Toronto Maple Leafs 2016-17 Season!

[msb314]

Another win for the Maple Leafs against the Oilers following their big win against the Washington Capital (which I got to watch live!)

Question is how far can they go with such a young team?

They will be in playoff contention IMO but not too sure if they can go further.

Discuss!

 

[msb314]

Had a good season but just wasn't meant to be - should be proud for taking the series to Game 6 OT!
[MENTION=100918]Square Drive[/MENTION]

 

[Square Drive]

Had a good season but just wasn't meant to be - should be proud for taking the series to Game 6 OT!
[MENTION=100918]Square Drive[/MENTION]

Man honestly so sad.

However, not disappointed and am in fact very, VERY proud of the boys.

If someone was to tell me before the season started that this group of rookies were even to make the playoffs, let alone push the Presidents Trophy winners to game 6, I'd be over the moon. After making the playoffs and then even making it past 5 game, the Leafs had already exceeded expectations and honestly, anything after that was always a bonus.

It was a thrilling series in which ALL games were one-goal games including 5 games which went to OT. It was THAT close and it really could've gone either way. Could've been a 4-0 sweep for Toronto, or even the other way around. But at the end of the day there were a group of rookies who could've only dreamt of making the playoffs up until a few months ago, vs Ovechkin's experienced men. Best series this NHL playoffs hands down.

Leafs fought very, very well and this is probably the best moments I've had as a Leafs fan. The future is looking very bright.

We have a Calder winner in Auston Mathews. A dirty player in William Nylander. An excellent pair of legs in Mitch Marner. Then there's the more experienced Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk. Of course there are players like Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, and Leo Komarov who have also played great roles throughout the season.

Great defensemen in Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev along with the improved Jake Gardiner (need a top defenseman though).

Then there's Freddie. The clutch Freddie. The ice cool Freddie. What would we be without Freddie?

Let's not forget what a solid backup we have in Curtis McElhinney. Those saves against Pittsburgh in Game 81 got us here.

All in all, the Leafs are here to stay. They will definitely make the playoffs in atleast 8/10 next seasons if not more, and they will continue to make it with this group of guys. Within the next 10 years, the Leafs are getting a cup and there is no doubt it.

Proud to bleed white and blue.

GO LEAFS GO!

 

[msb314]

Man honestly so sad.

However, not disappointed and am in fact very, VERY proud of the boys.

If someone was to tell me before the season started that this group of rookies were even to make the playoffs, let alone push the Presidents Trophy winners to game 6, I'd be over the moon. After making the playoffs and then even making it past 5 game, the Leafs had already exceeded expectations and honestly, anything after that was always a bonus.

It was a thrilling series in which ALL games were one-goal games including 5 games which went to OT. It was THAT close and it really could've gone either way. Could've been a 4-0 sweep for Toronto, or even the other way around. But at the end of the day there were a group of rookies who could've only dreamt of making the playoffs up until a few months ago, vs Ovechkin's experienced men. Best series this NHL playoffs hands down.

Leafs fought very, very well and this is probably the best moments I've had as a Leafs fan. The future is looking very bright.

We have a Calder winner in Auston Mathews. A dirty player in William Nylander. An excellent pair of legs in Mitch Marner. Then there's the more experienced Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk. Of course there are players like Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, and Leo Komarov who have also played great roles throughout the season.

Great defensemen in Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev along with the improved Jake Gardiner (need a top defenseman though).

Then there's Freddie. The clutch Freddie. The ice cool Freddie. What would we be without Freddie?

Let's not forget what a solid backup we have in Curtis McElhinney. Those saves against Pittsburgh in Game 81 got us here.

All in all, the Leafs are here to stay. They will definitely make the playoffs in atleast 8/10 next seasons if not more, and they will continue to make it with this group of guys. Within the next 10 years, the Leafs are getting a cup and there is no doubt it.

Proud to bleed white and blue.

GO LEAFS GO!

Yeah for sure!

They have a very good team and I hope they can become Stanley Cup contenders soon!

 

[nextover666666]

The leafs will be a Stanley cup contender in 5 years

 

[JaDed]

[MENTION=142864]bleaf27[/MENTION] lol mate seriously Maple leafs, my friend went into a depression the other day hope you are alright ,the team that always cracks under pressure.

 

[Major]

Barely.

Depends on the games' timings really.

I'd prioritize the NHL and MLB (Blue Jays) over it, though.

