NHL 2017 -Official Discussion Thread

[Smitty-48]

If it was some alternate universe Patrick Marleau who never played for San Jose Chokes and never had that losing culture beaten into the very fibre of his being, I'd probably agree with you. But he's not that guy. He's a poison apple that looks very enticing on first glance and tasty upon first bite, but eventually it'll kill you.

Meh, I don't buy "choke" in San Jose, when they lost to Pittsburg, it was just the speed of the Pens that beat them, the Sharks were built to battle the heavy teams in California, division rivals LA and Anahiem, but Pitt was built to beat those teams with speed, there's nothing Patty Marleau did or did not do, which directly led to losing in the finals, most teams never even make the finals, by your definition, almost every team in the league has a "losing culture" and are all "choke teams", which, is patent nonesense actually. /shrugs.

[StCapps]

If it was some alternate universe Patrick Marleau who never played for San Jose Chokes and never had that losing culture beaten into the very fibre of his being, I'd probably agree with you. But he's not that guy. He's a poison apple that looks very enticing on first glance and tasty upon first bite, but eventually it'll kill you.

Meh, I don't buy "choke" in San Jose, when they lost to Pittsburg, it was just the speed of the Pens that beat them, the Sharks were built to battle the heavy teams in California, division rivals LA and Anahiem, but Pitt was built to beat those teams with speed, there's nothing Patty Marleau did or did not do, which directly led to losing in the finals, most teams never even make the finals, by your definition, almost every team in the league has a "losing culture" and are all "choke teams", which, is patent nonesense actually. /shrugs.

Nah just teams who are so good they are suppose to win, and never do. Teams who never are suppose to win and don't aren't chokes, the teams in great position to win and find a way to lose anyway, those are the chokes. San Jose are the biggest chokes in the West, Washington are the biggest chokes in the East, though obviously to a lesser degree because most of the time Pittsburgh was actually the better team and they just ran into them.

[Smitty-48]

How did he let them down, what were the crucial moments of which you speak? Exactly which moments, point them out specifically.

Not showing up in elimination games or in big series, at various moments, throughout the decades, year in, year out. He's the leader of the team who always fails in those moments, and you can't act like he has nothing to do with that, just because the team loves him anyway.

I find your narrative to be complete and utter bullshit actually, like I said, to me, your ostensible "analysis" is nothing more than specious nonsense blabber.

[Smitty-48]

Nah just teams who are so good they are suppose to win, and never do.

The history of the NHL is a history of great teams which never won the cup, that's most good teams, there's no shame in falling short, there can be only one, and that team needs to get a lot of bounces along the way.

[StCapps]

Nah just teams who are so good they are suppose to win, and never do.

The history of the NHL is a history of great teams which never won the cup, that's most good teams, there's no shame in falling short, there can be only one, and that team needs to get a lot of bounces along the way.

Whatever. Guys who are always so close and yet fail despite being so close eventually develop a mental block that prevents them for succeeding in the big moments, even if it wasn't effecting them early on when the failing began, losing that many times when "it's your year" wears on a man, how could it not?

[Smitty-48]

Well, time for a little change of scenery then, just what the doctor ordered, a fresh start with Auston Matthews & Co, I'm willing to give the guy a chance, on a three year front loaded contract, it's all good.

It's a two way street, Matty, Willy, and Marns, these kids lift the veterans up, they get the team going, they just need steady eddie in the room, when things start to get frazzled, and a steady eddie on the ice, to play a heavy two way possesion game.

I'm totally positive about the Leafs these days, welcome to the Blue & White, Patty Marleau, just enjoy yourself, I know I am.

[StCapps]

Well, time for a little change of scenery then, just what the doctor ordered, a fresh start with Auston Matthews & Co, I'm willing to give the guy a chance, on a three year front loaded contract, it's all good.

Yeah it's better for both San Jose and Marleau that he leaves, why they resigned Thornton, beyond me, pretty sure it wasn't so that they could trade him, so don't get it. There's another guy who could use a fresh start, for the betterment of both parties.

[Smitty-48]

I knew Babs would be looking to poach a Shark, when the Leafs went through Northern California this year and just got schooled on the heavy two way posession game, like I said, Babs is not looking for Marleau to put up fifty goals, he just wants him to grind it out down low and around the net, at both ends of the ice, and be the calming influence in the room, a complimentary role player for all seasons, it's still Auston Matthews who drives the bus, and Patty will get his chance to ride, no doubt.

He's still fast enough to keep the pace, he still has the elite touch around the net, he's still 6'2" 220lbs every shift, Babs is just trying to convert the Leafs from an off the rush up and down team, to a heavy down low east west team, and he's going to use Marleau as his muse, the archetypal model of a heavy two way player, whether he's won the cup or not.

[Smitty-48]

I think it will actually be Willy who comes off the top line not Hyman, Willy will slot in for the powerplay, but five-on-five I think it will be Marleau-Matthews-Hyman, to make that a full on heavy line, Willy will drop back with Naz and Komo, Brownie gets pushed down to the fourth line. Babs tried to make a heavy line out of Hyman-Matthews-Brown, that was his prefered line five-on-five, he only liked Willy up on the PP, but the problem was Brown was not heavy enough to make it work, so now he's poached Marleau to make it heavy for realz.

When you look at the whiteboard in the Leafs dressing room, that's what up there, Babs is tracking everybody by their heavy shifts, I think it's gonna be good, Marleau-Matthews-Hyman, five-on-five, I'm seeing that line giving teams fits. Then on the powerplay, Hyman out, Willy in, for even more fits.

First we hit you with the heavy line, wear you down, with super elite big horse squared, then you gotta deal with Marner and JVR, then we throw Naz and Willy at your third line, then even on our fourth line, we're coming with a Connor Brown? Wash-Rinse-Repeat? Look the fuck out, the Leafs are gonna to be lighting people up this year, it's gonna be fun.

[StCapps]

Nail Yakupov for 875k, one year term? I like it, worth a shot. Nothing will probably come of it, but whatever.