A Look at the Maple Leafs and How My Opinion of the Team Has Changed

[@josephwirtz8352]

I have teams that I prefer, and teams I do not like, however, I have become a HOCKEY FAN as I’ve grown older, as opposed to a FAN of particular teams. I find this mindset much more enjoyable…

[@jonbradley4044]

100%, being a fan of good hockey first makes the playoffs so damn good. I know so many people that are like "if x team isn't in the playoffs then I don't care"

[@jamesanderson6274]

I have been a Leafs fan my whole life, actually have a photo of 4 generations of Leaf fans within my family. Incredibly difficult to stay that way these days. Honestly though I agree with you in that I watched more of the LA/EDM game 7 then I did the TOR/TBL. Also intend to watch game 7 PIT/NYR and maybe even the late one tonight. So F*** the Leafs, Canada now # 1 (Montreal is NOT Canada), then underdogs, then whoever deserves a cup (routing for Giroux). Also, a lot of people are down on the playoff format but 7 out of 8 series in the first round went at least 6 games. To me that is some high class hockey and I can't wait for more. Come on Calgary tonight and good luck Edmonton in round 2!

[@guyalepage8867]

@@jamesanderson6274 c’est vrai Montréal est au Québec, notre pays ❤️

[@rickmartin4886]

I would gladly incinerate that outfit he is wearing.

[@robert48044]

Fantasy football did that to me, all my pro teams being bad also helped.

[@LuciferFayte]

I feel this - I used to be basically a Canucks and Devils only fan, and would just be super upset when they didn't win (used to play too when I was younger :P) But honestly, after finding this channel (a little over a year ago I think?), my core passion for all things hockey and the love of the sport has been revitalized. I now enjoy watching the game for what it is, and I get excited about all the amazing plays, goals, and talent in the league; and I can analyze and understand good and bad plays - thank you so much for that

[@mikeJones-zo8si]

Sounds like me. I used to be Canucks/devils . And now I’m mostly a hockey fan. But still would be nice to see the Canucks win it since they have not yet. Just like the hockey guy if teams are playing that I don’t care about I will cheer for the underdog

[@NerdAlert66]

i used to be just a canucks fan when i first started watching hockey in 2009-2010 then i started following the nhl and played the video games( franchise mode), collected hockey cards. i became a crazy hockey fan and now im a fan of canucks, oilers, tampa bay, la kings. its crazy the three of my fav teams are in the same division if u think of it haha

[@Buffalosabskis]

Being from Buffalo and a Sabres fan I know I am supposed to hate the leafs, but I just don’t to this level. I wanted to see them win this. I watch or go to almost every Sabres game. I know what it’s like to love a team so much.

[@Khalrua]

I’m also a Sabres fan, but I see it differently. Love seeing the leafs lose!

[@justinvanhorne9958]

@@Khalrua this here is the correct reaction

[@SabresGuy87]

I wanted them to lose and keep the 1st round playoff drought going longer than the Sabres 😂

[@Buffalosabskis]

@@SabresGuy87 I did have that in mind haha

[@mirko1382]

At least Buffalo still has Tsujimoto.

[@jasong5094]

Full disclosure, I'm a STL fan. I still think Tavares is what's holding Toronto back. The summer he became a free agent, Doug Armstrong took us out of the Tavares sweepstakes by signing depth forwards Tyler Bozak, Pat Maroon and David Perron, and made an unexpected trade for Ryan O'Reilly. The biggest difference maker in the playoffs for the Blues in 2019 wasn't Vladimir Tarasenko who led our team in goals for the previous 4 years and was our highest paid player at $7.5 million. It was veteran players like Ryan O'Reilly and David Perron and the playoff emergence of young players like Robert Thomas, Ivan Barbashev and Oskar Sundqvist that allowed us to roll 4 lines for 60 minutes across a 7-game series and we just kept wearing our opponents down by games 6 and 7. It's a fine thing to have a ton of talent on your top 2 lines that can take over a single game, but it's what happens when your bottom two lines take the ice that makes the difference over a playoff series. As long as the bottom six forwards are making close to league minimum for Toronto, either they are going to have to get some serious draft luck to get over the hump or the salary cap is going to have to drastically expand for them to make a final while Tavares is there.

[@drexxler138]

I think Marner is mostly dead weight, he’s way overpaid for the role he fits. Tavares is probably not a great leader for the team either. Probably need a new captain, and a new Marner for half the price.

[@pahul79]

Kucherov: 8 points Stamkos: 4 points Point: 4 points Hedman: 7 points Matthews: 8 points Marner : 8 points Nylander: 7 points Tavares: 6 points Rielly: 6 points The stars were not the problem.

[@IHateMyAccountName]

@@pahul79 Tampa has a better all around defence and that insane 3rd line the last few years. Big guns are there, but they kill with depth.

[@anthonydurante1149]

@@drexxler138 97 points in the regular season. Yeah, dead weight bud.

[@jasonbieber6431]

This is what I, as an Islanders fan, said in 2018 when Toronto got Tavares. Dubas has spent his career acting as though the salary cap is in NHL EA Sports video game mode, and not having playoff depth is what's really hurting Toronto. They can't keep hoping to hit paydirt with $1 million 3rd and 4th line signings and no one else is willing to pay them $2 million. The Blues were a total wagon back in 2019 because, as you pointed out, they had the depth to roll 4 lines and completely mess other teams' equilibrium up. Islanders also did that (up until this season, at least) and it is one of the big reasons they overcame adversity the past few years.

[@huntertheparmesancheesesmo2587]

You're a special man Shannon. The hockey community wouldn't be the same without you. Happy to see you having success that you very much deserve

[@TheFasteddie97]

Great podcast/ platform! Really like your unbiased take on every team! As a fan of a Canadian team, it’s hard to get a true picture of the strengths/weaknesses of your team by the local media. They tend to be homers and overvalue their players. Keep up the great work!

[@csanadhorvath]

podcast??

[@PetethePistol]

Loved your Analysis, THG, WELL DONE!!! Like I said before, you look great in a buds’ jersey.

[@rickmartin4886]

I would use that jersey and ball cap to start my backyard fire.

[@PetethePistol]

@@rickmartin4886 gonna be kinda hard when yer sittin’ in a jail cell. Good luck with that.

[@rickmartin4886]

@@PetethePistol There’s a fire ban right now dummy but it won’t last forever and there will always be a Loser Leafs jersey for me to get my hands on and gladly burn! 😂😭😂🍁💙🤡

[@RandomPlaceHolderName]

"I don't think Marner is as overpaid as others might think. It might be a million, I don't think it's crippling" True but if all three of them take 10m instead of 11m, they personally wouldn't notice other than bragging rights and the team would have 3m more to spend on their 3C. It adds up and many guys that take pay cuts in cap leagues are aware of this. You're not getting shafted by say 1m but rather you're buying 1m's worth of teammate, thus slightly increasing your odds of winning.

[@deahelkcunklaer2180]

I wish players were smart enough to realize this and be a complete teammate. Greedy agents just keep pushing for more.

[@hellomotoCoop]

I think these contracts arent the same issue if covid doesnt haplen and the salary cap keeps going up over the past 2 years as it was supposed to

[@StonedSpagooter]

I wonder if anyone has told them that they are allowed to renegotiate? Or maybe they are 100% aware and just dont care about winning or helping the team AKA selfish

[@SampsaO]

More you think about this more you respect MacKinnon.. He is worth at least 10m…

[@terrancedavidreid5020]

Agreed...but in the case of M & M, being young stars steeped in the game since they were kids, with no doubt loving but domineering, hockey-helicoptor parents (at least in Marner's case) and a line-up of trainers, agents, coaches, and supporting personnel telling them they are able and worthy and deserving, why wouldn't they gun for a hefty contract?

[@SamayelIam]

"It ruined my day ... for about a week" Priceless :) Like a brother, don't ever change :)

[@timcofield5212]

The hockey guy is awesome just saying.

[@MS-kf5mo]

I am finished as a Leaf fan . I watched the 67 game . Never seen a color picture of a Leaf raising the cup.

[@JD-gv4uz]

the laughs have never won in color . Other than color Green from the fans

[@brianmurchie9309]

Something that needs to be said, is that although Marner and Matthews were over a point per game, a lot of that came from the first 2 games. In the last 5 games of the series, they combined for 2 goals and 5 assists. That is just not good enough for superstars.

[@Red790]

Top lines on both teams were pretty even, Vasi stole game 7 as Leafs had 3.5 xGF

[@brianmurchie9309]

@Azrael Absolutely, however, they get the benefit of the doubt as they have proven before, they can do what it takes to win.

[@chrisfortin984]

To me, Toronto had the chance to close the series in game 6, and failed to do so, whereas game 7, Tampa shut the door completely in the third. Tampa excels at this or they would have never won back to back cups. This is the best Tampa has looked, but as stated..Kucherov,Stamkos, and Point were not at their best and still beat Toronto. Even Vasi looked normal and they still won. Gotta put that into perspective.

[@DANNY40379]

they're only stars superstars are those that perform in the playoffs, classic example is Patrick Roy

[@cleverusername_smthngsmthn7731]

I think it must be remembered that in both the 70's Islanders and the 80's/90's Red Wings spent years in mediocrity before winning multiple cups and becomong dynasties in their own rights.

