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TML? More like FML, amirite? Yet Another Off Season Thread

LeafOfFaith said:
In my ball hockey league, there are a few fuckfaces who run you, who slash and check and trip. It's a joke league, really just organized pick up with nothing on the line, so it's ridiculous that they play like that because they do hurt you once in a while. But it's because of that, when I've got the puck and one of them is barreling towards me or chasing me down, as much as I'm thinking about the puck, I'm also concerned about whether they're going to trip me, push me forward while I'm running (which results in a hard fall), collide into me, etc. - ALL of which has happened, many times. It gets into your head and makes you rush, or make a bad play, or fucking pay the price and get hurt for nothing. Basically the Cliffy hit from Game 1.

We need a guy or two who can make clean hits like that, and regularly during a game, that crush the opponent and have them thinking twice about what they're going to do when they're in the vicinity.
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Man, that sounds a lot like this crazy guy in my soccer league. Slide tackles everyone with his metal cleets pointing out constantly. Absolutely nothing is on the line in our games...
 
Neurospasm said:
Man, that sounds a lot like this crazy guy in my soccer league. Slide tackles everyone with his metal cleets pointing out constantly. Absolutely nothing is on the line in our games...
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I tried to explain to the lunatics that some of us have to go to work the next day, and it would be nice if it wasn't with a limp, a black eye, cracked rib, sprained ankle, etc. Generally they would respond by telling me not to be a pussy, so I kind of abandoned that approach of reasoning with them. A couple of them I think are genuinely unhinged, taking their aggressions out in a friendly game.
 
Over the years, a few of the truly insane ones moved away. So it's gotten better. Now there are maybe 2-3 left who play like that, and while they lack all reason and boundaries during the game, they're not true sociopaths like the guys who departed.

The game is my obsession. I won't miss it for anything. But it would be more fun if people didn't do that shit. I have a couple of permanent scars on my legs from brutal slashes that cut through the skin, one elbow has spurs or chips or whatever broken shit inside of it from being pushed from behind twice in two weeks and falling right on it both times, I cracked a rib last year from the goalie (one of the lunatics) diving out on a breakaway and taking out my legs from under me, all sorts of less serious, more temporary shit like the blackened toenail, limps, neck sprains, you name it.
 
on the topic of fixes that could be done more easily or cheaply...our fourth line continues to suck.

we need a fourth line that has a role and sticks to it. and doesn't get caved in.
 
LeafOfFaith said:
Over the years, a few of the truly insane ones moved away. So it's gotten better. Now there are maybe 2-3 left who play like that, and while they lack all reason and boundaries during the game, they're not true sociopaths like the guys who departed.

The game is my obsession. I won't miss it for anything. But it would be more fun if people didn't do that shit. I have a couple of permanent scars on my legs from brutal slashes that cut through the skin, one elbow has spurs or chips or whatever broken shit inside of it from being pushed from behind twice in two weeks and falling right on it both times, I cracked a rib last year from the goalie (one of the lunatics) diving out on a breakaway and taking out my legs from under me, all sorts of less serious, more temporary shit like the blackened toenail, limps, neck sprains, you name it.
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This is some violent rec ball hockey league lol.
 
The Green Hornet said:
Rielly plus for Josi. look at our roster year after year and as much as i love rielly its the one spot we dont measure up to the other contenders
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Ive had some non Leafs fan bring this up. Having your number 1 dman not be able to take the toughs not being ideal is a common theme for them
 
Volcanologist said:
on the topic of fixes that could be done more easily or cheaply...our fourth line continues to suck.

we need a fourth line that has a role and sticks to it. and doesn't get caved in.
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I like the drive from Blackwell but he would need support to work. Small guy with a motor that never quit but loses battles easy.
 
Wayward DP said:
This is some violent rec ball hockey league lol.
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It's bad. One time one of the best players (this Czech guy) got so pissed at one of the refs that he literally drop kicked him in the stomach during a game. The player was thrown out of the game, but the ref immediately quit too. You'd think that that guy would never be able to play in the league again, but nope - back next game! Funny enough, this guy isn't even one of the crazy ones, he's a super sweet guy but ultra competitive, and too talented to need to resort to the slash and hit garbage.

There's actually this other rival league in Orange County (an hour away) where some of the guys have played, though I've never been, and many of them actually won't play there because they say the people are lunatics and too arbitrarily violent! I can't even imagine it worse than our league, so it must be something.
 
Artnes said:
Ive had some non Leafs fan bring this up. Having your number 1 dman not be able to take the toughs not being ideal is a common theme for them
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think that's probably true. pairing him with boosh makes the problem better not worse though.
 
