2018 NHL Draft Thread
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Volcanologist
Well-known member
Rask was below .900 as well. Next.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
We absolutely did lose to the Bruins because of goaltending. .896 doesn't lie. Tell me that 3rd period doesn't go differently if that hilarious goal he let in on the unscreened point shot doesn't go in?
****, when you look at the highlights of game 7, Freddy was shit on the 2nd (Freddy is basically in the net on the Heinen turn around wrister and doesn't even attempt to get to the top of the blue paint to challenge) & 3rd goals (overplays a point shot beyond the post and the puck kicks off the end boards to Bergeron).
Freddy then allowed the Krug 60 footer with no screen, and the Debrusk 5 hole special (which yes I've argued is largely on Gardiner playing the Debrusk rush like shit, but it didn't generate a great shot, just a shot that Freddy should have had)
Freddy was abysmal in game 7 and below average on the series.
It absolutely is, but it turns average in a hurry with an addition like Gudas and Zaitsev returning to rookie form. Sign an Ellis or Stralman the following off season to replace Hainsey and it becomes a pretty significant strength of the team, and Freddy will still be Freddy. Like I keep saying, it doesn't matter what you put in front of Freddy if he plays like he did against the Bruins.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
What does that have to do with Freddy?
We were up 4-3 in the 3rd period of game 7 and our goalie gave up 2 bad goals to put us down. What does Rask have to do with that?
Volcanologist
Well-known member
the point is Boston received a similar save percentage from their goalie in the series. not that Freddy played well, or didn't allow soft goals.
In the bigger picture, Andersen is an average goalie, not a poor one. in that same picture, we also know half of our defence is seriously lacking. Use whatever data you wish; the conclusions are fairly stark. The difference between the two is that I'd be very comfortable saying a defence consisting of Zaitsev, Hainsey a year older and Polak won't be good enough next season or playoffs. Conversely, while it's definitely fair to view Andersen as a question mark, I'd be far more comfortable betting on a more rested Freddy with an upgraded defence corps going into round 1 next spring, than I would trying somebody else in net(who, based on current availbility, would be unlikely to be an upgrade regardless) with a similar calibre defence.
without saying that Andersen isn't a concern, I still know which one I'm ranking first for improvement. By a considerable margin.
Volcanologist
Well-known member
JackBurton
Well-known member
I do defend Babs a lot, but holy **** his coaching was bad in that series. Please stop with the idea you need a goon on every line. You would think the Leafs had no offensive depth the way there's agoon on every line. They had as good depth, if not better than anyone else.
leafman101
Well-known member
Too many things just went wrong. If Matthews played better, or Freddy played better, or Willy played better, or Kadri wasn't an idiot, it could have been a different series. But you can say that about 15 of 16 teams at the end of the playoffs.
Its not necessarily that there weren't talented enough. It was poor execution over a small sample size. You have to play your best hockey at the right time to win a cup.
The key to remember is that they had a legit shot at moving on. Odds are every year you fall short to one team at some point. But the Leafs are at the stage in development where they are in the mix and should conduct themselves accordingly. E.g. don't sell of your second best defenseman for futures.
Its not necessarily that there weren't talented enough. It was poor execution over a small sample size. You have to play your best hockey at the right time to win a cup.
The key to remember is that they had a legit shot at moving on. Odds are every year you fall short to one team at some point. But the Leafs are at the stage in development where they are in the mix and should conduct themselves accordingly. E.g. don't sell of your second best defenseman for futures.
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JackBurton
Well-known member
I've stated this before but that NHL draft combine is weird. Middle aged-men gawking at teens stretching and sweating.
Leafin'
Well-known member
I think Liljegren will be a big piece for the defense on the right side eventually. Its next season that is the concern.
We really need Zaitsev to be better next season. A guy like Gudas would help a bit but for next season we'd still be looking at a Zaitsev-Hainsey-Gudas right side. That would be pretty shit imo. Hainsey should be on the bottom pairing and we should be looking for a true top 4 RH defenseman.
As for trading Gardiner, absolutely we should be looking to do that. His Jekyll and Hyde act is a big problem when the game/series is on the line. Our LH depth is actually pretty good. Rielly, Dermott, Borgman, Rosen and Hainsey. If you move Hainsey to the left that'd open a spot on the right for a better player in the top 4.
Rielly - XXXX
Dermott - Zaitsev
Hainsey - Gudas
Rosen - Liljegren
Borgman - Holl
Getting a top 4 RHD would be a smart play. That defense could play right there.
We really need Zaitsev to be better next season. A guy like Gudas would help a bit but for next season we'd still be looking at a Zaitsev-Hainsey-Gudas right side. That would be pretty shit imo. Hainsey should be on the bottom pairing and we should be looking for a true top 4 RH defenseman.
As for trading Gardiner, absolutely we should be looking to do that. His Jekyll and Hyde act is a big problem when the game/series is on the line. Our LH depth is actually pretty good. Rielly, Dermott, Borgman, Rosen and Hainsey. If you move Hainsey to the left that'd open a spot on the right for a better player in the top 4.
Rielly - XXXX
Dermott - Zaitsev
Hainsey - Gudas
Rosen - Liljegren
Borgman - Holl
Getting a top 4 RHD would be a smart play. That defense could play right there.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
If we get Gudas, he'll play ahead of Zaitsev, he's better than Zaitsev.
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
He may have priced himself out of where I thought we'd be able to snag him at with a pretty huge playoff run. If we can't snag him, seeing what the cost on Ryan Ellis is (in trade and on an extension, Nashville can't afford to keep him) would be a solid play. Gudas for damn near free and Ellis would be a hell of an overhaul of the right side.
Leafin'
Well-known member
What would the cost on Ellis be realistically? You think we'd be able to get Gudas for free?
I wonder if a guy like Brown could be used as a trade piece. Do we want to pay Ellis big money going forward? Is he THAT good?
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
That's a really good question. I can't see him having McDonagh value for example. I could see a 1st and stuff getting it done. If we're willing to pay him whatever reasonable demands he's going to have on an extension (6-7 x 8?), then it's worth it imo. Ellis is a pretty legit #2 defender by every measure I can find, and a clear #1 on the offensive end of things.
If we took the 1 yr remaining on Lehtera's deal in the move, yeah. Philly is looking to give more opportunity to their young defenders (Morin & Myers are pretty ****ing close to ready, and they already have Ghost, Provorov, Hagg, & Sanheim in house.) and that move would clear 8 million off of their cap for next season (4.7 in Lehtera x 1, Gudas is 3.35 x 2) so there's some pretty big non roster benefits in it for them, and Lehtera is basically dead cap space at this point, 8 points in 62 games isn't exactly worth 4.7 million. So yeah, I think we could get Gudas more or less for free if we eat the Lehtera contract, which with our cap structure for next season is really easy.
Yeah, I wouldn't be shocked if Connor Brown had more value than I would expect him to and having a cheap, controlled Brown might be worth the 1 yr of Ellis. Is Ellis that good? 5 on 5 he's elite offensively, a solid possession driver, and faced decent enough competition in Nashville (he wasn't given sheltered, offensively biased usage). He's not a stud, but he might be the close we can get to one without giving up a wunderkid.
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