NHL 2017 -Official Discussion Thread

[Smitty-48]

Sure, but I"m factoring in the age, I'm not banking on 30 goals in year three, I'm just looking to this year and next, but Pete DeBoer was limiting his powerplay time, put Patty on a PP with Matty, Willy, Naz, and Mo? I think he can score 25 again.

I could see that. Like I said, regular season isn't his issue, plus longevity and durability are his calling cards. I wouldn't worry about his regular season production, you can probably rest easy on that, at least for next year anyway, even at 37.

The playoffs don't rest on the shoulders of one guy, suddenly Auston Matthews is not going to be able to play in the playoffs cuz he has to play with Patty Marleau? Yeah, I'm not too concerned about that, and the Leafs don't need Marleau to be their Ovechkin.

Babs will deploy Marleau for maximum effect, he's not gonna run the wheels off of him, he's going to use him right, Pete DeBoer is a dick, I don't doubt that DeBoer was a factor in Marleau jumping ship.

[StCapps]

Well, the playoffs don't rest on the shoulders of one guy, suddenly Auston Matthews is not going to be able to play in the playoffs cuz he has to play with Patty Marleau? Yeah, I'm not too concerned about that, and the Leafs don't need Marleau to be their Ovechkin.

Neither did the Sharks. How did that work out for them over them over the years again? Oh yeah, not so well. History is against you on the Marleau front, it's not like he hasn't had talent to play with in the past. He just isn't the guy to get a good team over the hump, quite the opposite.

[Smitty-48]

Well, the playoffs don't rest on the shoulders of one guy, suddenly Auston Matthews is not going to be able to play in the playoffs cuz he has to play with Patty Marleau? Yeah, I'm not too concerned about that, and the Leafs don't need Marleau to be their Ovechkin.

Neither did the Sharks. How did that work out for them over the decades again? Oh yeah, not so well. History is against you on the Marleau front.

Again, your narrative that somehow the Leafs become the Sharks, just by signing one guy, is silly, I have zero concerns about "chokes" or "voodoo" or "mental blocks", nor anything like that, it's just a question of can he keep the wheels going for two more years, because if he can, he'll be worth every penny.

[StCapps]

Again, your narrative that somehow the Leafs become the Sharks, just by signing one guy, is silly, I have zero concerns about "chokes" or "voodoo" or "mental blocks", nor anything like that, it's just a question of can he keep the wheels going for two more years, because if he can, he'll be worth every penny.

The wheels have been on his whole career, and it didn't help. What makes you think it will this time? Babcock? That's what I thought, you are betting that Babcock is god and can teach an old dog new tricks, and he's some master sports psychologist who will cure Patty Marleau of his playoff woes.

Whatevs, if you don't believe in choking, you don't understand sports, it's a thing, seriously. Just because it's hard to quantify on a stat sheet doesn't mean it should be ignored as a factor.

[Smitty-48]

Again, it's not a factor, I'm not concerned about it at all, I'm not blinded by your silly Marleau hate, Marleau is great and always has been, but in this situation, he's not even being asked to carry the team on his shoulders, this is just a complimentary veteran in a supporting role job.

[StCapps]

Again, it's not a factor, I'm not concerned about it at all, I'm not blinded by your silly Marleau hate, Marleau is great and always has been, but in this situation, he's not even being asked to carry the team on his shoulders, this is just a complimentary veteran in a supporting role job.

He had that role on the Sharks, for years. In the early days he had to carry the team more, and he couldn't do that either come playoff time. He's proven to not be able to deliver in such a situation, even when surrounded by talent in a supporting role, repeatedly. The only thing different this time is Babcock and he's not playing most games on the West Coast anymore.

[Smitty-48]

Again, it's not a factor, I'm not concerned about it at all, I'm not blinded by your silly Marleau hate, Marleau is great and always has been, but in this situation, he's not even being asked to carry the team on his shoulders, this is just a complimentary veteran in a supporting role job.

He had that role on the Sharks, for years. In the early days he had to carry the team more, and he couldn't do that either. He's proven to not be able to deliver in such a situation, even when surrounded by talent in a supporting role. The only thing different this time is Babcock and he's not playing most games on the West Coast anymore.

Yeah, you said that a bunch of times now, obvious concern troll is obvious, but I'm pretty dang stoked, so long as he has the wheels for the next two years, because that's going to be a Marleau-aissance, he's fer sure gonna come in this year full of piss and vinegar in order to stick it to the Sharks for giving up on him, it's really just a question of keeping the wheels on it through year two.

[StCapps]

Yeah, you said that a bunch of times now, obvious concern troll is obvious, but I'm pretty dang stoked, so long as he has the wheels for the next two years, because that's going to be a Marleau-aissance, he's fer sure gonna come in this year full of piss and vinegar in order to stick it to the Sharks for giving up on him, it's really just a question of keeping the wheels on it through year two.

Because he wasn't motivated to win before he came to Toronto, now he really cares about winning, piss and vinegar yo, he'll show those Sharks now that he actually cares. Lulz, listen to yourself.

You're a Leafs homer, looking at things through Leafs tinted glasses. It best that Marleau and the Sharks parted ways, for the sake of both parties, just leave it at that captain hyperbole. No need to reach, it just makes you look silly.

[Smitty-48]

Yeah, you said that a bunch of times now, obvious concern troll is obvious, but I'm pretty dang stoked, so long as he has the wheels for the next two years, because that's going to be a Marleau-aissance, he's fer sure gonna come in this year full of piss and vinegar in order to stick it to the Sharks for giving up on him, it's really just a question of keeping the wheels on it through year two.

Because he wasn't motivated to win before he came to Toronto, now he really cares about winning, piss and vinegar yo, he'll show those Sharks now that he actually cares. Lulz, listen to yourself.

You're a Leafs homer, looking at things through Leafs tinted glasses.

Except he did win with the Sharks, they won like crazy, they just didn't win the cup, but contrary to your idiot blather, that wasn't a choke, it's not a choke when you make it to the finals and lose to the best team in hockey, that's just getting beat by the better team, which, Pittsburgh was, the Sharks were built to beat LA, problem was, they weren't built to beat Sidney Crosby & Co. the assertion that "Marleau is a loser because he doesn't care", don't be an idiot concern troll, dude, you're ruining the thread, it's getting boring, move on already.

[StCapps]

Except he did win with the Sharks, they won like crazy, they just didn't win the cup, but contrary to your idiot blather, that wasn't a choke, it's not a choke when you make it to the finals and lose to the best team in hockey, that's just getting beat by the better team, which, Pittsburgh was, the Sharks were built to beat LA, problem was, they weren't built to beat Sidney Crosby & Co. the assertion that "Marleau is a loser because he doesn't care", don't be an idiot concern troll, dude, you're ruining the thread, it's getting boring, move on already.

I never said he doesn't care. Marleau cares and it doesn't matter how much he cares, it doesn't make a difference, it probably just compounds the issue when he cares too much. Pittsburgh was a bad match up sure, but that is hardly the only time they didn't win the Cup. They had the best team in the West on paper for years at a time and failed to even make it to the final, The Washington Capitals of the West, except they make the Caps look like amateurs because they've been doing it twice as long.

The San Jose Sharks and The Washington Capitals prove that having the best team on paper doesn't mean jack shit if your team has too many chokes playing for them who fail to show up when it matters, no matter how much they light it up in the regular season, or earlier in the playoffs before they are eliminated. Biggest choke teams of the last twenty year stretch, by a mile. You may have missed it, I didn't.