How did it feel watching leafs go out first round

Go sens go

 

[bleaf27]

[MENTION=142864]bleaf27[/MENTION] lol mate seriously Maple leafs, my friend went into a depression the other day hope you are alright ,the team that always cracks under pressure.

No bud we actually did quite well this season , we were 30th last yr and now we made it to the playoffs and forced game 6 against the best offensive team in the league. team's full of kids playing their first season. but we are in the direction - in 3-4 years we'd be competing for Mr. stanley

 

[bleaf27]

Another win for the Maple Leafs against the Oilers following their big win against the Washington Capital (which I got to watch live!)

Question is how far can they go with such a young team?

They will be in playoff contention IMO but not too sure if they can go further.

Discuss!

Well Matthews is phenomenal and again we are coming off from a year where we were 30th last year. Also Burke put us in a hole with the Kessel trade and finally all the old chips are moving . We got rid of Phaneuf which was one of the worst contracts we had.
Going forward we got Matthews , Nylander , Marner , Rielly and Andersen which will be the core.
I heard they may go after Pavelski which would be a great addition

 

[bleaf27]

We still need to sign Boyle who's an UFA this year but we still one more for Bozak and Riemsdyk - but looks quite plausible those guys would like to stick around. With Lou in the driver's seat and Babcock - you have one of the best coaches out there and he pioneered the trap system but now he's willing to enforce more neutral ice play which is a delight to see

 

[Square Drive]

How did it feel watching leafs go out first round

Go sens go

Not bad at all. They pushed the #1 team in the league to the edge despite making it to the playoffs after years, that too with a bunch of rookies.

However, judging by your posts, you'd rather not see a team full of youngsters performing well.

 

[bleaf27]

How did it feel watching leafs go out first round

Go sens go

Sens are a disgrace of a club mate. Round 2 is not even sold out and CT is one of the worst buildings to play in.

 

[Major]

Sens are a disgrace of a club mate. Round 2 is not even sold out and CT is one of the worst buildings to play in.

lol disgrace? Its a budget club who atleast makes it to the play offs most of the time. Leafs cant even do that.

 

[bleaf27]

lol disgrace? Its a budget club who atleast makes it to the play offs most of the time. Leafs cant even do that.

You don't know much about hockey do you ?
Maple leafs are part of the original 6 . They bring a 100 year old history to the NHL - it is a legacy and brings in a history of 13 stanley cups.
Barring the old sens (1884-1934) - the current senators has been around since 1992-1993 and they haven't won a single stanley cup.
Breaking into the playoffs is not an achievement - what's the point of making it into the playoffs to be kicked out in the first or second round ? You'd be picking 15-20th in the draft next year and would remain mediocre for years to come.
and the lesser said about the fan base the better, 15-20 % of the populatioin Ottawa support the leafs , 15-20 % support the habs and the rest of the crowd heavy heartedly supports the sens despite which second round seats in the playoffs go unsold - close to 2000 against the Rangers last week

 

[JaDed]

No bud we actually did quite well this season , we were 30th last yr and now we made it to the playoffs and forced game 6 against the best offensive team in the league. team's full of kids playing their first season. but we are in the direction - in 3-4 years we'd be competing for Mr. stanley

Considering all the love for Canadians among Hockey they sure aren't that good ,no offense atleast they got Raptors to rely on,as an immigrants don't you think easier to support them over Leafs.

 

[Messiah]

You don't know much about hockey do you ?
Maple leafs are part of the original 6 . They bring a 100 year old history to the NHL - it is a legacy and brings in a history of 13 stanley cups.
Barring the old sens (1884-1934) - the current senators has been around since 1992-1993 and they haven't won a single stanley cup.
Breaking into the playoffs is not an achievement - what's the point of making it into the playoffs to be kicked out in the first or second round ? You'd be picking 15-20th in the draft next year and would remain mediocre for years to come.
and the lesser said about the fan base the better, 15-20 % of the populatioin Ottawa support the leafs , 15-20 % support the habs and the rest of the crowd heavy heartedly supports the sens despite which second round seats in the playoffs go unsold - close to 2000 against the Rangers last week

U do know the leafs havent won in like 40 or so years? And why are you bringing up ancient history. He is right. sens makes playoffs almost every year, whereas leafs finish bottom. U had ot get constant top 5 and number 1 pick to even be competitive now. Leafs are much more of a disgrace than sens any way you look at it.

And bringing up fanbase? toronto has a lot more population then ottawa. so what?

 

[bleaf27]

U do know the leafs havent won in like 40 or so years? And why are you bringing up ancient history. He is right. sens makes playoffs almost every year, whereas leafs finish bottom. U had ot get constant top 5 and number 1 pick to even be competitive now. Leafs are much more of a disgrace than sens any way you look at it.

