Game 5: Maple Leafs @ Rangers - Saturday January 26th, 2013 - CBC 19:00

[KW Sluggo]

I think the random AHL experiment of playing Kostka on the top pairing needs to stop.

He's a team worst -7
The team starts 52% of his shifts in the offensive zone...and ends with 31.1% of them in the offensive zone. (Not only is this a team worst for decline in zone but it's also the lowest mark by a wide margin).
The team is scoring 1.36 ES goals/60 minutes of icetime.
The team is giving up 6.01 ES goals/60 minutes of icetime.

I'm really just not seeing what Carlyle is getting out of Kostka that has him playing 30 minutes a night.  And this is a fully in game shape Kostka that is likely to get worse as teams get back up to speed and the top end players get in better shape.  He really shouldn't be anywhere near the top pairing.  A 5th/6th defenseman with PP time, sure.

Agreed.

Far too many minutes for Kostka and for Phaneuf.

Unless Carlyle is trying to expose Phaneuf's weaknesses there is no way he should be playing that many minutes. 

There will have to be some sober re-assessment of the talent level on this blueline (and elsewhere)by trade deadline time and when contracts are up for renewal.

While I am disappointed, I am not surprised by the play so far.

Part of me says that Nonis should let things be until he determines just how much of a rebuild he needs and then have a clear out sale at the deadline. I realize it means more time in the dumper but I am not hopeful that we are within a tweak or two of being even respectably competitive.

Seguin and Hamilton on our roster would have been a much bigger help this year than is Kessel - to say nothing of Rask. But that is water under the bridge now and the only thing Nonis can do is assess what he has and come up with a sustained rebuild strategy which does not include trading away and 1st and 2nd round picks..

 

[Mack674]

I think the random AHL experiment of playing Kostka on the top pairing needs to stop.

He's a team worst -7
The team starts 52% of his shifts in the offensive zone...and ends with 31.1% of them in the offensive zone. (Not only is this a team worst for decline in zone but it's also the lowest mark by a wide margin).
The team is scoring 1.36 ES goals/60 minutes of icetime.
The team is giving up 6.01 ES goals/60 minutes of icetime.

I'm really just not seeing what Carlyle is getting out of Kostka that has him playing 30 minutes a night.  And this is a fully in game shape Kostka that is likely to get worse as teams get back up to speed and the top end players get in better shape.  He really shouldn't be anywhere near the top pairing.  A 5th/6th defenseman with PP time, sure.

Agreed.

Far too many minutes for Kostka and for Phaneuf.

Unless Carlyle is trying to expose Phaneuf's weaknesses there is no way he should be playing that many minutes. 

There will have to be some sober re-assessment of the talent level on this blueline (and elsewhere)by trade deadline time and when contracts are up for renewal.

While I am disappointed, I am not surprised by the play so far.

Part of me says that Nonis should let things be until he determines just how much of a rebuild he needs and then have a clear out sale at the deadline. I realize it means more time in the dumper but I am not hopeful that we are within a tweak or two of being even respectably competitive.

Seguin and Hamilton on our roster would have been a much bigger help this year than is Kessel - to say nothing of Rask. But that is water under the bridge now and the only thing Nonis can do is assess what he has and come up with a sustained rebuild strategy which does not include trading away and 1st and 2nd round picks..

Im with you on this one. Best to mark it all up as a failed experiment and start over, do it right. Had we kept Rask and Seguin and all those players (essentially just not traded any draft picks or prospects for the last 5 years) we would have had a decent team right now.

But we don't.

What you see is what you get, its been a few season of this now and I dont see any reason why this leaf team will all of a sudden just be awesome with a little tweaking. They just aren't that good and aren't going to be.

Re-assess who you want to keep and who you don't, firesale at deadline and offseason.

That, or hope you can get a run at Getzlaf/Perry in the offseason and really overhaul this team with free agents and trade. Personally, I prefer the first option.

I feel like the leafs are just constantly re-mortgaging their house and getting nowhere.

 

[13th fan]

Way I look at it, takes a lot conditioning and hard work to play a team defensive game and they are not there yet by far . It will take time to get in shape for the full 60 minutes but will it be too late as the season rolls on ? I hope not ,for are goal tending and being rookies can't support this leaning process for the time being .

 

[skrackle]

I think the random AHL experiment of playing Kostka on the top pairing needs to stop.

He's a team worst -7
The team starts 52% of his shifts in the offensive zone...and ends with 31.1% of them in the offensive zone. (Not only is this a team worst for decline in zone but it's also the lowest mark by a wide margin).
The team is scoring 1.36 ES goals/60 minutes of icetime.
The team is giving up 6.01 ES goals/60 minutes of icetime.

I'm really just not seeing what Carlyle is getting out of Kostka that has him playing 30 minutes a night.  And this is a fully in game shape Kostka that is likely to get worse as teams get back up to speed and the top end players get in better shape.  He really shouldn't be anywhere near the top pairing.  A 5th/6th defenseman with PP time, sure.

Agreed.

Far too many minutes for Kostka and for Phaneuf.

Unless Carlyle is trying to expose Phaneuf's weaknesses there is no way he should be playing that many minutes. 

There will have to be some sober re-assessment of the talent level on this blueline (and elsewhere)by trade deadline time and when contracts are up for renewal.

While I am disappointed, I am not surprised by the play so far.

Part of me says that Nonis should let things be until he determines just how much of a rebuild he needs and then have a clear out sale at the deadline. I realize it means more time in the dumper but I am not hopeful that we are within a tweak or two of being even respectably competitive.

Seguin and Hamilton on our roster would have been a much bigger help this year than is Kessel - to say nothing of Rask. But that is water under the bridge now and the only thing Nonis can do is assess what he has and come up with a sustained rebuild strategy which does not include trading away and 1st and 2nd round picks..

Im with you on this one. Best to mark it all up as a failed experiment and start over, do it right. Had we kept Rask and Seguin and all those players (essentially just not traded any draft picks or prospects for the last 5 years) we would have had a decent team right now.

But we don't.

What you see is what you get, its been a few season of this now and I dont see any reason why this leaf team will all of a sudden just be awesome with a little tweaking. They just aren't that good and aren't going to be.

Re-assess who you want to keep and who you don't, firesale at deadline and offseason.

That, or hope you can get a run at Getzlaf/Perry in the offseason and really overhaul this team with free agents and trade. Personally, I prefer the first option.

I feel like the leafs are just constantly re-mortgaging their house and getting nowhere.

I agree.

The Leafs have a few nice players who could play a role on a championship team. They have good team speed and their defensive game should improve under Carlyle.

But they are small and really lack anything resembling a true core to build on. I'm hoping that some of the prospects Burke brought in will pan out, because otherwise I'd have to evaluate his tenure as Leafs GM as piss-poor and right down there with JFJ's.

The last few off-seasons indicate that top UFAs will either re-sign or go to contenders. And, you can't turn crap into gold often enough to build a team through trades. Luongo isn't the answer and there's no way to fast-track things. You just throw your future out the door by trying.

I think Nonis gets this, and so far, he's said the right things. I just hope he's allowed to stay the course and doesn't crack under the pressure.