NHL 2017-2018

[StCapps]

Dirty backhand deke by Marleau with the dish from Matthews. First game couldn't really have gone better for the Leafs. I'm still pissed about Duchene still being on the Avs, he's going to pout and sulk his way into losing all trade value. If the man's name wasn't "Joe Sakic" he would have been fired long ago, inmates running the asylum for the fail.

[Smitty-48]

Dirty backhand deke by Marleau with the dish from Matthews.

You know what the best part was tho? Not Matthews and Marleau, I honestly expected them to make beautiful music together, no surprise there, but Freddy Andersen and Jake Gardiner were the most impressive.

Freddy Andersen still doesn't have my complete confidence, but man he looked great, he was stoning the Jets high powered offence and they were starting to grip their sticks and overreach to try to beat him, which is how they fell apart in their own zone and got burned.

But Jake Gardiner? It's like a whole new Jake Gardiner, Babs has totally transformed this guy, he's surpassed Rielly, Gardiner is the Leafs best defenceman, which, can't believe I'm saying that, but he is, so poised, so confident, so skilled, who is this guy wearing Jake Gardiner's sweater? He looks like Drew Doughty out there.

I honestly can't remember a coach coming in and turning a guy around, at 25 years of age, the way Babs has come in and turned Jake Gardiner around, I've seen it with kids, but not with a guy who was as old as Gardiner, usually by 25 the player is what he is and there's not much you can do, but Babs has turned Gardiner from the goat to the go to guy, just like that, it's mind blowing how much Gardiner has improved, in just a year.

[StCapps]

Dirty backhand deke by Marleau with the dish from Matthews.

You know what the best part was tho? Not Matthews and Marleau, I honestly expected them to make beautiful music together, no surprise there, but Freddy Andersen and Jake Gardiner were the most impressive.

Freddy Andersen still doesn't have my complete confidence, but man he looked great, he was stoning the Jets high powered offence and they were starting to grip their sticks and overreach to try to beat him, which is how they fell apart in their own zone and got burned.

But Jake Gardiner? It's like a whole new Jake Gardiner, Babs has totally transformed this guy, he's surpassed Rielly, Gardiner is the Leafs best defenceman, which, can't believe I'm saying that, but he is, so poised, so confident, so skilled, who is this guy wearing Jake Gardiner's sweater? He looks like Drew Doughty out there.

Him and Kadri, most improved veterans on the team since Babcock came to town.

[Smitty-48]

Him and Kadri, most improved veterans on the team since Babcock came to town.

I was never as down on Kadri as I was down on Gardiner, just like every other Leaf fan, I had pretty much written Gardiner off and was looking to trade him, but all of sudden now, he's untouchable, he's in the "must re-sign" column now, the guy is getting better and better as Babs goes, I don't think Gardiner has hit his ceiling yet, I think Babs can get even more out of him.

[StCapps]

Him and Kadri, most improved veterans on the team since Babcock came to town.

I was never as down on Kadri as I was down on Gardiner, just like every other Leaf fan, I had pretty much written Gardiner off and was looking to trade him, but all of sudden now, he's untouchable, he's in the "must re-sign" column now, the guy is getting better and better as Babs goes, I don't think Gardiner has hit his ceiling yet, I think Babs can get even more out of him.

Perhaps this is part of why Babcock came to Toronto, he's like, "Detroit was already good before I got there, but if I take over the Leafs and turn someone like Jake Gardiner's career around, then everyone will see just how great of a coach I really am, especially when I take them from the basement of the NHL to Stanley Cup contender faster than any realistic person would have ever expected, and do it in the biggest market in all of hockey."

A risky move that is paying off pretty big right now, for him and the Leafs. High risk, high reward.

[Smitty-48]

Him and Kadri, most improved veterans on the team since Babcock came to town.

I was never as down on Kadri as I was down on Gardiner, just like every other Leaf fan, I had pretty much written Gardiner off and was looking to trade him, but all of sudden now, he's untouchable, he's in the "must re-sign" column now, the guy is getting better and better as Babs goes, I don't think Gardiner has hit his ceiling yet, I think Babs can get even more out of him.

Perhaps this is part of why Babcock came to Toronto, he's like, "Detroit was already good before I got there, but if I take over the Leafs and turn someone like Jake Gardiner's career around, then everyone will see just how great of a coach I really am, especially when I take them from the basement of the NHL to Stanley Cup contender faster than any realistic person would have ever expected, and do it in the biggest market in all of hockey."

A risky move that is paying off pretty big right now, for him and the Leafs.

I think Babs is a bit more cosmopolitan than people think, yeah, he loves his farm out west, but he likes Yorkville too, Mrs. Babs definitely didn't want to live in Buffalo, at any price, but at the same price, I think Babs wanted to be at the Centre of the Universe too.

In terms ot the risk? Babs is so cocky, he just thought "I can fix the Leafs, I'm Babs, step aside".

[StCapps]

Babs is so cocky, he just thought "I can fix the Leafs, I'm Babs, step aside".

Pretty much, it took serious balls to do what he did, and he had them.

[Smitty-48]

Babs is so cocky, he just thought "I can fix the Leafs, I'm Babs, step aside".

Pretty much, it took serious balls to do what he did, and he had them.

But he also has the hockey mind to back up the cockiness, he's systematic and hollistic in his approach, despite his homespun farm boy persona, he's not Sutter, he's a hockey intellectual of the Scotty Bowman - Roger Nielson school.

[Fife]

I'm looking forward to seeing Josi sporting the C patch this evening. Nashville's leadership group looks a lot different than this time last year.

[Smitty-48]

I'm looking forward to seeing Josi sporting the C patch this evening. Nashville's leadership group looks a lot different than this time last year.

The Preds have arguably the best D in the league now, but I actually think their fate rests in the hands of Ryan Johansen, if Ryan Johansen is in the Auston Matthews zone, the Preds will go deep again, if Ryan Johansen falters, they won't make the playoffs.

They have three Roman Josi's, but only one Ryan Johansen, they could afford for Josi to have a bad season or get hurt, but not Johansen.