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08 Oct 2026 20:06:17
Liking the new lines. Pretty much exactly what a lot of us wanted. Just switch Cowan and McKenna so McKenna isn't so exposed defensively and gets lesser competition.
Cowan also deserves top 6 minutes. He came out ready.
06 Oct 2026 22:39:36
It might be early in this game, but penalties are an issue, effort is an issue, and coaching has done nothing to change this team.
Starting to lose hope boys.
07 Oct 2026 01:07:05
Alright, guess they made me look stupid. Happy to see it.
07 Oct 2026 11:37:52
It was nice to see them start to play like losing is not acceptable. I think Matthews even said something about deciding they weren't going to lose any puck battles etc as to what changed during the game.
Also nice to hear a young star quality player in McKenna say he loves this fanbase and it's a privilege to play for a passionate fan base where they want you to succeed so much and that even when there is criticism it's still a privilege.
He's got the right attitude to play here.
Matthews actually looked dominate for the first time since I can't remember when. After that JT goal, the whole team was buzzing.
04 Oct 2026 23:53:11
The way this team is constructed, it is very hard to make a top 3 lines without having a defensive or inexperienced weak spots on at least one of the lines. I think eventually someone from the 4th line will have to move up and someone from the top 9 will have to play 4th line. For now, before that happens, my next game lines are:
Paul Matthews Marchenko
Cowan JT Nylander
McKenna Sissons Roslovic
MacEwen Groulx Duhaime
Blueger - set the tone now by sitting a vet.
Haven’t noticed much from him. Maybe even swap Paul and Cowan between lines. Cowan looks like one of the more noticeable players so far these three games. #missKnies.
05 Oct 2026 12:32:27
I see what you are doing, but personally, I would just leave the lines as is for now except switch Cowan and McKenna so that McKenna sees lower competition and has two good defensive players with him that also can add some offence. Cowan will go get pucks for JT and Willy and McLenna. When McKenna has it more figured out, he can play left side with Matthews and Marchenko and move Roslovic to the 3rd line with Paul and Sissons.
For now
Marchenko Matthews Roslovic
Cowan JT Nylander
McKenna Paul Sissons
Blueger/McEwan Groulx Duhaime
04 Oct 2026 02:20:26
Anyone else think McKenna is looking better?
I know he isn't lighting up the scoresheet, but I'm really liking his improvement.
04 Oct 2026 07:42:49
He’s been better. I just think he’s not hard enough on pucks.
04 Oct 2026 23:43:33
Right now he looks like a boy playing with men. Just needs to get his confidence at this level, he should be fine.
05 Oct 2026 12:25:29
One thing I have noticed with him that the coaching staff and the veterans need to drill into him is don’t be the third man in…and I am not talking fights lol. If an opponent has the puck along the boards or in the corner and we slready have 2 men on that man he tends to drift into the scene a few feet off from them. Which leaves the opposition with many uncovered men.
He could get away with that in junior where his quickness allowed that luxury. But it’s more apparent he is finding even slow guys in the NHL are quicker than he realized initially. Once he masters playing the wing more defensively he can start to work more as a rover. Gruden is the perfect assistant coach to work him through that.
04 Oct 2026 02:53:10
Man, what a s***** way to lose. Refs took the game out of the players hands, but Toronto needs to have some killer instinct. They should of finished that game in the second. Also Tavares stone hands need to not always be on the ice when trying to score a goal. Got cleaned out by Stuzle at the end of the game.
04 Oct 2026 02:17:28
JT is really looking his age at times. He's still a good middle 6 guy, but I don't think he should be 2C at this point.
That said, good luck replacing JT at 2C as that is extremely difficult to find.
04 Oct 2026 04:30:21
The whole 2nd line is giving up too many chances against. McKenna needs to be sheltered on the 3rd line and needs a defensive veteran on his line Atm.
Imo, the easiest fix is just to switch Nylander and Sissons
Marchenko Matthews Roslovic
Cowan Paul Nylander
McKenna Tavares Sissons
Groulx Blueger Duhaime
04 Oct 2026 19:10:13
I like those lines Tags. Marchenko can play both wings so I would move Cowan up beside Mathews and Roslovic down though.
