2025-26 projected lineup discussion

[GHT120]

25 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

If he hadn’t left on rather sour terms, it’d be more likely, I imagine. It shouldn’t matter - that regime is gone, the team is totally different - but I can understand if Patches takes the view that he’s had his share of the Montreal fishbowl.

I expect that he will re-sign with the Leafs.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

10 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

I expect that he will re-sign with the Leafs.

I think so too. Patches was pretty good for them and he seemed to like it there. 
 

Tavares might sign a cheap deal to stay but I’m not sure if Toronto is interested. 
 

I do think that Marner is 100% gone 

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

6 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

I think so too. Patches was pretty good for them and he seemed to like it there. 
 

Tavares might sign a cheap deal to stay but I’m not sure if Toronto is interested. 
 

I do think that Marner is 100% gone 

 

That footage of Marner yelling at his own bench to ‘wake the f**k up’ doesn’t suggest a guy who is too crazy about hanging around. That was a weird moment, because I don’t think of him as a fiery player in that way. Not sure what to make of it.

 

A lot of talk in TO about players complaining about ‘the pressure.’ I suspect there is a culture of self-pitying whining in that group. That would explain why they always wilt in the crunch.

 

A Leafs fan friend of mine believes the organization has no interest in changing - complacency being its defining attribute; so if he’s right, we’ll see Marner walk and the Leafs make necessary signings and package that as ‘structural change’ to the fans, with no other serious changes made.

 

 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

That footage of Marner yelling at his own bench to ‘wake the f**k up’ doesn’t suggest a guy who is too crazy about hanging around. That was a weird moment, because I don’t think of him as a fiery player in that way. Not sure what to make of it.

 

A lot of talk in TO about players complaining about ‘the pressure.’ I suspect there is a culture of self-pitying whining in that group. That would explain why they always wilt in the crunch.

 

A Leafs fan friend of mine believes the organization has no interest in changing - complacency being its defining attribute; so if he’s right, we’ll see Marner walk and the Leafs make necessary signings and package that as ‘structural change’ to the fans, with no other serious changes made.

 

 

Leaf coach said today that the only pressure the players feel is from within the room. 
 

That’s nonsense of course because players are human beings and they surely felt the boos and surely felt it when leaf jerseys were thrown on the ice. 
 

I buy the self pity excuse. They are together in their pity and seem to bond over it. 
 

 

[Commandant]

Meh, blaming the pressure instead of blaming the fact that their best players disappear every year in playoffs

 

That's BS. 

 

As bad as Toronto is, its nothing compared to Real Madrid or other successful European Football Teams.

Its nothing compared to the Philadelphia Eagles and other successful NFL teams

Its nothing compared to the Boston Celtics and other successful NBA teams

Its nothing compared to the Yankees or Dodgers and other successful MLB teams

 

If those teams don't wilt under pressure, the Leafs need to learn to play with it too. 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

If the family thing is real then I’m not sure patches is signing in Canada. Perhaps his family wants to move back to Montreal but I DOUBT

[dlbalr]

I don't get the sense Toronto would want to re-sign him.  He was decent but they might prefer someone who isn't a virtual lock to land on LTIR at some point, messing with their cap planning.

[tomh009]

26 minutes ago, Commandant said:

As bad as Toronto is, its nothing compared to Real Madrid or other successful European Football Teams.

Well, then there is Man U, who has more skill than success ... the Leafs aren't unique in that, either.

[Commandant]

21 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

Well, then there is Man U, who has more skill than success ... the Leafs aren't unique in that, either.

 

They had tons of success in the fergie era.... and liverpool is having success now under similar pressure.

 

Some.players thrive in a market like toronto/montreal and others dont.

 

Says more about the player than the market to me.  You gotta know your market and find guys like suzuki who want the attention.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

3 minutes ago, Commandant said:

 

They had tons of success in the fergie era.... and liverpool is having success now under similar pressure.

 

Some.players thrive in a market like toronto/montreal and others dont.

 

Says more about the player than the market to me.  You gotta know your market and find guys like suzuki who want the attention.

 

I agree, on a general level: some guys are more cut out for hockey-crazed markets than others. 

 

One complicating factor is that a lot of guys love it and embrace it until it sours. Pacioretty seems to have been like this: super positive and enthusiastic for a while, lobbied hard to be captain, etc.; but then, when the organization tipped over from 'exciting up-and-comers' to 'chronic disappointment,' and when fans and media got fed up with his consistent inconsistency, he seemed to want out.