[@johnnym196]

I still think that the Leafs need to improve on their defence. Goaltending, and offence is solid. Most games that I have watched the Leafs defence has been terrible at times with the players not covering their opponents properly and/or standing there watching the other team shoot at the Leafs goalie. That is just my opinion from what I have seen during some games, especially the ones that they loose.

[@deedsofdecapitation7477]

I'd add to that turnovers in their own end. I think almost every game 7 or Game 6 loss leading to a game 7 has had either a Toronto forward or Toronto defenseman make a mind numbingly crucial turnover in which they literally just give away the puck to the other team, leading to an extremely important goal. It looks so unforced that it makes me wonder whether the guy is throwing the game on purpose. For example Jake Gardiner in 2013 vs Boston, or that stupid Kerfoot no look pass behind him in game 6.

[@heliumtrophy]

Their defence is what kills them but when they've splurged so much on their attacking nucleus, it leaves them with not an awful lot to get decent defenders. Then again there does seem to be something about certain defenders just not gelling with the Maple Leafs system so perhaps there's something else to it.

[@matthewgregory8218]

Geodano helped but it wasn’t enough

[@alpearson9158]

not ,a leaf fan but I see them more of a need to work on team defense rather than a glaring defense problem

[@stino7634]

Wrong last however many clinching games they can’t score for there lives

[@mercywilliams2698]

Great thoughts on the mysterious Leafs..💙🦋🏆 Stranger things this Leafs franchise..I grew up near the Quebec border in Vermont..talk of hockey when it happened was Habs Bruins and Rangers. Never knew there was an ardent fanbase in Toronto! !!! And Blue was my favorite color, no less. Worked for 10 years in LA hockey with lots of Canadian colleagues..only one from Toronto. With social media now I am living what I was missing. I sure wish Leafs could sort things out.

[@_kyle_collins_]

It's hard to find silver linings when it happens year after year.... it's so disappointing. Nothing to even say

[@zjean3417]

Yet Leafsnet will find a way to hype up the leafs as stanley cup "contenders" next year.

[@alexs8846]

@@zjean3417 im fucking sick and tired of having to hear a out leafsnet. You ppl just keep on projecting your dislike to leaf fans as of they control the media. Its fucking tiring and makes me hate the rest of the country outside Toronto for having such a little brother complex over some stupid media

[@hutterite1]

Every team has that...why is everybody just talking about Toronto? They DID throw alot of money at it, but it didn't work. And I'm glad it didn't, to prove a point that it's not about money

[@matthewgregory8218]

@@2Jim2u yes because we’ve had struggles of ourselves

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

@Azrael Every NHL fan that doesn't like the Leafs knows they're not contenders, and that's an irreputable fact.

[@markperlsweig7807]

Great video and as a Caps fan, I have an answer for you. I remember years ago when Bruce Boudreau comes into the locker room angry with the Caps for moping like little lost boys. But he was unable to get them to respond. Then they brought in Dale Hunter who used to staple Ovi to the bench late in the third period because his defense wasn't good enough. Then Trotz came in and did a number of critical things. He created a family culture that fit the team. He connected to Ovi as a person. There was a time in Ovi's career when he could no longer blow past defensemen and his game had to change and evolve. Ovi finally developed a champions commitment to training year round and putting in the work to all parts of his game that will be the final piece that gets him the goal record. But even Trotz struggled to make adjustments behind the bench in his first three years in the playoffs. in 2018, Trotz's struggles at home with his autistic son and on the ice with the Caps defense and Holtby in decline in the regular season, brought him personally to a point where he knew it was the end of his time there and he just loosened up somewhere in his psyche. He started Grubi twice in net as the Caps again, blew 2 leads in consecutive home games to the Tortorella led heavy underdog Blue Jackets. Bringing back Holtby for game three they ended up in overtime (and could have easily been swept out of the first round) and won on Eller's crazy spinarama goal. The two time defending Cup Champion Penguins were up next and it was epic. Its also interesting how the fanbase sometimes mirrors the teams emotional mood. I can see clearly that the Toronto players and its fans truly do not believe that the team can win in the playoffs. It has gotten to that point and I thought that last year, with the Tavares injury and when they blew it with Montreal and the weak Canadian division that the belief in being unable to win in the playoffs had seriously worsened. If I was in Toronto management, I would pay stupid money to Barry Trotz to give the Maple Leafs a chance at a Cup. High octane offense, plenty of talent in the core, right age and ...... a major mental block that lives in everyone connected to that team. Well, Trotz has actually lived through this situation once already (and would have twice if the Islanders had more scoring talent). I think he is the best fit for what Toronto needs. Speaking of maturity in fans, I liked what you had to say. I miss the Caps Pens rivalry and wish that it went on forever. And after Vegas made it to the finals in their first season with "good" castoffs ... and lost in the Finals. Followed up by the Sharks scoring five goals on a questionable five minute power play and winning it in OT, I thought "Vegas fans, now you really belong in the NHL."

[@ashjarnicki8558]

I'd like to see more depth scoring. We can talk about how the stars need to be stars, but Cup winning teams get timely goals from their bottom six. It feels like the third and fourth lines for the most part are non-options offensively, and it wasn't only a this-year problem.

[@TheManLenin8]

Hey Shannon, love the channel, love the videos! You’re amazing, and I love your analysis on teams, it’s great, comedic, and you have a really good hockey sense. Surprise Vancouver hasn’t hired you for their front office yet, it’d be better than almost anyone there tbh 😂

[@iamanisland]

Habs fan here. This year was the first time in my whole life I ever cheered for Toronto to win. Even though they’re always dumping on us, I sort of feel bad for the fans in TO.

[@markehm941]

Reality note from Toronto - Leafs fans don't dump on the Habs. 2 out of 3 Leaf fans regard MTL as their second fave team to cheer for. Had the same conversation with separatists in Quebec, I told them that 99% of CDN people believe Canada is a better place with Quebec in it. Montreal may be the most vibrant and fun city in the country. Why do MTL people believe Toronto people hate you? Some of my best friends and indeed most fun memories are in Quebec and Montreal. Rivalry and hate are 2 different things. I think we both fall for US propaganda!

[@greggburke7796]

@@markehm941 You must live in Fantasy land, because before you were sucking on your mommas teet and crapping your Huggies, I was going up to Montreal for hockey games at the Forum, and saw DOZENS of fights between Canadiens fans and Leafs fans. The Montreal fans were usually dressed in suits, while Leafs fans were in team Jerseys and pie eyed. And while Boston is certainly Montreal's arch nemesis and chief rival, prior to expansion, it was the Leafs. When they were separated and Montreal was in the Adams division and Toronto in the Norris, the rivalry cooled a bit. But now that they're back in the same division, the rivalry is back.

[@teeus766]

Not a habs fan then. Fuck the leafs and bruins always.

[@lerobshow6300]

I'm also an habs fan and tbh Leafs fans in general have been nothing but nice to us during our last year playoff run. I haven't noticed hate from them beside the obvious trolls. I was also rooting for them to win against the Bolts. I thought they played great hockey against the Bolts and have nothing to be ashamed of. But I'm also wondering if keeping their roster as it is now is the way to go. I personally think Tavares is too much on this team. They should try to make cap space and get rid of him which will be hard. Matthews & Marner aren't going anywhere.

[@iamanisland]

@@markehm941 That’s good to hear. I guess the trolls are all on FB

[@RIPJimmyA7X]

I've said it before game 7 and I'll say it again, the mentality was waaaay better this year. The difference in fight was night and day between last year and this year.

[@centralscrutinizer9591]

And the losers still lost, and next year……..nothing will change because none of their overpaid slugs will wave their trade rights. Expect more of the same forever genius.

[@OnPoint88]

It's not as though this team hasn't shown fight before.. they fought against Washington and Boston But its clear that this core unit is not built to win playoff hockey

[@LemonsGraphics]

@@OnPoint88 the core was fine this year. All 4 big forwards showed up. And campbell was fantastic in important moments in the game. If anything I think the depth killed the series this year. They need all aspects contributing 🤷‍♂️ didngt get depth contributing for games 6 or 7

[@XxihewixX]

you're wrong

[@jpdemontigny]

Unlike previous years, the core played “well”. But in the playoffs, well is not good enough. Need to take it up a few notches because others will.

[@zeusdamongoose1062]

Point had 4 points. Stamkos had 4 points and Tampa won. So this argument only applies to the Leafs or?

[@Lamb02]

@@zeusdamongoose1062 Kuch and hedman had 8 and 7… Tampa also had 7 other players that had 4-5 points, they have multiple stars who did great, some did well and some of their depth did fantastic. Which is why they won

[@javariswilliamsjr5229]

@@Lamb02 matthews had 9 marner had 8 even Tavares and nylander showed up. they lost to a better team point blank

[@boltinabottle6307]

@Azrael Kucherov and Stamkos were stepping in front of 90+mph pucks. Outside of Tavares, I didn't really see the Leaf's all-stars doing the same. You think Nylander is gonna throw his body in front of a Hedman bomb from the point? Despite Toronto's huge advantage in offensive zone time and sustained pressure throughout the series, it didn't translate to TB getting massively outshot.

[@boltinabottle6307]

@AzraelMarner stood out big time (in a good way). I didn't mean to infer that he was a part of the problem. It was mainly Nylander that stood out to me as being unwilling to sacrifice the body. I would love to see Marner and Point on a line together. They would dominate the earth. Add in Cirelli (he and Marner are close buds) and the opposition would never score. Now I'm mad that we didn't get the Olympics.

