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Around the League 2019-2025 Edition

My scorching hot take is that they'd be in the finals if Matthews was healthy this year. He was still elite but took a steep, unfathomable step down offensively this year. And as things got tighter in the playoffs, any significant physical ailment is gonna make it real hard to elevate. Tough to win a cup when your 70 goal scorer that you rely upon so heavily suddenly becomes a 40 goal scorer.

They're not far away and yeah maybe it's worth overpaying for some mediocre talent to take that next step. That, plus Matthews getting healthy. That's bigger than any signing they could possibly make.
Sure. If 34 was healthy and had a heart transplant.
 
My scorching hot take is that they'd be in the finals if Matthews was healthy this year. He was still elite but took a steep, unfathomable step down offensively this year. And as things got tighter in the playoffs, any significant physical ailment is gonna make it real hard to elevate. Tough to win a cup when your 70 goal scorer that you rely upon so heavily suddenly becomes a 40 goal scorer.

They're not far away and yeah maybe it's worth overpaying for some mediocre talent to take that next step. That, plus Matthews getting healthy. That's bigger than any signing they could possibly make.
Yeah, I've been thinking this a lot, including throughout the playoffs.

And it'll be such a Leafy shame if Marner is the casualty when maybe they'd be gearing up to play in the finals had Matty been healthy.
 
No doubt Matthews and Marner being outperformed by everyone else is a big reason we never win. There is no reason they shouldn't be at the top of that list with McDavid, Mackinnon, Rantanen, Daraisaitl, Eichel, Aho, Point, Kucherov.

But signing Tavares killed the dream. Without that one move we keep Kadri and Hyman. We have the cap space to sign Peitro over Brodie. And we don't trade the Jarvis pick.

You just cant commit the same money that would buy 3 good players to one guy who sucks shit in the playoffs. Also why its tough to resign Mitch tho.

The original sin
 
Last 3yrs


1. Pacioretty 3.24
2. Domi 2.40
3. Nylander 2.18
4. Marner 1.94
5. Matthews 1.93
6. Knies 1.93
7. Lafferty 1.93
8. O'Reilly 1.82
9. Bertuzzi 1.72
10. Robertson 1.56
11. Reaves 1.52
12. McMann 1.23
13. Tavares 1.19
14. ZAR 1.13
15. Kampf 1.19
16. Dewar 0.99
17. Lorentz 0.86
18. Acciari 0.81
19. Jarnkrok 0.71
20. Bunting 0.64
21. Kerfoot 0.43
22. Laughton 0.39
23. Holmberg 0.28
24. Gregor 0.00
Habs on top. 🤔
 
No doubt Matthews and Marner being outperformed by everyone else is a big reason we never win. There is no reason they shouldn't be at the top of that list with McDavid, Mackinnon, Rantanen, Daraisaitl, Eichel, Aho, Point, Kucherov.

But signing Tavares killed the dream. Without that one move we keep Kadri and Hyman. We have the cap space to sign Peitro over Brodie. And we don't trade the Jarvis pick.

You just cant commit the same money that would buy 3 good players to one guy who sucks shit in the playoffs. Also why its tough to resign Mitch tho.
Notice we are always pointing to other things that went wrong every playoffs? If they simply performed like other superstars it wouldn't matter.
Hyman loss can be felt much less by simply having McDavid/Draisaitl play like they are so far in the playoffs.
 
Notice we are always pointing to other things that went wrong every playoffs? If they simply performed like other superstars it wouldn't matter.
Hyman loss can be felt much less by simply having McDavid/Draisaitl play like they are so far in the playoffs.
Bingo , you may not won the cup but having the core play to expectations should have won 3-4 extra rounds
 
It would have been the weakest cup run sure, but whenever we mention Tavares don't forget he didn't ask to be clooned in the head, good chance his signing is viewed very differently.


I'm so tired of the Kadri bullshit...guy gets suspended TWICE in the playoffs....we were all pissed (never mind he did it to his new team ), then nixing a trade that would have been incredible....and he even plays for that team eventually


Fuck him and the revisionist historians
 
I'm so tired of the Kadri bullshit...guy gets suspended TWICE in the playoffs....we were all pissed (never mind he did it to his new team ), then nixing a trade that would have been incredible....and he even plays for that team eventually


Fuck him and the revisionist historians

Kadri was a selfish goofball here. We can't control what he does or doesn't do with another team. As a Leaf he was undisciplined and put himself ahead of his teammates. He only seems like some kind of goddamned hero because our top players are zombies and we want players who care.

same thing with Hyman. 5 goals in 30 playoff games in Toronto.

would be nice to come out on the better side of some of these stories for a change though
 
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