General Hockey Talk/Vids

[Lee]

Phaneuf has been absafuckinglutely useless.

[armandtanzarian]

I have to agree with some people who are saying, Schenn is the true upcoming leader of that team.

[MSP4LYFE]

I thought Phaneuf was one of the few players who looked good last night. The offense still isn't there, but we've seen vast improvements from him defensively.

[armandtanzarian]

Schenn is a Beast though. He will be the captain of that team.

[MSP4LYFE]

Fair enough. I just think people are fed up and when you give up what the Leafs gave up in there situation you expect an impact player. When your 1 milli.on dollar FA signing, MacArthur leads the team and battles night in night out while the big star, defensive or not, is silent, I can understand the flak and annoyance. Top players are paid big for a reason. Come through when your needed. The same can be said about Phaneuf. I would also put a player like Semin in this category. But if Semin was put on the Leafs roster i guess he would be having the same troubles as Kessel. I guess this shows how much more impactful Kessel can be with a true play making center, that has to be the Leafs next target.

People are idiots...

Kessel is playing alongside a career AHL'er (Joey Crabb), and a promising albeit unproven second line center mired in a sophomore slump (Tyler Bozak). Neither of those players open a great deal of room for Kessel, nor do they draw defensive pressure, making it easy for the opposition to double up, or key in on Kessel. Combined with a bad power play, it's a miracle that Kessel is still on pace for 35 goals, and 60 points, not a negative, nor is it an indication that Kessel is not, as you say, an "impact player." There are two players in the world that can score all by themselves (Crosby & Ovechkin), perhaps three (Stamkos), and at the moment one isn't even doing that (Ovechkin). It is hardly a knock on Kessel that he isn't in that class of players, and it certainly doesn't preclude him from developing into an elite goal scorer, it just means he will need some help in order to achieve that. Until Tyler Seguin proves capable of performing to that level or beyond, it is idiotic to criticize the deal.

In regards to MacArthur, he is playing with the Leafs two best forwards (outside of Kessel), in large part because they have tremendous natural chemistry. Furthermore, they have not only been better than Kessel's line, they have been one of the best lines in the Eastern conference all season, and offensively more productive than any trio at any point this season for the Bruins, is MacArthur better than Horton, Bergeron or Krejci...

P.S. Kessel is not a top paid player, not even close...30 goal scorers get 5 million everyday on the open market, Kessel is a 30+ goal scorer who is young with a ton of potential yet, the argument that he isn't worth his cap hit is bogus, even with his supposed "poor play" he has earned his contract, and then some.

[MSP4LYFE]

Schenn is a Beast though. He will be the captain of that team.

Perhaps one day, but for the present and foreseeable future the Leafs guy, and rightly so is, Dion Phaneuf.

[MSP4LYFE]

I have to agree with some people who are saying, Schenn is the true upcoming leader of that team.

You realize that is complete speculation right? Unless said people are privy to the politics of the Toronto Maple Leafs dressing room such comments have no basis, it's the equivalent of calling your favorite actor on TV a good person...

[armandtanzarian]

I have to agree with some people who are saying, Schenn is the true upcoming leader of that team.

You realize that is complete speculation right? Unless said people are privy to the politics of the Toronto Maple Leafs dressing room such comments have no basis, it's the equivalent of calling your favorite actor on TV a good person...

So what you are saying is that based on your analysis, anything that is said, printed, speculated, televised, chatted, discussed has no basis, because it is not a Toronto Maple Leaf making the statement. In that case we should all just be quiet in our fantasy world because we do not know anything about what goes on inside closed doors and for us to talk about anything related, would be without basis. You over-analyze the fuck right out of everything. I heard people talking on the radio from Toronto. The statement was made. I agreed with said statement. You saying it is without basis, does not change my opinion. It shows me you disagree, which is ok. Its about as simple as the last 5 or 6 sentences to me, that is all.

[armandtanzarian]

Schenn is a Beast though. He will be the captain of that team.

Perhaps one day, but for the present and foreseeable future the Leafs guy, and rightly so is, Dion Phaneuf.

