Modifié 10 janv. 2021 à 18 h 14
Quoting: pharrow
EDM has a better bottom 6. TOR defense is no better than EDM. One could also argue EDM had better goaltending last year than TOR. No reason to believe any difference this year.
TOR got old and slow in their bottom 6. Joe and Jason can't skate. Simmonds is done. He's been done for years.
EDM has the better high end talent.
You could argue EDM has 2 players better than anyone on TOR. No one wouldn't take that argument seriously either.
The best defense is a good offense and EDM has the guys who can carry the puck and make you chase. They got more depth scoring and if push comes to shove they will out physical TOR as well, as guys like Kassian and Chiasson are more useful than guys like Spezza Thornton and Simmonds in that regard. They are younger, faster, and more willing to throw down and mix it up. Believe me when I say 41 year old Joe and 38 year old Jason aren't the guys to mess with those two. And Simmonds is a little guy comparably. He's giving up 30lbs on Kassian who would be the guy to go in. Everyone knows he's a tough customer.
So yeah, I don't see TOR winning that matchup. They'd get 1 or 2 games. EDM in 6. Top 2 lines for EDM just have a field matching up against your bottom 6 when they get last change.
Leafs have a better bottom 6. Leafs D is significantly better than EDM - our third best D is better than any D on the Oilers (other than Klefbom but he's done for the year). EDM had comparable goaltending on Freddie's worst season and Hutchinson in net. Leafs upgraded big time this season with Cambell as backup (yes they got him last year but he didn't play much bc of shutdown league). Out physical? Ok you have two or three physical physical players on the roster - Chiasson, Kassian, Nurse. Leafs have Muzz, Hyman, Simmonds, Bogo, etc. that are physical as well. To me it goes McD > Matthews > Drai > Tavares > Marner > Nylander > Nuge in terms of big guns because Drai can't play defence.
Lets go line by line. (These are the training camp lines provided by Daily Faceoff)
1LW - Nuge or Thornton.
Oilers win 1
1C - McDavid or Matthews
Oilers win 2
1RW - Kassian or Marner
Leafs win 1
2LW - Vesey or Kahun. Two bottom 6ers getting a shot in the top 6. Wash
2C - Drai vs JT
Oilers win 3
2RW - Yamma vs Nylander
Leafs win 2
3LW - Mikheyev vs Archibald
Leafs win 3
3C - Kerfoot vs Turris
close, probably about even
3RW - Hyman vs Pulju
Leafs win 5
4LW - Ennis vs Barabanov. I'll give it to you since we don't know what Barabanov will be, and Robertson might end up in that role. They also would probably a wash, but...
Oilers win 4
4C - Jujar vs Spezza.
Leafs win 6
4RW - Chiason vs Simmonds. Wash
So far: Leafs 6, Oilers 3
LD1 - Rielly vs Nurse
Leafs win 7
RD1 - Brodie vs Bear
Leafs win 8
LD2 - Muzzin vs Jones
Leafs win 9
RD2 - Holl vs Larsson.
Oilers win 5
LD3 - Russel vs. Lehtonen/Dermott
Leafs win 10
RD3 - Barrie vs Bogo. I saw how absolutely atrocious Barrie is defensively last year. Bogo is more sound, but Barrie puts the points up. I would take Bogo on my team over Barrie but I can see the argument for Barrie with his production. I'll give it to you
Oilers win 6
G1 - Andersen vs. Koskinen
Leafs win 11
G2 - Campbell vs Smith
Leafs win 12
Final score: Leafs 12, Oilers 6. In conclusion, the Leafs roster is superior. Also Leafs top 6 would have a "field day" on that Oilers bottom 6 as well. Probably on the top 6 as well seeing as McD and Drai rarely play D (mores Drai but still)