Top Defensive Players by Defensive Errors - Leafs Leaders - 2016-17

[hobie]

I agree that it was a better than expected season but I thought the conclusion was premature.

 

I feel that Babs dropped the ball in this last game, not only in this game, but glaringly obviously in this game.

 

Hyman shouldn't be on the 1st line and due to lack of options Nylander and Matthews didn't have a proper player to help finish off their excellent work. Hyman isn't necessary to win puck battles because when he does he simply gives the puck away. I like Hyman as a player but he should be a 3rd or 4th liner.

 

In this last game, and others of course, Hyman and JVR should have been exchanged but this last game it was obvious to anybody paying attention. Hyman playing against the opposition's 3rd or 4th lines might be far more effective and the Bozak line needed someone that competes for the puck, JVR doesn't.

 

This and other games were winnable but Babs has a love affair with either Hyman or himself, Hyman on Matthews' line hasn't scored 5v5 in something like 65 games, this is not the results of a player deserving to be on Matthews' line. 

 

To say we watched a team give us a season that exceeded our preseason expectations is accurate but to hold that same thought after about the middle of the season is a different matter.

 

Well, there's always next year.

[BluPuk]

Adjustments will be made. 

Babs didn't have enough to work with, so let's hope we have an active off-season. 

[WordsOfWisdom]

9 hours ago, hobie said:

I agree that it was a better than expected season but I thought the conclusion was premature.

 

They took the President's trophy winning Capitals to overtime in every game and extended the series to six games before bowing out. I honestly thought the series was going to be something like:  7-1, 4-2, 2-1, 6-0, over and out. 

 

If the Capitals still win the Stanley Cup, this will have been a remarkable achievement.

 

9 hours ago, hobie said:

Hyman shouldn't be on the 1st line and due to lack of options Nylander and Matthews didn't have a proper player to help finish off their excellent work. Hyman isn't necessary to win puck battles because when he does he simply gives the puck away. I like Hyman as a player but he should be a 3rd or 4th liner.

 

I think Babcock wants to have three strong lines, so he keeps someone dangerous on every line instead of loading up any one line. Pittsburgh did this same kind of thing last year I think. 

 

Ideally yes, I want JVR on my top line too. However, then Bozak doesn't have anyone to play with and the third line suffers as a result.

 

9 hours ago, hobie said:

This and other games were winnable but Babs has a love affair with either Hyman or himself, Hyman on Matthews' line hasn't scored 5v5 in something like 65 games, this is not the results of a player deserving to be on Matthews' line.

 

I can only guess that they put him there to try and get him going. If what you say is true, he probably won't be part of the Leafs future plans, or he'll get bumped down to a lower spot if the Leafs go out and acquire someone in the summer. 

 

9 hours ago, hobie said:

Well, there's always next year.

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

1 hour ago, BluPuk said:

Adjustments will be made. 

 

 

1 hour ago, BluPuk said:

Babs didn't have enough to work with, so let's hope we have an active off-season. 

 

The team has cap space, so we could easily acquire some help.

 

[hobie]

13 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said:

 

They took the President's trophy winning Capitals to overtime in every game and extended the series to six games before bowing out. I honestly thought the series was going to be something like:  7-1, 4-2, 2-1, 6-0, over and out. 

 

If the Capitals still win the Stanley Cup, this will have been a remarkable achievement.

 

 

I think Babcock wants to have three strong lines, so he keeps someone dangerous on every line instead of loading up any one line. Pittsburgh did this same kind of thing last year I think. 

 

Ideally yes, I want JVR on my top line too. However, then Bozak doesn't have anyone to play with and the third line suffers as a result.

 

 

I can only guess that they put him there to try and get him going. If what you say is true, he probably won't be part of the Leafs future plans, or he'll get bumped down to a lower spot if the Leafs go out and acquire someone in the summer. 

 

 

 

The loss to Wash. has left a bad taste in my mouth, they might win the Cup, doubtful, but TO could have beat them. Where Wash. might be in 5 or 6 weeks can have little to do with where they were when playing the Leafs.

 

I know Babs wants 3 strong lines which was adequate during the regular season when they were strong but were they 3 strong lines against Wash., I don't think so and TO was beat by a strong 2 line team.

 

Actually I would have liked:

 

Kadri/Matthews/Nylander

JVR/Bozak/Marner

Kapanen/Boyle/Brown

Martin/Leo/Hyman

 

or thereabouts, it's better to have at least 1 ultra strong line than 3 mediocre to good lines. Nashville beat Chicago with 1 quality line.

 

Basically Babs put Hyman with Matthews since the beginning of the year and tho many criticized this he never wavered. It was adequate during the regular season but these were the playoffs.I thought the ingredients were there for TO to do better against Wash., better yes. Look at Wash., they only have 5 quality forwards TO has 7 maybe 8 including Boyle and that was TO's advantage that needed to be accentuated not diluted with Hymans on good lines. TO has better forwards, Wash better d so TO wasn't going to beat Wash with it's d, it need to outscore Wash.

 

Pitts.'s winning of the Cup came from experimenting with the lines thru most of last year, the 3 strong lines worked in the end because Sullivan searched for the best combos something Babs was reluctant to do all year, basically, even during losing streaks all Babs did was trade Brown for Nylander, rarely anything else. None of this surprises me because Babs is exactly as he was with Detroit and in part because of his rigid mindset many Wing fans were glad to see him go.

 

Anyway I thought Babs dropped the ball in the end

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

Here are the final totals for defensive errors in the Leafs playoffs, sorted by MBE:

 

 

Notes:

• Jake Gardiner and Matt Hunwick. Wow. Played like Norris trophy defenceman in this series.
• Komarov: excellence as usual for the Leafs as a shutdown forward.
• Bozak: Elevated his game and played great.
• The rookies? Total domination by Matthews, Nylander, and Marner.   
• I can't forget Morgan Rielly either. 5 points in 6 games. Logged huge minutes.

[WordsOfWisdom]

12 hours ago, hobie said:

The loss to Wash. has left a bad taste in my mouth

 

 

12 hours ago, hobie said:

Actually I would have liked:

 

Kadri/Matthews/Nylander

JVR/Bozak/Marner

Kapanen/Boyle/Brown

Martin/Leo/Hyman

 

I would have tried anything by game 6 because the offence had started to sputter. Sometimes juggling the lines can create a spark and give the opposition something with a different look. Whether it's loading up the top lines or just shuffling guys around.

 

12 hours ago, hobie said:

Anyway I thought Babs dropped the ball in the end

 

He may win the Jack Adams trophy this year. Thoughts?  

[hobie]

Jack Adams for Babs, probably and he deserves it. Tactically I disagree with Babs on certain things but one thing I think he's a master at is motivation, Kadri, Bozak and to a certain degree JVR had career seasons which was due to Babs via his ability to motivate and Babs' ability to recognize that they flourish in protected roles, not so much with Kadri as he often faced the opposition's best.

 

Wash. could have been beaten, even by a rookie laden team like TO.

 

I'm going to be very disappointed to see Hyman on Matthews' line next year otherwise mostly Babs did a very good job with what he had.