Rightly so? Oh man...Do you not remember this Dion Phaneuf getting potentially 65 points argument from the beginning. He has 8 Points in 29 games. His big upside was his offense both EVS and on the PP. He shoots the puck and hits the net like 1% of the time. For all the defensive gaps he has his offensive abilities were supposed to offset this. Not working out. There is a reason Calgary traded him. The facts are is that he is 24 yrs old making a ton of money with lots of skin. Right now, hockey is 3rd in line and the Leafs captaincy is like 6th. He has done jack shit to deserve the C of such a storied and proud franchise, imo. He has progressively plummeted each and every year since his breakout and since he got that big contract. Based on what everyone thought he should and would be (norris type player in future), I would consider him a bust.

[MSP4LYFE]

So what you are saying is that based on your analysis, anything that is said, printed, speculated, televised, chatted, discussed has no basis, because it is not a Toronto Maple Leaf making the statement. In that case we should all just be quiet in our fantasy world because we do not know anything about what goes on inside closed doors and for us to talk about anything related, would be without basis.

No...I'm saying any opinion on the actions of players behind closed doors is speculation, that has always been the case, and to say otherwise is idiotic. That does not mean we cannot discuss what we do see, I.E. the on ice product. It doesn't even mean we cannot discuss rumor, but there has to be an understanding that rumor and speculation is just that...Rumor and speculation.

You over-analyze the fuck right out of everything. I heard people talking on the radio from Toronto. The statement was made. I agreed with said statement. You saying it is without basis, does not change my opinion. It shows me you disagree, which is ok. Its about as simple as the last 5 or 6 sentences to me, that is all.

It's ironic that you would make this claim, given that I am basing my opinion on those in the Leafs organization, and privy to locker room talk, whereas you doubt the above claims, and speculating on a topic you lack an informed opinion on...

[MSP4LYFE]

Schenn is a Beast though. He will be the captain of that team.

Perhaps one day, but for the present and foreseeable future the Leafs guy, and rightly so is, Dion Phaneuf.

Rightly so? Oh man...Do you not remember this Dion Phaneuf getting potentially 65 points argument from the beginning. He has 8 Points in 29 games. His big upside was his offense both EVS and on the PP. He shoots the puck and hits the net like 1% of the time. For all the defensive gaps he has his offensive abilities were supposed to offset this. Not working out. There is a reason Calgary traded him. The facts are is that he is 24 yrs old making a ton of money with lots of skin. Right now, hockey is 3rd in line and the Leafs captaincy is like 6th. He has done jack shit to deserve the C of such a storied and proud franchise, imo. He has progressively plummeted each and every year since his breakout and since he got that big contract. Based on what everyone thought he should and would be (norris type player in future), I would consider him a bust.

I won't dignify this post with a response.

[Shep]

Schenn is a Beast though. He will be the captain of that team.

Perhaps one day, but for the present and foreseeable future the Leafs guy, and rightly so is, Dion Phaneuf.

Schenn has been 10x the player as Phaneuf this season.

[MSP4LYFE]

Schenn is a Beast though. He will be the captain of that team.

Perhaps one day, but for the present and foreseeable future the Leafs guy, and rightly so is, Dion Phaneuf.

Schenn has been 10x the player as Phaneuf this season.

Phaneuf has played more minutes, against the oppositions best players, which is an obvious sign that the coaching staff disagrees...Moving forward Schenn is a very nice piece, and defensively our best player, but to say he has been 10X better than Phaneuf, or even Beauchemin this season, is simply untrue. The difference is that Schenn is 20, and makes relatively little in terms of money. Because of that he gets off for mistakes that others wouldn't, now that is not to say the hype is unwarranted, because he has been very good, but many people have exaggerated just how good he has been, IMO. Also, unlike Schenn there is an offensive component to Dion's game, it has been a struggle this season, but he is still young, and I have yet to hear anyone make a rational argument as to why Dion Phaneuf cannot regain his offensive game.

Furthermore, that has little to do with who is the captain...Dion is the captain because he is vocal, works the hardest in practice, and is supposedly the heart and soul of the team.

[Shep]

Schenn is a Beast though. He will be the captain of that team.

Perhaps one day, but for the present and foreseeable future the Leafs guy, and rightly so is, Dion Phaneuf.

Schenn has been 10x the player as Phaneuf this season.

