a different beast. The defense appeared to be flat footed and gave up repeated turnovers resulting in Goals. Goaltending wins Cups and virtually everyone with their name engraved on Lord Stanley's hardware benefited from a Goalie who was able to stand on his head for 10-12 weeks in the spring and early summer. So it appears the culture has been established and the organization from a business standpoint is humming.
Professional sports is also about winning. A great culture can be diminished by a group that accepts non performance and losing year after year. For all players, the NHL is big business and big contracts that are paid in full from day 1 to the last day of the regular season ensure that their financial incentives are not aligned with a long and punishing post season. Mathews, Marner and the Connor McDavid's all have their financial security guaranteed regardless of whether they win a playoff round.
Perhaps instead of a relatively nominal playoff bounty offered, The NHL could prorate contracts over 10 months from the opening game to the Cup final. Instead of paying tv money etc directly to teams, they could beef up the playoff pool. For example a player that signs a USD$8m contract becomes eligible for a 25% top up contribution from the NHL. The now USD$10m contract is prorated over 10 months (Sept-June) but the player only earns the back end of the contract if he is still alive in the playoffs and payments stop when teams are eliminated. This financially aligns players with a winning playoff outcome. The big contract owners proportionally earn more but even the grinders who have smaller contracts have a chance to massively improve their earnings.
So changes to the Leafs are required.
#1 priority IMHO is goaltending. The young guy Woll looked good when called upon and might have the secret sauce but Samsonov was often caught out of position and gave up too many weak goals. Move Samsonov
Defense was outmatched with both Florida opponents and the Leafs need their Coffey, Leetch, Lidstrom anchors to transition up ice without turnovers. Emphasis on a combination of speed and nastiness.
In terms of trade bait up front I think you need to shake things up. Not necessarily wholesale changes but certainly a blockbuster with at least one of Tavares, Marner or Mathews needing to go. A Losing attitude is a virus that needs to be cut out. Edmonton went all in this year and are also out in the 2nd round to Vegas so perhaps there is a blockbuster McDavid and or Draissaitl for Mathews and or Marner. An explosive move that could shake up both rosters. Another move is Mathews and Samsonov for the #1 pick with Chicago. Grab a potential generational talent and clear cap space.
Is a coaching change warranted? Perhaps. Keep in mind NHL coaches earn their chops through experience and just blowing the coach out does not change a losing culture. And it could be positive but only if a world class guy is ready to step in. Joel Quenneville comes to mind. He took a bullet for what happened in Chicago but is a proven winner.
Also add a McSorley, Semenko type that offers the snipers a little more room to operate.
Thoughts?
From the moment the Panthers laid out Matt Knies in the first game without any retaliation from the Leafs, I think Paul Maurice and the entire Florida team knew that the Leafs wanted no part of this battle. Put another way. If a player wins the Stanley Cup he gets $200,000. #34 Auston Mathews makes $141,000 a game all season long, and receives zero pay for the playoffs other than the money for advancing. The highest paid leafs were the worst performers.
Time 4 change. Happy b day Mike
The host claims he immediately spotted Gudas's clever hold and protested it.
>Nobody on Sportsnet spotted it
>Nobody on TBS spotted it
>Nobody on EITHER radio broadcast spotted it
>Nobody on NHL Network postgame spotted it
Yet he claims he saw it and protested it from hundreds of feet away.
Sure. We believe you.
Props to Gudas. What a skilled, fox-like move.