[@robshook8866]

Decent analysis. So true that when you are really invested in a team and they get bounced, bitterness lingers for a while. The Leafs day will come. Like your point about a sense of urgency within the next 2 years for the core. This is a business about winning, after all is said and done. The longer you don’t win, the tougher it becomes to win

[@bryancollins6796]

I've re-watched this. Great breakdown Shannon. Missed this though. Shanahan, Dubas, Keith, and Tavares have no NHL Cups in their respective positions before attaining those positions. No track record. None. Maybe look around in the off-season for an upgrade with real winning experience.

[@TheMan750]

My introduction to your page was your review of the Sharks/Knights game 7 in 2019, very descriptive. Much respect

[@ernienorquist8325]

Another excellent breakdown, with a lot of great points. As a Tampa fan I can unequivocally say that the last thing Toronto should do is blow it up! 100% get the history and suffering, but this year’s exit is nothing like the previous. They took the back to back Stanley Cup champs to a game 7 and lost by a goal. I understand the patience level in Toronto is far less than Tampa, but the Lightning are providing a damn good road map for you.

[@christhornycroft3686]

This is why I love this channel. Even if you're not a Leafs fan (I never have been), all of a sudden this becomes almost a personal and hockey story and journey and I can appreciate it on that level. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Come for The Hockey Guy, stay for Shannon. Thank you for all that you do. KZbin must be unsubbing people because I could have sworn you were at almost 250k in December. I must admit, though, I don't mind that jersey. The uni's that harken back to that vintage style I always gravitate to. I'm always going to favour the early 90s styles because that's when I really started watching hockey and cared the most about the results, but there's something about the 40s, 50s and 60s style wise that I still get a kick out of.

[@daftelf]

"used to be if the team i cheered for got knocked out, it was something heartbreaking like that, i was out it for a few days.' Since 2019 when my Blues got me that Just One Cup, I haven't felt like this about that team or my others in other sports after a loss. It really does balance out all the horrible luck and curses you feel your team was dealt. I really hope all of you get that someday for your main team, just once.

[@Mr.Pants45]

Blues fan too, but the highest paid blues make 7.5 mil. That's why the have depth to play the way they do, spending 11 mil each on 3 players absolutely kills any depth a team should have.

[@Brian-os9qj]

Great stuf THG, always check on your take when a thorough honest evaluation is needed

[@jeffmainse1289]

They don't need to change a thing. With the exception of Florida, Tampa was the hardest match-up the Leafs could have had in the first round. This series could have went either way.

[@etahhcumosevahi]

Fact. 👍

[@mattm6580]

Fiction

[@chrisfortin984]

They don't need to change the roster, but we see the difference between Toronto and Tampa is Tampa shuts teams down in the third better than just about any top team in the league. Game 6 was Toronto's chance, and failed to do so. However Game 7, Tampa did it to near perfection. Closing deciding games out, and taking fewer penalties against good PP teams will help, and maybe they get out of the first round without changing any players out. I'm more questionable about Keefe over the roster. Toronto under Trotz and their chances next year to the second round get much better. On that, this might be the best Tampa team we have seen in either cup run, and this went to the wire.

[@MatthewBaran]

This is why I hope Toronto fans stop wanting to blow up the team.

[@stephenbarradell4043]

Leafs still suck.😄

[@KarelKCZ]

I can confirm that as someone who has their favorites (mostly cause I just cheer for Czech players ), but watches all teams through the year I cant say I hate or love a team. Its kinda great cause I can just watch games without the hate and enjoy this great game.

[@rushilb6]

I would’ve thought after last year they’d know the importance of finishing the job but I guess not. It’s not even a performance issue at this point it’s a mindset issue. They pushed really hard yesterday in the third period but they needed to do that in the third period of game 6

[@lukewoodworth2101]

Yeah the 3rd period in game 6 was looking a lot like this years game 7 for tampa. If the leafs don't hand Tampa a 5-3 in game 6 they likely win game 6 and were not having this conversation again

[@MsSparklesNGlitter]

You are not going to win many game 7s when you only score 1 goal.

[@jadenippersiel912]

2 went in

[@NotExplicable]

Best players are still young.

[@Outta-hz1ej]

They did. Their downfall was a chintsy penalty that turned into a 5 on 3

[@DevonLevack]

Thanks!

[@dewman7477]

@Emily An problem is we said that for last 6 years actually since 2004 when will this drought end?

[@danielk9475]

Even as a Bolts fan I feel for the Leafs players. Especially after watching the post game interviews. The fans though... After listening to a good number of them boo the American national anthem I have no respect or sympathy for them. In 15 years of going to Lightning games I have NEVER heard anyone boo the Canadian anthem. Edit: I did generalize. Obviously not all Leaf fans are so classless. I know a few that have transplanted down to Tampa. Even had a fun and friendly time sitting next to a visiting Toronto couple in game 3. So not condemning any individuals that weren't booing, but fan-bases in sports are kinda judged as a whole so make of that what you will.

[@people3865]

Boston and Philly do that yearly. It's not surprising. We had some really shit fans for sure.

[@mithex8414]

that's why people hate Toronto so much. it's the media and the fans more than anything. annoying and trashy

[@Electr1cWaffles]

It’s just plain dumb for leaf’s fans to do that… Matthews can clearly hear that like 🤔

[@LoganFruz]

As a leafs fan of 30 years I apologize to you sir. Some of us in the fan base are obviously classless.

[@gohabs8918]

Now you know why Canadian hockey fans LOVE seeing them fail. Their fans are beyond toxic and it’s embarrassing

[@coachmack77]

Excellent insight as usual. I am a lifelong Leaf fan- the team is on the right track. It still sucks but this year I am not angry at the team for quitting and falling apart. There is a story in hockey lore about the first time the Oilers made it to the Cup Finals. After they lost to the Islanders, the Oilers walk by their dressing room and expect a team to be partying. Instead, the team looked exhausted and spent. That image showed the Oilers what it took to win the Cup. I am not sure if its a true story but it is my hope this First Round loss is the Leafs' "Islander Moment".

[@TrAvi5link]

I was at game 7, it was my first ever Leafs game. The feeling in the building was amazing tbh & it was an enjoyable game, even tho the buds lost. The biggest question for the Leafs next year is goaltending. How do they get rid of Mrazek & do they bring Campbell back? I also don't mind Källgren as a backup, he's pretty calm in the net.

[@michaelkirkpatrick7483]

I'd bring Campbell back, but guarded about how much salary and term, Has not proven he's worth 5M/yr. Maybe 3.5. Hopefully won't cost them too much to get rid of Mrzak, a signing I didn't like in the first place (constant injuries)

[@charlieeriksson990]

I think Mrazek is too inconsistant aswell, he has the games where nothing beats him, and then the games where everything beats him, along with the injuries. I can’t see any team taking him for less than a 5th (which I wouldn’t mind). Campbell played well, Källgren is not good enough to be back-up.

[@michaelkirkpatrick7483]

@@charlieeriksson990 Never mind the 5th round pick.. Leafs might have to add a sweetener just to get anyone even interested in taking on his contract.

[@fczip5493]

@@charlieeriksson990 it Will take at least 2nd to get rid of him.

[@pstandlee]

I’m not a Leafs fan buttttttt I like learning about all the teams and this channel and Dangle. Like, you, I think becoming more of a hockey fan. I hope Leafs get it done soon. It’s a great team to watch. Very entertaining lots of heart there. Cheers.

[@TMBpk]

The Leafs are an oddity to be honest at this point. I really don’t know what more else they can do…they’ve made improvements everywhere they could. One could argue passing on Andersen and making Campbell the starter was Kyle Dubas’ “Masai Ujiri” moment - but even then, when Masai traded away Demar Derozen for Kawhi Leonard, it eventually came down to the “hand of god” moment in game 7 against Philly in Round 2. If Kawhi misses that shot, we’d be having the same discussion right now with the Raptors not having enough to win. Which basically leads me to the point about the playoffs being about luck and good bounces…and the Leafs just never seem to get any luck or bounces. If the Leafs don’t go down 2 men in game 6, they probably win the series 4-2. It was just bad luck coupled with hyped up team and some questionable calls. If the Leafs don’t go up against Vezina goalies year after year (Rask, Price, Vasy), they probably go to the second round and beyond at least once if not twice since 2017. I think they should stay on course, stick with the core…if an opportunity arises for a good trade for Tavares, I’d say Dubas should go for it, but it really isn’t the core or the team in general. It’s just mental…they have to fight through it and hope for the best. They’ll make the playoffs again next year and the year after, eventually they’ll have to win a round. That or the Leafs are really cursed by the Ghost of Ballard.

[@RRaquello]

I think the Leafs have a good enough team to almost win. They're certainly good enough to get to the finals. They don't strike me as a Stanley Cup winner. They shouldn't be losing in the first round every year. They shouldn't have lost to Montreal last year. That was the bad one. One of these years the timing will work out right and they'll win a couple of rounds. I don't think they'll win the cup with the team they have now.

