WordsOfWisdom Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 The Leafs sitting at 57 points and once again on the outside of the playoffs looking in, evoke the following reactions from Leafs fans: "We're one trade away from winning the Cup." "All we need is a defenceman and we're good to go!" "This is the best Leafs team in years!" Meanwhile, Flyers fans (with their team sitting at 58 points) seem to react as follows: "This team is unwatchable." "This team sucks." "Trade this guy away for pucks." "At least we're building towards something in the future." etc... It really is a different standard of excellence between the two organizations. The Flyers are the most successful expansion franchise in the NHL. When the Leafs essentially stopped competing in the 1970's, Philly sort of took over as the game's second most dominant franchise (behind only Montreal). The trouble with the Leafs is that the Leafs are still only "McDonalds good" when they're good. They're a playoff bubble team at their best, never threatening to win a division title let alone a President's trophy. Teams like Boston, Philly, Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, New York, etc. are "The Keg Steakhouse" or "Red Lobster" good when they're good. When they're on top, people know about it. They make noise. They dominate. They're able to stand at the top of the mountain, not just cling to the side of it halfway up from the bottom. When are we going to see a Leafs team that dominates in this league? Seriously. Will Leafs fans ever see a team that finishes first? I've watched ~30 other teams win a President's trophy and about that many other teams win a Stanley Cup. The only team in the NHL that can't finish on top of anything is Toronto. You could have a division with only two teams in it and Toronto would finish 2nd. Come f____king on. This team as currently constructed can finish 1st in GF and 31st in GA and they'll finish 16th in the standings (exactly where they should be), meaning there will be 15 other teams in this league who are more likely to win that Cup before Toronto does. (End rant after Leafs latest slide.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 12 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said: Meanwhile, Flyers fans (with their team sitting at 58 points) seem to react as follows: "This team is unwatchable." "This team sucks." "Trade this guy away for pucks." "At least we're building towards something in the future." etc... That's nothing, you should see what they do when Santa comes to town! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fan4ever Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 @WordsOfWisdom Your Leafs fans need to be a little more negative. It apparently works for us! We don't like to give credit where credit is due, makes the team complacent. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poulin20 Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 Start throwing waffles again! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Poulin20 said: Start throwing waffles again! We need something that represents BAD DEFENCE........ (light bulb moment)......... Fans need to start throwing PYLONS on the ice!!!! Or maybe fans could dress up as pylons and sit near the glass so they're on TV. Edited January 21, 2020 by WordsOfWisdom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 12 minutes ago, WordsOfWisdom said: We need something that represents BAD DEFENCE........ (light bulb moment)......... Fans need to start throwing PYLONS on the ice!!!! Or maybe fans could dress up as pylons and sit near the glass so they're on TV. Hey, it's Matt Carle! (sorry inside Flyers joke) 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Podein25 said: Hey, it's Matt Carle! (sorry inside Flyers joke) Leafs will be like: Who is this Matt Carle and when can we sign him???????? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 1 hour ago, WordsOfWisdom said: We need something that represents BAD DEFENCE........ (light bulb moment)......... Fans need to start throwing PYLONS on the ice!!!! Or maybe fans could dress up as pylons and sit near the glass so they're on TV. Well, to keep with tradition...they ARE a nice pyramid-like shape! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted January 21, 2020 Author Share Posted January 21, 2020 3 minutes ago, flyercanuck said: Well, to keep with tradition...they ARE a nice pyramid-like shape! I think it would be very wearable too. Just have the legs stick out the bottom, and put some cut-outs for the arms. Head and neck would stick out the top. It would work. Bonus points if it's made out of real rubber/plastic like an actual pylon... and even more bonus points if it has some Leafs logos on it and a reflective area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachX Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 2 hours ago, Podein25 said: Hey, it's Matt Carle! (sorry inside Flyers joke) Tip on its side or make it fall down and its Travis Sanheim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachX Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 2 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said: We need something that represents BAD DEFENCE........ (light bulb moment)......... Fans need to start throwing PYLONS on the ice!!!! Or maybe fans could dress up as pylons and sit near the glass so they're on TV. How many of those can we fit in a coffin? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 2 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said: 2 hours ago, Podein25 said: Hey, it's Matt Carle! (sorry inside Flyers joke) 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poulin20 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Don’t forget about Hatcher and Rathje when you are talking about Flyers pylons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 In my little world, the Leafs are the Flyers main rival. I rejoice with every Leaf loss. Still up in the air, but I have a sneaking suspicion the Leafs let the wrong guy go and Hunter was the best choice available. Should be interesting to see what Dubas can do... cause he needs a legit back up goalie and with their top 4 d men able to leave...he must go all in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I don't know, but with that shutout of the Pens....we're cup bound baby! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 12 hours ago, flyercanuck said: Well, to keep with tradition...they ARE a nice pyramid-like shape! Red Kelly was a helluva hockey player, but yeah... Odd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 4 hours ago, jammer2 said: In my little world, the Leafs are the Flyers main rival. I rejoice with every Leaf loss. Still up in the air, but I have a sneaking suspicion the Leafs let the wrong guy go and Hunter was the best choice available. Should be interesting to see what Dubas can do... cause he needs a legit back up goalie and with their top 4 d men able to leave...he must go all in. Getting a decent backup goalie should be easy before the trade deadline. The problems on defence however, are not fixable. Muzzin and Rielly are down with injuries, and there's no real depth to make up for that loss. Marincin is not an NHL calibre defenceman. According to my latest defence stat (fingers crossed that it's right this time), he's the worst on the team. The Leafs would have to trade away someone the likes of Tavares (who isn't having a great year), Nylander, Marner, or Matthews to fetch the kind of defensive help this team needs..... and even then the team may watch a playoff spot slip away in the next two months waiting for Muzzin and Rielly to get back. The Bruins and Lightning are just better than the Leafs overall, and now the Panthers have made their move to grab the 3rd spot that Toronto gave away. There won't be any wild card team from the Atlantic division so Toronto either finishes top 3 or they're golfing to start April. My feeling is that it's a lost season at this point. They dug themselves too deep a hole back in October and November under Babcock. They managed to put together a remarkable win streak after the coaching change just to get back in the picture, but now injuries and fatigue have set in, and the Leafs have fizzled out. It might be better to sell at the trade deadline and see what Toronto can get in the form of draft picks and other promising talent to begin another rebuild. They don't have the right core group here to win and they're not built properly to be a balanced, strong overall team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindbergh31 Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 3 hours ago, WordsOfWisdom said: Getting a decent backup goalie should be easy before the trade deadline. The problems on defence however, are not fixable. Muzzin and Rielly are down with injuries, and there's no real depth to make up for that loss. Marincin is not an NHL calibre defenceman. According to my latest defence stat (fingers crossed that it's right this time), he's the worst on the team. The Leafs would have to trade away someone the likes of Tavares (who isn't having a great year), Nylander, Marner, or Matthews to fetch the kind of defensive help this team needs..... and even then the team may watch a playoff spot slip away in the next two months waiting for Muzzin and Rielly to get back. The Bruins and Lightning are just better than the Leafs overall, and now the Panthers have made their move to grab the 3rd spot that Toronto gave away. There won't be any wild card team from the Atlantic division so Toronto either finishes top 3 or they're golfing to start April. My feeling is that it's a lost season at this point. They dug themselves too deep a hole back in October and November under Babcock. They managed to put together a remarkable win streak after the coaching change just to get back in the picture, but now injuries and fatigue have set in, and the Leafs have fizzled out. It might be better to sell at the trade deadline and see what Toronto can get in the form of draft picks and other promising talent to begin another rebuild. They don't have the right core group here to win and they're not built properly to be a balanced, strong overall team. Wow you're a rarity among Leaf fans that I know and read on other fan forums, you're objective about your Leafs. If you listen or read other Leafs fans comments, Alex Pietrangelo will sign with the Leafs this coming summer and their defense will be great again. Dubas needs to find a quality backup to give Andersen a break, otherwise he'll burn out and not be at his best at playoff time if they get in. Dubas didn't address the defense last summer and it's coming back to bite them in the ass this year. As for the Flyers fans, we're tired of seeing them contend one year and disappear other years. It would be nice to see them reach the goddam summit and win it! