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Around the League 2019-2024 Edition

I have always thought with my eye testing that Eichel is a sensational hockey player.

Connor McDavid does still want to play in Toronto. But he is having a lot more fun this year, than he has had in Edmonton.

Matthews for McDavid was hot and heavy earlier in the season, but MLSE is thrilled with Matthews now. As am I.

I still love McJesus, but Auston Matthews some nights now, looks like the best player in hockey.

Crazy new thing about Matthews, is when he gets pissed, he literally throws people around, like Chara used to. Its rare, he still has the demeanor of a guy who smokes a ton of legal bud. But once in a while, he goes white buffalo for a second.

Matthews for McDavid was intensely discussed for about three weeks this year. I didn't post it. Cause I knew it was way too crazy to actually happen. Batman doesn't like shit like that, thinks it cheapens the league.

And for the first time ever for me. I couldn't care less. Course I would love McDavid, but Matthews has settled into his own beast kingdom. I am perfectly content with this version of Matthews.

And don't get me started on Jari Kurri 2.0, WIlliam Nylander. Man has he ever answered every bell in a tough market. Tremendous player and great season. Always loved him.

I really think the Leafs are going to do very well in the playoffs. I really think a table is set. Nice condiments etc....
 
LeafGm said:
Man, I remember the good 'ole days when I bothered to go over to the HF prospects boards and argue with the resident morons there that loved the Buffalo young core over the Leafs' group.

It was never based on any intelligent, objective analysis, especially in the cases of Eichel vs. Matthews & Nylander vs. Nylander. Eichel & Matthews & Willy & Alex each came up through almost identical development paths, so it was very easy to make apples-to-apples comparisons for them. And it wasn't even close. Auston & Willy were significantly better every step of their development than Eichel & Alex were.





McDavid demanding a trade at this point has a couple of things working against it. One is that he's the stereotypical boring hockey player who generally puts his head down, does what's expected of him and doesn't complain.

The other is that Edmonton's had a generally competitive season, and looks like a pretty good bet to make the playoffs. Considering the strength of their division and conference, they also have a decent chance of winning a round or two at least. So, that's probably enough to coax him down off the ledge he appeared to be on at the end of last season for the time being.

As for Eichel though...he's having his best individual season by a wide margin, and his team's still as big a shit-show as they've ever been. This after Eichel watched a guy they traded away for peanuts the previous season (Ryan O'Reilly) win a Cup and Conn Smythe.

Add to that that Eichel's a guy who allegedly has already stepped in and gotten a coach/GM fired, and yeah, I wouldn't put it past him to decide in the very near future that enough's enough and that he wants the hell out of Buffalo.
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Yeah, at least McDavid is having fun shooting the lights out with Drai. And as long as they make the playoffs anything can happen. So he’ll be fine there for another few years.
 
leafman101 said:
They'd be much better if they didn't trade O'Rielly and Kane for nothing and let Lehner walk for Carter Hutton.
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Also if they didn't sign silly ass contracts like Skinner,Okposo, Moulson.

Scapegoating O'Reilly was hilarious though. It wasn't much worse than what happened here in Toronto with Kessel. Really good player gets blamed for team of not good players being not good. Leaves to play with other good players and immediately plays huge part in winning title that detractors claimed they had flaws that would keep them from ever doing.

The problem with your bad team is almost never your good players. It's your copious volume of bad players.
 
LeafGm said:
It was never based on any intelligent, objective analysis, especially in the cases of Eichel vs. Matthews & Nylander vs. Nylander.
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Probably the most egregious for me was the Reinhart vs Marner comparison. Reinhart wasn't a good centre at the time and didn't project to stay there, was considered more or less an offence only prospect (like Mitch) and Mitch's production was blowing Reinhart's out of the water at the same stage of development, despite Mitch being 6 months younger at every level. Reinhart was hardly an eye test darling either. He's neither big, nor fast, doesn't shoot the puck well, etc. He was all IQ and passing skills, like Mitch...but without the god tier mobility/edge work.

At leas the Winnipeg v Toronto comparison made sense. Laine, Connor, Ehlers, Trouba, were all legitimately high tier/elite prospects. The Buffalo comparisons were always hilarious. It was muppetry at it's finest, which culminated imo with the disgusting over rating of Mittelstadt because of one great WJHC. Kid is going to have to work his nuts off just to be more than a 3C in the NHL imo.
 
I find it strange that some men's league bum is considered a legit better option than at least a couple guys on the team who must have played goalie at some point.

I remember Wendel almost strapped on the pads one game.
 
And that’s what the rule should be. Put one of the dressed skaters in net, whether with goalie experience or not. Why can they just pick a guy out of the crowd and not have to lose one of their skaters?
 
Allow the teams to make emergency goalir call ups in game and maintain a 3rd goalie if they choose to. Let them choose their own emergency starter.

Would probably lead to a lot of veteran goalies sticking around in a mentor/ebug role for longer
 
Looking forward to watching Jack Plante tonight, but Andersen has been good. Bower and Sawcuk. its all lining up amigos.
 
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