[@RobManiasDJ]

"If the Leafs don’t go up against Vezina goalies year after year (Rask, Price, Vasy), they probably go to the second round and beyond at least once if not twice since 2017." The best way to avoid that scenario is to get into a position where you're the favourite. How do you do that? Start games on time. Minimize costly mistakes. Play consistent hockey. Finally, get the goal and the save when it's needed. Too often the Leafs made that one critical error. Missed that breakaway. Didn't back check. Missed an assignment. Had a lazy line change. Started a hockey game 5 minutes into the 1st period. Or dropped a pass onto the opponents stick in the neutral zone. This is on leadership; both in suits and wearing the letters.

[@nintendoconvert4045]

I started to root for players I like more than teams, and that has helped me not get as negatively affected by team failures or when they trade that player you’re a big fan of. If you like Player A and your team trades them, why not continue rooting for that player? Your team will make business decisions above all else, and that won’t always jive with your interests.

[@Seed2713]

The Leafs' 'core', Marner, Matthews, Tavares, Nylander, Rielly & Campbell, performed as expected. They all played to their regular season performances. The 'experience', Spezza, Gio and maybe to an extent, Tavares, Muzzin & Brodie, provided calm and wisdom. The 'depth' was kinda missing as they were the least experienced. And it showed. No blame. Just an observation. Bunting, Kampf, Kase, Engvall, Kerfoot & Mikheyev were not the depth players they were in the regular season. Blackwell & Lybushkin were very reliable. Simmonds, Clifford & Holl were less than impressive. With this experience behind them next year (with no major changes), they will be BETTER!

[@LeafsFanHereIfThatWasntObvious]

Well put, totally agree with every word!

[@megareese81]

Another Leaf fan here, man...if you are not a Leaf fan then you have a damn good grip on this team. I was at Game 5 and Mikheyev should not have been on the ice, he was clearly nervous and not the player he has been for us all season. I thought Kampf was the best of our depth players but other than that, I could not agree more. I also do not think Holl played well but he wasn't as bad as most Leaf fans were saying.

[@coreyronson2171]

Hard to be impressive when you only played 1-2 shifts in the series before getting suspended for the same hit allowed in other games that day and by the opponent 3-4-5 times after that in the same series.

[@raymondsupper]

Toronto is in a very good position to copy what Tampa has done by tinkering with the bottom 6 forwards and installing a responsible in your own zone mentality starting in training camp. Keefe seemed to get that in his post game conference. Whether he can get his players to buy into that and spend a season learning to win ugly and as Jon Cooper says munch points will either make or break him as a coach. Harold Ballard would be firing everyone and dismantling the roster and they'll surely continue his curse if they wreck the stability they have.

[@danlegris387]

The most crucial point of a rebuild is understanding when you are 1 player away, Dubas called it 4 years too early

[@RRaquello]

They should have kept Phil Kessel. He was the one player who put the Penguins over the top. Toronto fans run Larry Murphy out of town an he wins cups with the Red WIngs. They run Kessel out and he wins cups with the Pens. Yeah, we should listen to the expertise of Leafs fans. They know what it takes to win.

[@LanceChaseFL]

Shout out from Tampa, HockeyGuy. That was a tough first round

[@Gullyboyhighschool]

As a Caps Fan, I can understand when a team consistently loses in the playoffs over and over again. I can recall when the Caps were unable to get out of the second round against Pittsburgh. I can say that Toronto’s 2020 team disappointed but this year they gave everything they had, huge credit to Tampa Bay’s defense and solid goaltending. I am starting to feel the caps are choking as they have lost in the first round 4 years in a row after winning the 2018 finals.

[@dewman7477]

At least caps won a round a couple of times leafs can’t win a round for 18 seasons they can’t even beat Montreal or Columbus who are inferior than leafs and leafs choked big time. Should’ve won game 6 this series but too many penalties although one of those penalties was not right due to embellishment of Foote when stock barely hit shoulder not face

[@coachmack77]

Are your Caps Choking or is it simply the age of your stars..just wondering... FYI I love watching OVI- except against the Leafs

[@Waisonian]

It was interesting to hear how you soften hatred for other teams while watching many games. I'm definitely not there but appreciate you sharing your process, and understanding how it helps you not to be biased in your take on teams and games. It actually reminds me of a podcast of Ryan Rishaug (TSN Oilers beat reporter) sharing about how he had to stop being an Oilers fan in order to do his job well. Great work on this and other videos!

[@BahamutBreaker]

As a lifelong Bruins AND Red Sox fan, I can say with a good bit of certainty that the current Maple Leafs roster core is suffering from a “a curse”, much like the pre-2004 Red Sox suffered for decades. Matthews is an elite forward, but that franchise, unfortunately, probably needs to have an unexpected moment (like when the 2004 Sox traded away Garciaparra) before they’ll be able to break free of their playoff failures.

[@DANNY40379]

Matthews is a marginal playoff performer and will forever remain, it's just who he is (his character/persona)

[@callumloader8713]

Toronto fans can look directly to the raptors. Demar derozan. Playoff choker. Trade him 1-1 for kawhi Leonard, former finals mvp. Team gets way better in the playoffs, get a bit of luck come the finals and boom they’re champs.

[@jamesanderson6274]

@@callumloader8713 I was thinking the same thing but I don't know the hockey equivalent. O'Reilly, Crosby, one of the aging Kings that won the cup? I don't know who would fill that role and take them to the next step.

[@markzuck8486]

@@callumloader8713 Difference is basketball is and individual "team" sport

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

@@callumloader8713 They don't need more talent ffs. They need gritty players.

[@martinklatt6937]

I'm glad that you are more chill. Sometimes life throws us curve balls and we get back on track eventually. Nice Leafs sweater by the way I gave away my Darryl Sittler jersey about midway through the season as I was downsizing. I'm a lifelong fan of 53 and 1/2 years of the Toronto Maple Leafs and I've been watching this team for a very long time even before my family had a color TV so everybody was just black and white. My thoughts on the Leafs is... They had a lot of upheaval in the middle 2000s with that salary cap and the end of the Quinn era. The beginning of the end of the Sundin era, the John Ferguson Jr era killed this team. Sundin did not hand over the team to some up and coming star or at least somebody who played with some guts like Gilmour or Clark or Sittler. Shanahan and Dubus have done a good job with this team. The problem is there's a few missing pieces and they've yet to find those players. With the rise of Sandin and Liljegren the Leafs are really promising, if they can keep Matthews Marner, Nylander, Tavares (if he can snap out of it, he does have a toddler mind you, that in itself can change a man plus the knee he took last year, and then injured his own knee, poor guy) this team will be good for the next few years. The lynchpin is Matthews, if he can stay healthy the Leafs have a better than good chance, Marner is shifty, played with heart in the playoffs this year after all the nay sayers wrote him off over and over again. The supporting cast was good this year, really felt like Kampf was solid, Mikheyev was really developing, Spezza a must on any team because you just need guys like him. I trust Giordano will re-sign for minimum, move on from Holl, Mrazek, Kerfoot, Simmonds, Clifford, Kase (unless he signs on the cheap), move Muzzin if possible...re-sign Jack Campbell as Kallgren has proven his backup abilities GREAT BACK UP GOALIE!

[@martinklatt6937]

Go Leafs! Go!

[@martinklatt6937]

2022/23 HERE COMES THE CUP!!! WOOT!

[@tehbeernerd]

The Lightning and the Leafs have cores almost any team would die to have. The difference is that Tampa always has guys like Nick Paul, and Toronto just has a lot of fellow travelers. If you wanna point fingers, point it at Dubas for not realizing that Cup winning teams are made up of more than just the stars.

[@ADragonNamedSpyro]

My guess is Holl moves on for cap reasons 1 of Mikheyev or Engvall can't be resigned Kase goes somewhere else Spezza retires and joins management or coaching And the leafs sign one of Lybushkin or Giordano Sandin and Liljegren get consistent roles Leaving 3 fwds in the bottom 9 And a 7th Dman they won't look very different but they need to get the middle 6 going consistently which will be hard with who they have locked in

[@michaelkirkpatrick7483]

Tampa has depth, Leafs don't. Spezza, Clifford, Simmonds, Engvall... seriously? They got no scoring from their 3rd or 4th lines at all. Kase was invisible, and Mikhayev did not have a good series. Same problem as last year.

[@dewman7477]

@@michaelkirkpatrick7483 actually last year players like spezza and nylander showed up against Montreal. Only marner and Matthews didn’t show up but this year they showed up and not 3rd and 4th lines. It’s frustrating everything has to go wrong

[@willsmithmachine5244]

I think it was a big mistake to take Simmonds and Clifford out of the lineup. There were too little physicality against those big Tampa defenders.

[@michaelkirkpatrick7483]

@@willsmithmachine5244 Once it was clear refs were going to call lot of things, both teams backed off. Leafs didn't really get pushed around, but they still don't hit enough. Trouble is, Simmonds and Clifford can't play anymore.

[@lenkennedy9214]

This year was their best playoff performance they've had and was against by far their toughest opponent. I never expected them to win this series so i can't be that disappointed but damn it! They were so close! Again! Every year its the same story. This team just can't get the job done. I don't know how to fix it. I don't think you can. I think they just continue to lose in round 1 every year until these big contracts expire.

[@RemmyMusic1]

the leafs are dogshit when the game matters. they continue to rake in one of the highest profits of any other team and its because goofballs come to their games every time as if they could flip the switch. not happening

[@lenkennedy9214]

I think they were way too proud of themselves after game 5. They were strutting around with big smiles on their faces acting like they accomplished something. It should have been obvious after those post game interviews after game 5 they wouldn't be winning game 6 or 7.

