Poor man's Kreider. But he'll grow into it.
- AdamFrench

The kid did just turn 22 and is on a 30 goal pace (let's hope he keeps it up).

Krieder had 17 at age 22 and 3 goals through his first 18 games. If anything Kreider probably wishes he was more like Knies!

High is a relative term. Maybe teams weren't lining up for Robbie after the preseason, but now absolutely no one is interested. Some team would grab him if put on waivers, but you're not getting anything other than future considerations in a trade at this point.
- Whipper

Possibly yes.
But its only November 14th. A players value is usually at its highest at TDL and draft.
Robbie has plenty of time to improve his play or rather results.
From the end of preseason, I dont really think his value has dropped that much, no GM is going to look at preseason results and offer substantially more than what the expected return for that player is general.
I believe is value will retain or go up a bit prior to TDL, I dont feel like the leafs missed out on any great package for him after preseason.

Is Matthews going to be good to go for Saturday?!?!?! I can't have the Leafs losing to the Coilers, my workplace is toxic enough already. My Leaf flag has been shot by nerf darts and taken down multiple times. Horrible job, really.
- Whipper

Nerf darts?
Sounds fun.

Possibly yes.
But its only November 14th. A players value is usually at its highest at TDL and draft.
Robbie has plenty of time to improve his play or rather results.
From the end of preseason, I dont really think his value has dropped that much, no GM is going to look at preseason results and offer substantially more than what the expected return for that player is general.
I believe is value will retain or go up a bit prior to TDL, I dont feel like the leafs missed out on any great package for him after preseason.
- Fakepartofme

Are we really going to keep trotting him out there, giving him ice time, in the hopes that he shows us something he's never shown before?

I would say that it's often more about the people than the manager for whether it's a good day or a bad day - in that if the team of people itself like one another, then the manager is usually inconsequential. You'll help each other and work together to get to where you need to be. That said, usually that type of team is assembled by a good manager and can be inherited by a bad one. I've never seen a bad manager put together and build a good team. Of course the longer a bad manager is running a good team, the more likely it is that the members of the team will start to go elsewhere no matter how much they like working with the group.
- Monkeypunk

Oh you hit the nail on the head.

We had an excellent team, assembled by a very good manager. It took a little over a year for the new manager to destroy it. Complaints to HR were useless (shocking, I know). Multiple people left the company, others left the department.

Fun fact, I just heard last week that they are trying to assemble another B.I. team in that area. My former team lead is doing some side gig stuff for them, asked if I wanted to join on for a couple months to help get them up and running.

Are we really going to keep trotting him out there, giving him ice time, in the hopes that he shows us something he's never shown before?
- Atomic Wedgie

some quality steroids might help

Are we really going to keep trotting him out there, giving him ice time, in the hopes that he shows us something he's never shown before?
- Atomic Wedgie

My wife keeps wondering when I am going to show her something she has never been shown before.

Nerf darts?
Sounds fun.
- Fakepartofme

Nerf wars.
Drone flying.
I have a great job

Nerf wars.
Drone flying.
I have a great job
- Whipper

so which branch of the government do you work for? haha

Are we really going to keep trotting him out there, giving him ice time, in the hopes that he shows us something he's never shown before?
- Atomic Wedgie

Until hes traded sure.
Put him in the top 6

but two junior chickens crushes everything
- drexel

My go-to is the mcdouble and sausage egg mcmuffin combined with a hash brown inserted into it.

I've never seen that, commercial, amazing

This is my favourite though:
https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
- Whipper

You Mudda Fakr you got me.

IF you liked the one spot here is a loop of them all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByjxmO6C_CA

Oh man when Ovechkin was stymied on the wide open look in OT and then sweet Johnny T went the other way and scored that was some thick, rich chocolatey tastey balls fried in taster oil and rolled in sprinkles.