02 Oct 2026 00:13:18
Hahaha I love it, Knies is making all of you eat it right now. Up 4-3 after 2 periods. He has 2 goals and an assist. I find it funny that all of you think this team and the way they play are going to go anywhere. Hopefully a GM comes in one year that builds a team for playoffs and goes and gets more Knies type players instead of less.
Enjoy the regular season guys, this will be the highlight of the year. Looks like I may be right about Robertson too. We will have to wait and see.
02 Oct 2026 04:31:34
You're going to need to wait until the year is over for that.
I like Knies as well, I've said that many times, I just don't like his as much as you do.
I also wouldn't have made the Marchenko trade. They need D desperately.
02 Oct 2026 09:30:15
“On a positive note, I'm sorry Clarky, but Marchenko is a stud. This guy looks so good through two games, he could have 100 pts and 50g. I cannot hate on him.” - LL This what you said the day before and yes you did want the trade, now just like Hyman you will be asking for him back in a year's time when you all realize that’s the type of player we need for playoffs. While all you guys are focused on is Marchenko is in the 91% for play driving and while Knies is in the 55%.
So 86 must be better for “this team” right? We have 6 of our top 9 are supposed to be “play drivers” but who are the net presence, drive through you, type players to get to goalie? Who is going to score greasy playoff goals?
Who is going to run over someone that is taking liberties on Matthews? Getting so sick of this team and franchise. It’s become a joke but all of you wanted this, so I must be wrong.
02 Oct 2026 13:14:28
Clarky, for the millionth time, all the people on here were not advocating for Knies to be traded and to have Toronto go all skill, and no size or toughness. Your insistence that every one did I don't get.
Both Knies and Robertson had good starts on the stats sheet, which you say is what every one else focuses on. A little perspective though. On one hand, you say regular season don't matter, it is all about the playoffs and tough hockey. Yet, here you are lauding Knies and Robertson for a regular season game and then claiming how right you are about the type of players needed for the playoffs. Did Knies and Robertson play playoff hockey in their games?
Let's look at Knies night. Knies had a PP goal and a tip in where he was left completely uncovered. Both were nice goals. Showed skill. Do you know how many people he ran over? None. He had no hits. He also only got 16 mins of ice and had 71% of his starts in the O-zone. Over 2 minutes of his TOI were on the PP. So sheltered minutes. Even with sheltered minutes, Buffalo only had 2 EV goals and Knies was on the ice for both of them. Guess who gave the puck away that lead to both the Sabres 5 on 5 goals. Knies. Got stripped inside his blueline on one and failed to get the puck out even though he had time on the other. I don't think doing that helps a team win in the playoffs. 2 goals, 1 assist, 0 hits and two giveaways that lead to goals against. The exact stuff you complain about when talking about the Leafs skilled players.
Yet, Marchenko has 6 hits in 2 games. That's a 252 hit pace. That would be way more than Knies ever had. Plus, he hasn't been on the ice for any EV strength goals against. He has also been going to the net and standing net front. Shouldn't you be loving that even if he only has 1 assist?
Robertson who you also lauded and said you may be right about. 2 goals, 0 hits. Only 15 mins of icetime. The first goal was a little tip that a minor league goalie should stop. The 2nd, he waits too long to shoot and his shot gets deflected, it bounces off the end boards and the goalie kicks it in his own net. Vladar was brutal in that game. Also, on Robertson's first goal, just prior to the goal, Crosby gets leveled by Risto, close to a head shot, and what did the Pens do(including Robertson), absolutely nothing. Their captain gets smoked and no one comes to his aid, including the guy closest to the hit, Robertson. I thought you hate players who won't get in there when players take liberties at the stars.
I mean you say everyone is just looking at "stats" like play driving etc to evaluate a player when all you did was look at a boxscore for Knies and Robertson's to suggest you are right and they are playoff hockey guys. Except for points, neither played the way you like when it comes to playoff hockey.