 

That's why I think we have to be a little bit cautious about guys like Suzuki, Caufield, Hutson, Slaf, etc. They seem to love it in Montreal, they embrace the challenge and the passion - fantastic. I love that attitude. However, none of these guys, including Suzuki, have had the experience of leading the team through a season or series of seasons where they fail to live up to expectations. We don't know how they will react after, say, two or three early playoff exits when fans were realistically hoping for a long playoff drive. We don't know what attitude they will bring to that kind of high-pressure adversity.

 

Toronto, on the other hand, is possibly the most excruciating example of a core that has disappointed its fans year after year after year. We don't know whether our guys would respond any better than theirs, in that situation. (On the other hand, maybe our guys will never be in that situation, because they're not a bunch of self-pitying babies in the first place. 🤔 Chicken, meet egg).  

 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Would you pay 10 million per season in a 7 year contract?

 

Considering the cap increases that are coming and all signs pointing to increased salaries across the board…

 

Hell yes

[DON]

6 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Would you pay 10 million per season in a 7 year contract?

 

Considering the cap increases that are coming and all signs pointing to increased salaries across the board…

 

Hell yes

Why? Not for the offense i guess? And not a Suzuki ironman neither.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

8 minutes ago, DON said:

Why? Not for the offense i guess? And not a Suzuki ironman neither.

I would pay him that much because of what he is doing right now. 
 

Bennett has been a force this playoff. 
 

You get him for the playoffs - his style is perfect for it. 

[Commandant]

This is not the first playoff he has done this either.

 

He wasnt part of team canada at 4 nations just because.

 

Hes a player that you can look at his hockeydb page all day but there is a different player when you watch him.

[Prime Minister Koivu]

50 minutes ago, Commandant said:

This is not the first playoff he has done this either.

 

He wasnt part of team canada at 4 nations just because.

 

Hes a player that you can look at his hockeydb page all day but there is a different player when you watch him.

He affects the game tremendously with slick little moves that go unnoticed. 
 

He would open ice for Demidov big time 

[DON]

5 hours ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

I would pay him that much because of what he is doing right now. 
 

Bennett has been a force this playoff. 
 

You get him for the playoffs - his style is perfect for it. 

I would say the team has been a force.

[tomh009]

Granlund doesn't looks so terrible in the playoffs, either. And I expect we'd have a better chance getting him than Bennett.

 

 

Anyway, I expect each one of them is somewhere on Hughes's priority list. We'll find out within a month or so what happens.

[Commandant]

36 minutes ago, DON said:

I would say the team has been a force.

 

Watch their games instead of posting his stats.   Guy is a playoff warrior. 

 

He plays that semi-dirty style that works in the playoffs cause NHL refs don't call shit.  He is 100% pure pest and grinder and the guy you need in a 7 game series.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Bennett is great, but he gives me Gallagher vibes a little bit. You’d be paying (mostly) for past performance, shilling out 10 mil per for 8 years for a guy who will probably start showing his age within three or four years. I’m a bit skeptical about that.

 

Of course, this is, to some degree, true of most UFA signings. But this seems like it has a risk of being an extreme case.

 

 

[Commandant]

18 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Bennett is great, but he gives me Gallagher vibes a little bit. You’d be paying (mostly) for past performance, shilling out 10 mil per for 8 years for a guy who will probably start showing his age within three or four years. I’m a bit skeptical about that.

 

Of course, this is, to some degree, true of most UFA signings. But this seems like it has a risk of being an extreme case.

 

 

 

I'd argue that with 20goals this season, Gallagher was worth every penny. 

[IN THE HEARTS OF MEN]

On 5/20/2025 at 12:47 PM, Commandant said:

Meh, blaming the pressure instead of blaming the fact that their best players disappear every year in playoffs

 

That's BS. 

 

As bad as Toronto is, its nothing compared to Real Madrid or other successful European Football Teams.

Its nothing compared to the Philadelphia Eagles and other successful NFL teams

Its nothing compared to the Boston Celtics and other successful NBA teams

Its nothing compared to the Yankees or Dodgers and other successful MLB teams

 

If those teams don't wilt under pressure, the Leafs need to learn to play with it too. 

Although i disagree with the notion that the pressure in Toronto is "nothing compared to" all the teams listed above including Montreal. I 100% agree that putting the blame on the fans or media pressure is pure deflection to what truly ails this team. The Toronto Maple Leaf team have been poorly assembled and frankly poorly run for a quarter century. 

