I agree with all of what you are saying

Sandin would be unable to play due to salary cap reasons, but i think he'll be in for the playoffs. Hopefully Keefe doesn't make the same mistake he did in the bubble

remember when people be line EDM won't even make the playoffs

They are the most dangerous team in the North.
McDavid and Drai can take over games.
This might be the year they will their way to a cup.

EDM doesn't have enough depth to take them anywhere near the cup and they are still pretty crap defensively

I know I'm sad Sandin can't play cause of the Cap I do want Dubas to do some random cap magic though that could allow him to play

Keefe has shown that he's willing to change the lines mid game so practice lines are nothing to look too much into. It's likely just seeing how guys work with other guys in case they need to in playoffs. Hyman has earned his spot in the top 6, he can contribute anywhere he plays. I'd probably guess that the lines are the way they are because Keefe wants a defensive shutdown type of 3rd line and Kerfoot fits that mold better. Both play a similar game of being the first forechecker and out working their opponents but Kerfoot is slightly better defensively, faster, and more versatile than Hyman. Kerfoot being a natural centre fits that line better because if Nash gets waived from the circle Kerfoot is the far better face off taker.

Overall, I wouldn't be worried. The team has greatly improved this season and Keefe tinkers with his lines frequently so it's nothing new.

Edit: worth pointing out that this likely won't be the lineup until playoffs. Nash is still on LTIR and in order to activate him now they have to clear a good chunk of cap which they can't do. So it's just seeing what it'll look like for playoffs.

That cap magic would be putting dermott on waivers, which i dont mind at all

99% agree with you. McDavid and Drai are elite they can steal a series for EDM. And Smith has played phenomenal and EDM has fixed up the defence. I think we could go far, we can easily beat the Jets in round 1

Hyman is much better suited for a 3rd line defensive role than Kerfoot is, and hyman has looked ELITE on the 3rd line. Also I think Hyman is faster, more versatile and better defensively than kerfoot

Sandin>Dermott no doubt

I said it this summer, they are going to at least the 3rd round. They can carry that team on their back if they want to.
When they realize it's not about the other team and all about them that's it. They will be playing for a cup. Got to will the game. The talent is there. It's all drive at this point.

This makes no sense to me. Hyman Matthews Marner are a legit top 5 line in the NHL. Why wouldn’t you want them paired together?

Kerfoot is way better suited to the wing and is very responsible defensively. Nash is the perfect shutdown C. And you have the speedy Mikheyev with them.

And Foligno with Tavares and Nylander fits perfectly.

I don’t know how you can’t look at these lines and not be jacked.

I believe that Hyman thrives down at 3LW. He plays easier opponents there and he's better then most of them so he can produce on a high level there

Excited to see what the boys can do for sure
Hopefully we go far m8

Hyman-Nash-Mikheyev would be a much better shutdown line. I think it's important that the leafs balance it out a little, especially since they are the softest team in the NHL

You're joking right? Leafs went 6-1-2 against Edmonton this year. & do you not remember when McDavid and Draisaitl were invisible in 3 straight games against Toronto?


"McDavid and Drai can take over games" - also false. McDavid can. But Draisaitl and the entire Edmonton team, is nothing without McDavid on the ice.

Through 54 games this season Draisaitl has 81 points (30G, 51A). Now let's break that down a bit more:

49 EV strength points - 28 of them McDavid has factored in on (57.1%)
32 powerplay points - 25 of them McDavid has factored in on (78.1%)
81 total points - 63 of them McDavid has factored in on (77.7%)
30 total goals - 21 McDavid ahead recorded an assist on (70%)
30 total goals - 14 of them McDavid had the primary assist on (46.6%)

All this despite McDavid and Draisatil not playing together all the time. But when McDavid isn't with Draisaitl, Draisaitl isn't producing at the same elite rate that he does with McDavid. Draisaitl might be the most overrated player in the league

Neither one of those guys is fighting or throwing big hits so I’m not sure why you think having them together makes the Leafs not a soft team.

Hyman Matthews Marner is a top 5 line in the NHL right now. You don’t mess with that.

This is all completely false. Hyman's defensive impact and xGA is 10.3, where Kerfoot's is 10.9. But the big differnce there is that Kerfoot has played 11 more games than Hyman, so at that rate Hyman would have a worse xGA after those 11 games. The speed is a eye test, but there's not too many people that think Hyman is a great skater and Kerfoot has been seen as one of their fastest skaters since he was acquired, but that's subjective to your opinion. Kerfoot is undoubtedly more versatile than Hyman. Kerfoot can play all 3 forward positions and not look out of place, where Hyman is more of a natural winger and isn't a great centre and hasn't played the position regularly since college. Hyman has only taken face-offs at centre on the PK, where Hyman is only a career 43.5% on face-offs but Kerfoot is a career 49% (Hyman is 32.7% this year - which is god awful, and Kerfoot is 40.3% - which still isn't good but it's much better than Hyman).

As for Hyman on the top line, it gives Matthews and Marner the guy to go into the corner for them and save their body for scoring. Sure Foligno could do that, so he could be flipped in that spot too. But the main thing is that Hyman is better suited for a Leafs top 6 role right now than he is a 3rd line shutdown guy when Toronto has better options for defence. The only thing saying he's better for that role is your opinion, which could be bias.

I think that goes to Marner.

Who are you kidding. The regular season doesn't mean anything.
You are foolish if you think the two of them can't take a series over. Period.
They are the most dangerous team in the North. Because everyone is chasing and playing on their heels because they know those two can break out at any time.
People been trying to doubt that team all year. But you know they are dangerous. Because when you have a guy who can go out there and put up 3-4 point games like it's nothing, it can really turn games fast.

Only thing I don't agree with about this is that none of Hyman-Nash-Mikheyev fight.. Hyman has fought multiple times and has shown he's willing to.

I mean, we have seen Hyman flourish in that shutdown line before as seen with the ZIP (Zach, Ilya, Pierre) line

I agree, Draisaitl is nothing without McDavid. Drai didn't deserve the hart last year, panarin did

To me the centre position is kinda weak. Spezza hasn't played centre much all year, and who knows how good Nash can be coming off an injury and being with a new team.

He has had 6 career NHL fights, sure he’s dropped the gloves but I’d hardly call him a fighter is all. I’m jacked about these lines. The only thing that does worry me is who besides Spezza is scoring in the bottom 6 but that’s why we pay our stars. This team goes as far as Matthews Marner Tavares Nylander can take them

Got a good laugh outta you calling Marner the most overrated player in the game when he's better than Draisaitl. Marner's still 3rd in league scoring and he's MILES better than Draisaitl defensively. But sure, think what you want

Leafs are clearly the most dangerous team in the division. They have the depth and the defensive system to prove it. Without McDavid or Draisaitl on the ice the Oilers are nothing more than an AHL team. Toronto has 2 lines that would be a top line on most teams in the league, along with defensive depth in the bottom 6 to shutdown teams -- again, they literally shut down McDavid and Draisaitl for 3 straight games. They've had the entire division chasing them all season but never surrendered first place. Toronto is the hottest team over the last 10 games in the division at 7-1-2 where Edmonton is the third hottest at 7-3-0. So Toronto is actually playing better hockey right now. In fact, since March 27 Toronto is 14-4-3 in 21 games where Edmonton is only 13-5-2 in 20 games since the same time. So saying Edmonton is the most dangerous team or the hottest team in the North is purely false.