As for the playoffs, yes Knies has been physical. Although, his ppg are lower in the playoffs than the regular season and he has been on the ice for more goals against than for. His shots per game are down in the playoffs. His line is consistently outshot in the playoffs. He also gives the puck away a fair amount for a guy who doesn't carry it much. Robertson in the playoffs has 2 goals and an assist in 13 games. Even though he is given more O-zone starts in the playoffs compared to the regular season. His physicality doesn't increase. He only has 11 hits total. His 3 points accounts for all the goals he has been on the ice for, but on for 5 against. All that said, he hasn't been given as much icetime in the playoffs(10:30 avg). He skates hard with effort, but doesn't accomplish much.
Anyhow, I am sure you will now rip me apart and tell me I don't know anything about hockey.
02 Oct 2026 14:10:15
Yeah Clarky, I would have traded Knies for a D man or futures and rebuilt completely.
Now that the Marchenko trade is done I have 2 choices. Sit and cry about it all year or look at Marchenko and realize what a stud that guy is. He is extremely talented, hits, goes to the net, he does it all.
You can be mad about this Knies trade all you want, it won't change the fact that he is gone. I really didn't like the Raddysh signing and fully expect it to go badly, but that doesn't mean I hope it does.
02 Oct 2026 17:44:22
Well thought out RLF. Great post. Clarky, we aren’t hating and if it was a role reversal and Marchenko had a boatload of points we would not be gloating. It’s a long season and I think you will grow to appreciate Marchenko more each game. He does actually drive to the net and works the boards very well and is not a perimeter player per se.
He has also shown a desire in the past to play centre as well. If anything, from watching the first couple of games I find Matthews looking out of place somewhat. He looked much better in preseason.
02 Oct 2026 19:31:18
You guys all keep saying he is very talented (Marchenko) and I’m not disagreeing with you, he is a great player. But if you wanted a different look play driver then you should be moving Nylander. Don’t move a young 23yo that carries all the tools the Leafs need for a guy that carries all the skill we already have in other players. Yes LL, I choose to cry about it all year. We have already seen this when Matthews, Nylander and Marner came up, surrounded them with more perimeter players and decided we didn’t need Hyman because we need more skill?? And now we just did the same thing again. We have won 2 playoff series in 10 years and we still haven’t changed our philosophy, it’s a joke.
I see it clear as day but you 3 that replied still have no idea. I will be there at the end of the year to say I told you so…. Again. I’m a hardcore hockey fan and would take a lot for me to change teams when I watched the Leafs my whole life, but I’m on the brink of doing it because all they care about is selling out seats. I’m going to follow some other teams games this year like CBJ, and maybe start going with a different team that is building a team for the right reasons. Yes it’s one game of the season and it’s too early to say the trade was better for CBJ but I love how Knies gave a little finger to all that wanted him traded on his 1st game. Have a good day gentlemen.
02 Oct 2026 22:42:58
I don't actually disagree moving Nylander would have been a play if he had a market before he signed long term, same with Marner. I would have moved one of them (if not both) depending on what returns were available after the MTL series.
Knies does not drive play. You can see it in him every night and he probably never will. Play driving wingers are so rare I cannot name more than 3 and maybe Willy whenever he decides to wake up from his slumber for a periodic 10 minutes to take over games. That is not a slight on Knies, but he just isn't what some people think he is.
All the advanced stats have been floating around on how bad Knies is when he is moved off of Mathews' wing. That's not a great look for him.
It says something when Tre and Chayka wanted to move him.
02 Oct 2026 23:49:20
Advanced stats! Yes, advanced stats are helpful but you guys think it’s everything. Advanced stats don’t test someone’s drive, willingness to compete in all tough situations, character nor heart. And again, yes, I keep talking playoffs because that should the main goal, all those attributes are what’s most important in playoffs.
Jordan Staal, Sam Bennett, Marchessault, O’Reilly, along with McDavid are some of the dogs you need as these guys are playoff MVP’s. Net presence, good in tough area guys. Team first guys, that raise their game when it matters most. Anyways, we spoke our opinions, on two different islands but is what it is.
03 Oct 2026 13:50:25
Clarky. I like all those players. I was the biggest proponent on here for getting Bennett when he was still in Calgary. By no means has any of us 3 said(to my knowledge) that those intangibles are not important.