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 3 hours ago, Lindbergh31 said: Wow you're a rarity among Leaf fans that I know and read on other fan forums, you're objective about your Leafs. Thanks. Yeah I'm one of those: "Don't p___ on me and tell me it's raining" kind of fans lol. 3 hours ago, Lindbergh31 said: If you listen or read other Leafs fans comments, Alex Pietrangelo will sign with the Leafs this coming summer and their defense will be great again. Yeah that's not me. The defence hasn't been great yet. In the time that I've been watching this rebuild, the Leafs showed great promise in the playoffs against Washington that one season and then sort of plateaued. They never took the next step. They never "graduated" to second round playoffs. You could say that the Leafs are "maxed out", meaning they've hit their ceiling. There is no more room for growth here. Thus, unless changes get made, the Leafs will continue to be exactly what they are.... which is not good enough. 3 hours ago, Lindbergh31 said: Dubas didn't address the defense last summer and it's coming back to bite them in the ass this year. Well it's basically the hill Dubas seems willing to die on as GM. He has a particular philosophy that defence doesn't matter and the standings say otherwise. Plus, it's not like Toronto is the #1 team offensively either. They're in a group of top teams but they aren't so good that they can just out-score their defensive flaws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 3 hours ago, Lindbergh31 said: As for the Flyers fans, we're tired of seeing them contend one year and disappear other years. It would be nice to see them reach the goddam summit and win it! It's amazing how Washington and Pittsburgh have controlled that division for so long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted January 24, 2020 Share Posted January 24, 2020 (edited) On 1/22/2020 at 9:54 AM, WordsOfWisdom said: Getting a decent backup goalie should be easy before the trade deadline. The problems on defence however, are not fixable. Muzzin and Rielly are down with injuries, and there's no real depth to make up for that loss. Marincin is not an NHL calibre defenceman. According to my latest defence stat (fingers crossed that it's right this time), he's the worst on the team. The Leafs would have to trade away someone the likes of Tavares (who isn't having a great year), Nylander, Marner, or Matthews to fetch the kind of defensive help this team needs..... and even then the team may watch a playoff spot slip away in the next two months waiting for Muzzin and Rielly to get back. The Bruins and Lightning are just better than the Leafs overall, and now the Panthers have made their move to grab the 3rd spot that Toronto gave away. There won't be any wild card team from the Atlantic division so Toronto either finishes top 3 or they're golfing to start April. My feeling is that it's a lost season at this point. They dug themselves too deep a hole back in October and November under Babcock. They managed to put together a remarkable win streak after the coaching change just to get back in the picture, but now injuries and fatigue have set in, and the Leafs have fizzled out. It might be better to sell at the trade deadline and see what Toronto can get in the form of draft picks and other promising talent to begin another rebuild. They don't have the right core group here to win and they're not built properly to be a balanced, strong overall team. The problems on D are fixable, but it will take a historic bit of creativity to get the job done. Among other pressing issues is the need for defensive depth...ie making sure there is ample depth to survive inevitable injuries in a long playoff run. Edited January 24, 2020 by jammer2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted January 26, 2020 Share Posted January 26, 2020 On 1/22/2020 at 4:23 PM, WordsOfWisdom said: It's amazing how Washington and Pittsburgh have controlled that division for so long. The more I think about it...the more I think a blockbuster with the Rangers might be coming. One thing you never hear mentioned, but IS looming large ...Anderson is UFA after the 20/21 season. A ways off...but the cap hell will be no better...how are they gonna afford 8 or 9 mill for him...answer...Georgiev...lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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