[@OnPoint88]

This wasn't their toughest opponent at all.. Tampa was visibly exhausted most of the series - the core unit is getting old, coming off back to back cup runs, they lost most of their depth in the off season last summer and Vasilevsky was uncharacteristically shaky the entire series aside from game 7 Ppl are putting way to much respect on Tampas name right now but the reality is they aren't the same team from the last 2 years- I've watched the Lightning since their cup run vs Chicago couple yrs back and this was by far the worst hockey I've seen them play in that span All in all.. another disappointing under performance from a group of overpaid pretty boys

[@bobmarley7787]

@@RemmyMusic1 no they aren't. They got screwed by the refs

[@bobmarley7787]

@@OnPoint88 yes they were. Tampa are still three back to back champs. They're not old. They're very experienced and know and have what it takes to win. They replaced their depth Nick Paul is perfect evidence of that He wasn't shaky he still played well They are still the back to back champs and the leafs took then to seven and in reality won short of the refs robbing them

[@stjn14]

Two things have been happening in Toronto since Dubas that to me explains the problem. One is that Dubas has been slowly making the team worse in a death by a thousand cuts way. No one move is devastating but taken all together it is. The depth and prospect pool was much better before he took over, and with bad signings, bad trades and allowing assets to walk for no return the depth on the Leafs has disappeared. 9 forwards for the leafs had 1 goal or fewer in a high scoring series against Tampa, 6 of those forwards had 0 goals. The team was carried by the core star players with virtually no support whatsoever. Which leads to the other thing that has happened since Dubas took over. Matthews, Marner and Nylander have become better and better each and every year, the huge improvement in their play since 2016 has been obfuscating the damage Dubas has been doing. Leafs had a monster year in the regular season but what did Dubas do to the team to improve it...sign Mrazek instead of Andersen? The improvement is because Matthews put up 60, Marner had nearly 100 points and Nylander also had a career year. The success of the Leafs is due to a core of young star players begining to reach their peaks. The failures are managements refusal to address poor roster construction philosophy. No reliable goalie if anything happens to Campbell, Matthews was their toughest and only physical forward, and the bottom 6 guys were not only not scoring, but they were not contributing in any other way you cannot win a cup with 9 forwards being non factors. They put these over the hill grinders on the 4th line, play them once for 5 minutes and go see look we added toughness. Meanwhile guys like Engvall and Kase float around doing nothing and look invisible. This team is being run by analytics that have never been proven to result in success and are ignoring conventional wisdom that continues to produce cup champions year in and year out. I've been saying since year 1 of Kyle Dubas this team would never win with him in charge and every year they lose I'm told I'm crazy and that he's the second coming. People who are not fans of the leafs will look at their record under Dubas and think fans like me who are calling for his head are being reactionary because...well look at their regular season success. You're not getting the full picture, when Dubas is finally fired and the post mortem begins and his trades, his signings and his decision making is looked at objectively I 100% without irony believe he will be reviled as the worst GM the team has ever had, the guy who ruined the teams best chance by squandering the unbelievable gift that was inheriting a team with the best young talent the organization has ever had. When people look back and go wait he traded Mason Marchment for Denis Malgin...wait and he bet on Sparks and Mrazek over Mcelhenney and Andersen. Cory Perry wanted to sign a league minumum deal with the Leafs and they said no to sign Wayne Simmonds instead? You mean he got no return at all for Gardiner, Bozak, JVR, Hyman...and he gave up how many first rounders!? The depth of this guys incompetence will be made bare one day. The entire management from Shanahan down to Keefe needs to go and I've been saying the organization bet on these wrong horses since they were hired. The positive takeaway from this series is what I've been saying for years...it's not the core players fault. This idea that they don't care and don't bring it in the playoffs has never been true and it's never been less true than now. The star players not only were their best, but they elevated their play to incredible championship levels....but they can't do it by themselves. Matthews was the best player on any team these playoffs and has emerged not just as a 60 goal scorer but an elite all around player. His defensive game is incredible, his physical play in the playoffs was outstanding. Anybody placing blame on the stars is not watching the games plain and simple. They left it all on the ice.

[@conyo1942]

He will not be the worst GM of the Leafs, since the 80's and early 90's are the some of the worst of general managing of the Leafs.

[@stjn14]

@@conyo1942 There were worse teams under different GMs absolutely, the 80's and early 90's Leafs were trash...however none of those GMs inherited Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, Nazem Kadri, a good starter goalie and a prospect pool loaded with good young talent like Kapanen, Johnsson, Moore,Marchment, Dermott, Leivo etc. It's one thing to be handed garbage and not be able to do anything with it. It's another thing to take the job with everything at your disposal and everything you need to build a championship and then screw it up. Other GMs have been failures but none have ever snatched defeat from the jaws of victory so thoroughly and repeatedly. IF he's not the absolute worst then he's still prominently in the convseration. That's my opinion that I'm predicting in due time most others will share eventually.

[@Deadboyking2]

@@stjn14 while agree with you for the most part. In game sevens mathews and marner have not scored a single goal witch needs to change but for the most part i agree with you

[@johnjohnmajortom]

You’re mostly right. I think you’re overlooking tying up 49.7% of your cap in 4 players. Doesn’t leave a lot of room to add pieces. Dubas is creative as hell but he can’t do much. Brodie and muzzin making over 5 million doesn’t help either.

[@Deadboyking2]

@@johnjohnmajortom his own fault for handcuffing himself with tavares they did not need him at all that 11 mil could be so better used.

[@jean-michelmalouf8805]

Hey Hockey guy! Thanks for these great vids! Habs fan here! I think the Leafs should keep going with their core group for next year but change their coaching staff. Keefe is certainly a good coach, but they gotta change the vibe on that bench. Great players are almost impossible to replace.

[@AAAAAA79473]

Thank you for your honest opinion about the Leafs. We haven't had a bitter rivalry. People called me a fake Habs supporter, just because I said I don't hate any NHL club. This past season, the Leafs played better against the Bolts, hardest side Tampa faced.

[@joanfriesen4455]

I think they could use one or two really good defensemen that play there style of game but are faster and smart puck movers

[@Kyt2024]

Would have been nice to see Liljegren draw back in at some point after game 2, but I understand he lacks experience still.

[@ozonebaby5161]

THEY NEED TO HIRE YOU ASAP

[@fczip5493]

Whit what cap space

[@RRaquello]

Good luck finding them. Maybe Bowen Byrum, who Colorado might trade because they have Makar. What's Toronto willing to give back?

[@ozonebaby5161]

@@RRaquello leafs have had plenty of time to get something to take the pressure off a No 3 Morgan Reilly

[@steveearle8407]

For a left coast guy I enjoy listening to you and your wife!! Texting from Abaco Bahamas 🇧🇸

[@uncleike6211]

If one were so inclined (spoiler: I am so inclined) you can pin three Leafs losses on Holl. Three giveaways in the first minute in game 4. Preventing Bunting from clearing the puck in OT in 6. The penalty to negate Tavares' goal in 7. I'm curious if Liljegren was hurt or if Keefe legit thought Holl was the better option.

[@geraldmcintee9776]

2 stupid penalties in game 6 lost them this series

[@okyouknowwhatever]

Liljegren probably wasn't hurt, Keefe probably just got different standards for different players: veterans like Brodie, Gio, Rielly or even Holl (not really a veteran per se but more experienced than Liljegren) are allowed to make the most blatant mistakes, but as soon as a more inexperienced player makes even the slightest of mistakes he's gone for the rest of the series.

[@ADragonNamedSpyro]

@@okyouknowwhatever nah I think it was more about penalty killing Clifford was benched after his suspension Simmonds got benched after 2 someone reckless calls. And then Holl goes in to help with the PK because the refs were calling 100 penalties, when game 6 hit though and there were fewer penalties toronto still felt like they were getting more unfair calls than tampa so you gotta leave Holl in for game 7 . In hind site I think having more puck moving D would have helped us more but it really looked like the officiating forced Keefes hand

[@michaelkirkpatrick7483]

Wish they'd get rid of Holl, he drives me insane, but Dubas and Keefe act like he's a finalist for the Norris trophy. Giordano was way more effective with Lilljgren, they had good chemistry, so the move to Holl instead was ridiculous.

[@SelkirkVinny]

Let's be honest: Tavares doesn't score that goal without that pick penalty. So you can't say the penalty took the goal away, the penalty caused the goal to take place.

[@user-tr1qt2ye4k]

If you watched the post game interviews with Toronto they all seemed more shocked that they lost than disappointed. They all seemed to feel that they are either right there with Tampa, if not a slight step below heavily involving team defense. Consecutive years of 100+ points, but puck watching, untimely penalties and lucky bounces ended up being the difference here. And for what it's worth I enjoyed the series, coming from a NYR fan.

[@killianhackenschmidt4987]

Campbell did really good in my opinion. I don't think Soup is the problem since he had a really solid save percentage leaving this series.

[@whoshotashleybabbitt4924]

Right? Given the right team I think he is good enough for a cup final appearance at least. You don’t need on other worldly goalie. Niemi, Jarry, Binnington, all have their names on the cup. A .910 or better should be enough, with the right team.

[@jamesnialG]

His save percentage was .897 in the series, not exactly "solid".

[@Mining4Dayz]

@@jamesnialG he faced a lot of high danger shots though and even stood on his head at times to keep the scores close. Also, last playoff series vs MTL he had a better save percentage than price.