Let me ask you this, If Columbus doesn't make the playoffs or gets bumped in the 1st round, then what? Are you still going to say you have proved your point?
The odd thing about the point you are trying to prove isn't that we have disagreed that those types of players don't help and can't be important pieces. You also picked guys that have most of the time, or at least some times up their games in the playoffs and been extremely impactful. Moreso than the regular season. Knies has never dominated in the playoffs yet.
He hasn't been bad, but he hasn't dominated. No one calls him playoff Matthew like the do playoff Sam. Staal dominates defensively and with leadership. O'Reilly well known for his game going to another level in the playoffs. McDavid? Well he's the best player on the planet and extremely driven. March has had a couple of playoff dominate performances. Are you suggesting Knies has upped his game the same as they have in the playoffs? I haven't seen that. Could he at some point? Sure. But he hasn't yet. Plus, as I said, I doubt Chayka is done. He still may very well add that intangible player you speak of. We don't know. It's game 2 of the regular season.
03 Oct 2026 17:08:25
Well let me ask you this RLF, who on this currently construction top 6 fills the role of any of the people we just mentioned?
CBJ comment; no I don’t expect CBJ to make the playoffs, personally I think the trade made both teams worse off. CBJ needs more play driving and Tor needs net presence, all heart battle guys that can score.
And yes Knies ups his game in playoffs and he brings a skill set that we don’t have. The ones that you need to be successful in playoffs. Look at the talent on our team, we should be scoring at will if this game was based off talent alone, our PP should be #1. But it never is and we always make goalies look good because we play and shoot from the perimeter.
03 Oct 2026 17:21:20
I also don’t think Knies is a better player than Marchenko, but he is better for the Leafs. If we could have somehow moved Willy in a deal and got Marchenko back, I’d be happy. Knies, Matthews, Marchenko would be a tough line to stop. The kicker for me is we overpaid in the trade. I would have liked to see what Andrae turns out to be; he could have taken Reilly's place next year if he was as good as Flyers fans were saying he was. We took on Elvis and Woods' contract as a negative impact.
On top of that we pay him almost 5M more than we are paying Knies. I thought Chayka did some good up to this point, but I believe this move will haunt him in the near future. Totally unrelated, but I find it funny we need a tough guy and Chayka got the 2 worst fighters in the league. If you go back and watch Woods' and McEwen's fights, I am pretty sure neither one of them has won one single fight in their whole NHL careers. Anyways, enough babbling, have a good one, guys!
03 Oct 2026 20:27:03
@Clarky The one thing we agree on is I also see it as a bit of an overpay with the second included. Elvis is Robidas Island. He isn't going to affect anything. He's just LTIR.
Andrae I like as well.
I don't think he's a great D, but he's solid enough as a bottom pairing guy.
Miles Wood I really liked as a player 5 years ago. In case of injury I'm still good with him in the bottom 6.
01 Oct 2026 18:05:00
A little surprised more of the guys that hit the waiver wire didn't get claimed. Neither Holtz or Gaucher getting claimed surprised me.
Holtz, only 24, a former 7th overall pick and 191 NHL games under his belt at only $835K and would be still an RFA end of season.
Gaucher, only 22 (23 in November), 6'3" 210 lb centre who will drop the gloves and can skate.
15 goals, 29 pts in the A last season. Very good defensively, often plays in a shut down role and plays a very physical game. $886K.
I know you can't send them down if claimed or risk going through waivers again, but no NHL team could use either of these guys for instance? Vancouver? Calgary? etc?
01 Oct 2026 18:13:22
I've been surprised as well. Holtz especially, I would have thought a great project for a team rebuilding.
To that though, some of the UFA's that are still available surprise me as well. I would have thought Bunting a solid enough bottom 6 guy to get some kind of deal, same with JVR.
01 Oct 2026 04:17:21
Two games in now, Raddysh looks horrible on that top pairing. Stolarz stole that game for them.
I have never liked the Raddysh signing and acceptance that he is a 1D, now I'm watching exactly what I thought I would. He is Tyson Barrie all over again and for anyone that has been here that long, I hated that trade and was lambasted for that trade because people thought Barrie was a stud.