Until hes traded sure.
Put him in the top 6
- Fakepartofme

I'm assuming Matthews is back soon - but obviously know nothing more than any one else here. So until Pacioretty is back, we have something like this in the top-6:

Knies - Matthews - Marner
Domi - Tavares - Nylander

Then we have something like this as the bottom-6:

McMann - Dewar - Lorentz
Reaves - Kampf - Holmberg

I'm not sure where Robertson gets rolled out in that situation. Like if everyone is healthy then where do you even play Domi? Does he bump McMann and McMann bumps Reaves? I actually think McMann and Lorentz play well together in the limited time I've seen play on a line.

Robertson played his way into making the roster at training camp and has successively played his way off of the roster through this season. His effort is there, but he is shooting from too far away. His shot selections are too often desperate and poor and lead to turnovers and loss of possession or momentum.

I'm sure he has it in him, I really am. I just don't think this is where he's going to find it.

It's exactly what I was thinking as I typed out the post.

Well done, Cushie!
- Atomic Wedgie

I get you.

That both excites and terrifies me.

1 for them and 2 for us.

In their instance Dowd was cutting through the paint and bumped Woll as the shot came from the point. How much the bump affected Woll and how much Dowd was encouraged to be there by Hakanpaa is up for debate. If you listened to that imbecile Simpson, you'd have though Hakanpaa held him there and physically hit Woll with Dowd - but if you used your eyes, Hakanpaa has body position and Dowd is trying to get by both - but contacts Woll, not that hard, but enough - in the process of getting between them. It was the right call.

The second disallowed goal was against Lorentz. It's a scramble play in front and the puck is up in the air - Lorentz basically propels the puck in with his thigh and you visibly see him lift his leg and "knee" the puck in. I think it was the correct call based on the fact that you can't use your arms, hips, head or anything else to propel the puck into the net, but it can deflect or direct off of you. This wasn't angled, it was deliberately propelled.

The third disallowed goal was against Knies. Shot from the point and Knies deflects it downwards. It was waived off as a high stick making contact by the back official and the review upheld this. I am still stunned at the call - I guess I'd need a clear still to change my mind, but I can't see the stick making contact with the _puck_ at a high position here. I think this is as he makes contact:



But you can be the judge: https://x.com/i/status/1856898847630307765

If the situation room doesn't have good enough cameras and angles to make this stuff work for them, this billion dollar enterprise should invest in some better technology.
- Monkeypunk

Thank you for this very helpful.

I agree with you after seeing only the one angle it looks like Knies got jobbed on the call.

As far as goalie interference (yes I'm biased) it's just way too inconsistent from official to official / game to game. Maybe they should just go back to the no opposition player is allowed in the blue ice rule and then say any contact outside the blue is fine provided it wouldn't be a penalty to a player?

As far as the off a foot is ok if not kicked but re-directed is fine etc. it's also a bit of a mystery at times. Again as a biased goalie (but also a hockey purist in some ways) make it that they have to score with the stick full stop - nothing else intentional or not.

Yes it'll never happen the league apparently thinks eveyone wants more goals and every game needs to have 6 or more goals and ties are terrible but it would make it a hell of a lot easier.

The other way (which makes me want to vomit) is allow players to score using anything as long as they don't throw the puck into the net. That's just gross to even suggest.

I'm assuming Matthews is back soon - but obviously know nothing more than any one else here. So until Pacioretty is back, we have something like this in the top-6:

Knies - Matthews - Marner
Domi - Tavares - Nylander

Then we have something like this as the bottom-6:

McMann - Dewar - Lorentz
Reaves - Kampf - Holmberg

I'm not sure where Robertson gets rolled out in that situation. Like if everyone is healthy then where do you even play Domi? Does he bump McMann and McMann bumps Reaves? I actually think McMann and Lorentz play well together in the limited time I've seen play on a line.

Robertson played his way into making the roster at training camp and has successively played his way off of the roster through this season. His effort is there, but he is shooting from too far away. His shot selections are too often desperate and poor and lead to turnovers and loss of possession or momentum.