[@ge97aa]

I agree that Campbell wasn't the problem. He was solid. But to be a cup contender, "solid" goaltending simply CANNOT be the bar. While Campbell was not "the problem", he was also not, for example, Dominik Hasek of the late '90s, or Patrick Roy in the prime of his career, or Vasilevskiy of the past 2 playoffs, etc. To go deep in the playoffs, you typically need a superstar goalie who will absolutely STEAL games for you. Unfortunately, I don't see a realistic way for the Leafs to address this issue at this time.

[@Mining4Dayz]

@@ge97aa i do agree however Soup had the same save percentage as Vasilevskiy over the course of this series and he faced much more dangerous plays constantly. When you are using half your salary cap on offence all you can ask for from a goalie is to match the other goalie and soup did that. Last year he even out performed Price. If we had cap space to buy a better goalie I would say you are 100% right but that's just not the case.

[@mikesmith4926]

Thanks for a honest and heart felt review from a hockey fan from Tampa. Even if we lose to Florida I will keep on watching because I love hockey.

[@ShawnBlaque]

I thought there was no way to possibly run this back if they lost in the 1st round again but damn that was a close series... Look at Tampa's last series vs the habs, they utterly destroyed them and it wasn't even close.. You play that series 100 times and Tampa wins 96 times. You play this series vs the leafs 100 times and we win at least 40 of them right?? Try it one more time with the core.. It's not the same as the collapse last year, they could have "easily" won this series

[@acs78393]

It only looks bad because they lost in the first round again, but in a different playoff seeding layout you could've fooled me by saying this was the ECF. In my mind there's probably only 3 teams the Leafs would've lost to in a series this year, and 2 of them are in the Atlantic. If they can make a few defensive-minded tweaks help hold onto leads that's really all they need.

[@carbb5760]

I personally think part of the issue here is this series was so critical and winnable. Nevermind getting a game 7 where Brayden point gets injured immediately. Tampa never looked that good at any point except game 7 last 10 of the third

[@tenlosol]

To me it came down to the stat they showed last night where Matthews and Marner have a combined 4 points in four game seven (now that would be 5). That's just not enough and if they can't show up and beat those good goaltenders can you justify both on top of a Tavares contract and a nylander contract and a Riley contract that combines to over half your cap?

[@Kaladin07]

Did you also see the stat about Tampa? How Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman and Point don't have a single game 7 goal? And they are the defending two time Champs? The team wasn't good enough. It has nothing to do with any particular player.

[@midimusicforever]

The Leafs were amazing against Tampa. It was just a matter of Tampa being Tampa, amazing isn't guaranteed to be enough. I think they would have knocked out most teams with this performance. If they blow up the core, that'd be a mistake. Next year is probably the year they win a round.

[@stevendchu]

That's the thing tho. Tampa is still gonna be Tampa next season, and Florida isn't going anywhere either. Unless this playoff format changes, the Leafs will always be facing a very tough opponent in the first round

[@midimusicforever]

@@stevendchu Unless they go pres trophy and play a still good team, but at least a wild card. But I mean, can't change the division. They won't improve their chances by blowing up the core that just took the reigning champs to 7.

[@pomerlain8924]

@@midimusicforever The core doesn't need to be blown up, but a jolt needs to be done to put the guys on notice. That means trading Tavares or Nylander or firing Keefe. All this patting on the back, and how they had a tough opponent, and they'll get there next year leads to the players being too comfortable. Too comfortable to the point where they think everything is alright if they don't win. Making a harsh move would make Matthews and Marner and Rielly uncomfortable, and put them on notice that nobody is safe and show how ruthlessly committed management is to winning. Remember, Masai Ujiri did something similar with Raptors. And it worked.

[@midimusicforever]

@@pomerlain8924 They didn't look too comfortable against Tampa. Sometimes a good team loses. Doing dumb shit out of frustration doesn't make the situation better for the next try. You won't get much back for Tavares, and trading Nylander would be dumb. Doing something just to do something doesn't solve anything.

[@cajequartz4074]

It’s a matter of the coach being boneheaded and chucking Spezza into the mix which threw off the dynamic

[@jeffreytam7684]

Pretty strange-the Leafs finally play a truly impressive series and *compete* and it still isn’t enough. This year I actually feel as though they are in less need of change, because they have proven they can play with the big guns.

[@backupgoalie1007]

Getting paired up against the back to back champs is rough. I hope the rabid Leafs fans don't harass the players and be toxic all offseason. Their team is great and they should be proud.

[@coachmack77]

Agreed ! (Life-Long Leaf fan!)

[@JFerg393]

Never thought you and Dangle would talk hockey together on his podcast, Shannon. Hopefully the SDPN boys fly you to Toronto to do the show in person with them over the summer and a video from there! Right, @SteveDangle ???

[@gman9035]

Entire east 8 teams are great teams. This may be the best 8 teams from the same conference in history

[@patch8376]

Good point about softens your hate and softens your love as well.

[@attilafarsang9222]

Hey Shannon, I'm sure you know but you have to understand us leaf fans don't control the media. The reason they are talked about so much is because they broadcasts and articles get the most clicks If they put out leaf articles. Last night there was on sportsnet 3k comments on that game more then half hate but its still clicks and still revenue.

[@stevencooke6451]

You have a great channel. I feel as if I am sitting in a comfortable room having a conversation with a friend who has very thoughtful opinions about the sport. I grew up a Habs fan, but living first near, and now in, Toronto. I used to hate the Flyers and the Bruins, and probably disliked a few others. I've come to like Toronto, and being surrounded by so many Leafs fans (most of whom are not obnoxious) it's hard not to feel bad for them. I agree: I thought, game five aside, Toronto played quite well. Matthews and Marner were generally good throughout (maybe not quite regular season good, but then, you expect it to be harder in the playoffs), and after slow starts Nylander and Tavares picked it up. The disallowed Tavares goal really hurt. I don't think their shoulders dropped as much after things went against them. They are a better team that the squad from even 2020. The thing I think might have been missing was a lack of secondary scoring. Kerfoot is one who comes to mind. MIkhaev also regressed; his stats flattered by two empty net goals in game 3. But as you say, there are probably only two more years for this team. I can't see Tavares staying beyond that. He's already a bit overpaid for a player now in decline. Matthews might be the best all-around player in the league (even given the fact that McDavid showed on Saturday that he can also hit), so he can't be allowed to leave. I feel as if Marner is too good with the puck to allow him to leave. Can they also keep Rielly and Nylander?

[@koshka02]

I think people are being too hard on the Leafs. I know the result is the same as last year, but we have all the pieces to make a deep cup run. We would have won game 6 if not for the 5 on 3 highsticking penalties late in the 3rd period. May have even won game 7 if not for the interference call on Tavares's 2nd period goal. We're close. There's definitely things to improve on to be the difference maker (because the officiating ruins the NHL playoffs imo). I'm sure Bolts fans would even agree that the officiating sucks. I was surprised we didn't get a 2 min penalty on the Brayden Point slashing (hope he's alright).

[@MrHarvP]

Tampa didnlt have Point after the first and Toronto still failed to take a step. Their stars choke in the big time. Matthews looked afraid to have the puck at the end of the game.

[@juholaitakari1305]

Again, the officiating.

[@koshka02]

@@juholaitakari1305 You can't tell me that Leafs didn't have game 6 in the bag without the officials stepping in and giving Tampa the 5 on 3. Leafs were looking strong in game 6 and weren't giving Tampa an inch. They obviously were worse in game 7, but the officials still called off the Tavares's goal over a weak ass interference call. I just don't trust the refs.

[@Adam202]

@@juholaitakari1305 If you weren't blaming the officiating you would be blaming something else. It's the wheel of excuses every year.

[@juholaitakari1305]

@@koshka02 I really don't care. Officiating is a universal issue but i just don't see any other fanbase complaining about it as much as the Leafs. When the leafs win, it's because they're great and when they lose it's because of the officiating.

[@RobManiasDJ]

At 14:22 you are finishing your excellent point about how the Leafs ran into arguably a strong list of Vezina worthy candidates in most years. No disagreement from me there. The point I want to make about how the Leafs found themselves in this scenario comes down to one simple response: their goaltending has always been 2nd best for a very long time. A 99% effective goalie on a 99% effective team will always lose to a goalie and team that is 100%. This isn't to say that Boston, Washington, Montreal or Tampa was a 100% team when they beat the Leafs. What I'm saying is that the Leafs always seem to play to 99% effectiveness vs the competition. A missed back check. An ill advised line change. A penalty taken at the wrong moment. A stick battle that was lost. A drop pass into thin air...is that difference maker. And in a league where 99% isn't good enough, is why they are in this position and out yet again.

[@trevorcummins6657]

It's slapstick at this point. It's Sideshow Bob stepping on a rake.

[@tommargarites2811]

Interesting point of view, and I would agree for the most part, I think Campbell, is the guy for this team, just because he was in the net when Toronto lost the series does not make him a bad goalie for this team, quite the opposite. ( I'm speaking to the most critical fans of Toronto, not you Shannon). While not a fan of the leafs, I will cheer for any Canadian team that manages to win the cup.

[@MrOctober44]

At the end of the day they still have the same issues they've always had. Good but not great goaltending. They're bottom six forwards never contribute in the playoffs. Their big four forwards are too similar. Not enough grit. No championship experience. To think that they're somehow going to shake off all these game 7 losses without some major changes is asinine.