 

The difference in the shambles of Man U today vs the ManU of yesteryear, is team structure and personel not team pressure. Its all internal!

 

 

[IN THE HEARTS OF MEN]

On 5/20/2025 at 1:50 PM, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

I agree, on a general level: some guys are more cut out for hockey-crazed markets than others. 

 

One complicating factor is that a lot of guys love it and embrace it until it sours. Pacioretty seems to have been like this: super positive and enthusiastic for a while, lobbied hard to be captain, etc.; but then, when the organization tipped over from 'exciting up-and-comers' to 'chronic disappointment,' and when fans and media got fed up with his consistent inconsistency, he seemed to want out.

 

That's why I think we have to be a little bit cautious about guys like Suzuki, Caufield, Hutson, Slaf, etc. They seem to love it in Montreal, they embrace the challenge and the passion - fantastic. I love that attitude. However, none of these guys, including Suzuki, have had the experience of leading the team through a season or series of seasons where they fail to live up to expectations. We don't know how they will react after, say, two or three early playoff exits when fans were realistically hoping for a long playoff drive. We don't know what attitude they will bring to that kind of high-pressure adversity.

 

Toronto, on the other hand, is possibly the most excruciating example of a core that has disappointed its fans year after year after year. We don't know whether our guys would respond any better than theirs, in that situation. (On the other hand, maybe our guys will never be in that situation, because they're not a bunch of self-pitying babies in the first place. 🤔 Chicken, meet egg).  

 

i think the missing point here is how Toronto has been knocked out over the years, and their inability to address those issues over a decade ultimately leading to the essential firing of Shanny. Consistently laying eggs throughout the years from the Montreal series collapse and blowing a 3-1 lead to not showing up in Boston for game 6, getting beat up vs TB, and most recently two straight games at home where they failed to even show up to start game 7 or even play in game 5. I think in Montreal we would be ok losing to the better team, as a recent example this playoffs in Washington, if the team laid it all out on the line with heart, passion and fight but fell short.Thats just not the case in Toronto

But to be out shot 25-0 and fail to even enter the zone for almost 10 minutes to start a game 7 for the 6th time in a row? or 9th time in last 11 (whatever the stat is). That is what I would think is most disheartening as a Leaf fan. Now they will ultimately lose one of their biggest stars if not two (Marner, Tavares) and recoup nothing. Their assets continue to dwindle away and with only 3 picks in the first 3 rounds of the next 3 seasons and only really holding two real chips in cowen and Knies, things are really starting to look bleek. Sure they can overpay in this years free agency market, but that will likely make them older, with future cap issues. 

 

Man o Man is it a nice time to be a Habs fan if Hughes and Gorton get these next 12- 14 months right

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Bennett’s stat card looks like a guy that is responsible for contributing greatly to offence without the scoresheet. 
 

 

[IN THE HEARTS OF MEN]

Bennett will only get a 7 year deal taking him to age 35, which isn't that far fetched compared to other players signed. If you compared that to Kadri and his 7M cap that he gets until 39 years old. Whats the difference? Kadri might be more offensively savvy but Bennett is heavier and younger and more built for playoff hockey as already mentioned.

 

End of the day, i don't think anyone is giving him 7M for 7yrs. i would bet he ends up closer to 8, but am unwilling to put my own money on it.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

1 hour ago, IN THE HEARTS OF MEN said:

Bennett will only get a 7 year deal taking him to age 35, which isn't that far fetched compared to other players signed. If you compared that to Kadri and his 7M cap that he gets until 39 years old. Whats the difference? Kadri might be more offensively savvy but Bennett is heavier and younger and more built for playoff hockey as already mentioned.

 

End of the day, i don't think anyone is giving him 7M for 7yrs. i would bet he ends up closer to 8, but am unwilling to put my own money on it.

 

Yeah…I’m not vehemently against us signing Bennett, I just don’t think either he or his contract are likely to age well and I’m not an enthusiast of signing guys to huge deals after their peak years. But, y’know, I’m sure he’d be a useful player for most of the years of whatever contract he signs.

 

The rising cap does tend to soften the blow of overpayment. Still, I would prefer to be cautious about signing an excellent 40-50-point C to a massive deal for the back nine of his career. We now live in an era of perma-crisis, economically, socially, politically, and environmentally; constant cap growth is an unwise assumption in such a context.

 

I will be amazed if he gets seven. I think 9-10 is more realistic given the desperate need so many teams have for a C.