And bringing up fanbase? toronto has a lot more population then ottawa. so what?

Because when you compare two professional sports organizations , you aren't merely comparing the number of playoff qualifications. Leafs and Sens are not even held in the same league in hockey fraternity so I'm very suprised to see this as any hockey fan would tell you. Leaf won in 67 yeah , when did the Sens win last ? Ofcourse history matters - because when a club has a history as the leafs does - it affects how a city and the hockey culture is seen in that city and that's what brings free agents and superstars to your city. Mediocrity of making into the playoffs does not count for much.
Sens making the playoffs is self destruction of the club - would you like to point out which direction are the Sens heading towards ? They have 5 UFAs this year and they have terrible contracts with Phaneuf( 7 mil) which was one of the worst contracts in the NHL taken upon them. Sens are still retaining salaries of 3 of their players.
That's how franchises are build. You do not win cups through trades , deeper teams are built through drafts. Look at the blackhawks that's how you build a winning franchise - Burke tried to build a winning team through selling our future away and what happened ? We got Kessel and Franson and traded away Rask and got Reimer and Toskala ? Our picks turned out to be Tavares.
Hockey clubs need a direction and the "win now" mentality by Burke took us deeper in the depths by trying to win with a substandard goalie and only 2 top lines competing. Toronto is finally on the right path now - they are not going to be competing for the cup in the next 4-5 years but for the first time in decades we have draft picks and creating a culture for other UFAs to finally jump in and win here. Sens have no blue print to get to the cup and making to the playoffs is not an achievement.

 

[bleaf27]

Considering all the love for Canadians among Hockey they sure aren't that good ,no offense atleast they got Raptors to rely on,as an immigrants don't you think easier to support them over Leafs.

Meh not a fan of raptors. Never was , even in high school I was a fan until we had Vince but once he jumped ship, I was off it. As long we've got the jays we are good, I'd still take the leafs anyday though.

 

[Major]

You don't know much about hockey do you ?
Maple leafs are part of the original 6 . They bring a 100 year old history to the NHL - it is a legacy and brings in a history of 13 stanley cups.
Barring the old sens (1884-1934) - the current senators has been around since 1992-1993 and they haven't won a single stanley cup.
Breaking into the playoffs is not an achievement - what's the point of making it into the playoffs to be kicked out in the first or second round ? You'd be picking 15-20th in the draft next year and would remain mediocre for years to come.
and the lesser said about the fan base the better, 15-20 % of the populatioin Ottawa support the leafs , 15-20 % support the habs and the rest of the crowd heavy heartedly supports the sens despite which second round seats in the playoffs go unsold - close to 2000 against the Rangers last week

lol history... Thats like liverpool talk.

Senators made it all the way into the finals in 2007 and were conference champions..

Breaking into the playoffs is the main goal. The play off teams are considered the top 16 best.

Even with Maple leafs getting good drafts they still haven't managed to make the playoffs that much.

And the Tukka Rask draft ), probably the worst trade ever.....
Ottawa's population isn't that much.

 

[bleaf27]

lol history... Thats like liverpool talk.

Senators made it all the way into the finals in 2007 and were conference champions..

Breaking into the playoffs is the main goal. The play off teams are considered the top 16 best.

Even with Maple leafs getting good drafts they still haven't managed to make the playoffs that much.

And the Tukka Rask draft ), probably the worst trade ever.....
Ottawa's population isn't that much.

Bud, not trying to be an *** but if this is the way you are looking , you're just skimming the surface of the game , you are quite superficially looking at it.
The goal for any NHL club isn't to purely make it to the playoffs - The goal is to win the stanley cup. That's how winning organizations are made - Red Wings / Blackhawks / Pittsburgh - They are all building around draft picks - Toews / Crosby / Malkin / Kane. What good is to a club to make it to the playoffs but to get knocked out in the first or the second round ?
If you get knocked out in the first or the second round - u'd be picking somewhere between 20-25th pick . For the past 4-5 years , draft's aren't that deep - if you are picking after the top 10 in the draft - you aren't getting a bonafide centre or your starting goalie. Senators making into the playoffs just to get knocked out in the 1st or the 2nd round - isn't an achievement . They are getting farther and farther from being a contender. Sens do not have much depth and they have many UFAs while being limited in the cap space.
Leafs haven't done well in the recent past ( their best run was in 2002) - I remember that series quite vividly with Sundin / Roberts. However for once in the last decade - leafs finally have a lot of draft picks. They only picked in the Top 10 in 2012, 2014 and 2015. And those are the pieces we need to build around - all our picks are still younger than 20 and have way more upside than Sens where Ryan / Phaneuf / Chris are either be traded to a contender or would be let go.

