How Long Do We Keep With This same Crap?
- Thread starter azzurri63
- Start date
I just think people?s expectations were high this year. Mine were. Except perhaps for the lightening last year, all teams going through periods of varying effectiveness. When it happens at the beginning of the year, it?s more stressful because it isn?t clear if that?s what the team ?ready is? or if it?s just a normal bump in the road.
Kin
New member
princedpw said:
I mean, pre-cap you definitely had more situations like the Red Wings and Blues where they had absurd streaks of making the playoffs. The whole pitch of the cap is that it increased parity which pushes teams at the top down. I mean just by its nature a cap means a team eventually has to lose players they'd like to keep.
So it's maybe not a all or the other thing but I definitely think the cap tightens a team's window to stay at or near the top of the league.
OldTimeHockey
Active member
princedpw said:
Why were people's expectations higher this year than last year? We all knew that they would be tight up against it for the cap. We all knew that solving the back up G problem wasn't going to happen this year. We all knew that getting a top 2 defensive dman wasn't going to happen. Why did we assume this would be a drastically different team?
OldTimeHockey said:
I think what I mean is that pre-Babcock, we were working on a decade or more of teams with no hope of ever being good or even really having any individual players who were all that good. When we barely made the playoffs against the caps, I was happy to be there and joyful with a first round loss. The next couple of years, it was fun to watch players doing things I had never seen done in a leafs uniform, like leading the league in 5-on-5 goals or primary assists for long stretches of time. Last year (and I might be more of a minority), I enjoyed the season a lot despite the first round loss. Many memorable plays. Great goals. Close to the top of the standings. We lost to Boston but we could have won with a little luck. With a little luck (not too much) we can beat any team in the league. So when I see ?how long do we have to put up with this crap?, I think instead that this is one of the best times to watch the leafs in my lifetime. We?ve forgotten where the team used to be just a few years ago and for most of the last few decades. Relative to a few years ago, our expectations have been raised and we are no longer just happy to be in the playoff picture.
OldTimeHockey
Active member
princedpw said:
I don't think we are disagreeing. I'm just not sure how expectations can be that much higher for this upcoming season. I get what you're saying, but if anything, the thought around here when discussing the cap crunch The Leafs were about to face was that the team would probably take a step back for a year. I don't necessarily see the step to be that big....I also don't understand people losing their sh*t around here over 15 games and a wildcard spot. There are 67 games left to play. 4 of the teams above the Leafs are playing way better than expected and should come back down. Are the leafs playing lights out? Probably not. Should we lock the doors to the dressing room and set the ACC on fire? Definitely not.
azzurri63
Active member
OldTimeHockey said:
Why did we know we would be tight against the cap?
Was that a given?
Management put themselves in this situation.
Whether we overpaid for the 3 young guns or not still no reason to have a mediocre backup.
We given up tons of points over the last season and a bit because of that. Every point is crucial and we've given up tons of points because of it. Big mistake.
As far as the D I personally thought we would be better without Jake and Hainsey. I would take Barrie and Ceci over those 2 any day.
Are they better defensively doesn't look like it. I said it on another thread our best D man first 5-10 games is back in the minors.
Time will tell. See where we are once 100% healthy and they get to mesh/gel.
OldTimeHockey
Active member
azzurri63 said:
Who? Do tell
Exactly so why get so worked up? I mean really, in the grand scheme of things...who cares if the millionaires don't want to work their hardest? It doesn't effect me in my day to day life. I just turn off the tv and do something more useful.
Highlander
Active member
I am getting so tired of all this crap...its starting to heap up on my hard drive 
OldTimeHockey
Active member
azzurri63 said:
Yeah, turning this thread off now.
hockeyfan1
New member
Significantly Insignificant said:
Approximately mid-December. (40pts.) they slowly but surely began to shrug off the sluggishness:
33 December 16 Buffalo 4?2 Boston Rask 17,565 17?12?4
34 December 17 Boston 4?0 Montreal Halak 21,302 18?12?4(color]
By January, they were 27-17-5 (59 pts) and well on their way to a winning record:
January 17 St. Louis 2?5 Boston Rask 17,565 27?16?5 59
49 January 19 NY Rangers 3?2 Boston Halak 17,565 27?17-5 59
If St.Louis did it last year (& won the Cup), and Boston did it the same year (lost the Cup to St.Louis), then there is no need to panic amongst us concerning the Leafs. There is still time for the team to iron out the details and get on a winning track.
Optimistic they can do it.
disco
New member
I'm at peace with the fact there's a lot of great players on this team that are going to be here for a very long time. They're also seemingly stuck with a coach, if the general manager had his way, wouldn't even be here right now. St. Louis got great goaltending and Craig Berube got a great team to start playing like it. I see no reason why that can't eventually happen here.
Leafs are now on pace for 101 points.