Phaneuf has played more minutes, against the oppositions best players, which is an obvious sign that the coaching staff disagrees...Moving forward Schenn is a very nice piece, and defensively our best player, but to say he has been 10X better than Phaneuf, or even Beauchemin this season, is simply untrue. The difference is that Schenn is 20, and makes relatively little in terms of money. Because of that he gets off for mistakes that others wouldn't, now that is not to say the hype is unwarranted, because he has been very good, but many people have exaggerated just how good he has been, IMO. Also, unlike Schenn there is an offensive component to Dion's game, it has been a struggle this season, but he is still young, and I have yet to hear anyone make a rational argument as to why Dion Phaneuf cannot regain his offensive game.

Furthermore, that has little to do with who is the captain...Dion is the captain because he is vocal, works the hardest in practice, and is supposedly the heart and soul of the team.

Not sure what Leaf team you have watched this year, but Schenn has been our best and most consistant player by a wide margin. Followed by Grabovski. And don't tell me Schenn gets off easy for his mistakes because of the money. Remember last year? People were calling for Schenn's head and it's not like he was THAT bad. Everybody was all over Schenn last year after he played worse than his rookie season.

Until I see Phaneuf turn it around, his offensive game hs disappeared and is no longer part of his overall assessment because it's been horrid.

I don't care if Dion is vocal. I'm not saying I want Schenn as captain right now, but Dion could have been given an "A" instead of the "C". No need to name a captain, especially when Phaneuf has done literally nothing to warrant it. If you're making $6,500,000 and are our Captain, I expect you to not be a complete piece of shit. 1 goal and 8 points in 29 games is embarassing.

How many practices have you seen? How can you prove to me that Phaneuf is the hardest worker in practice?

[MSP4LYFE]

Not sure what Leaf team you have watched this year, but Schenn has been our best and most consistant player by a wide margin. Followed by Grabovski. And don't tell me Schenn gets off easy for his mistakes because of the money. Remember last year? People were calling for Schenn's head and it's not like he was THAT bad. Everybody was all over Schenn last year after he played worse than his rookie season.

Until I see Phaneuf turn it around, his offensive game hs disappeared and is no longer part of his overall assessment because it's been horrid.

I don't care if Dion is vocal. I'm not saying I want Schenn as captain right now, but Dion could have been given an "A" instead of the "C". No need to name a captain, especially when Phaneuf has done literally nothing to warrant it. If you're making $6,500,000 and are our Captain, I expect you to not be a complete piece of shit. 1 goal and 8 points in 29 games is embarassing.

How many practices have you seen? How can you prove to me that Phaneuf is the hardest worker in practice?

If Schenn is "our best, and most consistent defender" why isn't he paired against the oppositions best players, and playing top pairing minutes? Is it because Dion makes more money than him...?

Schenn gets off for his mistakes because he is young, and cheap, if he made Dion or Komisarek's money people would bitch about his lack of offense, it also helps him that Kessel, Komisarek and Phaneuf (as well as goaltending) has taken the forefront of fan criticism.

As for your second point, why name Dion the 'A' when by all accounts he was "the guy"? That's a poor argument. Dion hasn't been as good as expected, but he hasn't been shit either, you are exaggerating that point because of his money, and I know that because I have read enough of your posts on Phaneuf since we traded for him, and money is the one constant in all of them.

The practice comment was made by both Wilson and Burke, so unless you believe they are lying, or playing it up to the media, there is no reason to believe otherwise.

[Lee]

Not sure what Leaf team you have watched this year, but Schenn has been our best and most consistant player by a wide margin. Followed by Grabovski. And don't tell me Schenn gets off easy for his mistakes because of the money. Remember last year? People were calling for Schenn's head and it's not like he was THAT bad. Everybody was all over Schenn last year after he played worse than his rookie season.

Until I see Phaneuf turn it around, his offensive game hs disappeared and is no longer part of his overall assessment because it's been horrid.

I don't care if Dion is vocal. I'm not saying I want Schenn as captain right now, but Dion could have been given an "A" instead of the "C". No need to name a captain, especially when Phaneuf has done literally nothing to warrant it. If you're making $6,500,000 and are our Captain, I expect you to not be a complete piece of shit. 1 goal and 8 points in 29 games is embarassing.