I'm sure he has it in him, I really am. I just don't think this is where he's going to find it.
- Monkeypunk

Robbie's gotta go. He has a slight chance of taking Holmberg's spot in the short-term, and maybe longer term, Domi, but McMann brings a heavier game, and so does Patches.

Yeah, we have way way too many left shots in the organization because all of these centers have crapped out and landed on the wing. Somebody's gotta play the wrong side if we want the best version of ourselves out there, but you can see why Reaves gets so many games.

My wife keeps wondering when I am going to show her something she has never been shown before.
- Aetherial

Sounds like time to dazzle her with the classic "Helicopter, Helicopter" move.

It's irresistible to all women.

Robbie's gotta go. He has a slight chance of taking Holmberg's spot in the short-term, and maybe longer term, Domi, but McMann brings a heavier game, and so does Patches.

Yeah, we have way way too many left shots in the organization because all of these centers have crapped out and landed on the wing. Somebody's gotta play the wrong side if we want the best version of ourselves out there, but you can see why Reaves gets so many games.
- gravyface

I think what you need is a balance of physicality, board work, puck retrieval, forecheck ability and offense on every line. Obviously the amount of offensive trickles down as you move down the lineup:

Knies - Matthews - Marner
Domi - Tavares - Nylander
McMann - Dewar - Lorentz
Reaves - Kampf - Holmberg


But even in the above example of lines, McMann is bigger than Domi but I don't love the idea of Domi and Dewar together because they are both undersized - and Robertson is smaller than them. But that second line doesn't have a lot of forecheck or board battle to it and certainly very little physicality. Patches was bringing that and I think it made the line work. Obviously a guy like ROR on the 3rd line would be ideal, but realistically that's not happening. But you can immediately see the need to get a legitimate 3C just by sketching up the names and realizing the weakness around each line.

I think what you need is a balance of physicality, board work, puck retrieval, forecheck ability and offense on every line. Obviously the amount of offensive trickles down as you move down the lineup:

Knies - Matthews - Marner
Domi - Tavares - Nylander
McMann - Dewar - Lorentz
Reaves - Kampf - Holmberg


But even in the above example of lines, McMann is bigger than Domi but I don't love the idea of Domi and Dewar together because they are both undersized - and Robertson is smaller than them. But that second line doesn't have a lot of forecheck or board battle to it and certainly very little physicality. Patches was bringing that and I think it made the line work. Obviously a guy like ROR on the 3rd line would be ideal, but realistically that's not happening. But you can immediately see the need to get a legitimate 3C just by sketching up the names and realizing the weakness around each line.
- Monkeypunk

Yeah. I think that'll end up being JT down the road as our 3C, but then we have a bigger problem at 2C.

Is this really the last Leafs thread on this site?

Did we get any reason that Mike skipped off to the sunset?


McMann - Matthews - Domi
Knies - Tavares - Robertson/Patches
Marner - Nylander - Holmberg
Dewar - Kampf - Lorentz

Let Mathews carry his line .. He had decent chemistry with Domi and will give McMan some extra space

2nd line should just be solid

Wildcard line..

I think people had/have way too high expectations for Bobby McMann. I like him on the team and I think he can score 15ish, but he's a tweener at best overall and his 3 hattricks or whatever last year really don't paint a full picture.

Is this really the last Leafs thread on this site?

Did we get any reason that Mike skipped off to the sunset?


McMann - Matthews - Domi
Knies - Tavares - Robertson/Patches
Marner - Nylander - Holmberg
Dewar - Kampf - Lorentz

Let Mathews carry his line .. He had decent chemistry with Domi and will give McMan some extra space

2nd line should just be solid

Wildcard line..
- Azuredoom

It's pretty much the first thing in the blog.

Sounds like time to dazzle her with the classic "Helicopter, Helicopter" move.

It's irresistible to Zezel.

- Cush29

- Whipper

I'm partial to bulldozer bulldozer