[@Clynage]

What’s with this “not enough grit” argument everyone keeps making. Matthews and Marner were throwing hits at everyone all series it’s just a stupid thing to say

[@MrOctober44]

@Azrael You have a single player who won. Spezza going to a finals two decades ago wasn't what had in mind as far as winning. Campbell, had a 3.15 gaa and a 897 save percentage so yes I think you can hope for better goaltending then that. Who scored the game winner for Tampa? A bottom six forward. The fact that Point barely played should have been a huge boost for the Leafs. As far as saying their four forwards being to similar is the following: none are considered really good two way forwards. Tavares and Nylander never play physical. Three of them have never even gotten out of the first round(Tavares did once with the Islanders) none of them have any size. Of course they have individual talents that separate them from each other. Maybe they had some bad luck having to against the defending champs in the first round but they were up 3-2 in the series, as well as having home ice for game seven. And once again they found a way to squander all of that. Because they're so financially locked into those four it's almost impossible to make simple upgrades like getting a good back up. This group is now 0-9 in elimination games. Do you really think that they're getting past that psychologically without some major change?

[@michaelkirkpatrick7483]

Like last year, bottom 6 chipped in basically nothing. Trouble is not enough cap space to get some decent 4th line players. Spezza, Simmonds, and Clifford? Gimme a break... Kerfoot on the 2nd line is a joke.

[@MrOctober44]

@AzraelAt that the end of the day he won. We're talking about Toronto's goaltending, not Tampa. Their goaltending always comes up short. He played well but does anyone really see Campbell as a guy who's going to backstop you to a long run?

[@MrOctober44]

@Azrael That's fine, but my point is that they could clearly use more of guys who have won and get rid of some of the guys who have been around for all of these brutal meltdowns. Is it necessary to have guys who've won? No, but it certainly helps. And if there's ever a team who could use it I'd say Toronto would be on top of that list

[@teemo3192]

What you're saying you've learned here is exactly what makes Sutter such a successful coach. He's been there, seen it all, & doesn't get heavily emotionally invested while still maintining investment. Makes him (and you) able to see many different necessary angles.

[@robert48044]

I'm a little spoiled by the Wings for twenty years but as a Lions fan I don't see it with Toronto. I understand it's a huge market but the Leafs are always propped up undeservedly. If you told me every year the Lions had a chance I wouldn't believe it. History has taught me that certain teams are dysfunctional. Leafs are one of them teams in my opinion.

[@sydneytoker7390]

Yeah but lions come last in their conference most years and leafs usually make the playoffs. Up tha bears!

[@robert48044]

@@sydneytoker7390 I thought about the playoffs but doesn't it feel like the Leaf's and Cowboys would be similar with how they get a false sense of hope from the fans and media?

[@sydneytoker7390]

@@robert48044 yeah definitely, id say leafs are more similar cowboys while lions are more like the sabres. LGRW

[@robert48044]

@@sydneytoker7390 I've no doubts the Lions are bad year in and year out. The Yankees get the same pass the Leafs do. Some teams always get the benefit of the doubt when really their just a name. I do find the Sabres and Lions comparison a great one, perennial losing and wasting talent while having a loyal base.

[@dbassman27]

The 2018-19 Leafs roster had (in addition to the core here now i.e. Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Reilly and Nylander) Conor Brown, Nazem Kadri, Kasperi Kapanen, Andreas Johnsson, Zach Hyman, Patrick Marleau and Trevor Moore. That was depth. Drafted or developed players the Leafs have traded are Mason Marchment, Carl Grundstrom, Carter Verhaeghe, Trevor Moore, Sean Durzi, Nazem Kadri, Kasperi Kapenen, Conor Brown and Andreas Johnsson. I am not even including all of the draft picks that heave been moved. Why? Mostly because of John Tavares contract.

[@Clynage]

Issue is we didn’t choke this year…we just lost

[@willie153]

The laffs did choke, they had a 2-1 series lead and didn’t show up for game 4. Had a lead in the third of game 6 where they were up 3-2 and didn’t show up then.

[@violetvoids7029]

And you let A NOBODY score twice on you

[@brady5790]

@@willie153 It's fun to see Leafs haters this year. They try to use the same lines each year but they don't apply this year. Leafs didn't choke at all, it was a back to back series that went down to the wire with another great team. Inconsistent reffing was the biggest x factor in this series. Clueless Leaf haters like you for once are just as embarrassing as the Leaf fans.

[@MrHarvP]

@@brady5790 They choked. It wasn't the refs. It was the Leafs once again choking. All that high powered offense goes away when the game is on the line.

[@mikeschlunt9885]

@@MrHarvP you didn’t watch the game then. Or the series. Get that fucking bullshit out of your mouth that it wasn’t the incompetency of the refs, man.

[@qazwsxedcrfvtgby1560]

my first vid of yours was the one you did on the dallas hit on lundqvist. love your stuff

[@MsSparklesNGlitter]

The series that most exposed how mentally weak the core star players of the Leafs are was last year vs the Habs. That was not just crushing but the most humiliating defeat for that organisation and they did nothing about it. Toronto are stuck in a hamster wheel.

[@etahhcumosevahi]

Fact. 👍 look at Florida. They don’t even remember what they’ve had for lunch. You need that kind of mindset to forget negativity and focus on the challenge ahead.

[@jwp09]

What are they supposed to change

[@MsSparklesNGlitter]

@@etahhcumosevahi I think also Toronto is flawed and their great regular seasons just doesn't allow some fans to see this team is simply not built for the playoffs. As average the Habs have been in the last decade plus, often limping into the playoffs and yet many times have made deep runs. The Habs have been successful in countless game 7s against far stronger(on paper) teams. The Leafs are only a better team on paper. Mentally when it comes to the playoffs the Habs are clearly stronger, finding ways to win.

[@maxwellnewton821]

Did they not trade Anderssen? As a result of said humiliation?

[@DANNY40379]

Habs went on to the finals, humiliating? more like choking par excellence

[@colliesis]

Excellent analysis as always. I think you'd have been a better coach for game 7 than what Toronto had xD

[@rhaspados666]

Here's my thoughts as a life long leafs fan (started watching them in the late cujo era) marner and matthews wanted the big money they gotta make the big plays they gotta make that one play that makes the difference in a game not crumple like paper when going gets tough

[@ghophuckurselves3562]

yeah theyre no Connie McNuggets, thats fer sure.

[@jamesnewman48]

the playoff stats between tampa and toronto teams are exact.. pretty much . the main difference. depth players and goalie. what does toronto need to get. depth players and goalie.

[@lenkennedy9214]

When the Leafs went to round 3 in 2002 they had nowhere close to the amount of talent this team has. And our best guy (Sundin) was injured for most of that run. Our 1st line centre was Alyn freakin McCauley! But every man on that damn team stepped up to the plate and gave it everything they had every shift. Imagine if this Leafs team worked as hard as that 2002 team did. We might actually be able to win a round maybe.

[@callumloader8713]

Huge willy nylander fan, favourite forward on the team. Rielly being my favourite d-man all the way since 12-13. But my god. Nylander coasting to the bench is infuriating. Forget turnovers and stuff they happen. please get to the bench quickly if your team is in the d-zone. He was coasting off numerous times and ended up collecting the puck and just chipping the puck up the boards to a Tampa d man. 6 years old, hard to the bench. That’s my rant over. Love willy.

[@mike196212]

FINALLY!! An acknowledgement of the Pat Quinn Leafs,the last group I was really close to(I'm 60).The heart was definitely there right down the line.The Leafs,despite the great regular seasons of late,are actually regressing. Quinn's teams were close,a lot closer than the current team.

[@lenkennedy9214]

@@mike196212 I really wanted to see Mats and the boys win a cup. They made every playoffs fun to be a Leaf fan. Now the only fun you can have is betting on them to lose in the 1st round and cashing in every year.

[@mike196212]

That was a great team,the last one I really believed in. And a few years later I still believed. Then they fired Quinn,one of the best Leaf coaches ever. In death he's still cursing them.

[@lenkennedy9214]

@@mike196212 They never recovered from firing Quinn and running Sundin out of town.

[@jacobgarcia2962]

I really do feel like they gave it their all and it was just the fact they had to play Tampa right away. It’s sad but they are really a good team and will get there.

[@maydanlex]

Let's be real here... consistent officiating tilted toward one team will always skew the end result.

[@SverigeiSverige]

All 6 games 2017 was one goal games, 5 was OT.

[@Powderkegable]

I been with you since you had less than 1600. Keep up the good work

[@hockeyking111115]

something needs to change, 6 years in a row with a 1st round exit, its the definition of insanity if people think this will change. If we cant beat the lightning how will we win the cup? the playoffs are filled with top teams looking to win, we need some sort of change, I'm leaning towards something bigger right now.

[@BoleDaPole]

Maybe next year the path will be easier and Dubas can find better players to fill roles.

[@dewman7477]

Washington lost in 2nd round for a decade before 2018 cup run and they had offensive minded team and average goalie and defence for many years. Leafs need to change big time but not so much of a rebuild it’s just competition is insane

[@MrWednesday23]

Grew up a san Jose sharks fan. My home town Bakersfield, CA is home to the Condors, who are owned by the Oilers. Therefore, over the years I've had to adjust to rooting for the Oilers. It got easier this year when the Condors Coach, Jay Woodcroft become the coach of the Oilers.