How many practices have you seen? How can you prove to me that Phaneuf is the hardest worker in practice?

If Schenn is "our best, and most consistent defender" why isn't he paired against the oppositions best players, and playing top pairing minutes?

Why is Joey Crabb a top 6 player on our team? Bozak? Why do Mitchell and Lebda continue to slot into the lineup on a semi regular basis?

It may or may not be the hack of a coach.

[MSP4LYFE]

Why is Joey Crabb a top 6 player on our team? Bozak? Why do Mitchell and Lebda continue to slot into the lineup on a semi regular basis?

It may or may not be the hack of a coach.

What a stupid rebuttal...

1. Crabb plays some ES on the top line, but he isn't a top 6 forward on this team, he averages bottom 6 minutes, and does not play special teams. He is also a temporary solution.

2. Bozak is our best centerman, not named Grabo...

3. Mitchell and Lebda were injury replacements. The other games they played were in minimal roles, because the Leafs wanted to see what they had in them. A better question would be why were they retained in the first place.

4. Dion Phaneuf has played top pairing minutes every season since he entered the NHL.

Next...

[Shep]

Not sure what Leaf team you have watched this year, but Schenn has been our best and most consistant player by a wide margin. Followed by Grabovski. And don't tell me Schenn gets off easy for his mistakes because of the money. Remember last year? People were calling for Schenn's head and it's not like he was THAT bad. Everybody was all over Schenn last year after he played worse than his rookie season.

Until I see Phaneuf turn it around, his offensive game hs disappeared and is no longer part of his overall assessment because it's been horrid.

I don't care if Dion is vocal. I'm not saying I want Schenn as captain right now, but Dion could have been given an "A" instead of the "C". No need to name a captain, especially when Phaneuf has done literally nothing to warrant it. If you're making $6,500,000 and are our Captain, I expect you to not be a complete piece of shit. 1 goal and 8 points in 29 games is embarassing.

How many practices have you seen? How can you prove to me that Phaneuf is the hardest worker in practice?

If Schenn is "our best, and most consistent defender" why isn't he paired against the oppositions best players, and playing top pairing minutes? Is it because Dion makes more money than him...?

Schenn gets off for his mistakes because he is young, and cheap, if he made Dion or Komisarek's money people would bitch about his lack of offense, it also helps him that Kessel, Komisarek and Phaneuf (as well as goaltending) has taken the forefront of fan criticism.

As for your second point, why name Dion the 'A' when by all accounts he was "the guy"? That's a poor argument. Dion hasn't been as good as expected, but he hasn't been shit either, you are exaggerating that point because of his money, and I know that because I have read enough of your posts on Phaneuf since we traded for him, and money is the one constant in all of them.

The practice comment was made by both Wilson and Burke, so unless you believe they are lying, or playing it up to the media, there is no reason to believe otherwise.

90% of the time players make big money, they play minutes, sometimes even if they aren't warranted.

Even if I am exaggerating because of the money, it's warranted. I expect a lot more from out captain making $6,500,000.

I haven't heard them specifically say Phaneuf is the hardest worker in practice. Not saying they are lying, but they could as he IS our captain/highest paid player.

[armandtanzarian]

Why is Joey Crabb a top 6 player on our team? Bozak? Why do Mitchell and Lebda continue to slot into the lineup on a semi regular basis?

It may or may not be the hack of a coach.

What a stupid rebuttal...

1. Crabb plays some ES on the top line, but he isn't a top 6 forward on this team, he averages bottom 6 minutes, and does not play special teams. He is also a temporary solution.

2. Bozak is our best centerman, not named Grabo...

3. Mitchell and Lebda were injury replacements. The other games they played were in minimal roles, because the Leafs wanted to see what they had in them. A better question would be why were they retained in the first place.

4. Dion Phaneuf has played top pairing minutes every season since he entered the NHL.

Next...

Hes valuable, don't undersell him He is averaging 2:04 per game in PP time in 13 gp so far. Thats plenty of special teams play.

[MSP4LYFE]

He obviously needs to bring more for what he is being paid, that goes without saying, but at 25 there is little reason not to believe he will return to form.

As for the practice comment, I am pretty sure it was made in the two weeks following the trade, so prior to his captaincy.