If Leafs need to rely on lehtonen, it's because Bogo is no longer a NHLer.

Would that make you sad??

You can't replace Bogo if Lehtowho doesn't make the lineup

"Nope wrong. Gibberishhhhhhhhhh".

Barabanov literally just played game 1 vs a better team, or did you already black out last night's game because Bogo **** the bed last night?

Nope wrong. Barabanov was out of place and will be sent down to the AHL. Mikheyev will also be traded

Then how are Leafs relying on Lehtonen.

Your kind of talking in circles. You are the Capfriendly equivalent of Bogosian.

You're not even trying anymore. No longer fun.

You want to know the major error of the Leafs ?
Signing Tavares at 11m. Then Matthews and Marner said hey, we want that money to, if not, we go anywhere, someone will give us this price. Then this create a cap problem and a lack of depth on the team.
Imagine not signing Tavares, keeping Kadri at 4.5. signing two other player at 2-3m each, playing on the third line, with really good defensive side. This also means that they keep Kapanen.
Possibly a chance to signed a good defense to play on PK and make sure to back the error of their young forward. Maybe someone in the same range than Chiarot and/or Edmundson.

The error is not to signed KHL player at decent price.

Not ****ting on the arguments here but I mean that's what happens when you hand 50% of your cap space to your top 4 guys, they'll score when they're on the ice but you'll get a ton of goals in when they're not. Hard to trash on the Toronto back end for letting so many pass by when only a little more than 30% of the cap is distributed between all six defenders and goalies.
I do agree with you when you mention that Toronto signs all these KHLers and hopes that they become something because they can't afford anything else really to put on steady third line roles.

Leafs third line is Mikheyev - Kerfoot - Hyman. Didn't know that was a **** 3rd line.

Too many errors in this post to respond to.

That line was horrible lmao. Keefe needs to break it up

I couldn't have said it better myself, besides the KHL part.

By this logic Bogosian has to be benched.

And Mikheyev is not a KHLer that came across the pond on a close to minimum league salary hoping he could become a third liner, thanks for proving my point. Not trashing you but it is what it is, until one of those top 4 guy's traded you need to scavenge the bargain bins hoping something still work in there.


I mean he looked terrible from my Montreal point of view. He's getting slower on his skates every year and took two bad penalties to start the year.

"Why did we even bring two KHL player's. Clearly showed last night that Barabanov was bad and Lehtonen will be bad."

Pretty simple. The team is terrible at development, and refuses to properly integrate young players into the lineup and therefore relies on free wallets instead. This was what the Detroit model really was (despite the myth that Detroit overcooked their prospects until they were ready to take major roles, the reality is that their team was built around UFAs, over-seas free wallets, and the odd prospect who was good enough to play immediately. Their prospects just rotted in the minors never becoming anything because the team would never give them a chance).

Imagine playing Barabanov when Robertson has no where to play. The same goes not developing young D because you need to play in a bunch of games a 27 year old D who will be UFA in the summer and despite having the massive advantage of having played all fall couldn't crack the opening lineup. And then, of course, there is the effects that it has on the rest of the team knowing that management treats one group of players completely differently: the free-wallets, who have never played an NHL game, but are guaranteed a spot and need to thoroughly play themselves out of the lineup.

But the fans won't care as long as 1 in 10 free wallets turns out to a middle six winger like Mik.

Just want to add a few points from Montreal's side of things

1. Bogo was the worst player on the ice all night but not by much Edmundson was pretty bad too
2. Montreal pretty much controlled the play most of the night but Toronto kept themselves in the game with their ability to score quickly
3. A really lucky bounce off a ref tied the game but that is hockey lol
4. If TheLeafsSeason wants to trade Lehtonen Montreal will send Edmundson in a 1 for 1 trade.
5. The guy who looked out of place to me for the Leafs was Thornton, there was a play in the 1st that really caught my attention as to why he shouldn't be in the top 6. The Leafs had just had a rush and Montreal turned the puck up ice but Thornton was so gassed after a 35-40 second shift that he could not get back up ice and didn't even try. Instead he put his stick on Matthews backside and gave him a boost to get back. Nothing came of the play but to me Thornton being that gassed in the 1st period after just 35-40 seconds is a HUGE red flag if I am the Leafs. I wonder how he will look in the second half of a back-to-back or the third game in four nights. Barabanov and Mikheyev looked decent in the time they actually got to play.
6. Changes I would make if I was the Leafs would be swap Hyman and Thornton and scratch Bogosian for Lehtonen.

No one is scratching Bogosian for Lehtowho? Keefe is not stupid

Bogosian and Dermott were the only minus D men on the ice last night for the Leafs and after watching the game last night I am confused as to why Bogosian was even in the lineup. He contributed nothing offensively, He was blown by all night defensively, and he took some very stupid penalties due to his lack of speed and positioning. Lehtonen at least brings offense and has some decent speed to his game.

Panarin

Nice

4 of their best 5 players are home grown and developed players. Other players developed by the team include, Holl, Dermott, and Hyman, not to mention others they moved for various reasons that they developed into serviceable NHLers. Where you in a coma and forgot about all those players?

Toronto had more shots, owned the majority of offensive zone time and had the edge in slot shots, Montreal in fact did not carry the play for the most part. TO have up way too many rush chances and that was a problem. Also their PK wasn't good. Thorton looked fine, he made many nice little plays with the puck that most people won't notice, he also was fine defensively and got the puck out a few times as well. He won't be playing the full game with Matthews and Marner because he just can't play 25 minutes a night anymore.

This guy gets off an telling people how awesome Bogosian is, it is a very weird troll

This fan does not represent us.

Agree with majority of your points. There are two reasons Thornton is getting a shot in the top 6 (for now) instead of Hyman.
1. Keefe likes having a checking line (and with malholtra joining the staff, you know he agrees). With Hyman being our best defensive forward, he's a big part of that. So the Mikheyev-Kerfoot-Hyman will get some time here to see if they are up to the challenge.
2. This is more a theory of mine then fact. Hyman has mainly played LW in the NHL. Nylander told Keefe last year that he prefers LW. Neither started the season at LW, a part of that is the prospects we have in the system (Robertson being on the cusp of cracking the lineup). If both Hyman and Nylander get locked into LW, then it makes it much harder for Robertson (and eventually Amirov) to crack the Leafs top six.

I think Thornton will get a few more games to see if he can fit (no matter who plays with them M&M are going to do most of the work). If he can't keep up, then lines can be shuffled. Vesey is an option, Simmonds, even Robertson can get some time there.

But establishing a checking line is the priority to start the year.

What has he won?