I've been a leaf fan for over 2 decades now and this is the time since 2002 which has made me be very very optimistic. Wilson and Maurice were terrible for the leafs and never played neutral ice . Babcock was amazing with the Wings and finally we have the piece we can build around - Matthews , Kadri , Nylander , Gardiner , Reilly , Marner - we have the core pieces in place. and Finally with Lou and Shanny in there - this team would be contending in 4-5 years. 2002 - 2015 was a terrible time for the franchise - We gave away our draft picks , brought expensive contracts , traded our players away to make it to the "playoffs" - what happened , lost in the first round ? - That's not a goal. Goal is to make a winning franchise and we are finally on that path

 

[Messiah]

Because when you compare two professional sports organizations , you aren't merely comparing the number of playoff qualifications. Leafs and Sens are not even held in the same league in hockey fraternity so I'm very suprised to see this as any hockey fan would tell you. Leaf won in 67 yeah , when did the Sens win last ? Ofcourse history matters - because when a club has a history as the leafs does - it affects how a city and the hockey culture is seen in that city and that's what brings free agents and superstars to your city. Mediocrity of making into the playoffs does not count for much.
Sens making the playoffs is self destruction of the club - would you like to point out which direction are the Sens heading towards ? They have 5 UFAs this year and they have terrible contracts with Phaneuf( 7 mil) which was one of the worst contracts in the NHL taken upon them. Sens are still retaining salaries of 3 of their players.
That's how franchises are build. You do not win cups through trades , deeper teams are built through drafts. Look at the blackhawks that's how you build a winning franchise - Burke tried to build a winning team through selling our future away and what happened ? We got Kessel and Franson and traded away Rask and got Reimer and Toskala ? Our picks turned out to be Tavares.
Hockey clubs need a direction and the "win now" mentality by Burke took us deeper in the depths by trying to win with a substandard goalie and only 2 top lines competing. Toronto is finally on the right path now - they are not going to be competing for the cup in the next 4-5 years but for the first time in decades we have draft picks and creating a culture for other UFAs to finally jump in and win here. Sens have no blue print to get to the cup and making to the playoffs is not an achievement.

ignoring all your delusional ramblings, toronto has been the laughing stock of the league along with the oilers for the last decade. Any hockey fans other than toronto fans will tell u that

 

[Messiah]

Bud, not trying to be an *** but if this is the way you are looking , you're just skimming the surface of the game , you are quite superficially looking at it.
The goal for any NHL club isn't to purely make it to the playoffs - The goal is to win the stanley cup. That's how winning organizations are made - Red Wings / Blackhawks / Pittsburgh - They are all building around draft picks - Toews / Crosby / Malkin / Kane. What good is to a club to make it to the playoffs but to get knocked out in the first or the second round ?
If you get knocked out in the first or the second round - u'd be picking somewhere between 20-25th pick . For the past 4-5 years , draft's aren't that deep - if you are picking after the top 10 in the draft - you aren't getting a bonafide centre or your starting goalie. Senators making into the playoffs just to get knocked out in the 1st or the 2nd round - isn't an achievement . They are getting farther and farther from being a contender. Sens do not have much depth and they have many UFAs while being limited in the cap space.
Leafs haven't done well in the recent past ( their best run was in 2002) - I remember that series quite vividly with Sundin / Roberts. However for once in the last decade - leafs finally have a lot of draft picks. They only picked in the Top 10 in 2012, 2014 and 2015. And those are the pieces we need to build around - all our picks are still younger than 20 and have way more upside than Sens where Ryan / Phaneuf / Chris are either be traded to a contender or would be let go.

I've been a leaf fan for over 2 decades now and this is the time since 2002 which has made me be very very optimistic. Wilson and Maurice were terrible for the leafs and never played neutral ice . Babcock was amazing with the Wings and finally we have the piece we can build around - Matthews , Kadri , Nylander , Gardiner , Reilly , Marner - we have the core pieces in place. and Finally with Lou and Shanny in there - this team would be contending in 4-5 years. 2002 - 2015 was a terrible time for the franchise - We gave away our draft picks , brought expensive contracts , traded our players away to make it to the "playoffs" - what happened , lost in the first round ? - That's not a goal. Goal is to make a winning franchise and we are finally on that path

it seems to me that you are trying deperately to seem like someone with deep hockey knowledge. But anyone can tell u that once you make the playoff, anything can happen. A hot goalie, a streak, etc can win you the cup. Your leafs havent made any good teams in years and recently by picking top 5 continously have got some decent pieces. They traded for phil kessel giving away seguin, doughty. Why would u not be the laughing stock of the league? Please do come back to reality from your "original 6" blah blah. You werent even born back then. In fact, you proly immigrated not too long ago anyways...

