stirring the pot/leaf media coverage

[Newfoundlandleaf]

Hi again!!

A leaf fan since 1977...this year, for sure, is the most hope I have had for this team...EVER. That being said, anyone else agree the word "Cup" and the phrase "Cup contender" is being thrown around a lot? I think the media is going way too far too early...thoughts? Comments? looking for a friendly debate here!!

 

[cabber24]

I don't see it yet, not with this D but who knows PIT did it without Letang.

 

[Kin]

The Media is many and varied. Is there a particular person whose comments you find unwarranted?

 

[rdowdall]

I don't see it yet, not with this D but who knows PIT did it without Letang.

So I know that the D gets harped on a lot here.  So I thought I would do a comparison with a team that everyone thinks has a great defence, which is the Anahiem Ducks. 

Here is their top 4:
Cam Fowler
Hampus Lindholm
Sami Vatanen
Josh Manson

I did the following comparison of hero charts:

Hampus Lindholm <> Morgan Rielly

Cam Fowler <> Jake Gardiner

Sami Vatanen <> Nikita Zaitsev

Josh Manson <> Ron Hainsey

I'm not going to lie.  When I originally looked at the points, I thought that our top 4 would be pretty much a match for their top 4.  However, looking deeper, it looks like offensively, the Leafs top 4 might be on par or a little bit better than Anahiems, but the shot suppression is really lacking on the Leafs side.  One thing that I find interesting is the downward trend of Vatanen's numbers.  Also, how Lindholm is becoming more of a shot event d-man and it seems to be having an impact on his points.

 

[Bullfrog]

The Media is many and varied. Is there a particular person whose comments you find unwarranted?

I heard it bantered around last night on TSN. O'Neill stated he thinks the team has a serious shot at winning a cup in the next three years.

 

[Coco-puffs]

I don't see it yet, not with this D but who knows PIT did it without Letang.

So I know that the D gets harped on a lot here.  So I thought I would do a comparison with a team that everyone thinks has a great defence, which is the Anahiem Ducks. 

Here is their top 4:
Cam Fowler
Hampus Lindholm
Sami Vatanen
Josh Manson

I did the following comparison of hero charts:

Hampus Lindholm <> Morgan Rielly

Cam Fowler <> Jake Gardiner

Sami Vatanen <> Nikita Zaitsev

Josh Manson <> Ron Hainsey

I'm not going to lie.  When I originally looked at the points, I thought that our top 4 would be pretty much a match for their top 4.  However, looking deeper, it looks like offensively, the Leafs top 4 might be on par or a little bit better than Anahiems, but the shot suppression is really lacking on the Leafs side.  One thing that I find interesting is the downward trend of Vatanen's numbers.  Also, how Lindholm is becoming more of a shot event d-man and it seems to be having an impact on his points.

I think its time to put Gardiner ahead of Rielly in terms of our depth chart.  Re-order this according to the pairings:

Gardiner vs Lindholm
Zaitsev vs Manson
Rielly vs Fowler
Hainsey vs Vatanen

Our left side isn't far off.  Zaitsev is a pretty big downgrade from Manson.  Hainsey is also a downgrade from Vatanen, but not by as much as most would think. Vatanen has been falling off, to the point where Mountour should probably take his place in the Top 4 this year.  But of course they re-signed Bieksa for some stupid reason so who knows. 

Man, Anaheim is in trouble to start the season.  Lindholm, Vatanen, Kesler, and Eaves on IR. 

 

[CarltonTheBear]

The Media is many and varied. Is there a particular person whose comments you find unwarranted?

I heard it bantered around last night on TSN. O'Neill stated he thinks the team has a serious shot at winning a cup in the next three years.

I mean, they do.

 

[Kin]

The Media is many and varied. Is there a particular person whose comments you find unwarranted?

I heard it bantered around last night on TSN. O'Neill stated he thinks the team has a serious shot at winning a cup in the next three years.

I mean, they do.

Yeah, that seems pretty fair.

 

[Newfoundlandleaf]

TSN, the Star and even...lo and behold.....Steve Simmons.....Just seems a big jump from not winning a playoff round last year to contending so quickly...I am, as a long suffering fan, very reluctant to get my hopes up...well, at least not too high...I really want to see what this year brings before passing judgement on "contender " status....I really hope the brain trust is keeping as much of this hype out of the dressing room as is possible...a lot of players are saying " we have to do it" , because the "Blue and White disease" so aptly labeled (Yet not fixed) by Brian Burke can rear its ugly head with even a modicum of success in this market.

 

[disco]

That's the League now. With the parity and salary cap, it's a lot closer than it used to be. After a few years of drafting high the turnaround can be much quicker than the pre-cap era. Chicago, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles went from 30th to playoffs to Stanley Cup Champions in 3-4 years. Anyone who's got a few superstars and rounds out their roster well has a shot now. Pens vs Preds in the final was the end of a long two-month war of attrition.