Artnes said:
I like the drive from Blackwell but he would need support to work. Small guy with a motor that never quit but loses battles easy.
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Yeah, we could get by with him as the worst of the three on the 4th line, not the best of them.

He hustles, can possess the puck a bit and not do stupid things with it, he actually hits people despite his size, and is fast. He ain't bad, but he ain't great either.
 
Problem is Mo needs to be paired with a Brodie but that pair still can't be the shutdown pair. So then you need another two Brodie's shutdown types to round out your top 4. Liljegren might be the guy you can trust to play with Mo moving forward though. And Muzzin-Brodie did an awesome job as the shutdown pair. So it could work, it's just a bit difficult.

Tough pill to swallow for me to get rid of Muzz. He has been an incredible top pair d for the Leafs and helped lead a very successful shutdown pair against the best team in the league. Maybe he's broken but there's a lot of value in a very good #2/3 with reasonable term if he can stay healthy. If you can get a late 1st and a B prospect (a grundstrom/Durzi type) you move him, otherwise I don't know... It's tough to replace that.
 
Rielly doesn't stink at D. He's a bit Nylander-ish in that he sometimes loses focus or something. But he's aggressive on the puck, takes the body, isn't afraid of contact. Feel like Lilly might be a really interesting partner for him. Too bad Babushkie was lights out and impossible to remove from the lineup.
 
Preston said:
Problem is Mo needs to be paired with a Brodie but that pair still can't be the shutdown pair. So then you need another two Brodie's shutdown types to round out your top 4. Liljegren might be the guy you can trust to play with Mo moving forward though. And Muzzin-Brodie did an awesome job as the shutdown pair. So it could work, it's just a bit difficult.

Tough pill to swallow for me to get rid of Muzz. He has been an incredible top pair d for the Leafs and helped lead a very successful shutdown pair against the best team in the league. Maybe he's broken but there's a lot of value in a very good #2/3 with reasonable term if he can stay healthy. If you can get a late 1st and a B prospect (a grundstrom/Durzi type) you move him, otherwise I don't know... It's tough to replace that.
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You can't keep staying in love with the image of a Muzz who doesn't age, get injured, or get worse. I don't know what he did to be so good suddenly in the playoffs (mind you, mostly just defensively, as I barely saw him enter the offensive zone other than for a couple of those shots). But his performance and availability over the regular season, if those are back next year, he's suddenly a worthless asset that we held onto...why, because we have no other dmen? It's the only smart move, and I'm almost certain he'll spend half of the next two years injured. He'll go by the way of Gardner.

And it's not like we'd be letting him walk! We'd get some amazing assets for him (a stud young D, a potential Core 5th?), and could then use his money to get another really good player too. It's literally a deal we can't afford not to make. Losing him also gains us a bit by subtraction if we replace him with mobile, more offensively-able guys like..oh hey, Lilly and Sandin over here!
 
LeafOfFaith said:
You can't keep staying in love with the image of a Muzz who doesn't age, get injured, or get worse. I don't know what he did to be so good suddenly in the playoffs (mind you, mostly just defensively, as I barely saw him enter the offensive zone other than for a couple of those shots). But his performance and availability over the regular season, if those are back next year, he's suddenly a worthless asset that we held onto...why, because we have no other dmen? It's the only smart move, and I'm almost certain he'll spend half of the next two years injured. He'll go by the way of Gardner.

And it's not like we'd be letting him walk! We'd get some amazing assets for him (a stud young D, a potential Core 5th?), and could then use his money to get another really good player too. It's literally a deal we can't afford not to make. Losing him also gains us a bit by subtraction if we replace him with mobile, more offensively-able guys like..oh hey, Lilly and Sandin over here!
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Oh of course. That's why you let him go. Top 2/3 d go for a shit ton even as rentals. I think a late first and a B prospect (middle six upside type or even a current 3rd liner) is a realistic return. Guy was their best d on a top five team for a few years now. Of course I'm having a hard time letting go. Let me mourn while I unload him mentally.
 
Preston said:
Oh of course. That's why you let him go. Top 2/3 d go for a shit ton even as rentals. I think a late first and a B prospect (middle six upside type or even a current 3rd liner) is a realistic return. Guy was their best d on a top five team for a few years now. Of course I'm having a hard time letting go. Let me mourn while I unload him mentally.
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I'll allow it.

But in any trade for him, rather than the 1st, I'd try to land a guy who is already drafted and on an ELC and ready to play a prime role. A situation (not a player!) similar to when we got Kapanen. Or Gardiner. A recent first round pick that we can add to the top 6 and who we're paying peanuts to. That would be ideal.
 
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