PANIC, stay-calm, or did you 'know it' all along. Leafs.

[Nick]

Seems like there is a lot of people quick to depart from Leaf-land in this current slump (0-3-2).

Randy is dumb (agreed)
Nonis is horrible (meh)
Goalies are all reason we've won a game (arguable)
Lots of injuries holding us back (maybe?)


-> Last night guys like PJ-Stock and Glen Healy really stomp on the team's throat, so I'm wondering what you guys are thinking? a slump happens, ride it out and come out battle tested? Got off the band-wagon at the last stop? Knew it all along?

Only reason Dion is our #1 is that everyone else sucks ?

[kyuss]

love this thread, hopefully will be the Leafs thread we 'others' were waiting for

[Tony]

Stay terrible through Tuesday ... thanks

[Shep]

love this thread, hopefully will be the Leafs thread we 'others' were waiting for

You guys can talk about whatever you want whenever you want.

You people joined the "BUDS BOARD KEEPER LEAGUE" obviously it's primarily Leaf fans.

[Shep]

Seems like there is a lot of people quick to depart from Leaf-land in this current slump (0-3-2).

Randy is dumb (agreed)
Nonis is horrible (meh)
Goalies are all reason we've won a game (arguable)
Lots of injuries holding us back (maybe?)


-> Last night guys like PJ-Stock and Glen Healy really stomp on the team's throat, so I'm wondering what you guys are thinking? a slump happens, ride it out and come out battle tested? Got off the band-wagon at the last stop? Knew it all along?

Only reason Dion is our #1 is that everyone else sucks ?

I say NONE of the above, except maybe the goalies keeping us treading water for the time being.

The problem is, the last 2 weeks or so, it seems like everybody is just going through the motions waiting for Kessel's line to score. The other lines have been awful.

It's time to put Phaneuf with Gardiner and let Gardiner play freely the way he should with a solid defensive partner. Gunnarsson is not a top pairing guy, and while I'm fine moving Gardiner in the right trade, not before we've given him a chance to do what he does best. Put Gunnarsson with Rielly, and let Rielly run wild with a solid defensive partner. Then put Fraser with Franson and play them in extremely sheltered minutes while we await a trade for another solid dman..

[anton]

i watched and cheered for the leafs diligently through the worst of it (the last 8 years or so) but i've never been more discouraged or apathetic than i am now.

i think it's because this team is terribly boring. through the really bad years it always seemed like there was light at the end of the tunnel - a high draft pick, another blockbuster burke deal, a big time FA center coming on the market. but with the re-signing of bozak long term, throwing $$$$ at clarkson, and giving kessel superstar money, i get the feeling that this is our team of the future. this is what nonis felt like we've been building towards all the years and low and behold - we're just average.

on top of that, what moves can we really make? no one is touching bozak's contract or clarksons, kulemin's value has never been lower, no team will touch lupul with his injuries, and phaneuf means more to us than any return he would garner.

im apathetic because i feel like we're a boring average team that's stuck with out current roster. no more light at the end of tunnel - this is the team that was supposed to win and they're not.

[bma]

^Well Said.

[Nick]

Both of you are saying thoughts I generally agree with.


Our D still reeks of 'the light at the end of the tunnel' to me, but just not how it's currently being used.

Our Forwards are the depressing 'this is who we have' aspect of the team (IMO), and it's made much worse with the injuries. Our centres are a combination of boring, underachieving and injured - not a recipe for success. Kadri has gotta be more consistent shift to shift, game in and game out, Bozak we all thought/hoped he was a filler until we landed a #1 in the ideal sense (Staal, Thornton, Toews, etc).

I love Lupul when he's in, but god damn man, drink some milk or something.

Shep's spot on that JvR + Kessel are the only guys doing anything for us. Kulemin isn't even trying to score, rather he's the winger twin to McClement. Bolland's injury has made our C situation worse.


I'm pumped that we have 2 good goalies, IMO a real #1 D, 2 very exciting puck moving dmen, and some elite wingers, Clarkson I'm still waiting for some Chemistry to emerge, because right now he's crashing and banging out of sync with Kadri and whoever is with them. Bozak, Bolland, Kadri, McClement, and frigging Smithson are the depressing aspect of our team… but at the same time, this group can roll with awesome teams when we show up to play.

[Sensfanjosh]

At the game last night I'd have said kessel, jvr, kadri and mcclement were your best forwards, thought clarkson looked out of place a lot myself... Was around the net a lot but never noticeable unless he was involved after the whistle.

[Arian The Insider]

man i still hate the clarkson signing, what a waste of cap dollars.

[Shep]

Clarkson needs to stop trying to do too much, like many "big" signings do (see: Komisarek). Just play your game, grind it out, and the points and goals will come. You're not a sniper, stop trying to do too much.

[Nick]

I cannot say I watched him play a ton of games in NJD, but he seems to carry the puck a lot more than I expected, doesn't seem to suit his game. He does well in front of the net, so as Shep said, those will come in bunches. I still think he'll be a good leaf, just needs to get comfortable in his game and find some chemistry.

[The BBKL Insider]

i agree with what Anton said, that said im just losing interest all together in the leafs.

Unlike most of you i havent been a leaf fan my entire life. I was once a die-hard bruins fan (more so an Andy Moog fan). When he went from Boston to Dallas i gave up on boston and jumped on the family bandwagon and become a leaf fan.....i remember enjoying the early years when i started cheering for the leafs. The Clark, Gilmour, Sundin, Anderchyck, and Potvin days.

Those were what being a leaf fan was all about, but the past 10 years have been trash, We either have a good team and play like shit or have a bad team and finish 9th. This year i actually believe the leafs have iced a pretty good team - which should be fun to watch, but whatever Randy has for a system is boring as fuck and obviously doesn't suit the leafs strengths. This entire leaf saga is getting old. In my opinion the leafs front office needs to clean house and bring in new personal. A younger - fresh image and a new hockey style.

Also - i've been preaching since the wilson days that this team is suited for Marc Crawford, his lets the skilled guys go and teaches a 200 foot game, something that would benefit the style of this team

[anton]

just a thought but a coaching change during HBO 24/7 would be very interesting.

[CAM]

When does 24/7 usually come out?

[Shep]

When does 24/7 usually come out?

First episode airs on HBO on Saturday, December 14th. Replay on Sportsnet on Sunday, December 15th.

[kyuss]

here comes the saviour!

Jerred Smithson has been summoned by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Smithson has two points and 10 penalty minutes in 10 AHL games. The 34-year-old forward also has nine penalty minutes and a minus-four rating in 13 contests with the Maple Leafs in 2013-14.

[Lee]

What's even funnier is how people seem to think things will be so much better when our saviour, Tyler Bozak, returns.

[The BBKL Insider]

Well, the team was better with Bozak and Bolland in the lineup.

Their record sort of indicates they're better with him/them.