This is exactly the same. Raddysh had one good year, skates like a drunk, turns the puck over constantly, and gets hemmed into his own zone.
What does a point shot matter if you still can't score on the PP? Even for that matter, do you pay 8.5 until a guy is 38 when he is just a PP specialist? Of course not.
On a positive note, I'm sorry Clarky, but Marchenko is a stud. This guy looks so good through two games, he could have 100 pts and 50g. I cannot hate on him.
01 Oct 2026 07:52:17
@LL To be fair, they have put two guys who are not the fastest skaters and both offensively minded together. It will never work.
I haven’t minded what I’ve seen from Raddysh. He’s had some bad turnovers, but I think they need a more steady eddy with him because from what I’ve seen the last two games is
how important it is that the Leafs are able to have an effective breakout… All in all I would like to see Blankenburg.
Idk why they would give him 1.4 just to sit in the press box.
01 Oct 2026 12:20:14
Raddysh was better last night. Not great, but better. That pair was better last night overall. Stolarz was very good. Willy letting up on the backcheck was the only reason they got one by him. Willy knows it. The bottom 6 were better. The D as a whole was still pretty solid. Yes, NYI came on the last 10 mins, but mostly because Leafs were protecting the lead mode.
McKenna, Raddysh and others looked more comfortable. You can see McKenna's confidence start to grow. Let's try to remember about half the team is new. It is going to take some time before we see things start to gel and that includes the D pairs that are new. Also includes breakouts, structure etc. Once the D start to learn all the new forwards, breakouts should be better.
01 Oct 2026 01:07:54
That short handed goal was brutal.
Willy with a bad givewaway and Raddysh skating like he's half in the bag.
What is with this team and the PP? The best PP guys I've seen through two games are McKenna and Cowan.
Also liking Rielly on the half wall when he floats down on the PP instead of up high.
Why not go with a 2D PP? I know it hasn't been done in years, but have Mo and Raddysh with 2 high. It gives Rielly the ability to walk down a defender since he doesn't have a bomb, but does have a sneaky good writer dor a D man.
01 Oct 2026 01:45:00
Sneaky good wrister for a D man*
01 Oct 2026 07:58:17
The top unit needs to be split up already imo. Tavares handles the puck like a grenade literally every time he touched it last night ended up with a turn over. I’m more in favour of two balanced units.
Unit 1
Matthews, Marchenko, Cowan, Paul, Raddysh
Unit 2
Tavares, Nylander, McKenna, Roslovic, OEL
There’s no reason why this PP shouldn’t score almost every time.
30 Sep 2026 15:50:23
Read the game comments below. To me, the game was pretty sloppy.
The good. I thought our D looked pretty solid last night. Didn't give up alot of shots. Were there some breakdowns? Sure, but not a ton of rebound chances allowed. I thought that was one of Morgan's better games I have seen in a while. He won a lot of puck battles, skated out of trouble and made some nice first passes. I think the Leafs had more grade A chances then the Habs did. Bob was moving well. Nylander, Roslovic and Marchenko had really good games. Cowan looked more comfortable. I liked how JT got into at the end of the game. Don't see that often.
They didn't get pushed around in scrums. They engaged in scrums. Some good scoring chances created.
The bad. Although Matthews was solid, he was the 3rd best player on his line imo. Raddysh and McKenna had really tough nights. Personally, I thought Raddysh was horrible for the most part. McKenna got overwhelmed by having no time with the puck. Hopefully just jitters for those two. The new bottom 6 didn't really look any more dangerous offensively than last years. Paul looked good. Blueger and Duhaime I hardly noticed and not in a good way. Leaf centres got smoked on the dot most of the night.
Something to hopefully build off of.
30 Sep 2026 15:32:44
What are we expecting from Raddysh is my real question.
All summer half this site was talking about buying out Mo because he's so bad, but everyone thought Raddysh would be the savior. He is a turnover machine, very slow and makes bad decisions dedensively. Other than having a shot Raddysh has nothing going for him. He wasn't good in TB for years then had a career year at 30 and they didn't want him back.
