• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

The Motherfucking 2021 Season Thread

CH1 said:
the numbers are solid
this is where the eye test (ie Chuckie stops skating the other night on a back check) can have emotional resonance that can test the faith of even the most ardent nerd.

Will Keefe soon bench Chuckie like all previous coaches have done...stay tuned!
Click to expand...

The idea of having a 3rd line with one of Hyman or Foligno on it will have Keefe's cock so rigid that he'll excuse a bit of bad eye testyness with Galchenyuk. AG gives him that flexibility. He can always mix and match in game as needed (d zone faceoffs, etc).

With AG if you're not playing him in the top 6, kind of may as well not play him.

And this (working off Keefe's most recent lines):

Foligno-Matthews-Marner
AG-Tavares-Nylander
Mikky-Kerfoot-Hyman
Thornton-Brooks-Spezza

Looks a lot better than this:

Foligno-Matthews-Marner
Hyman-Tavares-Nylander
Mikky-Engvall-Kerfoot
Thornton-Brooks-Spezza

Hyman-Mikky have a 61% xgf together and generally just ridiculous results together in about 200 minutes of 5 on 5 ice, in primarily defensive usage. Could possibly anchor a stupid good 3rd line together.
 
I'm not sure siegel's numbers are right. Or at least if they're the right ones to be looking at.

If the question is whether those lines are better with Hyman or Foligno on them, then that answer is maybe yes (but maybe no too)...but kind of besides the point.

Evolving-hockey.com:

With Matthews + Marner (min 10min):

Foligno (20:28): 74.4xgf% / 100.0gf%
Galchenyuk (67:32): 65.7xgf% / 50.0gf%
Hyman (290:58): 64.9xgf% / 72.4gf%
Tavares (26:27): 61.7xgf% / 0.0gf%
Thornton (170:31): 61.1xgf% / 60.8gf%
Simmonds (23:59): 60.5xgf% / 0.0gf%
Vesey (11:34): 37.8xgf% / 66.1gf%


With Tavares + Nylander (min 10min):

Matthews (16:54): 74.4xgf% / 100.0gf%
Simmonds (33:36): 68.6xgf% / 100.0gf%
Hyman (43:35): 68.4xgf% / 0.0gf%
Kerfoot (92:52): 62.3xgf% / 62.0gf%
Galchenyuk (106:44): 61.2xgf% / 63.0gf%
Thornton (26:52): 54.1xgf% / 65.5gf%
Vesey (43:09): 48.7xgf% / 48.5gf%
Mikheyev (71:19): 38.0xgf% / 35.0gf%

Do we likely get our best 2 lines by sticking Hyman and foligno up there? Yeah.

But both those lines have been damn good with galchenyuk, and Hyman can turn the 3rd line into a force too.

Is it nice that all of kerfoot, simmonds, Thornton have looked good up there too? Yep.
 
Last edited:
Chucky has played less than 20 games with us, so the numbers can be easily influences by a couple bad games. Looking at his gamelog - it would appear that the last 5 games vs WPG/VAN have been his worst defensively. A couple of those games the Leafs had really bad goaltending (ahem.. Rittich).
 
It’s really going to be interesting if we get to the point where we get back to a fully healthy forward group.

More and more I’m coming around to the opinion that there’s no way either Simmonds or Thornton will be healthy scratched in the playoffs, when Dubas specifically acquired them with the playoffs in mind.

And then two of Kerfoot, Brooks, Engvall and Nash need to be in the lineup, because we need someone to play center on the third and fourth lines.

If all that’s true, it’d mean one of Mikheyev or Galchenyuk would need to sit.
 
I think Kerfoot and Nash are going to be the two Cs.

I definitely find it difficult to figure out who's sitting beyond that. I'd imagine you're right and Thornton and Simmonds are in.
 
LeafGm said:
It’s really going to be interesting if we get to the point where we get back to a fully healthy forward group.

More and more I’m coming around to the opinion that there’s no way either Simmonds or Thornton will be healthy scratched in the playoffs, when Dubas specifically acquired them with the playoffs in mind.

And then two of Kerfoot, Brooks, Engvall and Nash need to be in the lineup, because we need someone to play center on the third and fourth lines.

If all that’s true, it’d mean one of Mikheyev or Galchenyuk would need to sit.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure he's gonna start with a Thornton-Spezza-Simmonds 4th line when we're finally healthy.

Whether that lasts, i dunno, but he's gonna try it.
 
hockeylover said:
I think Kerfoot and Nash are going to be the two Cs.

I definitely find it difficult to figure out who's sitting beyond that. I'd imagine you're right and Thornton and Simmonds are in.
Click to expand...


Agreed on the C’s. I think Engvall’s had his chance and blown it, and that Keefe’s going to roll with Kerfoot & Brooks at #3C & #4C until Nash is ready to go.

At which point, Nash probably draws in for Brooks.


zeke said:
I'm pretty sure he's gonna start with a Thornton-Spezza-Simmonds 4th line when we're finally healthy.

Whether that lasts, i dunno, but he's gonna try it.
Click to expand...


I’d be pretty surprised. I think there’s more than enough evidence at this point that Spezza & Thornton are no longer suited to playing center.

I also don’t think Keefe stacks all of the slower olds on one line together.
 
Nash will definitely play and I wouldn't be shocked if we re-signed him as 4C. he'll get extra reps on the PK and when we need to defend leads.
 
Imagine telling your past self when Shanahan took over that we'd be sitting here in 2021 trying to figure out how Spezza, Thornton, and Simmonds are all going to get into a playoff lineup if Galchenyuk sticks on the Tavares line?

giphy.gif
 
The game that Hyman was injured, when we were fully healthy aside from Foligno not clearing yet but with him being due back the next game were:

Galchenyuk-Matthews-Marner
Robertson-Tavares-Nylander
Mikheyev-Kerfoot-Hyman
Thornton-Spezza-Simmonds

And that 4th line there had a legit very good game that game.

Now that was the lineup he chose with Foligno ready to make his debut the next game. I'm guessing that was Robertson as a placeholder for Foligno, with the rest being his A lineup.

One thing that also happened that game was that that matthews line had a poor game, which may have prompted foligno debuting on that top line instead of the 2nd line. Then again if Hyman wasn't injured Foligno may have debuted on the 3rd line with Hyman back up top.

But the relevant part there is that was the lineup he used when everyone was healthy and Foligno was ready to debut the next game - and the centers were Kerf and Spezz.
 


zeke could very well be right. Hyman bumps Simmonds when he's back down to the fourth line, Spezza shifts over and bumps Brooks.
 
I think that is what they would want to work. Its clearly their 12 best forwards. Kerfoot/Spezz may not work as a bottom 6 centers though, but that is exactly why they got Nash.

If Thornton-Spezz-Simmonds can't play together, no problem.
 
Yeah my guess is they don’t rush Nash back in if all is going well but if things start falling apart I think we’ll see him earlier.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top