BOS in four.....if that D will make it at all.....

Thats a pretty good defense. our issue against bruins was getting the pucks out on both sides equally great (Boston scored a lot from our right side (no **** they had Hainsey and Zaitsev most of the time there..).

And this year it will be Barry and Holl.

Sry, i read quite a few of your Team Explanations and agreed with you in most of times, but if you think this D is sufficient to even make the Playoffs.....im not. Maybe im biased cause being between pipes for 25 years, so im looking on the thing from that perspective mostly but that D wouldnt give me confidence.

Even better Backup wont help unless you stop shooting exercises by opponent Teams and breakaways that current "Keefe Wizardy" is creating with kamikaze rushing ahead....

2019 /2020 D description

Rielly - two-way winger playing D
Barrie - two-way winger playing D
Dermott - No.5 D man with the upside to become bottom of the pool of No.4 D ( will demand 2,5M + )
Holl - No.5 D man ( 2M ???!!! )
Sandin - kid is on the good way to become top of the pool No.3 D, still his upside is offensive game and not the game in his own end

and finally the Old Man Muzzin ( No.2 D middle of the pool ) playing D almost all by himself with what i mean he does the things in his own zone that Ds should and play, he looks weared off? ofc he does, double shifts and working D things out without a puck takes its toll.....

yet now it shows, despite we b.tched about him all those years, how many work Hainsey was doing to make Rielly look decent as D

2018 / 2019 comparison

Rielly = Rielly
Gardiner = Barrie
Zaitsev > Holl
Hainsey > Ceci.............working his ass off to cover the flaws of Wingers playing as D, ofc his age and fatigue couldnt sustain double work on ice....
Dermott = Dermott

and ofc half of the Season working horse Muzzin again.....

holl>zaitsev, and barrie if he pulls it together is much better than Gardiner. but I agree, d is still not complete

Part of the problem that I am sure does not go unnoticed is that because of mid-season coaching change and all the injuries, both at forward and specifically, for the purposes of this AGM, on D, guys have different partners so frequently, it's been hard (and quite noticeable) to generate a sustained rhythm. A couple problems with the group that I notice immediately off the bat, assuming everyone was healthy.

Reilly cannot do it alone, and although his pairing, at times, with Barrie, can generate positive offensive possession, the turnovers and defensive miscues are quite noticeable. For the Leafs to succeed, and for Reilly to be the best version of himself, I think a lot of people believe he needs a reliable stay-at-home type partner that will have his back when he rushes. That's what made him so effective last season. All these Brendan Dillon AGM deals, all these AGMs focused on Josh Manson, I am sure, have that thought in mind.

Travis Dermott is a nice piece, young, quick, good edges, but he is not a top pairing guy. Putting him on a 3rd pairing with Ceci, or whoever that ends up being (maybe Holl), might be the way to go. Less pressure against lessor offensive opponents means better work from Dermott, who is still developing as a solid all-round defender.

As for the rest of the group, I cannot see a situation where the Leafs get past Boston or Tampa Bay fielding a lineup that sees Ceci play 20 plus minutes a game, or Marincin play at all. Yes, Muzzin and Holl have been a good tandem who I am sure who would be put out there against another team's top line, but you can't always line match. And to me, the Reilly-Barrie unit is a failed defensive experiment.