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Toronto Maple Leafs

Dubas got Samsonov in a goalie market that had little to offer. His trade-deadline acquisitions this year like O'Reilly were great. While he overpaid the team's core relative to what they've accomplished in the playoffs, it's hard to see what a GM could have done differently.

Could anyone have foreseen Matthews' and Marner's failure to become dominant leaders in the playoffs? It's hard to tell from the sidelines of fandom. I think it comes down to psychological factors. You either have that do-anything drive, coupled with the right work ethic and talent, or you don't. Talent alone only takes you so far. It takes more to get to the next level of winning in the playoffs.

My impression is that Keefe is facing the greatest risk at this point of being relieved of his duties. There just hasn't been enough growth and evolution in the team's performance on the ice, no matter what Dubas has done. The team should also being holding Matthews and Marner accountable for their playoff performance during salary negotiations or showing them the door.
 
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I can't believe it's been 30 years since the Leafs had that dazzling run, coming within 1 game of making the Stanley Cup final. What a ride that was, and the last time they were a seriously good team.
 
There's been a lot of criticism of the "Core 4," and I think a lot of it is warranted. Great teams have their great players lifting the team during pivotal games. In the last decade, players like Crosby, Malkin, Kucherov and Kane have carried teams on their back at crucial moments. I have never seen that from the Toronto stars.
 
Richard White said:
Well.. the Panthers did come back from 3-1?
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For the Leafs to accomplish a 4 game comeback, something that has only been done four times in NHL history, I think they needed a much bigger "statement" game than last night. The Buds just barely eked out a win. I think the Cats finish them off tomorrow.
 
mjl08 said:
For the Leafs to accomplish a 4 game comeback, something that has only been done four times in NHL history, I think they needed a much bigger "statement" game than last night. The Buds just barely eked out a win. I think the Cats finish them off tomorrow.
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Agreed.

We aren't winning this series and if we do I'm reasonably confident we can make it to the finals.
 
This team defied the odds of losing what, 9 or so elimination games in a row? Something that is almost impossible...yet they accomplished that feat.

On that trail, I have absolutely no idea what to expect from them. They always surprise us in new ways - good or bad. Part of me expects the Panthers to just finish them tomorrow, and another part of me wouldn't be surprised out of the realm of possibilities that they come back in this series.

Never safe betting on this team.
 
Admiral Beez said:
God we suck. I want my Friday evening back.
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I was pissed they didn't schedule the game for the traditional Saturday, but now I'm glad. I have the weekend back.
I mean, winning four in a row was an extreme outlier chance anyway, but the worst case scenario would be that they won last night and then lost here in Toronto on Sunday night.
At least they ripped off the bandage for us at the very start of the weekend, not the end.
 
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