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borealis

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Forum: Armchair-GMNov. 3, 2019 at 6:56 p.m.
Thread: SHOULD LEAFS HIRE SCOTTY BOWMAN TO REVIEW ROSTER AND BABCOCK
Interesting idea ...but this is not all THAT complicated.
Leafs mgmt & players have to get their heads around (imo, what Babcock & Hayley Wickenheiser clearly understand):
#1: until NHL rules change, hockey remains a 'contact sport' - not a 'controlled-contract' sport like basketball; at NHL level defense requires a consistent, full-team effort and not the paying of occasional lip service to defensive responsibilities)
#2: Leafs have to find players who can consistently move the puck through the neutral zone;
#3: for all Leafs' high skill level, winning requires both the individual and also collective 'gnawing need' to win. (This is what Ovi was referring to.) Winning coaches such as Lombardi & Belichick NEVER smile(d). There is reason for this. Too many Leafs, with their $$$contracts, view what they're doing 'as a game'...and not 'as a war'.
As with Ovi/Washington, we can only hope Leafs will find that 'gnawing need' - that true 'identity' to which Babs has alluded.
Forum: Armchair-GMNov. 1, 2019 at 9:14 a.m.
Thread: Whats our problem
Faulty Logic? Dubas/Shanny have based team design on: other NHL team owners buying into hockey transitioining to a non-contact sport?; the belief that a 'Some Have /Some Have Not' allocation of team CAP makes for a viable team dynamic?; and, assumption that CAP will/ would have already risen significantly?
#1:Leafs currently rank 27/31 in hits (FoxSport), and 'naked eye test' quickly reveals that many of those are 'soft' hits and arguably shouldn't qualify . Dubas/Shanny have assembled a team of skilled 'slippery' players who, for the most part, amass their points through finding seams - and through avoiding contact. Fun to watch but, unless rules change, this remains a contact sport.
#2: how do those who make under $1m currently view a select group (not 1 or 2) elite who make $5m+++...and how will that play in the locker room/ on the ice going forward?
#3 if CAP does not rise as expected, what happens to nature of overall team dynamic and what happens when Horton/Clarkson LTIRs run out?
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 26, 2019 at 11:56 a.m.
Thread: Ceci amp Miki have team best plus-minus after Game 12
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>MG1986</b></div><div>Haha well I can tell you that Mihkeyev's agent loves playing hardball and is tough to deal with. That said, Kucherov is also his client, and as we all know Kucherov took a very reasonable "bridge deal" even though he probably could have gotten more. I guess my point is, Leafs would want to "Trevor Moore" him or, as you put it "Kevin Lablanc" him to a cheap next contract, where perhaps his play, and especially his play to date, indicates he should be getting more of a Kapanen/Johnson second contract, which would definitely hurt the Leafs' cap and their ability to resign at least one of Muzzin or Barrie plus make additional upgrades, which I am sure will be needed once we again lose to Boston in the first round of these 2019-20 playoffs :P</div></div>

Fair points! Watching Leafs vs Boston was telling. IMO, Dubas needs to trade Hyman now (Good player but far too much$ for a limited skill set) ...and, unfortunately, to keep a close watch on Willy's (other's?) 'level of intensity'. Sadly, Leafs appear to have encouraged a culture of too many primadonnas skating around and opportunistically seeking to add to their point totals - rather than to engaging in the game. IMO, this includes 'no hit' Rielly. In Leafs vs Boston each Bruin meticulously finished every play by initiating a 'conscious' body contact/hit against their opposing Leafs' player. Think they have been instructed to do this? By comparison, the Leafs avoid contact - and will soon become known as the team avoiding contact in a contact sport!.
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 25, 2019 at 11:42 p.m.
Thread: Ceci amp Miki have team best plus-minus after Game 12
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>MikeyThePensFan</b></div><div>You never think you'd get a Russian forward who can play defense.</div></div>

When Miki is on the ice he definitely exhibits a 'will to win' and asserts himself as a visible threat to be reckoned with - as is case with Marchand, Backstrom, MacKinnon, Eichel to name but a few. Todate, only Moore &amp; Kapanen have demonstrated similar glimmers of capacity. For all the hype surrounding the 'superior skill levels' of Matty/Mitch/Willy, imo none of them have as yet asserted themselves as 'dominant forces' to be reckoned with. While too early to jump to conclusions, at this juncture, it promises to be a long season - heavily reliant upon the reliability (continued good health) of Freddy.
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 18, 2019 at 7:24 p.m.
Thread: Nutivaara for Hyman idea
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>leaflet</b></div><div>It all depends on when he is signed imo. If Dubas waits until the end of the season, the price will increase. Mikheyev will likely end the season with more points than Johnsson, Kerfoot and Kapanen, which will make it difficult to argue he should earn less than them. And Dubas doesn't have the reputation of signing players to team-friendly deals. If he pushed to sign him early, he could probably have him at a discount.</div></div>

Agreed. With JT out for 2wks, Dubas should get good look at Miki over next 7games w/ pressures of x2 back-to-backs. That said, remains to be seen where Milstein might sit with coming to terms early and Miki's 'reported' wish to play in TO - as, if M waits, he could force Dubas out of market?

At this point, I'd also reserve judgement on Lilje. Imo, Holl is looking pretty good...and not sure about Lilje's defensive lapses ...and 'grit'. If Dubas is right, and his model gets Leafs deep into playoffs this year, then maybe. But, if Dubas is wrong, there could be major re-think of blueline strategy?
Forum: Armchair-GMOct. 16, 2019 at 4:37 p.m.