Core 4 No More: The Motherfucking Off-Season Thread

[LeafOfFaith]

All I'll say is this playoff has not convinced me of goaltending being as important as many believe.

For me it's far more important to have a reliable tandem with two guys with the capability of stringing together a stretch of elite games rather than a single guy. You don't necessarily need a goalie that can toss out 300 games of consistency and reliability in the regular season. That was Freddy Andersen and it didn't work if that's where all your marbles are. You want to have a couple of guys that are capable of going on a heater at the right time but maybe aren't putting out 50+ games each season. It's clear that Samsonov is never gonna be one of those guys so I fully support moving on from him.

But you're not gonna win a cup without having top 3-4 skaters in the NHL anyway. That's far more important than having a top 3 goalie (having a top 3 goalie helps but let's pump the brakes in acting like it's mandatory to win). Leafs didn't have a roster with top 3 or 4 skaters this year so it's all moot anyway.

Tldr: just build a super elite team that plays elite in the playoffs too. That's all I ask.

I'd love to have a Shitsturkeys to play goal for us, but the only way that it makes sense to get one like that is to try to keep drafting for one. In the meantime, run with a solid tandem and ride the hot hand, I agree.

For me, these playoffs cemented the need for speed and skill throughout the lineup. Find it in a bigger body, all the better, but forget the guys who come advertised as defensive or checking line. Fuck off with that. I want the guy on the third line to play like the guy on the first line, but obviously he just won't be as talented. Robertson, Knies, Holmberg, McMann, these guys can all play imo, and were dragged down by all the guys who can't. Our 4th line is consistently, year in year out, a total fucking wasteland. These guys could never play anywhere near the top 6, and if that's the case, they shouldn't play at all.

As much as Jarn may leave to be desired, he's in the mold of what I want in a 4th liner, but clearly we can't be paying guys $2M to play on the 4th line. He's a guy who can score, who can skate, who doesn't shy away from physical, and isn't a defensive liability. Find guys like that who are cheaper (or use your drafted kids like Cowan and Minten in those 4th line roles until they graduate), and run speed and skill at the opponent all game long. No more of this slow bullshit dangle garbage that Kampf tries in the offensive zone - sorry bud, you can't play that game. We have to purge the roster of guys who can't actually play two way hockey.

And yeah, the D is the worst offender of the bunch, with mostly all plodding, slow, zero offensive talent slugs. Need a MAJOR revamp there.

 

[Cojo]

i mean .896 puts him right there with most of the goalies in the 2nd round.

then add Woll on top of that.

For the love of god Zeke I hope you aren’t defending Sammy here

 

[zeke]

i mean kind of yeah. obviously it's woll that was the standout performer, but sammy wasn't even that bad, relative to what i;'ve seen from other playoffs goalies so far.

sammy did have 2 really bad games tho.

but goaltending wasn't a real issue this year. especially compared to some other expensive "stud" goalies who really shat the bed.

 

[zeke]

So one thing Ive notice looking around at other teams, Matthews aside, our Core 4 isn’t really that much more talented than the other best teams. But it is the most expensive. And the most imbalanced positionally.

Matthews - Swayman - Barkov - Shesterkin - Robertson - Mackinnon - McDavid
Marner - Pastrnak - Tkachuk - Fox - Heiskanen - Makar - Draisaitl
Willy - McAvoy - Forsling - Panarin- Hintz - Rantanen - Bouchard
Tavares - Marchand - Ekblad - Zibanejad - Oettinger - Toews - Ekholm

1. it's really all about Tavares there tho

2. sneaking in the hottest goalies in here is cheating.

 

[zeke]

View: https://x.com/MissinCurfew/status/1789413418669167089

 

[Artnes]

Only if he brings the hat with him

 

[Wayward DP]

View: https://twitter.com/mikeystephens81/status/1789417517837918695?t=L_LxyswHpGFeuRIeI-QMLQ&s=19

What a child

 

[Wayward DP]

View: https://x.com/MissinCurfew/status/1789413418669167089

Ewwwwwww

 

[Cojo]

i mean kind of yeah. obviously it's woll that was the standout performer, but sammy wasn't even that bad, relative to what i;'ve seen from other playoffs goalies so far.

sammy did have 2 really bad games tho.

but goaltending wasn't a real issue this year. especially compared to some other expensive "stud" goalies who really shat the bed.

Surely you haven’t forgotten about the consistent back breaker goals.
The goals at the worst possible times and the ones that completely changed the momentum of the game. This cannot happen consistently in a playoff series and expect to win.
We finally had capable goaltending for two games and we won. It’s simple.

I swear to fuck if Samsonov is resigned I am
done. Find someone reliable who can tandem with Woll. Woll is the guy if he can stay healthy.

 

[zeke]

Surely you haven’t forgotten about the consistent back breaker goals.
The goals at the worst possible times and the ones that completely changed the momentum of the game. This cannot happen consistently in a playoff series and expect to win.
We finally had capable goaltending for two games and we won. It’s simple.

I swear to fuck if Samsonov is resigned I am
done. Find someone reliable who can tandem with Woll. Woll is the guy if he can stay healthy.

hey man i've watched a lot of playoffs this year and the goaltending has been shit.

sammy wasn't good, but he wasn't awful, and woll was unbeatable.

 

[MindzEye]

but he wasn't awful,

Politely, go fuck yourself.

 

[zeke]

I mean he was really good in game 7.

 

[Preston]

I mean the Leafs didn't score any goals. As bad as you think he was, score some goals and it's a non issue.

 

[LeafOfFaith]

I mean he was really good in game 7.

The numbers were good, but that tying goal he gave up off his shoulder was backbreaking garbage.

 

[Preston]

That tying goal was vile yeah. But let's be real the Keefe shell was gonna go in full effect and the bruins would have scored anyway, if not that one.

 

[MindzEye]

I mean he was really good in game 7.

Politely, go fuck yourself.

 

[worm]

Your lack of skill was the difference. You were always gonna get out goalied.

 

[LeafOfFaith]

That tying goal was vile yeah. But let's be real the Keefe shell was gonna go in full effect and the bruins would have scored anyway, if not that one.

Well they didn't score another in regulation, so I'm not sure we can conclude that if that didn't go in, another would have in the final 9 minutes.

 

[Preston]

Well they didn't score another in regulation, so I'm not sure we can conclude that if that didn't go in, another would have in the final 9 minutes.

Time doesn't work like that. If they didn't score on that play, that doesn't mean the rest of the game goes the exact same way. Everything changes. But yes maybe it's the leafs that put in more goals. Would never know, we only got to see the fourth line play while they had a lead.

 

[MindzEye]

I mean the Leafs didn't score any goals. As bad as you think he was, score some goals and it's a non issue.

Yes.

But also....stop the puck. A 23 yr old Latvian goalie with 14 games of NHL experience tossed a shutty to close out Nashville for Vancouver. This stuff happens on lots of other teams. Never here though. Woll looked like he was going to do it but he died because of course our first goalie with a set of testicles in over a decade would be made of some paper mache like material.