[@blooeagle5118]

I think people forget that Tampa wasn't the dominant force they are now forever. It took them 11 years with the stamkos core to get it done, and not many people seem to remember that. I watched the Jon Cooper post-game after they got swept. A lot of the same sort of feeling in that interview, as there was in Keefe's interview, and a lot of similar phrases. And the lightning have made it known; they know exactly where this Toronto team is. Stammer, Hedman, Coop, all say they have it, it's just getting over the hump. Imagine how stamkos felt being in the league for that long and never making it, he won the cup at 29, joined the league at 18.

[@harrysunder8019]

Yes but they had been to multiple conference finals and the cup finals before that. I feel like it’s different considering Toronto hasn’t gotten out of the first.

[@dwayneb72]

He was actually 30 when he finally won 12 yesrs after he started ..so this code group has a year or two before they can begin their run ..Tampa had some hard luck losses as well ..allt of teams look really bad in the playoffs until they don't ..you get an extra bounce ..or Tampa doesn't stick check a stick into his own face while getting owned on a pkwerplay are we even commenting on this video ? The only reason Tampa was even in this series is they got some good calls when they were down on the mat . I actually don't know why more guys don't stick check other dudes sticks into their faces if that's an actual rule . And the blatant Interference on tampas second goal that wasn't called was 10 times worse and had more chance of affecting the goal than the one they called on Toronto's goal ..I still don't understand how you can get called for another skating into you when the guy shooting isn't even the guy he is coveri g and the shooter is 15 to 20 feet away and the shot happens 1 second after he skates into the Toronto player ..how exactly do you tell that it's the leafs fault or Tampa is embellishing another penalty like they love to do ? And every dump and chase by the leafs the ayer that was chasing was held on the boards every single time ..no puck near them l reason for a ayer to be able to box someone out from forward motion towards the puck but Tampa was allowed to do that every game for the whole series ..playing hockey growing up if you held a guy against the boards that was chasing the luck so your player could easily go chase it you got an interference penalty ..Tampa got nothing except a pat on the back for fighting out a way to take the leafs speed away without actually having to do anything except cheat .

[@blooeagle5118]

@@harrysunder8019 none of the playoffs matter if you don't win the 16 games. None of it matters, everybody has to win 16 games. It's the same pickle in a different jar.

[@Troyjanwarrior1]

I bought center ice ever since the first year it came out just for the Oilers.I use to have to listen to the games on 630ched.

[@Plinkofficial]

It must be hard to be a fan of this team. The off season will be interesting, or boring. They'll probably keep the same core.

[@djharris5647]

Haha you are so right, I was rooting for Leafs hockeyguy! For the fans and for Canada would of been nice, and I just thought they had it this year. For Leaf Fans heads up, I also agree with Steve dangle they played hell of game.

[@ben_cross21]

Matthew’s is the new Ovi. Dude is playing great hockey and even showed up in the playoffs, but since he can’t win a round he’ll get all the hate and criticism. Ovi finally got out of 2nd round and won cup, so you can only hope Matthews can escape this narrative and make a deep run, but I fear he won’t

[@ND_22_6_SOCCER]

He has not shown up in the playoffs yet and played ok in this series but was a ghost in game 7

[@CoopHawke]

Ovi could control the pace of a game though. Matthews if his team is playing well will be a big part of a win especially on the score sheet but I've literally never seen him take over a game. I think it's unfair that he's put in the same conversation as Crosby, Ovi and Mcdavid. To me Mackinnon has been the Ovi of this generation. He can take over games and has played on great teams but still hasn't been able to win. So like Ovi he can may get the reputation of a loser or choker because he has shown the ability to will his team to wins but hasn't won the cup yet.

[@LARGO125]

Question remains. Will he be the next Ovi and overcome it? Or will he be the next Joe Thornton?

[@kakarotblake]

@Azrael ya? He's 24.. what does that have to do with anything??

[@dustinsindledecker154]

No he is still pretty young he is gonna win a cup I don't know if it will be in Toronto but he will win a cup

[@ethanmcgraw2692]

I love watching other teams play but I am an absolute hardcore sharks fan and it sucks for me to see them doing so terribly but I still love watching hockey and this years playoffs is probably the best I’ve ever watched from the matchup standpoint

[@LukeVenables]

In a strange way I think they've already fixed what needs to be fixed. Halfway through this series they figured something out it was just too late to capitalise on it. My guess (hope?) Is that over the offseason they solidify some stuff and next season they come back not hungry but mean. If they figure out how to turn up to every game they could be real contenders.

[@dwayneb72]

Yeah if they played like they did in game 5 when they were losing this series would have ended in 6 ..Mathews should have kept hitting them and kept hitting them they didn't know how to act when even the top scorer was crashing the boards ..and maybe they gotta slip a little cash to the refs like Tampa does because the refs were pretty bull$hjt in game 6 and 7

[@pbone32]

Shannon's evolution as a hockey fan is basically what the world needs to do regarding our own tribes' and biases. I digress....not sure why people hate Leaf fans so much, I'm starting to find myself rooting for them as well.

[@MisterCrazeyMonkey]

I find as I get older, I hate teams less, I just hate certain players. Like I like Pasternak and Bergeron, but will never cheer for a team with Marchand on it.

[@magnacircenses]

So no Team Canada then? The guy is the most complete player in hockey and this from a guy who does not like the Bruins. Just pure respect, every shift he’s an issue….

[@MisterCrazeyMonkey]

@@magnacircenses yeah nah, he's a piece of shit. He's a complete player and I respect his skill. But he's a piece of shit.

[@cmd31220]

I think the root of the problem is that there's no sense of overcoming adversity with this team. Like you said, every time something goes wrong for Toronto, they implode. They're haunted by this curse and they just can't mentally overcome it, so no matter how good the team is on paper or in the regular season, come playoff time they just can't finish the job because every time they get close, the pressure becomes too much.

[@cleverusername_smthngsmthn7731]

I feel making Tavares captain may have been pre mature. Mathews has grown into that role clearly.

[@RRaquello]

The big mistake was made at the beginning-signing Tavares. Not a knock against him. He's a good player, but having watched his whole Islander career, I knew he wasn't a McDavid or Stamkos level player, but he was getting paid what they were. The Leafs were hypnotized by his 1st overall pick status and the fact from the day he was picked by the Islanders, dopey Leafs fans were looking to him as their eventual savior. But he was an unnecessary addition to what the Leafs had, and signing him hurt the Islanders more than it helped the Leafs. Also, I think there's a good possibility, considering how close the Islanders came the last two years, that with Tavares, the Islanders could have beat Tampa and would have won at least one Cup, which would have stamped Tavares's legacy. Now he's just a second line center on a team that can't win. A bad move all around, by the Leafs and by Tavares.

[@thugmouth5251]

Your right

[@stevendchu]

On top of that, it pushed the Leafs into "win now" mode too quickly and really handicapped them when it came to the Matthews/Marne negotiation. I remember right after JT signed, the media was hyping us up as favourites for the Cup. Ridiculous stuff considering Matthews/Marner/Nylander had just finished their 2nd season and our defense was still paper thin!

[@RRaquello]

@@stevendchu It was like the Kessel trade. The Leafs had it backwards. Kessel should have been one of the final pieces after the rest of the team was built up (like he was in Pittsburgh). Instead Burke had him as the foundation, which was all wrong. Same with Tavares. After the Marner/Matthews combination had been set up as the foundation, then you say, "We need a strong second line center" and you bring in Tavares. But not at $11M. Instead you make a trade like Florida just did and bring in Giroux or a player like that.

[@pilbomags488]

3:57 What is that behind and between his right shoulder and the white board? It goes up, then goes down.???? Maybe a cat?

[@jesskoffman4930]

Nothing needs fixing, unless we can magically unload Tavares' bloated contract and get another Muzz type D man and a Power Forward. We are a top team, though not the best team. If Liliegren and Sandin take steps, we have a great team, and M&M a year older and wiser. If the playoff format wasn't divisional, heck if we didn't take that high stick penalty on the shoulder, we would have advanced.

[@montrealcanadiens1fan830]

Typical Laugher always making excuses. Do you know the definition of insanity? If not the Toronto Maple Leafs are a perfect example

[@hockey_all_star5895]

@@montrealcanadiens1fan830 typical habs fan lurking on the leafs videos

[@RetroCruze]

@@montrealcanadiens1fan830 why are you here? What have you done that's productive today?

[@fczip5493]

Lmao you played in canadien division last year, it wont get any easier

[@montrealcanadiens1fan830]

@@RetroCruze definitely more than a lowly laugher like yourself

[@1bert719]

I get what your saying about love and hate. As a British fan I have no dog in the fight. I've followed teams based on where I've visited/worked in north America and teams friends I made supported, and even teams my favourite players iced for. As a huge Doug Gilmour and Curtis Joseph fan I always have had a soft spot for Toronto. (Worked there too) though I totally get why non Leaf fans bear a grudge! Just know they are one of the most recognisable hockey teams across the world. For better and worse. With regards your comments on goalies faced by Toronto, it's interesting to note that in 2010 the cup final was contested by less than elite starters giving rise to a belief that elite tending was not essential. Within a few years Thomas and Quick had put up arguable the greatest performances of the modern era. Goaltending is still huge where winning cups is concerned.