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The ****ing Season thread, 2015/16 Edition

leafman101 said:
They are nothing like Kessel when it comes to battling for the puck. They are young, they need to get stronger, they will make mistakes, there will be growing pains, but just because they are young and skilled doesn't mean they don't compete.
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Oh but they are. Trying more doesn't change this. Heck Bozak has been putting up points this year but his play has been for most part pretty shitty(lots of floating).

This is about continually missing assignments and getting outmuscled along the wall. What did the Marlies coach say in that video few weeks back? He specifically talked about his play away from the puck needing to improve. Not my fault you always look at player's goals and assists and ignore everything else. Watching Marner in the OHL he gets beaten by guys fairly often when going in the corners(this is why Dvorak and Thachuk are good with him as they're bigger and do better along the wall). What do you think will happen against men next year? The way Babcock is teaching this team to play i will be very surprised if both make it next year.
 
There is a huge difference between Kessel floating around, and giving that flyby swat at the puck, and a guy like Nylander or Marner getting out muscled on the puck and losing a battle along the board. Staying out of the play gives the other team time and space and it has a ripple effect thought out the on ice assignments.

Like I said, they'll lose puck battles, they'll get outmuscled, they'll make rookie mistakes. But thats what happens with rookies. Anyone expecting them not to make the team until they never lose puck battles, get outmuscled or make rookie mistakes...they would never make the team.

These guys will never be bigger and stronger than most players in the NHL. They need to learn how to win those battles with their speed and puck skills at the NHL level, which they do in the AHL and OHL. Only one place to learn that. It doesn't matter how long you wait to bring them up, that will always be an adjustment.

I would be shocked if they both didn't make it next year. Marner isn't going back to junior.
 
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leafman101 said:
There is a huge difference between Kessel floating around, and giving that flyby swat at the puck, and a guy like Nylander or Marner getting out muscled on the puck and losing a battle along the board. Staying out of the play gives the other team time and space and it has a ripple effect thought out the on ice assignments.

Like I said, they'll lose puck battles, they'll get outmuscles, they'll make rookie mistakes. But thats what happens with rookies. Anyone expecting them not to make the team until they never lose puck battles, get outmuscled or make rookie mistakes...they would never make the team.

I would be shocked if they both didn't make it next year. Marner isn't going back to junior.
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If you can imagine it then great, i just can't. This year's team, aside from Boyes(who isn't always in the lineup) and JVR going back to his usual(getting scared so always redirecting the puck along the wall to someone else), everyone else has done their job in trying to keep the puck in the other zone. There were quite a few times when we made LA Kings play in their zone our last game(and that's difficult to do if you watch that team). I absolutely loved every minute of it. Reminded me of Sundin days. Now i know Marner and Nylander aren't that type of player but hopefully they can do what Naz does and be very shifty and make it hard for the opponent(but again i'm more impressed with their skating and snipes(which Phil always had), not so much board battles and be in good defensive position ..that will be problematic under Babcock so not sure how he makes it work with 2 guys who need to get better in that area).
 
PKForce81 said:
If you can imagine it then great, i just can't. This year's team, aside from Boyes(who isn't always in the lineup) and JVR going back to his usual(getting scared so always redirecting the puck along the wall to someone else), everyone else has done their job in trying to keep the puck in the other zone. There were quite a few times when we made LA Kings play in their zone our last game(and that's difficult to do if you watch that team). I absolutely loved every minute of it. Reminded me of Sundin days. Now i know Marner and Nylander aren't that type of player but hopefully they can do what Naz does and be very shifty and make it hard for the opponent(but again i'm more impressed with their skating and snipes(which Phil always had), not so much board battles and be in good defensive position ..that will be problematic under Babcock so not sure how he makes it work with 2 guys who need to get better in that area).
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Marner and Nylander are those types of players though. They are possession drivers. They play with the puck. They just don't do it with size and strength. Same as Kadri and Gardiner. They are our two best possession players and neither guy is overly big or strong. Its all skating and skill. Only Marner and Nylander are way more skilled. You don't need to chip and chase and grind it out behind the net to skate circles around the defense and control the puck.