 

[bleaf27]

ignoring all your delusional ramblings, toronto has been the laughing stock of the league along with the oilers for the last decade. Any hockey fans other than toronto fans will tell u that

They seem "Ramblings" to you because none of that is wikipedia knowledge that you may not subscribe to thus may be quite alien to you.

 

[bleaf27]

it seems to me that you are trying deperately to seem like someone with deep hockey knowledge. But anyone can tell u that once you make the playoff, anything can happen. A hot goalie, a streak, etc can win you the cup. Your leafs havent made any good teams in years and recently by picking top 5 continously have got some decent pieces. They traded for phil kessel giving away seguin, doughty. Why would u not be the laughing stock of the league? Please do come back to reality from your "original 6" blah blah. You werent even born back then. In fact, you proly immigrated not too long ago anyways...

I have nothing to prove to you but considering that I'v followed and played hockey all my life, much longer than ever cricket -i'd say yeah when it comes to hockey I'm a lot more knowledgeable than I'd say even cricket for an example. As for your childish comment in the end, You're right I wasn't born in the 1800's but I was born and raised in Toronto - and even if you immigrated here afterwards - does not make you any less of a fan of whichever team you are into. Quite an immature comment regardless.

No anything doesn't happen in hockey - that's for maybe "bandwagoners" like yourself quite plausibly who may lose their mind everytime their club makes it into the playoffs and you are soaking up all the jargon the commentary is throwing at you. For your goalie to go "hot" - you need to have a goalie which shows some depth - teams do not win around "hot" goalies - Price and Halak have been quite "hot" numerous times in the playoffs , Nabokov played his *** out to bail San Jose - did not end up with the Stanley now did they ? Streak ? - this isn't cricket bruv - you may streak in one series - you aren't winning the cup due to a streak.
We did not have a direction until Shanahan/ Lou Lam and Babcock came on the scene - Paul Maurice / Ron Wilson / Carlyle is not the style of hockey leafs ever played - that would be NJ trap game.
Doughty was drafted by the Kings in 08 , For Kessel - we gave 2 picks which turned into Seguin and Dougie Hamilton - stop making a fool of yourself.

 

[Major]

it seems to me that you are trying deperately to seem like someone with deep hockey knowledge. But anyone can tell u that once you make the playoff, anything can happen. A hot goalie, a streak, etc can win you the cup. Your leafs havent made any good teams in years and recently by picking top 5 continously have got some decent pieces. They traded for phil kessel giving away seguin, doughty. Why would u not be the laughing stock of the league? Please do come back to reality from your "original 6" blah blah. You werent even born back then. In fact, you proly immigrated not too long ago anyways...

nashville is the best example. 8 seed team beating a 1st seed blackhawks

 

[Major]

So not qualifying for the play offs is better then qualifying play offs winning conference cup etc.....

 

[bleaf27]

So not qualifying for the play offs is better then qualifying play offs winning conference cup etc.....

Ofcourse it is. Depends entirely on what level your team is at. If you are a contender - Pens / Caps / Rangers then you are built do win the cup now not down the road . Caps are the best example - they have loaded their team for now to win the cup - took on some expensive contracts. Montreal / Sens they aren't going past the second round at most . And then where does that put you in the draft ? - You are picking somewhere between 20-25th ? What good is that ?
Leafs blew up the team - we gave away Kessel - uploaded horrible contracts for Phaneuf / Clarkson / Lupul isn't coming back anytime soon , Franson went back to a contender , Bernier was offloaded for a conditional pick.
2-3 years from now leafs look in much better spot and would look to contend for the cup - not merely making into the playoffs but contend in 5 years. Do you really see the sens contending in 5 years ? Certainly not.

 

[Major]

And there you go. Ottawa now the only canadian team standing.
It has no name players(except karlasson) and yet has come out as the best canadian team this season

 

[nextover666666]

Ottawa has been playing good hard hockey and playing as a unit indeed not a team with big names but they play hard hope they can go all the way