30 Sep 2026 16:04:20
LL. I think that is a little harsh. The guy has produced at every level, although it has taken him a while to adjust to get there, and then he breaks out. Overage year in junior he had 81 pts in 62 games and a +62. Previous best year was 48 points. In the AHL, he had 51pts in 50, his last year, which was his 5th season. Previous best was 28 pts. NHL was a similar progression, 3rd full season was a breakout with that 70 pt season, with two previous over 30 playing a lesser role.
Is his speed an issue? Yes, but he typically makes good passes and angles well. Is he a true #1? No. And no one should have thought he was. He is a likely a good 2 though. Let's give him some time to see what we have as I am sure he is really nervous whether he will admit it or not.
30 Sep 2026 16:34:06
@RLF Maybe it's a bit harsh, but not by much.
He is not good defensively and never has been. He will struggle to keep pucks out of his net all year.
I didn't understand the point in the signing at all tbh.
Rielly is offensive who has almost 0 D. Why bring in another guy that's the same?
I understand the analytic community says offensively D-men affect the game much more, but I'm not sure I'll ever agree there.
30 Sep 2026 18:59:16
LL. And playing him and Rielly together is something only the coaches seem to think will be good. I'd put him with McCabe and OEL with Tanev. Rielly on the 3rd pair with Stecher in sheltered minutes. Top 2 pairs deployed about evenly minutes wise.
30 Sep 2026 19:19:58
We look exactly as expected. We are a perimeter team again. We make goalies look good because all the shots come from the outside. But who cares we don’t need guys that go to the net. I’m sure we will win in playoffs playing this way. Hey you guys got what you asked for, can’t wait to see playoffs and how little they accomplish.
30 Sep 2026 20:01:08
@Clarky You think adding Knies into the equation makes them better? I don't get it. You talk about him like he's going to put up 120pts.
They're a perimeter team because guys like Willy don't want to do anything else.
30 Sep 2026 20:12:55
LL. I talk about playoffs and how we are going backwards from being a playoff team with a legitimate chance. Who cares if they do well in regular season if it doesn’t amount to anything…..again. Seen this story too many teams but you guys seem to be happy.
30 Sep 2026 20:25:43
I get your angry Clarky that Knies was moved, but it wasn't like people were wanting him gone (for the most part). As for last night, the Leafs shut the Habs down most of the night. Take away the giveaway gifts the Habs got and they had trouble creating any high danger chances.
The Leafs were actually better last night then the Habs at getting inside and to the net. Leaf giveaways, especially by Raddysh and McKenna created many of Montreal's best chances. Now, I am not saying the Leafs are a constant crash the net team, but they did drive the net last night.
30 Sep 2026 13:53:22
Well overall it wasn’t a terrible first game! However, I’m very concerned with Morgan Reilly, OEL and Stecher. What was Morgan doing on the second Montreal goal? He was covering no one! Standing alone beside the net. He left Raddysh to defend alone all night! I don’t know why Chayka believes he can get a good return for him? He’s slow and washed up. Get anything for him and get rid of that contract! He is afraid to go into a corner and won’t take on bigger forwards. It’s the same with Ekman-Larson and Stecher.
Those two guys were skated around by the fourth line all night. The older D are scared and clearly slow. Need to inject some youth into that group. Call up the kids and let them play a few games. Danford, Villeneuve (when ready), Mermis and Rafi! They will make some mistakes, but they will give it their all!
Raddysh/Rafi
Tanev/McCabe
Danford/Mermis
We will see how they handle the Islanders tomorrow night because they can skate really well!
30 Sep 2026 16:09:03
Well no offense Cujo but I disagree with your assessment. Reilly before that goal specifically pointed for McKenna to look out for the slot. Bolduc came through and McKenna was a statue. As far as him leaving Raddysh to defend by himself.
I think Raddysh giving the puck away so many times put himself in scrambling on defense. Also Stecher was very steady and no one was blowing around him. He takes his guys to the outside very very well and I will take his +1 any day thanks.
30 Sep 2026 19:00:59
I actually thought Mo was the best blue liner (not saying much) and was good to see.