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The Fantastically Beautiful Joyously Superfun 22-23 Season Celebration Thread

I mean, yeah....

But....

If this isn't a crisis, when does it become one? Do we have to be 2 games down in a playoff series before we can call it a crisis? Because this is starting to turn into a decent sized sample.

-14th in xG% since January 1st
-18th in xG% since Feb 1st
-29th in xG% since March 1st

For those who prefer their goals to be real rather than expectedc

- 12th in GF% since Jan 1st
- 9th since Feb 1st
- 19th since March 1st

and if your rebuttal to that is "special teams matter too!"

- 15th in all situations xG% since Jan 1, 16th since Feb 1
- 10th in all situations GF% since Jan 1, 10th since Feb 1

This might be a relative short ~10 game stretch of bad, but it's a longer sample of meh overall. Sure as fuck doesn't look like the obvious contender it was in the 1st half.
It's crazy how those last few trades colored everything.

On the surface, sure, I loved Engvall and Sandin, but their subtraction after Acciari and McCabe were added shouldn't have made such a difference on paper. But somehow, despite that, it was so obvious from that first moment that we were going to be worse. Granted, ROR has been out for a bit now, but even so, the new depth just looked really subpar. Instead of Engvall leaving, Kampf and ZAR should've been sent packing probably for a couple of late picks, and McMann and Holmberg added to replace them. Instead of Sandin dumped, and certainly instead of Schenn and Gus added, Holl could've been dumped, or just leave those 7 guys there and rotate one out here and there.

To think that the essence of the team suddenly looked clearly and transparently fucked after that three trade day to me, and Dubie was just ho hum gonna just dump a couple of these guys, it mystifies me. I just don't get it. The only thing that will ever explain it is the next planned trade falling through. But what we've been seeing from the Leafs since those last deals is extremely and undeniably concerning. They have been mostly trash, and Matthews is not the same guy anymore, which is most concerning of all.
 
Actually, to add to my last post, there is a reason we suddenly looked so bad after those last trades. Because one day earlier, we had all those guys and it looked like we were going to jettison some trash or make a splashy trade for a good LW. But even without that, we were:

Bunting Matthews Marner
Jarnkrok Tavares Nylander
Kerfoot ROR Acciari
Engvall Kampf Lafferty
ZAR

Next step? Dumping Kerf, ZAR, Kampf maybe, trading for some LW. But ditched Engvall instead and somehow it turned to shit.

We had it with the lineup above, even if the next trade fell through. Dump ZAR to get under the cap (and don't add Schenn and Gus).

I'd be very confident with that team, and somehow just losing Engvall changed everything. It's so fucking weird, I can't even get a handle on it.
 
The nice part as a fan that I'm going into this playoffs with zero hopes or expectations. If they keep playing like this it would be a historic nearly one-of-a-kind feat for them to actually win a cup, much less with the path they'll need to grind through. Mediocre teams don't win cups.. you just need too much luck to do it.

So I'll actually enjoy it and winning a round would be nice. I still think they can beat Tampa quite easily.
 
The nice part as a fan that I'm going into this playoffs with zero hopes or expectations. If they keep playing like this it would be a historic nearly one-of-a-kind feat for them to actually win a cup, much less with the path they'll need to grind through. Mediocre teams don't win cups.. you just need too much luck to do it.

So I'll actually enjoy it and winning a round would be nice. I still think they can beat Tampa quite easily.
You should be more bitter about wasting another year of Matthews and Marner in their primes.
 
You suck at fanning
Hey I will definitely continue to enjoy discussing them and sharing my opinions about where they did right and where they did wrong but meh, I have a hard time being outraged over sports these days. I can't force it. And tbh the anger would only serve to take away from my enjoyment of one of my favourite hobbies!
 
Put him in a position to succeed and he just might contribute right away

4th line duty aint going to cut it
 
Knies, McMann, Holmberg.

It's funny to think those adds would be difference makers, but they would. Just like how losing Engvall was, as well.

But will they have the fucking balls to not use vet crutches? I say doubtful.
 
Knies, McMann, Holmberg.

It's funny to think those adds would be difference makers, but they would. Just like how losing Engvall was, as well.

But will they have the fucking balls to not use vet crutches? I say doubtful.


Even if they’re all just replacement-level players, it’d be addition by subtraction swapping them out for the likes of Simmonds, Lafferty & ZAR.
 
Sheldon has his toys now and we'd have to fire him for that to change.

I don't expect to see Holmberg in the playoffs short of multiple injuries making it necessary.
 
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