Marner and Nylander will help the Leafs possession game.
 
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The closest parallel in the league right now to the type of skillset Nylander and Marner has, is Datsyuk & Zetterberg. 2 extremely complete players with high end skills all over the rink. These aren't lazy floaters with game breaking skill, they're both hard working kids. Don't confuse Keefe's comments. He's been tasked with making sure that Nylander is ready to stay in the NHL from when he plays his first game, saying that his play away from the puck needs improvement isn't a slight on a 19 yr old. More than half the players in the NHL need work on their game away from the puck.
 
The guy we are fapping over possibly getting this summer needs work away from the puck and he's been in the league 7 years
 
How much time are you really going to spend engaged in physical battles or mucking along the boards in a league where you're averaging just shy of two and a half points per game over the whole season, and just short of three points a game for the last month and a half?

And who the hell knows how many points he's going to score in the second half of the season (he typically improves his offensive numbers as the season goes on), or how many points he'd score if you actually sent him back for a second post-draft season in the OHL.

Unless Marner has a disastrous second half or suffers a major injury towards the end of the season or in the off-season, there's really no good argument to send him back for another season in the OHL at this point. If it was an option to send him to the AHL next year, maybe you'd do that if you wanted to be extremely patient with him. But since it's not, if you want him to improve at all next year, he's got to be in the NHL.
 
JackBurton said:
Yeah he can get us a first rounder.
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I think it's better to keep a guy like Komarov. He's a very effective forechecker/agitator and is very cap friendly. Reminds me of a guy like Brad Marchant without the sideshow antics and is like half the price.

Now, if someone wants to overpay and offer up a 1st+, then you listen. IMO, we need lunchbox guys like Komarov to do the dirty work for our skill guys, especially if Nylander/Marner make the jump next year. Thing is, Komarov is showing he has at least some skill to play with these guys too.

Bozak is the guy I think we move for a 1st at the deadline.
 
I'd do flips if we dealt Bozak in a deal that wipes him off our books, not to mention gets us a 1st in return.

Trade deadline can't come soon enough this year.
 
Komorov is playing so well, you have to try to extract a 1st+ for him. Two great plays in this game against the Avs again and it's only the 1st period. If the mandate is to give Hunter as many chances as possible to draft stars, then this is a prime opportunity to do so.
 
CTheBigPicture said:
Komorov is playing so well, you have to try to extract a 1st+ for him. Two great plays in this game against the Avs again and it's only the 1st period. If the mandate is to give Hunter as many chances as possible to draft stars, then this is a prime opportunity to do so.
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We can't make a mistake thinking he's just another 3rd/4th line guy. He's not. He may not give us this every year(stats wise) but he's more valuable than most other 3rd/4th liners.
 
We can't have a team full of kids, and we have to have tough/experienced guys for them to play with and who can protect them.

Komarov is too valuable to the team and the development of its youngsters to let go. He's a heart and soul guy.

I'm pretty sure if you track last year, we fell off the map shortly after he got injured.
 
LeafOfFaith said:
We can't have a team full of kids, and we have to have tough/experienced guys for them to play with and who can protect them.

Komarov is too valuable to the team and the development of its youngsters to let go. He's a heart and soul guy.

I'm pretty sure if you track last year, we fell off the map shortly after he got injured.
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Yep. Penguins would kill for a Komarov type right now. Maybe a few Komarov's actually.
 
Too bad they have zero assets to pay with.

If they offered up Maata/Pouliot, plus de-lottery protecting the 1st they owe us, who takes it?
 
lmao, every time i shit on Bozak(which is rare) he comes up huge. Great game tonight and a beauty goal just now.
 
Yeah Pens don't have much that interest me. As you said LoF we need to keep Komarov to clear room for some of our young guys coming in.
 
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